Shangri-la 3 Setup

I try to do 2 on one side, then 2 on the other, then the door and the back. If you hit a rock, spin the tent, or try to angle the stake around it. Or live with a less than perfect pitch.

Using the pole to measure out the stacking points is useful too, see this video:

Here are a few approaches:

Position the stakes using the center pole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebnQbeWmv0U

Make a template and staking cord:
http://colorablelife.blogspot.com/2009/06/golite-hex-shangri-la-speed-setup.html

Make it like a Duomid with 4 corners:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=40671

Unless you need to fit three people in there, the last option is probably best for the sake of pitching simplicity.

Thanks for the replies. I tried the pole method that the guy on Youtube used the first time I tried setting it up. But I must have had the pole extended too far and ended up with pegs too far apart to work. I figure there must be some ideal length. I'll have to do more experimenting.

The duo setup is cool. Our initial reason for this tent is to use it for family BPing so we will want the spacemost of the time. I'll have to keep that in mind when leaving the kids behind.

The template idea is great. I thought a piece of string would work to the radius once we figure the magic length. But I hadn't come up with a way to get the angles right. A template is perfect.

If you are using the nest or ground-sheet, stake that first which gives you the shape, then just pitch the fly-sheet to the same points.

I assumed the guy in the video for the 'pole method' was setting the fly-sheet up on it's own. I don't know why he went through all that performance with the pole, when all he had to do was stake the nest out first and take it from there.

As Jim says. The groundsheet or nest is a ready made template.
I wouldn't stress too much about setting it up. After a few times it is pretty easy.
Before you pitch it, test the ground with a stake to make sure the ground will take them. It's annoying to lay everything out, then find there is only an inch of soil over bedrock.

With My Hex, I've tried the various 'geometric' pitching methods seen on youtube, and got just as good results doing it by eye alone. Sometimes need to repeg to even things up (50% ish!)

If a problem patch, can use guys to peg around – as in my photo – the ground was rocky and dropped away…..

@ Joe "I try to do 2 on one side, then 2 on the other, then the door and the back. If you hit a rock, spin the tent, or try to angle the stake around it. Or live with a less than perfect pitch."

So you're basically staking out a rectangle (within the hexagon), which is much simpler to get right, then staking out the remaining two points? Seems like a no-brainer, but I've never seen nor read anyone else doing this; does it work?

I've been thinking about buying a SL3, but concerned with the additional fuss of setup compared to something like a BD Megalight, which would be a moot point if this setup method works. Thanks.

I don't have one to test but looks to me that if you stake down the (zipped up) door panel ,then do the opposite panel parallel to it to form a rectangle, the other two corners will be easy to set simply by pullig the fabric out so that the sides form a straight line.
Make sure you don't pull the fabric taut, leave some slack, and it should be done.
BTW, yes the idea has been explained already, I just wanted to stress the importance of setting the first two sides parallel to each other and not pulling the fabric out too tight.

Thank you for the confirmation, Franco.