Ultralight Meditation Shelter

Ronny,

Good insights. I went down a similar path looking for my last shelter, except I'm 6'2" and wanted to read in the evenings and meditate in the mornings. That pointy peak problem led me to a TarpTent Moment, with a hooped crossover pole that gives me just barely enough room to sit up straight. Not ultralight, but it meets my needs.

Problems like this (specs versus usable space), make buying shelters sight unseen over the Internet a scary process. Even with generous return policies, returns are time consuming, you lose on shipping costs, and your money is tied up waiting for refunds.

I'll take another look at the Zpacks Hexamid Solo Plus.

Thanks.

— Rex

You are right, to maximize space having the netting sewn on the tarp is the way to go. Some people like net tents because it works and it's more versatile. Congrats on the hexamid tent, it's an amazing design and very light, plus you are "encapsulated" in a little bug free environment.

"Problems like this (specs versus usable space), make buying shelters sight unseen over the Internet a scary process"
True and that is why I encourage folk to think about usable space not 2 d dimensions and to make a mock up of the shelter before they buy.
Not all that easy with some but dead simple with some hoop tents,pyramids and other trekking pole supported shelters , like this :

for reference, the one I am under (I am 5'8") some 6'plus folk insist it is more than big enough for them . (laying down on that mat I would touch the ends and no ,sleeping at an angle,moving the pole offside, does not work either…)
And that is why how other people fit in is less important than how you do.

The cat. How much for the cat?

You could get a trail camera set up in your own yard and photograph the animal roaming around at night.

–B.G.–

After 18.5 years Pip is now resting …
Now , new place, I have ring tail possums running around at night.
cute but they eat their own poop (not so cute)

Ronny-

That second pic of Franco's is quite misleading.

All users of a smaller pyramid style shelters from any manufacturer use a single pole offset toward the door. This opens up the useable space a great amount. Ex: In a SoloMid XL it leaves about 3.5' from pole to rear shelter edge- HUGE SPACE- That's how an InnerNet fits – with the pole on the outside the net offset to the front.

The other popular option on a small mid- Like the SoloMid- is to use two poles in an inverted V setup. This opens up almost all of the interior space and is almost like an external support system.

TarpTent makes great products and I think that if Franco would clearly note that he is an employee of TarpTent in his posts or user name/icon that would clear it all up for everyone.

I did not mention the particular shelter I was replicating because that is just one out of many mock ups that I have done.
Often I see a comment about size and can't help myself doing a mock up just to see how I would fit in it .
This is why I wrote "And that is why how other people fit in is less important than how you do.", specifically I would NOT USE a pyramid shelter with a pole at an angle because the chances of me or wind or snow load knocking the pole down is a lot greater than if set up perpendicular.
Keep in mind that again I am talking about how I feel about it, not how others do.
For some reason I had the impression that the OP was also talking about how he fits not how some other forum member does.
So Ron, before you call someone else's post misleading, read the fine print.
Anyway just for you , here is another one :

note the I am the odd guy that sleeps on top of a mat.

How would it look with a 3" pad? : )

I like the simplicity if Mids but the unusable space is frustrating unless you get a tall one. But by that time, the weight savings starts to disappear. I am surprised more people don't use the Tarptent Stratosphere fly only option. Seems like it discards all of the negatives that exist with a mid that may have a similar footprint.

Ronny,

My favorite pole shape for a one person shelter is an inverted U for some of the same reasons you mention. Two hiking poles with (in this case) a 2 foot long ridge pole connecting the hiking poles works well for me.

Franco – love the photo with the cat! I hear if you use a pyramid shape the cat will not spoil. (sry, maybe too obscure a reference). But for some reason I love the picture. Just put it in an art gallery and stand back and listen to what people say.

Not sure what type of shelter except one you can sit up in, but I've got you covered for an UL zafu. If you buy one of those cheap boxes of wine, the bladder inside has a cap than can be closed. They are extremely light (a few oz) and strong enough to sit on. Adjust amount of air to your tastes – wine to be removed beforehand, and if absolutely necessary, drunk.

Ron – is the solo innernet a pyramid in shape (i.e. is it a mini version of the duo innernet) or does it have a vertical front wall (which would not allow scooching forward regardless of dual pole use or offsetting of single pole [although the duomid is probably big enough that you could set up the solo inner backwards so that it were a better fit for a body in lotus. Hmmm])?

If it is a mini pyramid then I may have misspoke in my original claim that it would not work for the intended use of sitting upright without hitting head on ceiling.

Everyone else – thanks for the laughs. Zafu from wine cooler is brilliant. If I needed it that would be my one piece of gear that makes me smile.

I once actually bought an inflatable zafu. It was pricy and turned out to be a regular (and cheap) zafu cover with a beach ball shoved into it. Caveat emptor. :-)

Just learned that MLD solo innernet is a symmetrical pyramid, not a half pyramid. It could work for sitting up cross legged without hitting knees on front. Not sure, haven't tried it. Maybe someone who has used it could weigh in.