Ideal shelter for above tree line use in the Wind Rivers

[S Long]

I am looking for opinions on what you would choose for the best UL option for above tree line three season use in the Wind River Range. I have used an old Clip Flashlight-style tent with moderate success (condensation issues and heavy), a Mountain Hardwear mountaineering tent (super comfy and bomber but HEAVY), a silnylon Duomid (a little spooky in the high winds but stable), and a Hexamid solo tarp without beak (REALLY scary in high winds but surprisingly stable). What would you choose?

[rOg w]

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[Anton Solovyev]

Duomid in Winds:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/die0SRVuTQUpkdSbJ45xQtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

a few hours before a nasty thunderstorm. It survived, but it was quite nervous for an hour or so. I think a solution (for me) is to carry an emergency bivvy, regardless of what tent is being used.

[Marko Botsaris]

What about the lighter weight MH – like the direkt 2. Has the bibler style mountaineering function/shape with lighter materials. Under 3 lbs.

[Brad Rogers]

Perhaps a Golite Shangri La 2 ? The two pole design may make it more stable than a duomid.

[bjc]

I was thinking something similar. I have a Yama Mountain Terraform tarp that is bomb proof and has seen me through some high wind blizzards that appeared even during the supposedly 3 season period here in Colorado! And yes it is snowing and blowing as I write this and I would easily be comfortable in this cat cut shaped tarp!

[Marko Botsaris]

It is a bigger jump from the mountaineering tent you gave as your departure point, but the Trailstar is a tarp that is known to be bulletproof in high winds. They now make a cuben version that is 10 oz (silnylon 20 oz). Tons of space and flexibility, but needs a groundsheet and requires more knowledge/experience, but the experience can be gotten pretty easily.

[Richard Fischel]

while the tent is out of production, they show up with some frequency on ebay and some of the other resale sites. i like it because it's relativly big/long compared to the other tents in teh *light* series. i've not been in the tent for prolonged multi-day heavy rain, but i have experienced periodic heavy rain and light all-day rain and haven’t had a leakage issue. guided-out it will stand up to high wind loads. you see people using the various variants because they work, despite the bad rap some folks give the epic fabric.

the direkt 2 is a great little tent, with little being the operative word. at 6'2" i don't think i could sleep in one diagonally, much less next to someone and in the summer the venting options are limited.

[Charles Jennings]

I have been using the Hilleberg Rajd for awhile and have been pleased with its stability, roominess, compactness and lighter weight. It does take up quite a bit of real estate, but you said above tree line use. Due to the low humidity in the Winds, condensation would not be as much as a factor as other geographic areas.

DISCLOSURE: I am also an Authorized Hilleberg Retailer.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Heck, I used the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 in the Winds (above 10k for most of our trip) for 8 days a few Augusts ago. I also used it in Patagonia without any difficulty.

I always thought the duo mid was supposed to be great in nasty weather – there's that video of Tony Hobbs in his with some seriously howling winds crashing through and his was tight as a drum. My absolute first trip with my duo mid was in the worst thunderstorm I've ever camped in. And it didn't move – I was dry as could be.

The trailstar might also be a great idea as well…i really like mine. Especially if real estate isn't too much of an issue.

[Nick Gatel]

There is no best tent or shelter option… each has it's pros and cons. For wind shedding ability, the Trailstar is outstanding… but it has its quirks. A quality mid is probably the best option for most people in terms of set-up, ingress and egress, and protection. A sturdy support pole and very secure tie-outs and staking are critical in wind.

For extreme wind and no snow, I like the Trailstar.

[Michael Wainfeld]

I've used a Tarptent Stratospire 1 the last two years in the Winds and Beartooths. I can get a pretty taut pitch and it works great.

[S Long]

I think I will hang onto my Duomid. I might upgrade to cuben. I had a Trailstar but the footprint was huge and I didn't like having to change the pitch to accommodate for shifting winds so I sold it. I also owned a Golite Shangri-La 2. It was nice and roomy but something never seemed quite "right" with it. I couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe a Patrol or Spinnshelter or Yama Gear tarp would be a good substitute. I also have a Shangri-La 3 that I like for two person trips, but it is a bit much for solo use.

[Nick Gatel]

:I think I will hang onto my Duomid."

Good choice.

[Marko Botsaris]

"I think I will hang onto my Duomid. I might upgrade to cuben. I had a Trailstar but the footprint was huge and I didn't like having to change the pitch to accommodate for shifting winds so I sold it. I also owned a Golite Shangri-La 2. It was nice and roomy but something never seemed quite "right" with it. I couldn't put my finger on it. Maybe a Patrol or Spinnshelter or Yama Gear tarp would be a good substitute. I also have a Shangri-La 3 that I like for two person trips, but it is a bit much for solo use."

Yikes! There's your problem right there – You're a high maintenance tent gearaholic. LOL

There is a group for that. See you there.

[David Halterman]

Another vote for Trailstar. The footprint isn't really an issue in practice, especially above treeline.

[Ian]

"I might upgrade to cuben."

I'm in the market for a stormworthy shelter I can use above the treeline as well and that will see some winter use. I've narrowed it down to the Solomid XL but was debating between cuben and silnylon until I read Lawson Kline's comments on page three of this thread:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=89474&startat=40

I've decided to go with silnylon although I'm sure a sewn and bonded cuben mid would work find. Here are his comments.

"The reason you don't see more cuben mountaineering tents is because of the construction techniques that would have to be used.. The shelter would have to be both bonded and sewn as bonding alone doesn't work in cold weather. The adhesive looses all its strength and the shelter will just fall apart.

I had a problem with my drybags in cold weather. People were stuffing their down bags in them and then going out in cold weather mountaineering, snow shoeing, skiing, hunting, etc and the seams were failing. The down bag would literately push the seam apart… So I paid 3M to test the problem. Well they found that ALL roll adhesives loose about 50%- 90% of their bond strength under 0F. Put it this way. 9485PC which is the adhesive that Cubic Tech use to recommend before selling their own, and most likely the adhesive most companies are still using has a T-Peel bond strength of 90.4oz/in at room temp and 12.5oz/in at 0F..

So the problem can be fixed by sewing the seams after bonding, BUT then your sewing through a non-woven material which creates a whole set of new problems….."

[Brad Rogers]

I used a SpinnShelter in the Winds in 2012 and it did a nice job. We had only light rain at night but high winds and it held up well. I have used it in other windy conditions and the only issue I had was the Velcro blowing apart in really high winds but a mitten clip at the end fixed that issue. Pitch it into the wind and it is pretty stable. A broadside wind is more of an issue but mine has survived.

I would still rather have an SL2 in really bad weather if for no other reason as it gives me some room to spread out.

[Jason Elsworth]

+1 to all Nick's comments.
Would also add that the cuben version of the Trailstar doesn't seem to allow for quite as an effective high wind pitch as the silnylon version. See Colin Ibbotson's reviews.

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