New MSR Thru Hiker Mesh House 1

[Monte Masterson]

Just saw this on MSR’s website. Available Feb 1. The Mesh House 2 and 3 have been available for a couple of years now, but they don’t provide much protection. What I like about the Mesh House 1 better than the MLD Bug Bivy Plus or the EE Recon is everything besides the mesh is waterproof (I think) 15d  instead of the DWR 10d like on the sides of the Bug Bivy Plus and Recon. Weighs 10 oz. 88″ long, 38″ high and 33″ wide. A tad short maybe.

[Brad P]

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[Justin Barrett]

I like the idea of it. It would be potentially more durable if sans ground sheet. It would be more head room than a bivy.

Id think the side zipper would be easier to open than the chest side zipper. However it looks tall and I don’t know how it would fare if you needed to pitch a tarp low for storms.

[HkNewman]

Near looking, although speaking w/ EE  at PCT Trail Days, they added a loop towards to legs to keep the fabric off the quilt-bag at negligible weight for the Recon.  The MLD BB2 also has a rear that lifts.

 

Also wondering if they are going to come out with a smaller tarp.  It’d be nice if someone made something for all 3 bivy net shelters kind of between a Grace tarp and a Patrol shelter.

[J-L]

Seems like waterproof material resting on the foot of your sleeping bag would cause quite a lot of moisture issues.

[Matthew / BPL]

Wow that almost looks amazing. I share John’s concern about the foot of my quilt.

[Monte Masterson]

Yea, I thought about the foot moisture issue, and of course that’s why MLD and EE use a breathable 10d on the sides, head and foot,  but I’m thinking I’d almost rather deal with some internal condensation and have water repellency on the outside to stop rain spray from the foot and front ends.

I’m already envisioning marrying up the Mesh House 1 with an MYOG trapezoid tarp 6.5′ X 4.5′ X 8.5′ and a zippered beak for the front.  It would provide a small footprint with a low wind profile.

[bradmacmt]

Hmmm… I can see a number of potential problems with that thing. I’m surprised MSR would release it.

[Dave Heiss]

I think that’s a pretty cool design. I used to own a Tarptent Contrail tent and it had that same kind of flat back end – which tended to pool rain water but was easily remedied by tying off to a short pole to create a little bit of rear interior height and some side-to-side slope. BTW it was Franco’s idea, not mine.

[Matthew / BPL]

Doesn’t the side entry conflict with the premise of a tarp that fits under an A-frame tarp?

Also, it looks like you have to unzip from top to foot end to bottom in order to open/close? That seems like a loooong distance to zip, particularly if the foot end of the tarp is pitched low.

Total weight is 14 ounces. Minimum weight is 10. Is the stuffsack and line 4 ounces?

[Monte Masterson]

10 oz if you use a trekking pole and no stuff sacks. .

Edit: Upon looking at the enlarged pic on MSR site, the zipper does look as if it goes from top to bottom on the right side.

[Geoff Caplan]

I’m wary of the long curved zip on the entrance – in my experience this is a lot more failure prone than shorter straight zips such as used on the top entry MLD designs.

And like Matthew, I can’t figure out how the side entrance would work with an A frame tarp, particularly in storm pitch.

As for the height, with my TrailStar nest I suspend the peak with a bungee loop I can slide down the mesh to gather up the surplus when I’m pitching low. A bit Heath Robinson, but works well enough.

[Matthew / BPL]

Oh! That’s a smart way to deal with a low pitch.

[Sam Farrington]

Re: ‘Seems like waterproof material resting on the foot of your sleeping bag would cause quite a lot of moisture issues.’

Sounds like it is just a DWR, not a WP coating. Something like a bivy bag with a raised ceiling, with an A Frame tarp over it. Tried that with a regular bivy for a trip, because I snore and wanted to give my companion some relief from sharing a tent. We got some heavy rain and a fair amount of wind and water blew in under the tarp ceiling (Hers too, with a different bivy and tarp). Not a good night’s sleep.

With a couple trekking poles not counted, the weight is around 2 lbs with the larger 20D, 1200 HH tarp. So with a spacious solo tent around 2 lbs, I think life would be simpler, and a lot more secure. And I’d still have my one trekking pole – all I need.

The video shots of the cord being precipitously strung over the handle of a trekking pole suggested a lack of real life experience with the designers – not comforting.

So I think a light solo tent would be better, and that’s where I’m headed MYOG-wise.
The modified Goondie, which is way more spacious than a tarped bivy, is 2 lbs 7 oz plus 4 stakes and sacks. https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/81307/
Getting a dome shaped tent down to 2 lbs with the Clamshell Hex Tent recently posted on MYOG feels to be within reach, albeit it is a leveraged, not a free-standing dome.

I think 15D is enough for a floor if it is nylon, the coating is Sil/PU and the HH is above 1500 mm. That’s if sharp objects are removed from the pitching area under the floor. Have never used a footprint, with no floor leaks in many years, the nylon on the Goondie floor being 1.3 oz 20D high HH silnylon purchased from Lightheart Gear with the help of BPL posting.

Dry and comfortable sleep and space for storage and moving around, even cooking, seem a better option, especially if there is no significant weight penalty, and the tent is relatively quiet in strong winds.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

It’s neat but I don’t know if it really makes sense because the space is halfway between a typical net tent and a bivy, yet the weight is about the same as a net tent so it’s hard to see why you’d choose this over a larger net tent that is also 10oz.

[Geoff Caplan]

Personally, for this kind of usage I’d prefer the MLD Bug Bivy 2 @ just 200g.

The side walls keep draughts away from your face and the edges of your quilt, and for sprawlers like me they stop bugs biting you through the net if you touch the sides. The short, straight top zip is more practical and less failure prone, And the higher foot reduces the risk of condensation. While you still have plenty of visibility and airflow.

My own tarp has quite a lot of headroom, so I plan to build something like the BB2 but with a bit more space at the head end.

Only drawback is the need fo 2 poles as Dan says, but not an issue for me.

If anyone knows of anything that works better than the BB2 for this application, please share.

[Monte Masterson]

Pitched the way Mesh House is in the photo above, with the Thru Hiker Wing over it, I guess you could crawl in and out on the side, but it wouldn’t be easy. Looks like the larger Thru Hiker 100  (9.5′ X 10.5′) Wing in the pic. If you had to lower the tarp down tight for a storm, you’d never get in the Mesh House 1.

First thing I’d do to the large bivy is add a grosgrain tie-out mid way around front on the seam where mesh meets nylon. Then attach shock to pull the nylon off my bag/quilt.

I can see where the Mesh House 1 would be nice in drier climates where rain chances are low and you want quick, easy setup. I just can’t figure out what kind of asymmetrical, side-entry tarp would work with it.

The Mesh House 1 is now on backcountrygear.com (7-10 day backorder). MSR shelters are usually applicable to their frequent 20% off sales. So if you wait it’s $120 instead of $150.

Geoff, my only problem with the Bug Bivy 2 is if sustained rain hits the 10d DWR all night,  it will start to leak, at least with the smaller (6.5′ X 8.75′) flat tarps I like to use.

 

[Justin Barrett]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F264053519086

A similar design to the mesh house one but in full mesh. Says 20d floor and “nylon” mesh. However the weight is closer to 700g.

It can be found cheaper, so it could be a good guinea pig instead of buying MSR prices

[Author]

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