Thoughts on Shangri La 3

I've actually been reading up on this and similar shelters today. I'm looking into piecing together a bug net with some sort of pyramid-based tarp design, and I think I'm going to try an SMD Serenity Nettent with a MLD Trailstar. There were some threads on the Shangri La 3 and the SMD Nettent with pictures

Have you used any bug net/bivy with the Shangri La?

Not yet, with the exception of the full-blown inner nest when backpacking with my kids.

I've thought about sewing something, but then again, I've never had too bad of issues with bugs and open shelters yet…Or I guess I have, but I can cope. I'll just wear clothes and a headnet when they're fierce- just like when sitting around camp.

Edit: I think I should mention that I often do carry pretty minimal shelters and have done a good deal of sub-5 lb. trips using poncho-tarps, tarp+bivy, etc. But I'm starting to find that the piece of mind- especially on a longer trip like the JMT- of carrying a spacious, bomber shelter like the Shangri La 3 is really worth it to me. And again, compared to many of the cottage 1 man tents out there, 26 oz. is pretty sweet for a shelter so big and easy to use.

I really like mine, too. I like the option of hanging it from above for even more room inside without a pole to worry about.
I bought mine to use when the dogs were along and when winter camping when I appreciate the extra space.

I'm a huge fan of the SL3.
I use mine above tree line, and have sat through some big blows and storms just fine.
I pair it with a SMD Serenity for bug protection and there's tons of space to do things and relax if it is foul outside.
It fits in the mesh pocket of my Murmur just great too.
Fantastic shelter, great for one or two when my wife comes along.

cheers,
fred

I love our Hex3. So quick to pitch, and roomy! Great for sociability when it's raining in camp. You can invite 5 people round for coffee and swap tales.

Don't know why Craig bothered with seam seal. Golite's claims about their 'hydrophilic thread' are 100% true.

Kath and I made a 2 person 16oz bug tent inner for ours:

.

It's a big tent and in the wind, it needs a full complement of pegs. I take 6 of the Golite suppied Y stakes and 6 6" Ti crooks. Then I look for rocks to go on the Ti stakes if it's getting breezy.

What is the lightest pole available that's solid enough for the occasional alpine blow?

We try to pitch in sheltered places but that is not always possible, and when it is not, it is usually means we've been caught up high by a storm.

What pole length/height is required?
What pole comes with a SL3?
Is anyone doing a double trekking pole+jack pitch?
Is anyone willing to share failures or admonitions?

Thanks.

Greg, the standard item is a 3/4" Easton with an adjustable section. It weighs 14oz or about 400g. They have been known to bend in high winds. I've only had one severe windstorm hit mine, and it pulled the pegs out of softish ground with each successive blast, so the pole didn't suffer. I was up half the night re-pegging though.

I made a pole for my hex3 out of 3 sections of CF golf club shafts. It is 65" long and weighs just under 6oz or 166g. I believe it to be stronger than the Easton pole.

I believe walking poles to be too light for the job, but that's just my opinion.

I use two hiking poles strapped together and they hold up just fine in big blows.

John, good to hear. I don't use them, so I don't know. Tell us about the technique. Do you keep a fair amount of overlap in the sections, and lash the thin ends together over 3 feet or so?

John and Rog,

What are the diameters of your CF poles?
(or who makes them?)

And, what is the suggested length for a SL3 pole?

Greg, mine are originally 39" 3oz carbon fibre stiff flex golf club shafts, cut down to a suitable length. I can give you the name, Maxfli, but they are all pretty much of a muchness. Once cut, they taper from around 14.5mm to 11mm with a 2mm wall thickness.

I installed EVA foam grips on my LT4s so I have access to the top opening of the top section, which enables me to join three sections together… bottom1-top1-bottom2…

Has anyone else used this setup in storm conditions? The top opening of the top section is not reinforced, AFAIK, so I am a little skeptical. (I've had no issues in my Duomid during storms, but the area and height is much less.)

So what length and weight is that setup? Just interested from a strength point of view. I have 2 47" golf club shafts which are quite a lot lighter (2oz), but I don't want to wreck them.

'Do you keep a fair amount of overlap in the sections, and lash the thin ends together over 3 feet or so?'

Tallbloke, that's about it, a bit of 4mm line and some knots keep the poles together well. There's about 3 feet overlap.

Edit: found the pic!! This is with the SMD Serenity net.

cheers

Rog,
2 oz each? or 2 ounces total?

My LT4s are 6.4 ounces. Height can easily be over 6'.

