A Solid UL Shelter!

My first reaction would be to look at the offerings from Tarptent like the Stratospire 2.

When you say it needs to pitch in a variety of environmental conditions, does that mean dirt and rock and sand, for example, or are you talking wind and weather? So you want mostly free-standing and not have to bother with lots of stakes? Do you want a floor, or not? Does the dog sleep inside the inner tent (if it has one) or in a vestibule area?

With that budget, you will have a LOT of optinos that fit the bill. Youc an definately find something lighter than 3lbs, too.

Create a spreadsheet and start gathering the ones your interested in. You will have a lot of fun doing so.

Happy shopping!

How about a BA Fishook 1?

https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/fishhookul1

"5. Shelter shall allow max person (6' tall adult) to be able to sit up without their head touching roof"

You need to figure out how many inches that is, since it varies for different six-footers. I also submit that you want to know the dimension to the ceiling, and not to the roof, since those are two different things.

You ask for a UL shelter suggestion, but then you specify that it is under three pounds. That's kind of a contradiction.

–B.G.–

You are going to have to make some tougher requirements if you want any real answers

My contrail easily satisfies all of those needs and it was $130 on Gear Swap.

If there was one right answer we would all be using the same shelter. Lots of good choices out there. I backpack with one or two 35 lbs dogs and often use a Lightheart gear Solong. This tent was designed for a single large person with plenty of headroom. Fits my dogs inside comfortably too. They now have it in camo and I want one. May have to donate the yellow one to my daughter. Nice guy that I am.

Not narrow enough yet, though a good start. Do you want full bug protection or are you OK without? (open tarp tents ok) Do you use trekking pole/s? (willing to use them as supports) Freestanding required (Firstlight)? or not? How bomber – do you want it to be a no-brainer in 70 mph winds? (Trailstar) How bad/long a rain storm would you expect to experience and be comfortable in? How rambunctious is your hound – would you be better off floor-less so you can use a replaceable cheap ground sheet.

Also I would say the whole concept of a "vestibule" does not really apply so well to "UL shelters". Get one big enough by itself to contain anything you want inside. Though LW double layer (not UL)tents usually have something like that by default.

Lastly, and this might be the most important question of all – how willing would you be to learn a few minor new techniques in order to give youself more options.

1. 8×10 silnylon tarp (cuben if you want to spend more) with floored bug bivy or inner tent

2. GoLite Shangri-La 2 or 3 with floored bug bivy or inner tent

3. Hammock and tarp with dog on a leash

I appreciate the input everyone. I should have been more specific on what I am looking for. Thank you for pointing them out. My edited preferences are below:

1. Shelter shall hold 1-person and a dog. ( I am is 5'11' tall w/ athletic build and my Westie is ~16lbs). My dog will be sleeping inside the inner tent with me.

2. Shelter shall be capable of 3-season use (won't be using it for winter camping)

3. The flexibility of pitching it different environmental conditions (i.e. wind, rain, etc…).

4. Shelter shall have a vestibule-like space that can hold a backpack and trail shoes

5. Shelter shall allow max person (72" tall adult) to be able to sit up without their head touching roof

6. Shelter total weight w/ all needed components be 34oz. or less.

7. Prefer product that is made in USA if possible.

8. Shelter price shall be <$350

I will using this shelter mainly when my dog accompanies me on 2 to 5-day trips. My fast and light solo trips w/o dog, I usually take a sub 17oz shelter (i.e. Hexamid, SMD Wild Oasis, etc…).

I am considering the TT Rainbow and the TT Moment DW so far.

I very much appreciate you sharing your knowledge/feedback/advice.

….I will consider free and non-free standing shelters. Willing to use trekking poles to support the shelter. It doesn't need to have a actual vestibule, but a place where I can keep my pack and shoes from getting wet.

Have used both the Rainbow and Stratospire 1 with a dog prefer the Stratospire! Roomy vestibules,two of them, nice bathtub floor, can set up with just the fly, or inner! Pretty bombproof in rain! My Boxer is 70 lbs and I 6' 195 lbs!

I use the MLD Duomid with Duo InnerNet. There is not much of a vestibule, but I just bring all my gear in the tent with me.

I still can't believe you guys let your dogs sleep inside the tent with you after they've been running around in the bushes (read: poison oak/poison ivy) all day and rolling around in the dirt. At the very least their paws have to be filthy at the end of each day.

I mean, I like dogs, but not quite that much! :)

Anyway, more power to you all, I guess. I can't really imagine using anything other than an open tarp if I was trying to accommodate a dog, but that's just me…

Best option for me and my 90 lb. pooch. Sometimes he sleeps in the vestibule, sometimes the net tent with me. Your 16lb dog will be a nice mate in an 8 oz. net tent with a nylon floor he can't ruin, and you'll love the low weight of the cuben shelter with no risks from poochy paws.

