PCT Shelter Advice

I think the Hexamid is a great choice for the PCT, at least for the part I hiked. It has enough room that I'm comfortable spending long winter nights in it.

I've only experienced light rain in it, so I can't comment on blowing rain. I put my pack and gear in the rear of the Hexamid, and the rear goes towards the wind, so I probably wouldn't notice blowing rain. I did buy the optional bathtub floor after finding that Socal was a lot wetter last spring than I expected, but didn't have a chance to use it.

A door is a good idea if the wind direction changes or if you're forced to set up backwards, but it can be a bad thing if it's windy and the rear is into the wind. The optional door seems to act like a parachute. I imagine that the beak would too. At least either can be retracted if you encounter those conditions. A beak would be useful for keeping your footwear out of the rain. I do use my bivy inside my Hexamid pretty often, but that's usually for draft protection and I don't zip it up. I would have a bivy regardless of which shelter I had.

I think the bathtub may be a good idea. It's one less thing to worry about. If you're in a rush, you can set up and get in without using a ground sheet…a nice thing on the windy days you'll certainly encounter. If you can afford to spend a little extra, I think it would be a good idea to get the bathtub floor sewn in so you don't have the wasted weight of netting beneath the flooring. The netting hasn't been a problem for me yet.

Will it last? I think so. I use it most nights instead of sleeping out because I like to read and spread my things out. At ADZPCTKO a few people tripped over the front line and it barely fazed the Hexamid…it didn't move.

My biggest problem with the Hexamid is that it's so light that I have trouble keeping a polycro ground sheet spread out under it while I'm setting up the Hexamid. I think I got it down now though.

The only shelter I would consider over the Hexamid is the Lightheart Solo, and that's because the Lightheart offers incredible views. Unfortunately the Lightheart is a bit slimmer and I don't think I'd be able to sleep side-by-side with my pack like I do in the Hexamid. Okay, I would like a Big Sky Mirage 2P with breathable cuben fiber and carbon poles, but that's out of my price range.

For most of the PCT I would go with the Hexamid given it’s low weight, enough bug free space, ok rain protection, in view of the mostly mild weather (until WA, later in the season). Through WA I might find myself wanting something else, though I think it would be manageable in the hexamid.

I started a review of the hexamid which I need to finish / update a bit more. I would say the hexamid requires care to use when you have a good rain. I found managing a flat ground cloth to be the most challenging issue, especially using a quilt. It’s significantly easier to manage in rain with the door, bivy, shaped groundcloth (raised edges maybe with a foot pocket), or the beak. Which is right for you? I think it’s a matter of preference. If you have other reasons to go with a bivy (like wind protection for a quilt) that would be the obvious answer. Otherwise I would most likely recommend the beak because it would be lighter and provide more space. Joe took the shaped groundcloth route so clearly that can work well.

MLD will be heavier, but provides more protection and more versatility which could be useful in WA and the other places you will go after the PCT. The hexamid gave me more more useful bug free space the innernet solo.

Regarding the lightheart gear solo… there was enough space for me to sleep with a pack next to me.

–Mark

If you do reach Washington late in the season and are worried about it, you can always swap out tents. I swapped out my lightweight tent for my Hubba because it shed snow more effectively. By the time your reach Washington the weight won't matter at all – you will be in fantastic shape and won't really notice the difference, especially because you won't need to carry very much water. Views from a tent are nice, but most nights, I honestly just hiked till dark, ate food and fell asleep. I wish I could have stayed up later, especially during the Perseid meteor shower in August.

Mark, how do you like the Lightheart Solo?

Dirk

I have no experience with the MLD products.

I do have a Hexamid solo tent though, and like it quite a bit. I find it has ample room for myself with pack inside, especially when pitched properly. I've been out in all night rain a few times and have had no problems staying dry.

No issues with condensation and it is an extremely comfortable tent to sleep in. Great views and ventilation.

I've never had blowing rain, or been out in extreme windy conditions. Did camp in snow once and it performed well.