Interesting Observation:
I placed the pole on a bathroom scale and pushed down to observe deflection as a function force. At 66" pole height I get about 3" of lateral deflection at 35# of downward force. It appears almost linear.

Weighting the pole more get me more deflection, but not much change on the scale. (perhaps due to the lateral aspect of the pole tip?)

Any one want to donate some LT4s to science?

Greg,
my digital bathroom scales won't play the game, but I estimate my 6oz 3 section 66" cf pole to be doing around the same or maybe a spot less deflection.

The lighter 47" poles are 2oz each. I don't want to wreck them because they are a nice length for my GG 'The One'.

So, who knows how to calculate the windspeed which equates to 35# of downforce on the pole?

Maybe empirical study is required. How about suspending a hex3 with a spring balance in the top guy and standing around with an anenometer? :-)

The way to do this is to put a platform on the top of a stakebed truck, pitch the unit, and then ramp up the speed.

Or…

Something will give…

Edit: If anyone wants to bring this thread back around to "Thoughts" I won't be offended. Might be time for a new thread, or not…

I got lucky at GoLite's warehouse sale in Boulder last weekend, and I was able to score the full Shangri La 3 setup for $148 (fly, nest, and floor). So I'm playing with all the configurations in my back yard. It seems that the nest wants to have the pole set at 52", which would be where the adjustable pole is set at the third slot from the end. At this height, the fly drapes over the nest, and the fly stake loops will utilize the nest's stakes. I expect that if you are using the fly alone, you could have the pole set longer, but then the edge of the fly would be 6-8" off the ground. Using the floor/fly configuration, it seems best to go with that 52" pole.

This morning I used my Dremel tool to cut up a piece of 3/4" tubing I found in the basement, trying to make an extender for my adjustable Komperdell poles. Looks like it might work, although a bit wobbly. Weight is 3.0 oz., compared to the 11.25 oz. Golite pole. (I asked the GoLite guys about their trekking pole extender, and they thought that it wasn't made anymore…)

John, I'm intrigued with your 2-pole arrangement. I'm curious as to how you lash them together, and not have the poles slide under load. The picture is helpful, but when I try it the poles don't stay firmly in place. What trick do you employ?

Interesting. Is the Shangri La 3 lower than the Hex3 I wonder.

The main pole seems to have got lighter, so maybe it is. I'll dig out my original Easton pole and measure it.

Edit: Hmm, the original hex3 pole starts at 59" and extends to a max of 67"

Looks like Golite shrunk the tent. What does the SL3 measure from corner to corner across the middle?

More Hmmmm. The Golite website shows the height as 5'2" or 62" and the across corners as 9'6". But the main photo shows the tent well up off the ground.

Gary, do you have a digital scale to weigh the tent body accurately with?

I'm so sorry, Rog–total brain-lock on my part. My adjustable pole is 58"-70". When I wrote that the optimal nest pole length seems to be 52", it is really 5' 2" (or 62"). So I don't think that GoLite shrunk the tent. It's just that I need to not do posts until I've finished the first cup of coffee!

Rog, my fly-only weight is 23.7 oz.

My fly is 25.5oz

I think Golite have reduced the material quantity by about a yard, assuming it's still the same weight fabric as the 1.7oz 'silite' mine is made from. I notice the blurb now says silicon and PU. Have Golite bowed to safety regs here?

The tent has definitely got lower. (Edit: No it hasn't; see Gary's note above) With the 65" cf pole, my hex3 fly edge is pretty close to the ground.

Golite claims 1.1kg or 2#7oz for the whole tent. Mine is 1.224 with the original stuff sack, pole and 9 stakes supplied. I can't find the original 2 extra guys.

Edit: Just saw your previous about pole length. No worries, I was forgetting time difference. Sorry to go all weights and measures this early in the day for you! :-)

So it looks like the body material and pole have got a bit lighter then. Which is a bit worrying, since some of the older, heavier poles bent in high wind. Unless the weight saving is in the adjustment mechanism, which sounds a bit different now? No 'notches' in my pole adjustment mechanism.

Hi Gary,

It would be easier with a pic, of course:

I do a loop around the end of one pole, and a half hitch after that, then wrap the rope around the knot to anchor the knot to the height of the pole a few times for measure, and then thread the rope to the other end of the higher pole, and repeat the process.

It is very stable, and doesn't slide down. I can adjust the height of the joined pole by adjusting each pole individually.

I'll try do a better pic on my next set up- but don't know when that will be.

I hope this helps.

fred

Why not use a pole extender ?

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product443.asp?PageID=1