Wild Oasis by Six Moon Design

FYI – the Wild Oasis is essentially the Gatewood Cape minus the hood and adding the mesh sidewalls and door plus a peak vent atop the zippered vestible.

It should be an excellent shelter for those who travel fast and light, but still want protection from flying insects, and can live without an integral floor.

Ron's website addresses your peak height issue:

"Like a tarp, the Wild Oasis can be setup at different heights. Low when the weather threatens or high on nice nights to get maximum ventilation."

I expect that the Wild Oasis is pitched that high for a reason: ventilation. Tarps need to be pitched as "open" as possible because their fabric is nonbreathable and as such they are condensation stations.

The larger your tarp is and the more "high" vents it has, the better it will ventilate itself. The Wild Oasis is very small (in volume) and has a minimal high vent. Further, the zipper can't be opened for venting without compromising the bugproofness.

This is all conjecture, but in my estimation the Wild Oasis will be less comfortable if pitched tight to the ground. It depends on your climate and your rate of moisture diffusion, of course — in the Coast Mountains (north of Seattle) that tent would be a miniature rainforest inside if pitched tight to the ground.

Check out the BPL article on the Gatewood Cape. The Gatewood seems quite similar in dimensions, and BPL found it was far more usable when pitched very high for space and ventilation.

Once again, though, I will state that this is conjecture. I'm going to be ordering a Gatewood this summer, and I hope that the Wild Oasis review is out before then to tempt me in that direction….

Brian

> I would like to pitch it close to the ground to minimize the draft.

I have the Gatewood Cape, which has similar dimensions. I've slept in it a few nights around freezing, and I pitched it low to keep the wind out of my quilt. There wasn't a lot of headroom with it low (I'm about 6'2" and a stomach sleeper) but it was acceptable. There was some condensation during the night after the wind dropped and I was afraid it would wet my down quilt, but I just flipped my Gossamer Gear polycryo ground sheet over my feet and that kept the moisture off. It also pitches nicely at an angle (if you work it a bit), so you can stake down the back into the wind and still have the front up for ventilation and views. I tied an overhand knot in the middle of my stake-out loops so I could stake it just a few inches off the ground, which is a good compromise. Staking out the side guys also increases the interior room.

Thanks to all for your replies. Your collective input has provided the basis for the decision to just wait for now. I spoke with GoLite and they have a model coming out next year which somewhat matches my criteria. Andy Skurka mentions in either his pod cast or trail journal re: his Minnesota hike, using a solo shelter similar to the Hex but my impression is that that tent will not go into production. The Oware Alphamid looks appealing but it is about the same weight as the Hex so there is no weight advantage there. The Wild Oasis bug skirt got my attention along with requiring only one pole but based on the picture and the comments here it will not provide the features I want. I am not overly concerned with condensation as it has rarely been a problem here in the Sierras and Arizona even in wet weather. In fact muddy nasty weather is what I had in mind for this particular type of tent.

Last summer, I was in the same place you are. I had a GoLite Hex 2, and I loved it. I wanted something smaller and lighter to replace it for solo hikes with my dog. I ended up purchasing an Etowah Meadows tarp from the Outfitter at Harper's Ferry, and I've been very pleased with it so far. It doesn't have any peak vents or bug netting, but the front "door" unzips for ventilation. I use a bivy all the time anyways to keep my bag clean and the bugs out, so it wasn't an issue for me.

Here's a link to my photos of the tarp, if you're interested:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/4471/index.html?skip_to_post=31632

Bes of luck!

Diana, Thanks for the information on Etowah Tarps. This is about as close to what I am looking for as I have seen thus far. There is an Etowah Fire Fly weighing 14 oz at

http://www.mountaingearnow.com/home.php?type=product&id=50536

for 90 bucks. However it is hard to tell if there is a front flap that closes up like yours. Harpers Ferry doesn’t appear to carry the tent you pictured on your post. Does the tent described at the above address look like your tent?