After much research and thought, I decided to continue using my REI Chrysalis tent if bad weather is expected for know. Even though it is just over 3 pounds, it has never let me down…. plus there is enough room for my dog to sleep inside.

Bonus… I just picked up a sweet MLD cuben Cricket shelter (7.5oz) which included a cuben triangular door on the gear swap. Will be using this shelter on my nice weather trips.

I greatly appreciate everyone for their great shelter suggestions and input!

-Joe

My vote is for the MLD Trailstar, 20 oz, $210, huge space and headroom, better than the vast majority of tents for bad weather (short of a full-on 8 lb mountaineering tent), many, many ways to pitch – super high or super low, multiple entry pitches, no-brainer with dog, removable net options for mosquitoes if needed, nice yellow color and option (that is probably just me :-) ). More adaptable than any tarp tent.

http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=51&products_id=102

Read the reviews to see if this might work for you.

The smallest tent that Tarptent mskes is the Moment DW. Your pooch MAY fit in the main vestibule and IMHO that's where a dog belongs – on their own mat.

Other options are the TT Stratospire solo and, if you absolutely must bring the dog inside the tent, a TT Contrail is large enough for that.

I would LOVE it if my dog would stay in a vestibule. But unfortunately, that means he can escape under the fly. And no, pitching it really close to the ground doesn't help…he gets out anyway.

My duomid door can be wide open and he wants to run UNDER the sides.

So while I'm sleeping he needs to be enclosed – so unfortunately that means charliedog hair all over my stuff.

I took my Corgi on his first backpacking trip a couple weeks ago. He wanders so an enclosed tent was a requirement for me too. I ended up with an MSR Hubba Hubba NX but only because I get a discount on it. If I were going to pay full price for a shelter I would have went with the Stratospire 1. Its light, roomy, and you have the option to leave the inner behind if you don't bring your dog and save a little weight. One thing I noticed with my dog is that having some solid nylon walls vs a full mesh inner helped him stay calm. Since he couldn't see under the vestibule to what was happening outside he sat and listened for a few minutes then laid down. I think if he could have seen the other dogs still walking around outside he would have tried a little harder to get out.

As far as letting the dog in the tent, I can't imagine not doing it. It got below freezing one night and he curled up under my EE quilt with me for a while. Kept us both a little warmer! We've been camping with our older Sheltie for years too. He loves sleeping in the tent and often runs in and lays down on my mat and quilt before I even get my shoes off.

Adam

I'm the same with my 5kg Jack Russell Adam, not only is she in the tent, if it's cold she's my hot water bottle so in my sleeping bag with me.

She is short haired so easy to keep clean, as anyone knows who's ever had a Jack Russell knows they tend to moult like crazy so a lot of the dirt falls off with the hairs, the rest i wipe off.
Being white and short haired she's also easy to check for ticks.

A lot depends on the dog, it's breed, temperament, training and size, i had a Border Collie that would not settle in a tent, even in cold conditions it would prefer to stay outside, this was a working dog though not a house dog.

A working husky will be comfortable in different conditions than something like a doberman that's kept in a house, who's better to judge a dogs comfort level the owner or someone making sweeping statements on a forum.

I look after my dog as i see fit, as it's my tent and my gear i don't really see it as anyones else's business, as they do not know me or my dog i certainly don't think it's rational for complete strangers to judge my decisions on how i look after my dog.

I second Marko: look at the Trailstar. Bombproof 20oz. floorless shelter at a fair price. I think it would be perfect for a four legged companion. No vestibule needed. They are very roomy.

Why not put the dog in a vestibule on a leash that is either staked or passes thru the door opening and is tied to your sleeping bag?

There's a rumor that dogs CAN be trained.

"who's better to judge a dogs comfort level the owner or someone making sweeping statements on a forum.

I look after my dog as i see fit, as it's my tent and my gear i don't really see it as anyones else's business, as they do not know me or my dog i certainly don't think it's rational for complete strangers to judge my decisions on how i look after my dog."

@Mark S,
Who exactly is your defensiveness aimed at here? Me?

I certainly hope not, but if so, please carefully reread my last post…

You will find no "sweeping statements" and no instructions for how other people should look after their dogs.

I'm glad you have a system that works for you and your dog. More power to you. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't let the dog in the tent for all the reasons I stated before, but that should have absolutely no bearing on how you camp with your own dog and I never intended it to be taken that way.

Would you recommend the cuben or the silnylon version of the MLD Trailstar?

If you look here http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=102 there is an extensive list of pros/cons/comparisons between the CF and silnylon versions.

The immediate comparisons that jump out are price – $210 vs $355 – and weight – 20oz vs 11oz.

Bob