Changing Shelters – Go with a Pyramid?

I love 'mids. They seem to be the sweet spot for protection vs. weight.

I like the BD tents, but I use them in the winter a lot – and their bug liners are very heavy. If you don't feel like sewing netting onto a Megalight, I think you're on the right track.

9×9 is lots of room for 3.

Oware 9×9 with perimeter netting and don't look back. So light, easy, well made and TONS of ROOM.

Although i really prefer tying the peak overhead as opposed to a center pole. David suggested recently using two sticks in scissor formation.

I used polycro at first too, but it's kinda a pain due to noise, slipping, and inability to hold the perimeter netting down, so now i use a tarp/hammock for the floor, a little more weight but multi use. A cuben square would be super nice.

I have used this for 3 large adults for a 9 day trip, all gear inside and then some with no issues.

I have a Golite Shangri-La 3, TT Scarp 2, and TT Hogback (4 person for when the whole family comes along). I've sewed on a netting skirt which velcroes to the stock floor of the SL3. With all of that 3/4" wide velcro, the already heavy polyurethane-coated floor (around 18 oz for 6.2 sq yd) weighs in at about 22.5 oz. The SL3 fly with netting and velcro weighs in at 32 oz.

I like either a polyurethane floor or a silnylon floor with an extra coating of silicone (see http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/Silnylon1/index.html) on the ground side to avoid sledding down hills while trying to sleep. With the extra coating (bringing the fabric weight of 1.3 oz/sq yd silnylon up to around 2.0 oz/sq yd), the silnylon floor would probably only save me 6-10 oz. And, the polyurethane floor is still much less slippery. I think the extra weight is worth it because it allows me more flexibility in selecting a campsite, but I constantly debate about the weight versus flexibility issue.

You might consider the TT Hogback. It sleeps four people and weighs 4 lbs before seam sealing and floor coating. I'm guessing that would bring it up to 4.5 lbs. It's not a tent I'd want to take in windy or snowy conditions, and that's where mids really excel.

Another vote for the Oware 9×9. It is strong, sheds rain and snow and is easy to set up. Here using a couple of hiking poles connected with thin velcro strips. Tyvek flooring. This works in the Tongass Rain Forest, so should work just about anywhere else.

from the inside using showing how the poles are attached.

I have exactly the setup you are considering- MLD's Supermid and inner net- as my larger "group" tent. Using this tent is about the only time I break out the LuxuryLite hiking staff since with an extra segment it is the perfect center pole for 'mids like this.

My wife, daughter, and I just lived it it for a week or so while we car-camped across several national parks earlier this month. For three adult ultralight hikers with gear I think it will work quite well, with the usual caveats about durability/condensation/etc of ultralight tents. (It is certainly a palace for two.) The inner net keeps your precious down bag off of the tent wall, but if you pitch it high off the ground you can definitely still get some spray from raindrop splashes, as I ably demonstrated recently.

I'm one of those- along with Henry Shires IIRC- who don't believe that you really need a footprint. Most damage to the tent floor is likely to be pinholes, which are easily repaired with a dab of SilNet. And, on the recent trip I mentioned above I did have a small creek flowing under the floor of the inner net tent on a couple of occasions with no leak through whatsoever. The tent is pretty new, though, so I can't testify to long-term durability. (I'm the only guy I know who can go on vacation to a desert and have it rain EVERY DAY that week.)

But, as a car-camping option for the wife and daughter it leaves a lot to be desired. I'm now in the market for a nice, big, dirt-cheap Coleman tent for such occasions…

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.

I did come across another option, that seems like it might save me some money and provide me the option of having a 4th person: The Black Diamond Mega Light: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/black_diamond_mega_light_mega_bug_tent_review.html

The $210 cost for this shelter is very tempting. What I would do is sew on a perimeter net and then probably purchase a silnylon to bring as the floor. So in theory, I would put the mesh under the floor in the tent and have a rain and bug proof shelter for four people. Do you think this would be a good idea?

Check out Appytrails.com
They have a 3 person and 5 person floorless tent for a very low price. I have the 3 person and it seems to work perfect for me, my HUGE dog, and all my gear.

Chris, did you skim my first post too quickly?

BD 'mids are bomber, light, and cheap. Can't go wrong with the Mega Light!

The Mega Light is a nice pyramid, but it isn't as tall, nor does it have the same footprint as the Oware 9×9. You mentioned three adults and gear, so you might consider that against the lower price.
Mega light = 86 x 86 x 57
Oware 9×9 = 108 x 108 x 72

Of course, if you add 6" of netting to the bottom of the Mega Light you gain height.

Scott: I never heard of them. Thanks for the link! Their price point is really great. My concern though is durability and how people would have to be spread out in the shelter to fit 5 (for the big version).

Philip…I did read your post, but I forgot about it when I came across the BPLight review. Thanks for the reminder.

