A couple of new winter shelters

Look … and pass on.
Can you imagine them in a 100 kph wind?

Cheers

Roger – you need to start producing your tunnel tents and then I can stop looking!!

Those are homely.

What if it were surrounded by a snow wall, Roger, as Huzefa has suggested?
Not much info on the construction in the Trailspace article, and Snow Peak does not have it on their site yet. I would want to know the specs, dimensions, materials, etc. before making a judgment.

David – thanks for continuing to bring these new tents and shelters to our attention.
It's one of the chief things that makes BPL forums worth visiting.

"I would want to know the specs, dimensions, materials, etc. before making a judgment."

I don't know about the Snow Peak shelter, but the three new mountaineering tents that Brooks Range announced are, according to their press release, 30 square feet with around 6 square foot vestibules. The two door one has slightly less interior space, and an additional vestibule. The press release also says that they're made with 10 denier silnylon, I think. 10 denier sounds a little extreme to me, but I'm no expert on fabrics. I just read the press release :)

Does the photo of the snow peak lago look like it very tall tent in the photo" or is camera angle? If it's tall it look like cross hybrid shape of tepee and "A" frame Tent.. If it tall like a tepee it would be nice to be able to stand up to change clothes. Instead of doing the coffin clothes change like in bivy, or the praying in church clothes change on your knees in normal tent. When changing clothes in camp ground or heavily populated spot.
Terry

There is a Lago 1 and 2
The 1 is similar to the Golite Utopia.
This shot will give you a better idea :

Hard to tell from that but they have a full fabric inner with a top and side "rain" cover.
(so inner pitch first)
and a better picture of the Brooks Range Invasion

Franco

Wow Franco. That sure is a different view of the Brooks Range tent. Sort of reminds me of those celebrity photos….

A "winter" design with an opening that will let the inner fill with spindrift every time it is opened?

I have never seen the golite utopia the Lago 1 and 2 looks like a double wall Bibler " I tent".
Thanks for the new photos that trail space photo sure makes the Lago look different.
Terry

"A "winter" design with an opening that will let the inner fill with spindrift every time it is opened?"
If you compare the two photos you will see that under the tip of the brow pole there is a door. (or it looks to me that there is one…)
The front part is a vestibule .
Franco

Britney Spears!! LOL

Good one

Anyone who has been following these might be interested to know that Snow Peak informed me today that the Lago tents will not be available in the US for at least another year. The representive also doubted that they could be purchased in Japan, where they are made.

Another interesting development is that the details for the solo tent, available by using the search function on the US website, raise the weight from 2.2 to 2.75 lbs, and that is stated to be "Without Rainfly."

That reminds me of the Gear post this week about the MH "SuperMegaUL2," where the actual weight also turned out to be over a half pound greater than represented.

Well, at least MH is bringing the product to market.
And at least SP is belatedly reporting the closer to actual weight.

Now if only they could all do both.

Funny, how 'supermega' companies, with their far greater resources, are not capable of doing what some cottage companies do routinely.

Edit: Oops – looks like the poster for the MH tent now reports it was weighed with the footprint included. +1 for MH.

Roger,

"Can you imagine them in a 100 kph wind?"

I can't imagine myself in a 100 kph wind.

Daryl

> I can't imagine myself in a 100 kph wind.
You tend to lean a bit…
Around 130-140 kph my wife starts to fall over sometimes.

Cheers

I created a thread (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=64887) last night that is entirely relevant to this one. If anyone has any opinions they want to share regarding the Propel (tent I mentioned) I would appreciate it if you shared them :P

Cheers.

Robert,
Alas, I can only use one trekking pole because the other hand has to remain free for my Shelties, one of which is mostly blind and requires a lot of attention. So trekking pole supported tents mean making an extra pole or poles and carrying them in addition to the tent – not springy poles, but heavier stiff ones like a trekking pole. Given some of the other issues with this tent, never had the motivation to work on a light pole solution. Also don't think that two crossed trekking poles offer much space beneath. That's why Nomad-type designs usually have the short spreader pole at the top to create more space, even in solo models. Also, the switch to silnylon will bring with it the sag issue in a space that is tight to begin with, especially with moist single walls. And lastly, I have an abiding prejudice against tents that are 'almost' freestanding. If it's not going to be fully freestanding, then something designed like the Akto or the Carbon Reflex appeal to me more. If and when a ultralight fabric is developed that is breathable enough for a tent and also accepted as reliably waterproof, it would be intriguing to see it on Henry Shires' Moment or Rainbow designs.

"Snow Peak does not have it on their site yet. I would want to know the specs, dimensions, materials, etc. before making a judgment."

Look here: http://www.snowpeak.co.jp/newproducts/lago/index.html

Edit: this is a better link: http://www.snowpeak.co.jp/catalog/products/detail/3444

They say that it is strongly wind resistant and has an "X frame".

The dimensions are as follows:

Lago 1 W90cm / H100cm / L225 cm 1.25kg + fly

Lago 2 W130cm / H100cm / L225cm 1.4kg + fly

Oddly they don't list a weight for the flysheet, although they usually do.

The yellow parts of the inner tent are 20 denier PU coated polyester rip stop and are stated to be "water repellent".
The white parts of the inner tent don't have the PU coating.
The fly is also 20 denier and PU coated and is stated to be "water repellent".
Some Japanese tents are single-skin with an optional fly for foul or winter conditions: from the way they've put non-PU side panels on these ones it's clear that they are intended to be used as two-skinned.

In terms of weight etc, although from the US it would be easy to imagine that Snowpeak is a light or UL manufacturer (because that's all that you see in the US) the vast majority of their products are for car camping – huge tents, really elaborate camping kitchens, massive tarps, portable fireplaces, dutch ovens etc. They even have garden furniture. It's really, really beautiful gear but it's not UL, nor is it cheap (on that, I just noticed that the bench that goes with the garden table is $1,000 on its own ….. the table is closer to $2,400) Their paper catalogue is 328 pages, and of that the light stuff for backpacking – mostly the Lago – is just 11 pages plus a page or two for the micro stoves. So, my point is, don't judge the weights too harshly as it's not really their focus. In truth, even the lighter stuff is more for motor bike touring than backpacking.

They do have a light new pack – a first for them as far as I am aware, but I'll post on that separately.