Quest for perfect shelter system for 3 week solo JMT starting in late July

Welcome to BPL Charlie,

I have the Hexamid Twin and I think it's a great shelter. I'm 6'3" and I fit fine in there with one of my kids although there's not much room for gear. It's palatial when I'm solo.

If I were to buy the shelter today, I'd get the Zpacks Duplex due to the fact that it has more room for whoever I'm sharing the tent with, they would have their own entrance and not have to climb over me for a midnight pee break, and more venting options with the doors.

I really like tarp camping and am as likely to bring my MLD Grace Solo and head net as my tent. Depends on my mood.

I have no experience with the SMD Wild Oasis but it looks like a nice option.

A bivy is great in alpine environments and in situations where you don't think you'll need a tarp but want some protection in case you get surprised with a storm. Sleeping in a rainstorm without a tarp can be challenging, especially getting in and out of it. I've looked at bivy/tarp combinations and they rarely beat my Twin in terms of weight. This is still however a popular option around these parts. As with anything, there are pros and cons.

Here's an incomplete list of cottage industry gear from Eric the Black http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/12378/cottage-backpacking-gear-directory/

I assume you're reading the concurrent thread on JMT shelters? OP has different requirements, but there's some overlap.

Bivies: I have one and like it in some circumstances, but am coming to question its utility. So you pose a reasonable question. I like it because as a quilt user it gives me the right degree of "tucked-in" edness. But that wouldn't apply as much to a sleeping bag.

The bivy gives you some forgiveness with either too small a tarp or not pitching it when you should have. (you could always pitch it nearby — which keeps the work of pitching, but at least gives you the open sky view.)

Keep in mind that for the bugs you can probably get custom ordered perimeter bug netting on some tarps.

Welcome to BPL Charlie.

There are types of shelters you will want to consider for the JMT.

1. tarp – flat OR shaped

2. floorless pyramid tent

3. tent – single or double wall OR just the tent fly from a double wall, which is really just a shaped tarp.

Personally after years of tarping in the '70s I prefer single or double wall tents. Now I have a Moment DW and a Scarp 2 double wall.

TARPS-> you will need a "ground cloth" and mosquito net IN ADDITION to the tarp. (Add the ounces of al three.)

PYRAMID TENT-> sorta like a "shaped tarp", with the need, also, for a floor and mosquito netting

TENT-> Here you choose between a single or double wall. For your purposes a single wall tent makes much more sense.
The best selection of these is at Tarptent. Others like Six Moon Designs, Gossamer Gear, etc. will have offerings in this style as well.

Welcome on BPL Charlie,

my wife and I have been on the JMT three times with our kids. Since you are using trekking poles and looking into a tent you can also share with your wife, I would suggest either the SMD Haven or the ZPacks Duplex
One advantage of both is that they each offer two entrances. So both – your wife and you – would have your own entry. That is a big plus in my wife’s book. They also both use trekking poles which minimizes their overall weight.

The SMD Haven is modular. You have an outer tarp and an inner net. That allows you to leave the inner net at home, when there are no mosquitos. My wife shipped the inner net home from Muir Trail Ranch after carrying it for the first half of the JMT. You can also set up just the inner net, when there is no rain and you want to enjoy the night sky despite the mosquitos.

The ZPacks Duplex is one piece, which makes it easier to set up – compared to setting inner net and outer tarp for the SMD Haven. The Zpack Duplex also doesn’t have zippers on the rainfly, but uses overlapping storm doors that are pulled tight and held with a little carabiner. I very much like the simplicity of that.

So the Zpacks is easier to set up, but the modularity of the SMD gives you more options. The cost is right now exactly the same – the Zpacks Duplex costs $595 and the SMD Haven costs $475 for the cuben tarp and $120 for the nettent (on sale right now, costs normally $150). You can get the SMD Haven also in a silnylon version that weighs 18 oz instead of 10 oz for the cuben version. It costs only $160 right now (normally $200). So right now you can get the SMD Haven in silnylon with inner net for $280.

Enjoy your JMT hike!

Manfred

Thanks all!

I think I could have gotten more to the point with the question: What's the UL optimal shelter solution for a hike that includes 70% sleeping under stars*, 15% hiding from rain/hail, and 15% hiding from mosquitoes? [*"under the stars" meaning groundsheet protection for my air mattress but no obscuring net please!]

Yeah, I've been reading (obsessively) very many JMT threads. Seems to be few posters that share my love of sleeping exposed AND still want a safe haven to run to when needed.

Problem with most tents above (Dupelex, etc.) and the modular inner net / outer tarps (Haven, etc.) is that the floor is sewn to something, meaning I need another floor entirely for my 70% under stars. That may very well be the best answer, but doesn't seem optimal.

That's why I keep getting drawn back to SMD Wild Oasis and the ZPacks Hexamids. They are the only shelter solutions that I've found that seem to be aimed at my 70/15/15 situation (specifically, having both bug protection and a floor I can use separate from tent). Was hoping there were others I hadn't found yet.