Joseph: Thanks for clarifying the dimensions between the two. What is interesting is that the Megalight claims to fit four people, but those dimensions make it sound like a really tight fit…without gear.

This is making me think that it might be worth looking at the oware 10×10 if I can comfortably fit four people with gear, or three and have extra space. The $339 price point (which includes perimeter net) seems like a fair price….especially if this tent lasts a long time.

Chris,

I would consider a 10×10 'mid from Oware for your purposes, especially if you actually plan on ever having 4 people inside. It has 25% more room than the BD 'mid and is even about 5 oz. lighter. At a $40 penalty, that seems like money well spent to me. Keep in mind, that the more volume, the less condensation develops in a shelter, generally speaking. Compared to a 9'x9' 'mid, you are talking +2 oz. for a 100 square foot of shelter coverage!

The space to weight of this shelter rivals most tarps and would be much preferable in more inclement weather and social situations.

Yeah, that is kind of what I'm thinking. This also makes sense, since I most likely will use my trekking poles as the center pole.

The only thing I am wondering is how this type of shelter would do above tree line with a lot of wind and rain?

Mids are one of the best shelters for wind, although a hexagonal or true cone shape would be even better due to less or no flat panels.

They can be lowered to block out wind-driven rain, although this increases condensation at a time when the humidity is high.

Mids are one of the best shelters for wind, although a hexagonal or true cone shape would be even better due to less or no flat panels.

At the risk of tooting my own horn, a cone or hex shape
requires increased fabric and surface area over a rectangle
or square considering the shape a human body needs in a prone
position. More surface area means more weight and more wind
resistance.

David: A few quick questions….I'm leaning more towards going with your company for this type of shelter. As far as durability is concerned, how long do you expect the 10×10 shelter to last (in years)? Also, what would you recommend for the ground sheet? Are there center guylines for each side on this shelter? Thanks!

I was talking to someone about using a floorless shelter (this is a tent user), and they were concerned about water pooling and water flowing through the shelter….even with a ground tarp. Is this a problem with these shelters? If so, how do you prevent this?

Chris,

I live in a rain forest. The ground is often damp when we set the pyramid or our tarps. Site location is key if it is wet or the expectation of rain. Like a tent, you want to avoid the low points. That being said, I’ve never had an issue with water pooling under the Pyramid. We don’t use a full coverage ground tarp and usually just have our tyvek ground sheets protecting our bags.

I don’t have a lot of experience setting the Pyramid above the tree line here, but have set it on the bench above the beach in grass using either hiking poles or a kayak paddle.

This taken in the rain, though the pyramid is hung from a tree

I keep wondering about the BD dimensions. They give the same dimensions (86×86) for the inner net tent as for the Megalight itself – and both cannot be right or you'd have the netting slap up against the silnylon when you used them both. The older megamids (mine is so old it is a Chouinard) were 9' x 9'. At that size it is just big enough due to the slope near ground level. If it were indeed 86×86 at ground level I I think you'd find a sleeping bag touching the walls at both ends, and few folks would be happy with that So I wonder what the current actual dimensions of the megalight are. anybody have one they can measure?
Either way, the oware units are taller, which means steeper walls and more interior volume.

The silicone nylon is similar to the BD and others.
They have a high tear strength for the weight, the coating
is on both sides and is resistance to peeling from water
absorbtion, unlike some of the water based urethane coatings.

There is a UV protectant, but due to the thinness of the
fibers, a lot is exposed to the sun.

If you use if like most folks it will last for years, but
if you leave it at base camp on Denali, it won't
last the season.

They have tie outs at the corners and in between the corners.
Some of the newer ones also have tie outs in the center
seams 20" up for increasing headroom snow and wind.

There are a lot of good similar shelters out there, the ones
I make come in a lot of sizes, so you can pick which you
need for your party.

When entering/exiting a mid during a downpour, how do you not soak the gear of the people near the door? If you're solo it shouldn't be an issue since you could have your stuff against the far wall. I'm looking for design ideas for my next prototype and this seems like a downside to a traditional pyramid.

> When entering/exiting a mid during a downpour, how do you not soak the gear of the people near the door?

Yell: MOVE EVERYTHING OUTTA THE WAY! I'M COMIN' IN! :D

What about maing a little porch/flap like the double rainbow has since so many people cook in their mids?

Oversize the pyramid and use the entrance area as a vestibule that can get wet. With a clipped (or, in general, now sewn in) full-coverage floor sheet you can fold it back to expose the ground where the water would hit. That's what I do with a Hex (now Shangri-La) 3 sleeping 2. If nobody is really tall and with the Hex dimensions, you can leave the floor permanently folded and keep the "vestibule" area for shoes or wet things.

"At the risk of tooting my own horn, a cone or hex shape
requires increased fabric and surface area over a rectangle
or square considering the shape a human body needs in a prone
position. More surface area means more weight and more wind
resistance."

But, more surface area does not result in more wind resistance if it is used to produce a more aerodynamic shape.