New 2013 Golite Gear

I set up the Imogene 2 yesterday and it only requires 3 stakes to set up (two for the rear corners and one for the fly) but does come with 8 should you want to guy it out more. I comes with additional guyline and a repair sleeve for the poles.

It is freestanding in the same way that a BA Fly Creek 2 would be except that it has an additional rear spreader pole by the feet so maintains a little more natural shape. In other words, it is no problem to pick it up and move it without collapsing the shelter.

It is huge for the weight.

I didn't mean it *had* to be fully guyed out, but for maximum space (using with two people) and the best ventilation, yes. Just like with any tent I guess. But with one door maximum space inside might be more important.

I personally don't care about freestanding or not, I selected this tent based on the weight, design, and price.

"… But i have no clue where they are getting their data from formtheir comparison values."

Arc'teryx?

I also purchased one with that 20% coupon. It took me about 30 minutes with the first setup. It was weird.

I’m not a big fan of pole and hub connections. It becomes unwieldy in straightening out the mess. I would have liked just 3 separate poles. I have a SD Sirius 3 that has a hub and never looked forward to setting it up.

The instructions are sewed into the stuff sack; nice. I just didn't understand the terms initially. The 2nd time only took 10 minutes. There are a lot of things to do– like using the 6 velcro straps on the fly to wrap to the frame– that slows me down. Anyway, the puzzler for me is— how do you connect the fly to the corners with ease? The first time I pinched my fingers. Now I’m more alert. And then disconnecting the fly from the corners is another Chinese puzzle. I’m afraid if I use brute force, I’ll break the small thin rod that it attaches to. The thin rod can be seen in Paul’s 5th pic above. Any tricks for attaching and detaching the fly? Is this going to be hard below freezing?

And family guy, how did you set it up with 3 stakes? It seems like for full volume and breathability, all 8 stakes are needed.

Thanx,
-Barry

Interesting. On my first attempt I had the inner setup in probably less than 2 minutes. Insptected everything, opened it up, laid in it, etc. Next I draped the fly over the poles, connected each end and then the corners. Probably another 2 minutes, tops. I walked around and tighted the fly down and didn't like how the center seem was way off of the center ridge line pole, so I unhooked it to see what was going on. I decided to use only two of the velcro tabs (the ones that line up with the hubs) on the inside of the fly to keep it lined up, which is something I've always skipped on other tents using these. Re-connected the fly, tightened everything up and all looked good. Once familiar with the setup, I can't imagine it taking more than 5 minutes all together. All bets are off if it's windy, raining, and on a rock slab though…

Re connecting and disconnecting the fly to the corners. I used a bit of a side to side rocking motion and yes a bit of "brute force," but nothing that I felt was difficult or at all concerned with. I'd say give it some umph and don't worry about it.

Setup was easy for me… I guess because I am used to traditional double wall tents. It is just like our 4-person Sierra Designs family tent… including the "Jakes Foot" connectors and hub… but tiny and light. You will get used to the connectors very quickly; I struggled with them until I learned the technique. The velcro to connect the frame to the fly is standard on traditional tents from what I have seen. You don't have to use it except in very windy conditions IMO. It adds strength when guyed out for structural purposes.

Hi Barry, yes the Jakes Feet are interesting but one you realize how the work, it goes up in about 3 minutes or so.

Pegs? One for the vestibule, and two for the rear corners. Use the same pegs for the inner tent. That would be the minimum.

This is for the Imogene 2

I am a newbie, really only familiar with traditional crossing pole tents. For me, the poles took some getting used to with the connectors that hold the front and rear poles to the main center pole. But in general I would rate setting the main tent up as "easy" once you have done it a couple of times. The fly is definitely the more difficult part because there are clips (easy to miss) that attach to each end of the main center pole, and the center of the fly does not want to line up with the ridge pole unless you use the velcro straps. Not too big a deal, but certainly more of a pain than attaching the fly to a traditional 2-pole tent. I feel that this tent will withstand wind and rain very well, as it has a low, slim profile and the fly comes down very low to the ground. The latter point makes me a bit nervous about ventilation, as it only has one at the back end of the tent. I am taking it into the Desolation Wilderness for three nights with my son in June, and will give more feedback then.

Has anyone had any experience with this revision? I noticed these were on sale and for 221.00 shipped seems too good to be true. I was going to wait for a Katabatic Palisade but at nearly half the cost and no wait I'm seriously tempted. This would be my first light bag and I'd rather spend the money on a quality product from the get go.