Shelters

I have an MLD DuoMid that handles storms really well. When bugs are out I'll take along my Katabatic Gear bivy. There are lighter shelters out there, but in my opinion the DuoMid is one of the best all around shelters for the money and weight.

A few months ago I did an insane amount of research and put together one of the most complete spreadsheets out there on the lightest weight shelters available right now.

You can read the article and check out the spreadsheet if you are interested in sub-20 ounce shelters.

Thanks John- I read your blog post and excel sheet – it is pretty impressive. I would like to keep the price tag on this shelter pretty low and was curious what you thought of the frequently mentioned GG bug canopy. Not having seen one in person I'm not sure what to think.

The article mentions the Gossamer Gear Bug Canopy so much simply because it is the lightest solution out there – no different than the massive amount of mentions of the ZPacks Hexamid Solo filling up the first 4 or 5 spots in the spreadsheet.

I think they both have their positives and negatives. The positive being they are crazy light. The negative being they are really small.

As for the bug canopy, I have owned it (and every other known bug net out there) and it is small. It is also not a “fully enclosed” bug net – which as I mentioned somewhere in either the article or spreadsheet, should have made it so that it should not have even been included, but too many people were bugging me (err: no pun intended) about it not being in there so I added it.

It is basically an oversized head bug net that goes down to just below your waste. Way smaller than the now-discontinued Simblissity Inner Peace or the Mountain Laurel Designs Bug Bivy.

If money is an issue the “Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape + Six Moon Designs Serenity NetTent” combo is by far the best out there when it comes to “Price Per Ounce” at $13.53!! And, honestly, 573 grams (20.21 ounces / 1.263 pounds) should be more than light enough for just about anybody. The only down-side to this setup… it is a pretty tight fit inside of the SMD Serenity NetTent if you are over 5’10. The SMD Gatewood Cape probably has more miles on the PCT than any other shelter in the world. BillyGoat has been using one for a very very long time!

John,

One other thing that deserves at least a footnote — rain protection. The Gatewood Cape is adequate rain protection for many circumstances. It ranks much better than shown if you add rain gear to the weight of the other products on your spreadsheet.

I have a tarp and bivy combo I use. I also have a StratoSpire 1 tarptent which I love. Not the lightest shelter, but I really like it. Give the tarptent notch a look. I think it comes in around 26 oz. with stakes and guyline. It could be a good option.

2lb 1 oz fly creek ul1 tent with 6 stakes and all stuff sacks. It works for me for now…

I am very happy with my Tarp Tent Stratosphire 1.

I have a homemade sil tarp, basically 8'x10'. For bug protection at night I made a noseeum tepee that hangs from my tarp by velcro and covers my upper body.

I have a trekking pole shelter under development right now that hopefully will be my go to 1-man tent in the future.

Glad I found one, great crazy light fully enclosed shelter..

wow, how in the world did you find a One for sale!!!??!!!

I picked up a Wild Oasis from GS last fall and had great success at the stock weight of 13 oz. I have recently had Bear Paw Wilderness Designs add a silnylon floor for only 2-3 oz. I haven't weighed it but it should in the neighborhood of 16-18 oz. Fully enclosed. If you get a WO for a good price, the whole setup should be under $200.

John, I lucked out picked one up here that was purchased new ( by the seller)couple years ago, set up in yard, put in closet and later sold to me. It looked and smelled new. Using it next month in the Sierras.

I also use a Gossamer Gear The One purchased from Gossamer Gear (early in 2011)just before they quit offering it. So far it's been good to me but I haven't had to ride out any serious storms in it yet.

I had talked with one of the members here over a week ago face to face just before my trip, said their One was not very water resistant. Sounds like an item not suited for wet conditions.
Duane

I have a Skyscape Trekker from SMD. I like it. It's roomy for one and has held together soundly in some extremely windy conditions. I've yet to have a hard rain in it. also, it's light enough for a fully enclosed shelter. With seams sealed it comes in at around 23 oz., under weight from their specs. But … there are so many options. I really like the duo-mid and cricket tarp/tent from MLD, and the Zpacks Hexamid tarps and tents too.