Diana, I have since found the "Meadows" tent on ebay for right around $140 + shipping. The tent seems to be a real good match for the profile desired but I am going to shop for a better price. …. or is this a good price based on your experience? Thanks, John

I got mine for about $125 plus shipping. I'm not sure why they're listing the weight at 21 oz now (mine's 17 oz without stakes). It looks like most of them are that orange/yellow combination, but gray is listed as an option on Etowah's website. One of the things I like most about the tarp is that it can also be pitched as an A-frame, since it's essentially a flat tarp with an extra flap of material and a zipper.

My only nitpick so far is that the stake loops are plastic D-rings. I'm going to cut them off and replace them with regular guyline loops, since the plastic rings are hard to use with any stakes other than the ones Etowah supplies.

John,

I've been pretty busy as of late and hadn't noticed this discussion. But since it's about the Wild Oasis I'll chime in.

The Oasis can be setup either raised or on the ground depending upon current conditions. Obviously the higher the tent the better the air flow in and around the shelter.

If you're interested in seeing what it's like setup directly on the ground you can look at the Gatewood Cape page. There are several photos of the Gatewood setup directly on the ground. Since both the Gatewood and Oasis have the same shape, they will also setup identically.

You will notice that even when the shelter is setup flush to the ground that there's a gap in the front of several inches. This gap is located approximately 3' from the sleeping area. I feel that it is important as it maintains some air flow into the tent. This intern promotes High/Low venting and helps to minimize condensation buildup.

If you setup the tent with the rear into the wind you'll get maximum protection and minimize the breezes flowing through the shelter.

There are a number of shelters, such as tipi’s, that setup with all sides directly on the ground. This isn’t necessarily bad. However, they’re generally much larger size which helps to minimize contact with condensation saturated walls. The extra material obviously makes them somewhat heavier.

When you start scaling down to minimize weight, you’re also minimizing space. At which point you have to start implementing strategies to minimize both condensation and contact with wet surfaces.

Personally I think the Wild Oasis is an excellent solo shelter for traveling through the Sierra Range. I expect there will be a number of this season PCT thru-hikers using them as they navigate the John Muir trail section.

Ron

The Wild Oasis looks really really nice… and is the only shelter of it's kind right now (basically… a shaped tarp w/ big netting)… but I'm still patiently waiting (oh so patiently… about 6+ months now it seems) for the MLD Spirit to come out before making up my mind.

Don't wait. Get it now.

In six months, there will be something new on the 6-month horizon that looks better than the MLD. If it looks better than what you've got, sell it and buy the "new improved advanced super-dooper" model.

Bob, you are a corrupting influence, persuasive and provide just about all of the temptation it takes for me to do as you have suggested.

Ron, thanks for the reply. I have PMed you.

John,

You commented that the Alphamid is about the same weight as a Hex, which I believe weighs about 31 ounces. That's apparently true for the Alphamid version that's made of 70 denier urethane coated taffeta, which Oware's website describes as weighing about 31 oz, but not true for the Alphamid version that's made of 30 denier silicone nylon, which is described as weighing 19 oz at Oware's website.

However, according to the order page at Oware's website, neither version of the Alphamid is listed as available.

I have the 70 denier version, which is a very nice solo shelter — lots of room, simple pitch, and excellent weather protection. But the 70 denier version does weigh about as much as a Hex, which has much more room.

Am thinking of contacting Oware to see if the 30 denier silicone nylon version is actually available to purchase (even though not listed as available on the order page at their website), and just using my 70 denier version on rafting or canoe trips.

JRS

I agree Bob… but I have had my eye on the Spirit since last spring now… and it's still not available… but it should be any day now… once their backorders clear up… the never-ending problem with MLD which is really starting to wear thin. Don't get me wrong… I LOVE their products and Ron is awesome and I guess it's a "good problem to have"… but at some point the constant backlog has to start trying people's patience and having a negative impact on their business. Hopefully the "growing pains" will be resolved soon.

Anyway… the Spirit will be a full protection shelter… about 5 oz I think without a floor… close to 9 with (if i recall correctly). Ron actually did ofter to make me one last September… not long before he shut everything down for the fall… but he was so far backlogged at the time that I wouldn't have gotten it until early December… when it would have been too late for me to use anyway. I only backpack in 3 seasons here. So I figured… well… I'll just wait until the Spring. Now Spring is here and it's still not available. Grrrr! :)