It packs down extremely small. I wouldn't worry about longevity, as Joe has used it on his thru-hikes and if there was a problem, he'd tell you. I find him excellent to deal with and answers your questions from the perspective of a fellow hiker. If worse comes to worse you can always use duct tape while on trail. The re-enforced areas feel really solid (pole cup, tie outs etc).

This may neither be here nor there, but I've dealt with MLD and Tarptent, and no one answers my questions quite like Joe has.

The only downside is that it takes up a bit of real estate with the guylines needing some room.

I've had absolutely no problems with the mesh floor, and actually doesn't feel fragile once you see/pitch the tent in real life. However, sometimes it's nice to have a completely covered floor like you'd find in most tents with a bathtub floor.

If you do order one, get Joe to sew loops in all four corners of your tent so that you can tie up the bathtub floor to help it keep it's shape. I just ordered a cuben floor, but you can do it with a tyvek floor as well. I figure this may help to mitigate the above nitpick.

Remember to factor in the cost of a floor/groundsheet. The tyvek, fashioned into a bathtub works really well. It's a bit heavier and bulkier than the cuben floor, but it's $7 vs $100.

It only uses one trekking pole, so that you have another as a spare, just in case.

I have a door, and it works fine, but I still can't decide if the beak is better. Advantage is you can open and close the door from within, doesn't take away usable room, and you lower door for more ventilation. Ask Joe, but I don't think the beak completely covers the mesh. Though with a beak you may feel less claustrophobic and can keep your shoes outside the tent.

The Cuben Lightheart Solo looks pretty dope though, but $$$$ and I don't think you can return it. The selling point for me would be the views and small footprint (I assume). I'd also look at some of the tarptents if cost is an issue. I have a Double Rainbow for non-solo outings, and if that is any indication, tarptents seem to be no hassle, well designed products.

I find I prefer using MSR Groundhogs, or the Easton Peg stakes that came with my tarptent over the titanium shepherd hooks. Once pegged, as Eugene said, the tent is pretty solid (I've had buddies trip on my guylines a couple of times too).

Hope this helps.

I know Cubby and Boston thru-hiked the PCT sharing a Hexamid Solo. See their journal on Trailjournals.com.
They gave it nothing but great reviews.

A solo has to be pretty big to fit two on a PCT thru-hike.
A great way to cut weight.

Hexamid used by two… Joe and his girl friend also shared the hexamid on a section of the CDT. Personally, I can’t imagine doing that except in an emergency but I have come to realize I am a space hog. Maybe not as much of one as Ben, but more than many in our community.

Beak… I haven’t seen the beak in person. Can’t you pitch with the beak retracted so it has the same view ventilation as with no beak version? If the answer is no, then I would not suggest the beak.

As to the Lightheart… I played with a prototype, not a final product. I wrote up a brief first look at lightheart awning. Views are great. Space was good for me… I liked it better than the Hexamid, The One, or DuoMid. Not to say that it had more room, just the room was configured in a way that I felt free to move. Part of this was because it’s double walled. The downside was that it got blown down one afternoon when the winds were really nasty. I clocked the winds at 35mph after they slowed down. Strong enough that I could felt my Passat rock when sitting at a stop light, and to cause the fairly thick street light poles to sway fairly quickly. The mass produced version has velco to attach the spanning pole to the top of the tent. Judy will add it on request to the custom cuben version. I think that would have prevented the blow down… but have no way to know for sure because we don’t normally get winds like I saw that day. I have only section hiked the PCT, and I haven’t been in WA near the end of the season. With that caviet, I haven’t personally run into any conditions on the PCT (at the time I would be there given a normal start time for a thru hike) that would concern me using the Lightheart.

–Mark

I've not used or even seen a Hexamid or Lightheart in person, but one plus for the MLD mids with inner is that you can pitch just the inner in nice/buggy weather. I've done that quite a few times and really like that flexibility. I realize the other two work this way too, but with just a mesh inner, you can just kinda throw it down and tie the peak to something. It doesn't need to be set up very well.

