My Trail Company

[Al Brassell]

I am wanting to buy a PYRAMID 3 SHELTER but the Website says they will not be available until spring. That is nearly a year from now. Does this mean that this company is having trouble and may end up going the way of Golite?

[Franco Darioli]

Could just mean that the manufacturers they use don’t have a spot in their production line till then.

[Brad P]

I think that’s been the status of their shelters all along.

[Al Brassell]

Hi Franco, I haven’t talked to you in a long time. Glad to see you’re still active in the outdoor community and most of all still with TarpTent. I looked closely at TarpTent before I started looking at My Trail Co. My arthritis has gotten to the point where I find it difficult to drop down to my knees, or sit cross legged on the ground. In order to maneuver in and out of a shelter I need to do so by ducking low in the standing position. While inside the shelter I need to do most things in the kneeling position. This means that I need 44 – 45 inches of headroom.

I still have my old style Rainshadow 2. In fact I put new guy lines on it just today. It was watching your videos that caused me to buy it in the first place. I sure wish TarpTent had something with the head room I need.

[Ken Thompson]

Would this work for you?

https://luxe-hiking-gear.com/products/hexpeak-1p-tent-system

 

All their stuff is made by, http://www.luxeoutdoor.com/eng/index.asp

Tons on YouTube

[Franco Darioli]

Hi Al,

take a look at the Rainshadow 3.

It has an easier entry point and the downward slope towards the back is less agressive than in the previous versions

BTW, I estimate the entry point in the Luxe Hexpeak at around 38″, but I can ask, I know the designer of that tent.

 

[Al Brassell]

I did look at that Franco, mostly because I had such good times with my Rainshadow 2. I just wish it was 4-5 inches taller.

[Al Brassell]

Thanks for the link K. I’ll look into this shelter. It seems awfully cheap. Do you know if it has any quality issues?

[Franco Darioli]

If you are around 5’10” or over, look at this version :

https://luxe-hiking-gear.com/products/hexpeak-2p-tent-system

I don’t know now but when I had several Luxe tents the specs on the web were pretty accurate.

No quality issues that I know of.

Michael Wong , owner and designer at Luxe, and myself with a shelter that he made to try one of my suggestions.

(Michael is 5’8″ like me. His shelters are typically designed based on his own size)

 

[Edward John M]

Franco could you please tell Micheal thant he has people who would love to buy if he built for fellers over 6feet 2 inches tall like me. I too have reached to point where I need to stand up to dress etc

[W I S N E R !]

For whatever it’s worth, the ShangriLa 3, the GoLite version of the same shelter, has been one of my all time favorites.  It can be pitched as a mid or hex depending on space.  I’ve sewn extra stake and guy-out points on mine.

If you get a robust center pole for it the pole could be used for aid in getting up and down if needed…you can lean very heavily on it (downward). Perhaps that will also help with your arthritis.

[Jason F]

If they posted that message before 2019-Mar-21 then they could mean this Spring, which has not yet ended.

[bradmacmt]

I think TT should make a few Pyramids… they’d own the market.

[Franco Darioli]

Too many mids already and Henry is not a fan . The StratoSpire was designed to be a mid alternative. More room inside for the given footprint and no pole in the middle.

Same reason why Michael Wong is not all that interested in making tarp tent like shelters and the same for the other two tent designers/brand owners I know. They make the tents they like not just any tent.

Roger Caffin is a glaring example of that.

If nothing else I convinced Michael to use silnylon. That dropped the weight of several of his designs.

 

[Al Brassell]

WISNER, you are correct about the Shangri La 3. That shelter is what makes me want the My Trail Co. PYRAMID 3. You are also right about using the center pole to assist in getting up and down. I once owned the Shangri La 5. The plan was when going camping my wife would carry the inner and stakes and I would carry the fly and the poles. The wife and I went our separate ways so I sold the Shangri La 5 before I ever spent one night in it. I liked it so much so I decided to go for the PYRAMID 3 as is is essentially a Shangri La 3. Since it looks like I wont be able to get it for the Fall season I am leaning toward the Luxe product that Franco pointed out.

[Stumphges]

Al,

Check out the 3F UL (San Fang) clone of the Shangri-La 3 

I own one and have no complaints. Quality of sewing, etc. is similar to REI tents, in my estimation. 3F Ul recently also started offering a 3/4 solid fabric inner that would be very nice for winter conditions. The only question mark is the long-term durability of the fabric. The polyurethane coating on the inner surface is quite thick, which gives it a much higher hydrostatic head than comparable tents sold in the west, but that also might be prone to delamination over time. I have not noticed this after over a year of light use but it is a concern. The outer surface is silicone-coated. The green color blends nicely with foliage. NY cops did not notice it set up in central park for a birthday party;)

[W I S N E R !]

I’m pretty sure the Seek Outside Silvertip is pretty darned close in specs and weight.  Overall, it’s probably a better shelter; if I wore out my SL3 anytime soon it would be the immediate replacement.  I’ve seen plenty in person and they’re top-notch tipis.

https://seekoutside.com/silvertip-tipi/

My SL3 (yellow, pitched as mid instead of hex) among a bunch of Seek Outside shelters:

 

 

[Stumphges]

A DCF Silvertip would be a welcome addition to the market:)

[Al Brassell]

WISNER you are right, that Silvertip is starting to look real good to me.

I must say that as a result of this thread I’ve learned about shelters and providers I never knew existed.

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