Solo Shelters

[Christopher Kuzak]

Same question as Christopher–can you throw up some pics of the Lair?

Many thanks.

[michael levi]

[josh jordan]

http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp83/jjchgo/lair1.jpg

http://i400.photobucket.com/albums/pp83/jjchgo/lair.jpg

hope this works. this was my first time setting it up so please forgive the not so perfect pitch but still not bad for the first time.

sorry but i clearly have no idea how to post pics…lol

btw weight is 20.4 oz w/ tarp, stakes, lines and stuff sack. btw I do not remember what stakes i'm using but i'm sure their our lighter options out there.

[Tom Lyons]

SMD Gatewood Cape and inner serenity net tent.
Even if you don't want to use it for multi-purpose as raingear.

It's a true double-wall shelter that's 19 ounces total. This not only prevents bugs from getting in, but double-wall also prevents most/all condensation from getting on you, which is the problem with most of the single-wall shelters which are usually mentioned.

It has excellent coverage on all sides, and has a zippered door that can tie back.
The floor is a real floor that can keep water out, which is not the case with any tents using mesh as a floor.

The inner net tent can be left home if you are going out when you don't need it, so you don't have to carry it in situations where the outer tarp alone would suffice. Conversely, if you have a clear night and want to star-gaze, you can just set up the inner net tent if you want to.

And even though it is commonly thought around here that it isn't good to have the poncho be your shelter too, I disagree, and it can be very effectively used in a dual role, which is one of the central aims of SUL backpacking.

When you consider all these points, including the weight for what it can do, and the price, you will have a very hard time finding anything else that can really compete with it. To compete, it would have to be a cuben fiber set-up with separate rain gear that would cost much more money, and even then it would have very little or no weight advantage over the GC.

[Kevin Babione]

On the Six Moon Designs website Ron suggests that they're looking at "doing the Gatewood Cape in Cuben."

By itself the Silnylon GC isn't that heavy (mine is 13.23 ounces with six stakes and guylines) but I'm guessing that doing it in Cuben will cut the weight almost in half.

[Herbert Sitz]

"It's a true double-wall shelter that's 19 ounces total."

No, it's not 19 ounces total. I ordered a Gatewood Cape and Serenity nettent a few months ago expecting around 19 ounces for the pair. Instead the pair was 22.3 ounces, plus you need to add six stakes to that. The "Serenity 8 ounce Nettent" came in at 9.9 ounces. The Gatewood "11 ounce shelter" came in at 12.3. I emailed Ron Moak and response was that published weights are set when product is first released (i.e., years ago for Gatewood and Serenity) and that it's "not possible" to update published weights later when materials and/or production runs change. (The issue with Serenity was changed materials, similar to what was discussed in thread last year for Haven nettent, which also weighs several ounces over published weight.)

So while Gatewood/Serenity might be nice combination, it's not a 19 ounce combination. At least not currently. I assume you can contact SMD directly to find current shipping weights, but that's a step that shouldn't be required, IMO.

[Christopher Kuzak]

Michael and Josh, thanks for the pics, though I had trouble with the links provided (probably my network).

I guess I'll hold off on the Gatewood Cape given the weight. I'd rather go up a couple ounces and get something fully enclosed.

I'm surprised by the 20 oz weight of the Lair. I figured it would be less given the listed weight of the tarp itself on the website. That's with inner net too I guess or in Silnylon? Looks like combining it with the MLD bug bivy in bug season would get it down to a pound.

[josh jordan]

yeah i'm not thrilled about the weight either but then again where I came from, its damn good. yes that is w/ the netting. now you have me thinking, i'm gonna bring it into work w/ me tomorrow to check the weight of just the tarp w/o everything else.

[michael levi]

Mine is only 16 ounces, maybe you got a heavy batch of being out some thick sil for the floor.

[josh jordan]

or it could be the scales here at work now that I think about it. damn that would suck having to re-weigh everything…lol. on the bright side, "I" might lose some weight.

[Bob Bankhead]

This is easy to visualize. Whether or not it occurs is up to SMD.

Based on the ratio of the weights for a silnylon Skyscape Trekker (24 oz) vs. a CF Skyscape X (15 oz), a Gatewood Cape in 0.74 Cuben would weigh about 7 ounces. These are the exact same shelter; only the material changes.

15/24 = X/11
24X = 11 x 15
X = (11 x 15)/24
X = 6.875 ounces

I also compared the cost difference due solely to material changes by comparing the pricing for the Skyscape series. At $550, the Cuben Skyscape X is twice the cost of the $225 silnylon Skyscape Trekker. Logic suggests this ratio would hold true for converting any other SMD shelter from silnylon to Cuben. Accordingly, I estimate that a $135 silnylon GC would cost approximately $270 in Cuben.

NOTE THESE ARE MY ESTIMATES, NOT SMD's.

[Tom Lyons]

My GC is much lighter than yours, and it's a fairly new one.
It's less than 19 ounces as a combination.
Of course, that isn't even mentioning that it's saving me from carrying at least 12 ounces of unnecessary rain suit, since it doubles as a very good poncho, making it's weight to performance ratio just that much better.

I'd suggest that EVERY other manufacturer out there has variation in their actual product weights. My Western Mountaineering bag is a little bit more than it is spec'd out at, but I allow for that with hand made products of premium quality like SMD and WM, and even MLD which has been reported to be an ounce over on some things from time to time, and under on others.

And for Christopher, the GC is fully enclosed with the inner net tent as part of the package.

And Kevin B, thanks for mentioning that Ron might do a GC in cuben fiber! I immediately sent Ron an email endorsing that idea, and saying that I would buy one of the first ones he makes.

I hope Ron does make the GC in cuben fiber. I have been hoping for that product for years. IMO, the GC is the best solo shelter available for SUL use, and in cuben there would be nothing else that could even come close.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

My choice, if I wanted to spend that much, would definitely be the Skyscape X. (And maybe with a Cuben front "porch" as well if I expected rain. Gotta have SOMEwhere to cook.

[Author]

Posts