Oware Alphamid

I stopped worrying about 30d silnylon’s survivability in wind when I learned that folks jump out of perfectly good airplanes with parachutes made from the stuff.

I did not have tools to measure the wind velocity but the large (160ft**2) 30d silnylon sun/rain fly that I made for group outings survived sustained winds (lasted for about a hour) that made aluminum canoes become airborne for 100 ft or so.

But shelters can fail in ways other than fabric failure and with any minimalist shelter, site selection and your skill in pitching it are important factors in its overall survivability.

I have thought about buying one too. One thing that struck me as odd is why it doesn’t, or does it?, have a vent at the top. How does one vent that shelter? The zipper doesn’t seem to go up to the top to be able to vent that way.

After seeing Johnathan White’s post on testing some gear near Wahtum Lake-

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/4852/index.html?skip_to_post=34227#34227

it hit me like a ton of bricks. Why not use the Gatewood Cape. It’s made of the same fabric as the Alphamid, unlike the Alphamid it has a top vent. It weighs 8 oz less than the Alphamid. Doesn’t require a separate extendable pole, or a trekking pole coupler. It has a lower profile for better wind resistance (in Will Rietveld’s review he stated the Gatewood Cape held up to 30 mph winds, answers part of my first post). Perfect size for one person backpacking trip in winter with mild weater. More guyout points for better panel tension. Will work for two people as a day shelter provided you dig out the snow for your legs, which I would do anyways (it’s more comfortable sitting that way).

Yes, there are a few down sides. Shorter peak height, smaller foot print, less room overall.

But, at half the price and almost half the weight, I think I can give the Gatewood Cape a try. This whole concept has got me giddy to get up to the mountain to try this shelter out.

Hopefully Ryan Jordan will answer, but I would rather have a full pyramid shape than a half one. If the flat side faces the wind, it seems to me it would act like a sail. NB that many winter tents are dome shaped. Also, I believe it is air flow that helps counter condensation issues. Top and bottom vents are important to keep air flowing.

We might see if Andrew Skurka has some
imput too.

Oops, I later noticed that Oware replies to my concerns in their Alphamid,s FAQ section. I also noticed that Andrew Skurka has an article coming out in this site's magazine on his recent thru-hike of the PCT. Did he use an Alphamid?