Cricket has arrived

[William Johnson]

Do I see a flask in your picture, Brad? No wonder you forgot to take more pictures. :)

[Brad Fisher]

Jerry,

I put the back toward the best wind break (still had a little wind, but not bad) and the front into the wind. The extra strip of momentum kept most of the wind out as long as you were laying down.

Brad

[Brad Fisher]

And it was a fine luxury item at that.

Brad

[. .]

@Doug: Are the seams on the Cuben version bonded, sewn, or a combination? Did you have to seam seal it?

@Brad: Thanks for the photos and report!

[BlackHatGuy]

"Are the seams on the Cuben version bonded, sewn, or a combination? Did you have to seam seal it?"

According to the MLD site: The CUBEN version is seam taped and does not need sealing Except the small spot on the outside apex around the external hang loop.

[Juston Taul]

What happens if you break a pole? I've broken a couple in the field. That would be a big downer. Great looking tent though.

[BlackHatGuy]

"What happens if you break a pole?"

Depending on where you are, it's easy enough to use a stick/branch. The Cricket also has a hang loop on the outside, so you could suspend it from a branch and only need one pole. And lastly, if you have kids, just prop one of them up under it to use as a pole.

[Mike M]

no different than if you were using a tarp- w/ a little ingenuity (and some duct tape :)) you should be gtg

[twig .]

My Cricket arrived yesterday and I like it. Here are a couple of setups. I tried it without the front pole, it sags a little, but you would get away with it on a calm night. I also tried it with a short front pole, I think it would keep most rain out, it's hard to tell in the photo, but the overhang is about the same as the length of the front pole. It's easy to adjust the view/storm worthiness by loosening the back guyline, then tilt the front pole and loosen/tighten the front guyline. The main pole acts as a pivot point. Some small adjustments may be needed on the corners.
I also have The One, but wanted to try this for the versatility. The One feels a bit more spacious inside, with both poles above where you sit up, and it has more space by the mattress and a better bathtub floor. The Cricket is a great simple shelter to pitch.

[Christopher Wilke]

I've got a few questions for all you Cricket owners out there.

1) Do you think someone 6'3" in a 30deg mummy bag with a large Neoair would fit in the inner net tent? Lying down outer envelope LxWxH = 82" x 25" x 15". Main concern would be squashing insulation at the head and feet. BTW this someone may or may not be me ;)

2) Will you post the weights of your tents? Specifically looking for the tarp w/ guylines and the inner net tent.

3) What factors led you to your material selection (sil vs cuben)?

Thanks!

Chris

[BlackHatGuy]

Two not-so-good pics of my large neoair in the Cricket inner:

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As you can see, it fits easily, but snugly. There's no real leftover room on either side (and none needed, really), but still allows for the bathtub floor. There is about 2-3" room on either end.

[BlackHatGuy]

Pic of the cuben Cricket during my overnighter this past weekend. Got some light rain, no real wind, nothing got wet.

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[Miguel Arboleda]

Doug, trying to remember the name of that quilt… Are they still made?

[BlackHatGuy]

enLIGHTened equipment quilts. He still makes cuben quilts, but not like the one pictured. The one pictured is first generation, he's on, I think, third generation now, all cuben with a different baffling system. I should get my new one in a couple of days!

[Christopher Wilke]

Thanks for the pictures Doug. Looks like it might be just barely big enough for me. How much height above the Neoair at the ends do you think there is? Just a rough estimate. Also,how taught is the netting at the head and foot? From you pics, it looks like it has some "give" to it (i.e. not totally squashing insulation if my toes touch). I assume you can adjust it's taughtness a little depending on pitch height of the main pole or how close you attach the inner to the peak. Looks like a great shelter!

Chris

[aaron eshelman]

Any Cricket users out there that have a mid term report? Still looking at one of these and looking for some extended field reports. Thanks!

[Chris Morgan]

Took it out yesterday after just receiving it in the mail. I didn't have time to seam seal so I had a few drips, but otherwise it rained pretty hard and there was no sideways entry of rain, even with it pitched pretty high (higher than the standard set up instructions). The rain-free footprint after I put away the tent was about twice the size of the inner tent, so it looks like it does provide good coverage.

Some other thoughts:

1. Bugs like yellow.

2. It took me about 20 minutes to set up the first time, but I'll bet I can do it in 2 minutes next time.

3. Still getting used to having to enter the beak after having to pee in the middle of the night. With a tarp, you can just shimmy under and plant yourself on top of your bivy/groundsheet so you don't get dirty, but I found myself almost having to crawl to get in, and when the ground got wet, I almost got dirty. Groundsheeting the "porch" would solve this problem easily, but I think I'll just work on my maneuvers :)

4. Things work just fine using the ol' fixed-length-pole-wrap-your-cord-around-the-pole-above-some-tape method for the front pole.

Also, I think Ron's directions should read "stake out front corners" instead of "corner." that one kept me scratching my head for about ten minutes :)

[Mike M]

got mine setup today to seam seal and quickly discovered that 135cm wasn't long enough for the center pole (my BD poles go to 130cm and a went a little past stop to get to 135cm)

I added a 1' long (30cm) pole jack and re-set the poles to 125cm, which would equate to roughly 155cm, I don't need the full 1' pole jack so I'm going to get one that is roughly 15-20cm-probably carbon fiber to save a few grams

lots more room than my poncho tarp :) the small beak/vestibule will be very handy in inclement weather

I'll have to play w/ some lower pitches after the seams dry

side shot

pole jack

[Chris S]

Any other updates from anyone using a long sized sleeping bag in the cricket? It looks like it fits a large neoair, but once on top of that and in your bag will you be touching each end of the net?…and if so, just barely or significantly?

[Adam C]

I was looking at purchasing the MLD Cricket tent. How does every one like it? Are you still using them or have you found a better alternative? Any Updates?

Also Silnylon Vs Cuben Fiber. I know the benefits of each (Sil stretches Cuben is light) but was wondering what the consensus was with this tent style?

[Mike M]

still liking mine, using a bivy vs the inner though

[michael levi]

What are people still saying about this shelter?

Are two poles required, that seems like a downside to me…

But overall I really like the porch and no zippers, good weight 18-19oz.

[michael levi]

I know there's some more people who have bought this shelter….?

There's got to be some more pictures on computers just waiting to be uploaded…….

What I like about this is the canopy, no need to unzip to enter. Kinda like a tarp, just hop under it to stay dry.

[michael levi]

bump

[michael levi]

I'm torn between this shelter and something lighter. Part of me likes it but the full skin out weight might be around 25 with carbon poles.

I really like the openness of the tarp, a video would be awesome if someone can make one.

I emailed Ron asking for more pictures but he doesn't seem to respond.

[Author]

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