Advice on light, bugproof tent for 2-3 person use above treeline

I have been in a similar situation recently, looking for a backpacking tent for my family of 5. I finally settled on the Golite Shangri-la 4+ nest with the Shangri-la 6+ shelter. The idea is to have a nest big enough for sleeping, but have a vestibule for cooking and gear storage as well. All the size specs (as well as a call to Golite) seem to indicate that this will work, although Golite has never heard of anyone doing this before. The tent should be arriving Wednesday, so I am very interested to see how this works out.

Gustav a great photo (of the cape and sleeping children) and one that demonstrates how we can use gear for more than it was originally designed for.

Damien,

I was wondering the exact same thing when I was looking at the GoLite site. I'd be very keen to hear how it works out, and how the weight is with their gear,then stripped down to trekking poles etc.

Also, can you let us know how much extra sheltered vestibule do you get in the rain, or is the extended ShangriLa 6+ just long enough to protect the floor of the 4+ Nest.

Were you planning on sleeping in the nest, or a bivvy in the vestibule?

Rod

Roger. You can avoid the Hex 3 floor gathering water quite easily. I peg the 2 loops nearest the door separately from the Outer. I just pull the floor away from the door for exiting and entering. I also do this for cooking.

Rod,

When I get it on Wednesday I will weigh it, set it up, and take photos. I will post the results here for you to see.

As far as where I am planning on sleeping, I think there should be more than enough room for all of us in the nest. I had been waffling back and forth between this setup and a Hilleberg Nallo 4 GT where I would have ended up sleeping in a bivy in the vestibule. Ultimately I think that the Golite will be a more versatile solution (not to mention less expensive as well). We shall see!

Lots of great info / feedback here regarding the teepee style tents from Golite and BD. However I'm going to be the contrarian here and suggest there are good reasons to go with the Hilleberg.

You are looking at tarp tent designs and finding them lacking for the Swedish mountain conditions you are facing. The Hilleberg tents were designed with these exact conditions in mind.

You are planning on using this new tent as a two person tent for you and your spouse. You already have two tarp tents, but not a bomb proof tent for tougher conditions. Again a reason to look at the Hilleberg.

You are also planning on using this tent as a second tent together with your Cloudburst tarptent, when you need sleeping quarters for the whole family. If you have the Hilleberg you can squeeze all of you in there safe and dry to get away from an unusually bad storm. In more regular conditions you can share a tent with one kid, your spouse with the other. When the kids get bigger the two of them will want to share their own tent, set up right next to yours.

Well, I got my Shangri-La yesterday and set it up in my back yard. As I suspected, the Shangri-la 4+ nest fits perfectly underneath the Shangri-la 6+ tarp. This gives you a nice sleeping area for 4 – 5 people, and a really big vestibule. I am really happy with how this has worked out. I haven't had the time to take photos or weigh anything yet, but I will do that in the next couple of days and post more info.

nm

I'm afraid our mosquitoes are everywhere. When there is a lot of wind they tend to disappear for awhile, but otherwise they are almost omnipresent. In any case the tent will be used below the treeline as well.

Thank you Kristin for your comments!
A "snusmumrik" must have Scandinavian connections. You definetely have a very important point here. A warm tunneltent would make my tent collection more complete. I would get a 4-season tent as well and chances are that especially my wife will really appriciate a warmer double-wall tent.

I have also been thinking about the tarp as vestibule. The problem is that it will be much harder to find something to tie it to above the treeline. Two trekking poles are already taken. I think a vestibule will be very handy, especially with the kids around.

Pricewise the difference is not so big either if I will also buy the nests. A Hilleberg Nallo 3GT will be 645$. A Golite for with a nest 500$ and thats excluding a tarp.

All the previous posts here has convinced me that windstability of a pyramid is not a problem. The bigger living space is also very useful. Maybe as the kids grow up and we will be more experienced we can live with colder tent.

I will give it a bit more thought before I decide, but so far I'm stilling leaning towards the Nallo.

