Cricket has arrived

[Brad Fisher]

Didn't have a chance for more photos last night and suppose to rain tonight.

I'm 5'10" and had plenty of room.

Length:
Cricket 90"
GG One 84"
TT Moment 84"

Height:
Cricket 46: inside netting, 54" inside fly
GG One 43-47"
TT Moment 39"

Sleeping bag/quilt: regular 6' length.

Next time I setup I will put a sleeping pad inside and take some pictures of the inside. Here is one picture of me sitting inside. Not a very clear picture.

Brad

[Robert Carver]

What a great looking shelter. Makes me feel good about ordering one. Can't wait to receive it and get it out in the woods.

[Jason Elsworth]

Looks great. I can't believe that Ron could get me buying yet another shelter :)

[* *]

When you're laying down in the bug shelter, do your head or toes touch the netting? How much room under the beak is there to cook/park your pack or dog?

This tent basically seems like a typical mid design with an open end for nicer views but less weather protection.

[BlackHatGuy]

Got my cuben Cricket today. Had about 15 minutes to try and set it up, didn't do too bad but I need a bit more practice! It was my first 15 minutes!

Did the first setup in about 2 minutes. I'd say this would be fairly storm worthy pitched this low!

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Then I tried pitching a bit more 'normal.' More room in this than I expected. Unfortunately, I don't get home til late so I don't think I'll get enough time with it before an overnighter this coming weekend. Might take it anyway though! Took about 3 minutes to readjust for this pitch, and most of that was screwing with the poles.

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[Mike M]

Doug- that does look pretty storm worthy in that first pitch- what needs to be done to get it that low?

thanks

Mike

[BlackHatGuy]

"Doug- that does look pretty storm worthy in that first pitch- what needs to be done to get it that low?"

Take this with a huge grain of salt, since, as I said, I've only screwed around with this for 15 minutes (actually, less, if you don't count cutting the guyline), but I did the following:

For the low pitch, I staked the four corners fairly taut (like I would Duomid) and then inserted the pole. There's only one pole in this configuration. You'd have to crawl in, or pull one of the corners, climb in, and then reset the corner from inside. I didn't try this, but it did seem doable.

I then moved one side's stakes toward center perhaps 8" or so and restaked for the second pitch. Then put the poles in and readjusted. It was pretty quick really. So what I'll try next time is to stretch it out taut, stake one side, move the other side in between 8-10 inches and stake it, then set the poles. Not sure when I'll get the opportunity to try that, though.

Perhaps Brad can chime in if this is the way he got his great pitch or if I'm really off base!

BTW, I tried pitching with the pole to the back instead of to the front and it didn't seem to work at all, felt way too loose. I'll try it again when I have more time in a couple of weeks!

[Mike M]

sounds good -thanks

still waiting for Ron's video too :)

[Jason Elsworth]

Doug – What's the pole height on the storm pitch. Thanks.

[BlackHatGuy]

Hi Jason,

Gosh, I have no idea. I'll measure it the next time I set it up, but that won't be for awhile. I just didn't have enough time for measurements. Didn't even have enough time to put the inner up.

[David Ure]

I am thinking, and am likely wrong, but putting the outer in storm mode would drop the height enough to change the geometry of the inner net. I think. Maybe not. Trying to talk myself out of this one.

It may work better as a Solo Trailstar with bivy……?

[Mike M]

that's the route I'm going, figured down the road if I really wanted the inner I get it at a later date- already having the bivy also influence my choice

[BlackHatGuy]

"I am thinking, and am likely wrong, but putting the outer in storm mode would drop the height enough to change the geometry of the inner net."

I think you're correct. I might have to cancel my trip this weekend to do some serious house repairs that just popped up, if so, and if it's not raining, I'll play with it a bit more and see what shakes out!

[Brad Fisher]

For storm mode I shorten the guylines to a couple inches and adjusted stakes. Regular mode had the guylines at 8-10 inches. This was what Ron suggested with instructions on website.

I'm taking the cricket out Thursday for a 4 day trip in the VA mountains. Not calling for much rain, but the wind is suppose to be 20-24 mph, with gust to 40mph. Going to see how it handles the wind.

Brad

[David Ure]

Thanks Brad – your input on this shelter will define whether I order one. Oh yes, you too Doug….

[Brad Fisher]

David,

I'm far from an expert, so keep that in mind. If you are on the fence I would suggest you get the input from several of us and then make your decision.

Brad

[BlackHatGuy]

"Oh yes, you too Doug…."

Yeah, sure! We all know I don't know what the heck I'm doing! But I sure do have fun doing it! ;-)

[Chris Morgan]

Just curious Brad and Doug, what was the lead time on your crickets?

Patiently,
Chris

[Brad Fisher]

Ordered March 19, received April 18.

Brad

[BlackHatGuy]

Ordered March 9, received April 25.

[Chris Morgan]

Beautiful. I'm hoping Ron's so excited about this new tent that he's just got a big pile that he made to start.

[Robert Carver]

I placed my order on March 25th. So hope to see mine soon.

[Brad Fisher]

Back from 4 day trip to Mt Rogers area. No rain, but had plenty of wind. Thursday and Friday we had winds from 20-40 mph. We spent most of our time in the crest zone, so we had limited protection from the wind. The cricket held up well each night with some wind deflection as you would expect.

– Setup was easy and quick.
– Plenty of room in the innernet. Never felt crowded and had plenty of headroom to sit up.
– The porch is a nice feature. Didn't have a chance to test cooking in the rain, but it was sure nice for a little sun protection late one afternoon.
– The extra strip of momentum on the innernet helped a lot with the wind.
– Having a view was outstanding. Hard to beat watching first light while snuggled in your sleeping bag.

Things still to test:
– Rain protection. My primary concern is how well will my feet and head be protected in storm mode.
– In storm mode how easy will it be to enter and exit the shelter.

Couple poor pictures. Should have taken more pictures.

[Kathleen B]

I'd love to see a side by side comparison of the MLD Cricket, the SMD Skyscape (now just pictures until July), and the Zpacks Hexamid Solo tent (with the net flooring). Brad – maybe you could talk 2 people into getting the other two and have a "tent-off" of sorts!

Maybe that happened at the ADZPCTKO this weekend?

[Jerry Adams]

Did the wind blow into the open side? or the side that's against the ground?

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