Best solo shelter for the Wind Rivers in September

If my hike has me sleeping above the trees or in rougher shoulder season weather I use a cuben MLD DuoMid. I will also be using the DuoMId for my winter camping, so it's pretty versatile, too.

I have spent several Labor Day weekends in the Winds above 10,500 ft. If you are talking exposed terrain, September time frame… if it were me… I'd use a Hilleberg Soulo. I am pretty conservative though and look for tents with a large margin of safety when it comes to the Winds at high elevations.

disclosure: I am a retailer for Hilleberg.

deleted

I used my sil nylon Duo Mid in the Winds late last August no problems. Set the poles in the inverted V position.

John

I know you said solo shelter but on the rare occasions that I don't take my dog, I still take my SL3 so it's MY solo shelter. It's 30 oz including stakes and a tyvek ground cloth so it's pretty close to some solo shelters, weight wise. Lots of room and very wind worthy. Like I said in the other thread, I only go after Labor day and it's the only shelter I take. It's always been rock solid. Wind, hail, or snow. The extra room is really nice when longer stretches of bad weather occur. Kind of a messy looking pic here but I was packing up to leave. Near Rabbit Ears Lake.

Sorry Golite is gone, that's really a great looking shelter.

Golite might be gone but the WickiUp 3 replaces the SL3 just fine http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelters-3/WF115.html I still have a SL3 and great shelter.

+1 on GoLite Hex 3, a seriously spacious shelter for one person passing time in bad weather, in campground or wilderness. Weight: 30.39 oz (not including stakes, guyline, ground cloth) with hiking sticks as center pole.

I would suggest a small mid. I used a Gossamer Gear SpinnShelter over Labor Day weekend in 2012 and it did fine, but this year I took my Golite SL 2. We saw high winds, rain, and snow.

If you decide on a Mid, be sure to use a beefy pole (or two).

Occasionally the 'Winds' live up to their name, and if you are camping high you will appreciate something more than a single LT4.

Being able to lash two together would be a good thing. Taking two pole jacks for an inverted 'V' would be better. It doesn't happen often, and you can usually find a sheltered camp, but if it is a night time surprise you want to be prepared.

My Squall II can take any wind I've been in. It holds two people comfortably, but its light enough for one person use. It weighs about 2 pounds. Camped at Upper Titcombe basin, 10,000', we had a micro burst of wind, which crushed our tents. One tent was ripped and a pole broke and the tent was blown into the lake, my Squall II was fine, and a dome tent was fine. We had gear blown into the lake. I use rubber snubbers (surgical tubing) on the two ends and the sides, to the whole tent can flex quite a bit, and snap back to taught.

My Squall II can take any wind I've been in. Camped at Upper Titcombe basin in the Winds, 10,000', we had a micro burst of wind, which crushed our tents. One tent was ripped and a pole broke and the tent was blown into the lake, my Squall II was fine, and a dome tent was fine. We had gear blown into the lake. I use rubber snubbers (surgical tubing) on the two ends and the sides, to the whole tent can flex quite a bit, and snap back to taut.

My shelter of choice the last few years has been the MLD Solomid. Early September 2014 it was persistently very windy in the SE Wind River Mtns. My first camp was seemingly in a well-sheltered location in the trees at about 10,500 feet. To anchor the tent I used five 7 inch long Golite Y stakes (think MSR Groundhog) plus one 5 inch shepherd hook stake. The shepherd hook stake did not hold through the night. Even one of the Y stakes was somewhat loose by morning. The ground was medium solid soil without much duff. I was surprised at how windy it was at ground level in the trees.

My tent poles were the somewhat skinny and very flexible Zpacks Skyshark II's. They worked well but I would probably not use them in an unprotected area (at least until I have more data on their toughness).

The tent itself was quite suitable for the conditions.