Maybe I'm nuts. But if I were looking primarily for a tent that'll withstand strong winds and bad rainstorms, a tarptent isn't where I'd be looking. A potential option or two: I'd get the GT version of the Nallo. Maybe (gasp!) even the Nallo 3GT. The kids'll be growing. Part of my rationale is that by having the larger tent you could ditch the second tent. Either way, I think it would be relatively easy to sew up a floored, netted insert for the vestibule… IMHO, the lightest option for the most space for the worst conditions.

That said, I have a Dana/Garuda Nuktuk that I use somewhat regularly and love. Very similar to the BD Megalight w/insert. My girlfriend, two German Shepherds, gear, and me all fit comfortably. The Nuktuk's definitely on the heavy side broadly speaking–but if you consider the amount of floor space, it's really quite light…

cheers!

What about the $70 REI Bug Hut 2? You could combine it with (something).

"Maybe I need to sacrifice windstability."-gusbo

The Bug Hut 2 can sacrifice wind stability. Still thinking about a solution for that. It has the bathtub floor and is fairly light, cheap, and easy. Big enough for an adult and 2 kids.

I am still working out a fly for this. V1 was made with a blue tarp, potentially strong, but heavy. V2 is 2mil whitish plastic at 1lb. and $5. It lets a lot of light in and is really fun to watch the rain from the inside. Tyvek is tempting for V3.

Yup. I grew up in Sweden.

I took up backpacking later in life so have never had the pleasure of exploring the mountains in Scandinavia. It's the subject of another thread – but I'd love some info on backpacking in Sweden: websites, books, etc.

I have posted a blog about my new backcountry family shelter: a Shangri-la 6+ shelter and Shangri-la 4+ nest. I have taken pictures and weighed the various components. Head over to this URL to check it out: http://www.adventureinprogress.com/family_shelter

Hello Gail!
Nice to hear about you're experience with the Mega Light. From previous posts I think I've read that you also use a SMD Lunar Duo. Would you consider this to be an alternative if we choose to camp low in more sheltered spots? We would then use two tents (My Cloudburst as well). It would also be a cheaper option since we don't need a nest. The problem will be that we have less space for the kids to run around, but the kids will eventually grow up and then two tents is probably a better option anyway.

After all the advice I got I finally decided to buý a SMD Lunar Duo after all.

My reasons for this was:
1. The Hilleberg Nallo 3GT, even when bought in the US is simply to expensive and is also heavy (Compared to UL-stuff that is.).
2. The pyramids all seem very interesting, but I either need a nest, or need to make modifications. The nests are too heavy and expensive and I figured I will not have the energy or time for making my own.
3. The combination of two tents instead of one is more versatile. Very soon the kids will also grow up and will want their own tent anyway.
4. The lack of vestibule is a serious disadvantage of the pyramids when you have a lot of rain. Setting up a tarp will be too much of a hassle above treeline.
5. I heard reports of swedes using the Lunar Duo on a longer trip above treeline and they thought it was adequate for our scandinavian conditions. In the worst case I also think we could fit all the family in our Tarptent Cloudburst which has a lower profile. Most of the time I will be pretty close to the treeline anyway.
6. The Lunar Duo is still a pretty roomy tent.
7. I wanted to try a Lunar Duo in any case.

nm

Damien,

Yikes! That setup is like staying at the Hilton! As a matter of fact, I think I've stayed in smaller hotel rooms. :-) Very nice idea.

I will add my own guylines to the already sewed in attachment points. That's what the other Swedes did. It should be adequate for most situations. I will also make sure I put stones on all stakes.

Ref the $70 REI Bug Hut 2.

I bought that one and later found the Mozzie Dome 2 and the Mozzie Dome 4 that come with flies (!). Google came up with several links: here's one.

http://www.bargainoutfitters.com/cb/cb.asp?a=270703

sandy in miami

sandykayak

The mozzie has fiberglass poles. I wouldn't consider this material today. Be happy with your bug hut.