I've used the Hexamid in an all-night driving rain and agree with Mark that the flat ground cloth is an issue. I've also got the optional doorway which works well. The problem was in the rear. The bathtub floor that Scott mentioned would help I'm sure with this problem. If you do go with the Hexamid and use a flat ground cloth I would make sure it is large enough that you can wrap it over your bag/quilt in a flash. I'd also avoid setting it up, if at all possible, on a patch of dirt because if it rains the mud will stick to the netting floor. That isn't really an issue on the PCT like it is camping around AT shelters. Once the mud dries it's easy to remove but you'll have to carry it around until you have the chance to dry it out. I've learned this lesson the hard way.

Thanks for all the replies! You guys have been most helpful on my decision. It sounds like the Hexamid is the way to go.

The above Comment: ""If you do order one, get Joe to sew loops in all four corners of your tent so that you can tie up the bathtub floor to help it keep it's shape. I just ordered a cuben floor, but you can do it with a tyvek floor as well. I figure this may help to mitigate the above nitpick.""

Is this something that you guys all recommend? Should I have him sew in a floor, or should I buy a floor and have him put in loops? Is this necessary as I have a GG Polycloth for laying on? Again, not sure, but I think that the option peak is sewn in; is this something that I should get? Thanks for all the feedback. I am still considering the MLD Solomid.

I think it depends on how much hassle you're willing to deal with. The bathtub floor makes using it more convenient, but adds weight and bulk. Getting is sewn in adds even more convenient while shedding a little of the weight gain. Again, getting the loops sewn in adds convenience and weight.

So…

I consider the Hexamid with sewn in netting and combined with a polycro ground sheet to be my minimalist set up.

If I wanted a bomber set up, here's how I would customize a Hexamid:

– Bathtub floor, sewn in with the netting beneath it trimmed away for weight savings and reduced potential for water weight gain when wet. Loops added to keep the sides up. Velcro on the bottom corners for attaching a polycro ground sheet.

– If possible, the bathtub floor would use a type of hybrid cuben fiber fabric like the kind used in the Hyperlite pack. It also depends on the weight penalty….although there might not be a weight gain, but this depends on some dream hybrid fabric that doesn't exist yet.

– The polycro ground sheet would have velcro for attaching to the Hexamid and be trimmed to fit the bathtub floor. It would have loops on the corners for staking down. This would allow me to use the ground sheet in two different ways. In dry weather it would be velcro'd to the bathtub floor and stored with it, and it's purpose would be to reduce abrasion. In wet weather I'd stake it to the ground while setting up the Hexamid and store the dirty wet polycro outside my pack while the Hexamid went inside my pack.

– I'd get a beak to keep my shoes drier when it rains.

– I would modify the front guy line with a line loc and suitably sized dyneema cord. This would make it slightly more adaptable to small campsites.

– A tie out loop would be added to the peak to allow it to be tied off to a tree.

– A small bit of shock cord would be added to the two lines in the middle of the wall.

Other than the hybrid fabric, the rest should be doable if you're up for paying Joe to do the customization.

Even though it would weigh a couple ounces more than the minimalist set up, I think I would prefer to carry the bomber set up on long hikes. This is primarily because the added convenience would make me more willing to hike longer, partly because it would allow me to be less picky about campsite selection and also because it would reduce the time to setup/breakdown camp in poor weather.

I'd ask Joe his take. Just try to be clear about your priorities. He'll tell you to go with the cheaper/better option if it's all the same.

I'm still undecided which is better, but the door only has one attachemnt at the top and you can get in and out of tent easier, up faster. He'll add a zipper to the beak for $10, but that probably adds a bit of weight.

I already had the door before knowing about the beak, so that made my decision easier. Joe also told me just to keep the door, unless a very slight weight difference at much higher cost was worth it to me.

I personally didn't have the cuben floor sewn in, even though he offered. According to Joe and another member BPL member, Dan D. it saves about 1 oz.

Even though I have a door, I'd rather be able to have the option of moving the groundsheet/floor around in the shelter to suit rain conditions, bad pitches etc. You can lose some headroom space towards the back if pitched/the stakes end up on uneven ground. I use a 2.5" inflatable though. A 1" pad would be ideal.

