Well, I actually made this over a month ago, but just was recently reminded of it when looking through pictures.
I was in a pinch for a shelter on my 8-day Wind River trip a friend and I were taking. He had his own solo tarp and bivy, so I needed something of my own.
I really liked the looks of the Trailstar, especially in a place known for its winds. It seemed like it would shed wind nicely from all directions. I didn't have the time to wait the 6-8 weeks from MLD, so I whipped up a quick design in Sketchup and sewed it up.
I designed it to be primarly for solo use, so it is slightly smaller than a real Trailstar. It still fit two people just fine, just a little tighter than a real Trailstar I'd imagine. It's a bit lighter though, weighing in at 13.5oz (in the stuff sack) even when seam sealed. Its a little shorter vertically then a Trailstar too. I don't use trekking poles, so it is supported by a .625 mid pole, and .490 door pole, which adds 5oz to the total. So for a total of 18.5oz, I had a shelter for the trip. I used a bivy, as I always do, under it, which was nice on a night it rained.
It performed flawlessly, and once I got the hang of pitching it, I could get it pretty taught in 3-4 minutes. It took a little while to get used to pitching it, and as you can see in the first picture I hadn't got it perfectly set up yet. One day when camped at the tarn camp at 11,000ft near Gannett Peak, winds were over 25mph, and it barely even moved once I had it pinned down.
Overall I really liked it, and it is now my go-to 3 season shelter. Props to Ron for a great idea on the 5-sided shelter. He offers it at a great price too.