Katherine's suggestion above that I can get custom net skirt sewn on to just about any tarp is interesting. Hmmm… I still think the tent makers (wonderful as they are) are missing something here…

Lightheart gear is working on a floorless shelter that matches what you are looking for, hopefully to be out by March. Their shelter is based on a design I came up with after using the Wild Oasis for a PCT thru hike in 2010. It worked but I found myself wanting more ventilation when using it just for bugs. You can see some pictures of my prototype and a description in the Make Your Own Gear section under Floorless Shelter Update. The final version will undoubtedly look a little different as it is only based on this and ultimately will be a Lightheart shelter, not mine, but the main features should be the same.

For what it is worth, while I would like to see this do well when it comes out I am not associated with Lightheart in any way and have no skin in the game. But you should know there will be other choices fitting your needs.

That's a freakin cool tent you made there! Interesting that it may have been inspired (at least in part) by the Wild Oasis and what it "almost is". I'll certainly wait a bit if there are tents like that in the works for the spring.

Sounds like the solo plus or twin will do what you want. At first I was skeptical about the netting, but now I really like it. It is very strong and keeps additional rain spray out. It also protects the more abrasion prone cuben ground sheet from getting torn up. I have over 100 nights actually using the shelter, sometimes with 2 people in it, and the netting has not suffered any apparent damage. I also like to cowboy camp a majority of the time and just lay my groundsheet out without setting up the tent. When there are bugs or weather, its simple enough to set up my shelter and lay my groundsheet back inside.

In my opinion, the hexamid solo-plus (or twin) is the perfect shelter for the JMT.

FOR SOLO:
You can use the 3.1 ounce Sea To Summit Nano Solo Mosquito net that sets up on its own with 1 Trekking pole. It's great for cowboy camping with mosquitos. With the Nano, if you have to find refuge from the skeeters, you'll have a relatively large space to hang out in, and you won't feel as if you're zipped up in a body bag like you will in a bivy.

If rain threatens you can have a 6 ounce ZPacks Solo Hexamid Tarp on hand (quick set up.) And the beautiful thing about the detachable Zpacks cuben groundsheet is the fact that you can use it cowboy style or attached in your tent as a waterproof bathtub floor.

Add 8 titanium stakes and guylines and your talking grand total 14.6 ounces for everything.

All of this for under about $350. It's a great system for when rain is not likely, but if it does rain you will be well protected. The only drawback is that the Nano net is hard to use in the tarp. Just bring a headnet and drape the Nano over your upper body. It will be cool enough at night to where your sleeping bag will be covering most of your body anyway'

I think you are circling around the solution you want, something modular. Just remember your kit should be able to handle not just the 3-week JMT but also the conditions and situations you'll be in for the other 49 weeks of the year, too!

For example, I live in the PNW so my (current) solution is a cuben MLD DuoMid, a MLD Super Light bivy and an Inner Net. I take the mid and either the inner net or bivy depending on what I need. In the rainy PNW, I like the extra room of the DuoMid as a solo shelter. There's this 3-week-ish window in the PNW when the bugs are horrible so I'd carry the inner net to escape without going crazy. If I was going on an overnighter or a trip where I'd be spending a lot of time in camp, I'd bring the Inner Net so I could sit up, read and just enjoy the space. If I was putting in more miles with less time in camp, I'd bring the bivy so I could just throw it down and have more options about where I could camp.

Don't forget, you can always stake out the corners of an inner net and drop the netting; put your sleeping pad on top of it and its basically a silnylon groundcloth. Same with a bivy sack; you can sleep on top of it if you want.

"I think I could have gotten more to the point with the question: What's the UL optimal shelter solution for a hike that includes 70% sleeping under stars*, 15% hiding from rain/hail, and 15% hiding from mosquitoes? [*"under the stars" meaning groundsheet protection for my air mattress but no obscuring net please!]"

A century or two ago I soloed the JMT starting mid Sept and into early Oct using only a bivy. Luckily it did not rain.

These days I still love a bivy because I love to wake up and gaze at the stars from time to time during the night. But I also take a Heximid (with 'beak') in case it rains. If it doesn't rain I am under the stars every night.

Billy

I've used a hexamid twin (tarp) as my only three season backpacking shelter for the last few years and its been great. At 6 oz and sufficient (but snug) room for two, its always felt like cheating. However, after more than a few full on storms with my nose poking out from under the tarp b/c I'd somehow been nudged outside my own tarp, I decided to get something with a bit more coverage for partner/girlfriend trips. At only a few more oz, its totally worth getting, even if you're just considering a hexamid. I can understand your distaste for redundancy, but The coverage, the space and functionality are way worth the slight UL offense. Its got plenty vestibule space separate from the floored shelter and an extremely quick and versatile system for adjusting the door configuration on the fly. The floor space and headroom are way better on the duplex. I'd also give it a slight edge in setup simplicity, which is to say, damn simple. I'm holding on to my hexamid, for super light trips, but I have a feeling I'll be reaching for this on most of my trips.

"At 6 oz and sufficient (but snug) room for two, its always felt like cheating."

The Hexamid Twin that Zpacks sells is a minimum of 18.1 ounces. Where did you get yours?

