Caught between the incredible (for a double wall) low weight of the Notch and the extra space and added stability of the Stratospire 1, I ordered both, hoping to do a side-by-side comparison to choose. And though I hesitated to post any of my findings since so much has been written about these two tents, I was assured by another BPLer there was no such thing as overkill (I'm looking at you Nigel!).
First, the Notch. Set-up is a breeze, really easy to get a super taut pitch, and with the additional guy attachments (added by Henry for no additional charge), I think the Notch could take a good wallop of weather. Another positive is the vents in the head and foot of the ten. Having to open them from the outside isn't ideal, but I'm not sure what you'd do to fix that otherwise. The only – and I mean only – negative about the Notch is that the inner is a pretty tight squeeze. I haven't quite made the jump to bivys and small spaces yet. Of course, this could be remedied by opening the inner, or going without, but I live in the Southeast, where pests swarm most of the year and a zipper is a hiker's best friend. As a test, I put my Synmat UL7 with a WM Ultralite in the Notch to see how cramped I'd be if I was using it during the colder months. Unfortunately, with that sleep system, the bag actually touches the netting on the sides of the inner. Not really a huge deal, but it just felt a little claustrophobic. After lying there for a bit, I think it would work in a pinch, but I'm not sure I'd want to be in there for an extended period of time; waiting out a storm or some such situation.
Next up was the SS1. While setup wasn't as quick as the Notch, it was still an easy go. When all the stakes are in and the tent's completely guyed out, this thing is solid as a rock. The SS1 is palatial for one, and both vestibules are generous. When I tested my pad and bag, there was still room on each side for any junk I may have brought in with me. The one thing I noticed – and maybe I'll figure this out with more practice – but I never could get a taut pitch on this one. There always seemed to be a couple panels that were a little flappy. And yet, at the bottom of the zipper, it seemed like the tension was almost too much. I'm chalking it up to user error, honestly. The only other thing about the SS1 is that takes up a bit of space. If ground space was at a premium, I might be out of luck. I'm guessing I could probably configure it to work, though.
I wasn't able to actually set the tents up side-by-side because I only have one set of trekking poles. [Therefore, my neighbors got to see me set up and take down the tents three or four times each.]
But after giving them a look, my decision is … the SS1. But, Lord almighty, is that Notch a great tent. And for time when I'm using a less robust bag (like an old model MB SS#3), there may actually be more room on the sides. The only question now is … can I actually afford to keep both? I've got my first kid on the way in three months. Can I justify 'em both?!
D@mn you Henry Shires! I'll post a few pics later. [edited for spelling]
