Glenn Roberts: Opinion on the ID Unishelter

I don’t have any well-formed thoughts yet – I won’t have a chance to get it and take it out until August or September. However, he used it once on a trip we took with some other folks (I was using a Salathe.) He said it was OK, but he’s not a fan of bivies; said he’d rather carry the extra weight of a tent, and never used it again. From what I saw of it, it looked like a good bivy, virtually identical to the Salathe, in that it unzipped to the waist (perhaps only on one side? I can’t remember) and the opening was fully backed by mesh. He didn’t complain about it being stuffy (this was an August trip in the southern part of Shenandoah; we terminated the trip a couple of days early because of the heat.) I know my Salathe was never stuffy, either.

The other big difference between the two, as I recall, was that he had to stake his out to make the single pole stand up, whereas my Salathe doesn’t require staking. The tradeoff: more headroom – and maybe room for air movement – with the Unishelter; the ability to sleep on rock shelves at the top of a cliff and have great views with the Salathe.

I think the Unishelter weighs half a pound more than the Salathe. The eVent version of the Unishelter weighs the same as the Salathe, but I’m not sure if the opening is as large or mesh-backed (the ID website isn’t completely clear on this point.)

I’m anxious to try the Unishelter – it looks really good.

We might also want pj to comment here; he’s got a good deal of experience with the Unishelter already. (I think he now may use a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo tent, now – it would be interesting to know why, or if, it replaced the Unishelter.

By the way, when I checked a couple of days ago, Backcountry Gear had the 2005 Unishelter on sale.

I have the Expedition Unishelter. It is my most stable storm shelter. It sheds wind and blowing rain very well. In a heavy snow you need to kick the snow off to keep from losing your loft.

It does need to be staked to hold up the pole, but I have always been able to rig an anchor even on rock.

In heavy rain I stick a water bottle through the zipper low and open a small slit in the top to get chimney ventilation.

Heavier and less room than a Lunar Solo, but you can set up in places it would not be wise to put a tent.

Excellent input! Thanks guys,

NM