–B.G.–

Bob, you're looking at the specs for the tent.

Bob,

I believe he's referring to the Twin tarp, not tent.

"Don't forget, you can always stake out the corners of an inner net and drop the netting; put your sleeping pad on top of it and its basically a silnylon groundcloth. Same with a bivy sack; you can sleep on top of it if you want."

Is this not a revolutionary and radical idea, sleeping *on* an inner net? It makes perfect sense. After all, the Hexamid tents put bug net between ground and groundsheet (which sounds dodgy but all users seem to think works fine). Certainly it is less damaging to have bug net between its own floor and an air mattress? This opens up many inner/outer pairings without need for me to carry a separate groundsheet.

EDIT: The logical extension of this idea is that I can just sleep *on* a single walled tent. Say ZPacks Duplex. Then I have a $600, 20 oz. palace (suitable for other trips with partner) but can sleep on it like a cowboy without carrying another ground surface. Would anyone do such a thing? (This is lighter and a bit cheaper than the Haven CF Tarp/NetTent combo.) Just throwing out idea for discussion — it seems a rather dicey proposition … which leads me back to Hexamid Twin for my expensive/flexible solution…

EDIT2: Getting back to "solo/cheap" options: SMD Deschutes (silnylon) + Serenity NetTent. $215 with current sale. 24 oz. I can sleep on the Serenety net and not feel too bad if I damage it a little. [Solo cuben options just get too expensive for something I can't also use for 2 person trips.]

FOR SOLO BACKPACKING:

Actually Billy is right, the Solo Hexamid Tarp WITH BEAK would be better. For only 1.5 oz more you don't have to worry about having the front set away from the wind, and if the winds change at night it's no big deal.

I took a Hexamid Twin and it was all I ever needed. In fact, I sent it home at when I got to Red's Meadow (I took the shuttle into Mammoth) and never looked back. I was rained on once briefly, but I never really needed a tent. I'm sure the weather conditions can be severe at times, though.

I'm sure the weather conditions can be severe at times, though."

Indeed. Though it is possible to do the JMT with little or no rain, it is also possible for it to rain for a week.

Billy

Usually floorless shelters are considered only for the weight savings. One of the biggest advantages is often overlooked: the ability to set up on a site that is far from ideal. There are times when a perfect site is non existent and it is hard to find even a flat enough spot to sleep in. This is where floorless shines. They can be set up over roots, stumps and pointy rocks that you would not dream of setting a tent up on. On more than on night a small bush has ended up inside the shelter with me because there was no where else to pitch. Not really an issue on the JMT, but still something to keep in mind.

Yeah, I think this is one of the reasons why the Hexamid *tents* bother me. They loose this particular floorless advantage.

Charlie, if I were in your shoes I'd go for a tarp, bug net, and groundsheet solo system. The Sea to Summit Nano is great; effective, light, and fairly inexpensive. You could get a simple silnylon 7'x10' tarp from a variety of manufacturers for around 100 bucks. If you want a bit more protection, an enhanced tarp like the MLD Patrol Shelter is a good option. Add a tyvek or polycro groundsheet and you're looking at a solo system potentially well under 250 dollars, and still quite light.

A modular, open system like this remains by far my favorite for summer backpacking. You can tune the degree of protection (both weather and bugs) for just about any likely scenario.

Charlie,
If you are interested in the Wild Oasis, I will be listing a factory seam sealed one on gear swap. I set it up once and it's not the TT Moment replacement I was hoping for. $145 shipped. PM me for details.

stephan

If you are really going to cowboy camp >=70% of the time (summertime JMT that is realistic in normal years) then you could consider doing a poncho/tarp or small tarp combined with something like the A16 bug bivy. This was my solution for several years. BTW: my recommendation is to set up your shelter if you suspect it might rain. It’s possible to sleep through a bit of rain and only wake up once you bag is getting saturated, that’s not fun. Otherwise cowboy camping with down is fine. Been doing it for years.

These days there are a number of shaped tarps and/or full coverage bug bivy’s that would up protection. For maximum coverage versatility and a very reasonable price (on sale right now) I would look at the SMD Gatewood Cape and Serenity NetTent.

I have done perimeter bug netting in the past. Always seemed like a good idea but in practice I alway found I either didn’t want the netting or I wanted a sealed floor.

Eventually I decided I wanted to stop using my poncho for: (1) easier setup (2) more storm worthy – sleep without worry / adjusting my position throughout the night (3) a large bug free space protecting me from both flying and crawling bugs (middle of the night camp selection.. and then move because I was next to an ant colony). I eventually settled on the ZPacks Hexamid with a MLD Superlite Bivy and have been very happy with it other than the low doorway. The netting floor is odd but it works pretty well. If I was using a sleeping bag rather than a quilt I likely would just use a ground cloth.

For two people shelter which would’t be bad to carry as a solo I would be tempted to go one of shelters from ZPacks, though MLD or SMD shaped tarp + Netting Tent would been a good option as well.

I have a bunch of additional thoughts (hmm, somewhat dated, I guess I should update the pages) at:
http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/shelter.html

–Mark