You can use or try other types of groundsheets (polycro) for weight savings, price, 2 person use etc. You can use the cuben groundsheet without tent.

I may be completely off base, but I figure since I don't use a protective groundsheet, a layer of mesh between the ground and the cuben couldn't hurt for one ounce.

You can always sew it in later. He's very reasonable with his after the fact customizations and repairs…

If you look on the Zpack website, check out the pictures of the cuben floor and the one with Sheryl in the duo/solo plus floor. It's tied up and looks pretty nice. The solo I had, only had 2 loops in the front corners. Why not get him to add it just in case you go that route.

However, it would be simpler and more elegant to have the floor sewn in. I'd imagine you'd still have to have the corners tied up regardless for it to keep it's shape.

I plan on keeping the floor tied in and just rolling everything up together. Even with the door when I bring it. I asked Joe if that was a good idea (carbiners rubbing, compressed with cuben etc). He said that's how he does it and has had no problems.

I just feel a lot more secure with the groundsheet/floor in bathtub mode. It can rain, a river can run underneath me. It's not really a hassle to do. I'd get the tyvek just to try it, use duct tape, fold up the edges an inch prior to shaping into tub… mine with duct tape weighed about 4.4 oz. I'd imagine you could do the same with duct tape and polycro and tie it up (not as durable though, but more packable and lot lighter).

You could sleep two small people in there, but I'd worry more about ventilation/condensation. It's a lot warmer.

As much as I want to buy everything from Joe because I like him, if you have the time, I'd see if it's right for you and keep the Lightheart in the back of my mind. Unless the smaller footprint is not a big deal to you. I'm going to give the line loc in the front guy a shot.

I"ve yet to hike the PCT, or any of its sections.

As to the LightHeart Tents, is they were "Tart Tents" I think that not only would they would be too sour, but I would have some serious trade mark infringements. AND, Why would I want people to confuse me with Henry? (Gotta admit here I have a Virga, which in a way was partially responsible for me developing the LightHeart Tents, I wanted more room!

As to Mark Verbers comments about the velcro, OK, I am giving in to the pressure, (not just his – my husbands). All tents from this point on (except for when I make one for myself) will have velcro in them- Oh how I hate velcro!

Judy – LightHeart Gear :-)

Mark –

Thanks for posting your expereience in regards to LightHeart Tents, that was very helpful. I appreciate your insight and candor!

Dirk

I dont know how you feel about changing out gear during your hike. I like the idea of a poncho tarp and bivy or bug shelter “Alpinlight, MLD serenity” for the Southern section. The poncho will double as rain gear, and bivy or bug net make cowboy camping easier. Then at Kennedy Meadows you can pick up something more substantial and easier set up like a Traptent or a Solomid

Lakewood did a nice gear write-up from his 2010 hike.
http://lakewoodhiker.blogspot.com/2010/09/feet-to-take-me-pct-epilogue.html

And check out FASTPKR blog I think he used a poncho and bivy for his speed hike.

I have only hiked the part of Southern and Sierra section so take my opinion for what it worth.

Joshua,

I'm a "tenter". I've used tarps all through the '70s in all seasons but much prefer a tent like my TT Moment.

The Moment is very fast to set up – around 1 minute – and that's so nice when you are dog tired at the end of the day. Plus, if the wind shifts you can pull the appropriate end stake and pivot the tent on the other end stake. If the wind is horrendous just attatch guy lines to the provided loops on the pole sleeve and you're set fot 50 mph winds. I know this from experience in Colorado's Indian Peaks Range.

The Moment is light at 28 oz. and bugproof. It has great ventilation and a vestibule large enough to stow your pack to one side and cook in at the same time.

P.S. Slightly lighter and similar in concept to the Moment is the TarpTent Sublite Sil. It uses your hiking poles and 2 small al;uminum tube pole extenders if necessary.

Anyone that has experiences with the lightheart solo please post. I am becoming increasingly interested in this tent for my trip. How does it add up in the wind? Rain? Snow? Thanks for the advice