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If you could only have one tent/shelter what would it be?
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › If you could only have one tent/shelter what would it be?
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Oct 25, 2010 at 1:51 pm #1657884
Mid with bug inner. Much better in the wind and snow than a Rainbow and yet usable for 3 seasons.
Oct 25, 2010 at 5:20 pm #1657942I've owned a few ultralight shelters…
My Six Moon Designs Refuge-X is a cool idea, and only weighs 1 pound, but had many inherent design flaws.
Gossamer Gears Spinn Twinn is nice, although the spinnaker cloth is a bit loud if not pitched tight like a drum. The lack of bug-proof, and the fact that you can't sit up in it (except if you're in just the right position), had me looking for more.
Zpacks Hexamid Twin is by far my favorite shelter…weighs only 10.6oz seam sealed, is large enough for two people, keep critters at bay, and is easy to pitch (and doesn't require a drum tight pitch). By far my top pick.
Oct 25, 2010 at 5:54 pm #1657951that's what I am looking at for a single shelter..three season./
Oct 25, 2010 at 5:59 pm #1657953I have the Gossamer Gear One, a Six Moons Lunar Duo, an 8×10 flat tarp with a homemade bug net tent. I've used a Squall Classic and seen a cuben Lunar Duo. I've also seen the Moment, the various Tarptents, the various tarps out there, the Gatewood cape.
Of them all, I think the Gossamer Gear One is the one I like the best. I'm sure many of the others would be just as good, but I've never been envious of the others.
The One is roomy and light. I like that there's a large amount of space I can move around in without touching the sides. I can open one or both of the vestibule doors for more air and views. It's a really nice tent.
Oct 25, 2010 at 6:20 pm #1657966my g'mothers name was nellie cefalu. yours is the first ive heard in years.
shelter? 1.1 blackbird with my 11×10 tarp. its a winter tarp, but if i had to chose for one, that would be it. in winter, no need for the bugnet but without it you lose the footbox. so yeah, the bb and a set of my quilts. done deal.
Oct 25, 2010 at 6:54 pm #1657982Evolution 2P is the one I use for bad weather.
Oct 25, 2010 at 7:08 pm #1657989Tarptent Moment. No. zPacks Hexamid Single. No, wait. Tarptent Moment. Hex Single. Shoot. How can anyone live with just one tent? The Tarptent certainly covers the greatest seasonal variation, but the Hex is so durned LIGHT.
Stargazer
P.S. I've bought and sold many shelters, but the two mentioned above are the ones i kept and the ones I use.
Oct 25, 2010 at 7:12 pm #1657992Make that an event bivy for alpine and a shovel
youll survive anything short of everest
Oct 25, 2010 at 8:06 pm #1658012Which is great for anything below 60F.
Oct 25, 2010 at 9:14 pm #1658031Yet another vote for a Doble Rainbow. I've owned 9 lightweight shelters and ths is the most versatile of the bunch. Rarely do you find a shelter at this weight that is as roomy yet equally adept in cold, windy, wet conditions as it is in hot, humid, buggy conditions. A close second would be some of the pyramid style shelters.
Oct 26, 2010 at 5:21 am #1658074I have the Sublite tyvek (summer and light rain – bug proof) and a MLD solomid (heavy rain or no bugs). If I could have just one it would be the Sublite Sil. At 24 ounces, bug proof and $210 with an alcove it looks to me to be the best 3 season with just a chance of snow. If I purchased the bug net for my solomid it would come out the the same weight and less inside space for me plus spending another $100. A tarp with a bivy come out to close in weight and have a more complex setup than a TarpTent.
Oct 26, 2010 at 7:52 am #1658111Or shangri-la3 as it's now known. Big, light, strong, cheap (secondhand).
Oct 26, 2010 at 4:56 pm #1658273Floor-less mid tent with bug netting along perimeter.
Oct 26, 2010 at 5:16 pm #1658281
BPL Stealth NANO Tarp & Alpinlite 2.0 Bug ShelterOct 26, 2010 at 5:24 pm #1658285Hey Jay – I suspect you don't get much in the way of driving rain where you trek?
Oct 26, 2010 at 5:34 pm #1658288David, I always bring a umbrella with me but I have been lucky over the years when it come to storms. The mild Sierras–Here's one more option:
TT Rainshadow 2Oct 26, 2010 at 6:38 pm #1658316I am partial to my Gossamer Gear SpinnShelter and Alpinlite Bug Tent 1.25 combo. It is a shade under 23oz with stakes and guylines (Triptease and a mix of 6" Blue Eastons and Ti Shepherd hooks) I have had this out in the worst weather the Southeast has to offer (well, almost, I have only used it in around 4" of snow) and it has preformed great. Is it perfect? No, it isn't but every shelter choice includes some sort of compromises.
To really answer your question though Andy
-One person or two?
-Do you use trekking poles already?
-Do you often camp where you "need" a freestanding tent? (Tent platforms, etc..)
-Snow (in the southeast I doubt a ton)
Here is my SpinnShelter on an exposed ridge in Grayson Highlands
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