New solo shelter for Sierras, looking for some opinions

[Alex Kirsonis]

Hi Everyone,

I am planning on switching from my current setup which is a MLD 8.5′ x 8.5′ flat CF tarp with MLD superlight bivy.  I am hoping to get some opinions before placing an order for a new shelter.  I backpack primarily in the Sierras (with a few desert trips in Joshua Tree and Death Valley in the winter and spring), and I like to walk from dawn to dusk, frequently off trail, so weight is a priority.  I have used the previously mentioned set-up for the past two seasons and it has kept me warm and bone dry, but there were a few times that could have been very uncomfortable, if not dangerous if the weather was a little but different.  For example I have been through some heavy storms with rain and hail and have been fine, but if the wind had shifted, the open front of a flat tarp could have caused a lot of moisture to blow easily into my shelter.  I have spent nights where the wind was going down canyon into the foot of my tarp, but shifted in the middle of the night and was blowing hard into the open end of my tarp.  It was a little chilly and the tarp held up fine, but add rain to that situation and my shelter could be substantially wet on the inside. Also, I am tall at around 6’3″, and when my head is less than a foot from the opening of my tarp, my feet are already hitting the tarp, and that is without a mat or sleeping bag.  I am strongly considering a four-walled shelter for a bit more piece of mind, safety, and hopefully a little more room.

I was initially thinking of a Zpacks hexamid, but as I started to do more research, I get the impression that a mid from MLD may fare better in strong wind.  I do enjoy staying above treeline in the Sierras, so it would be nice to have a shelter that could stand up well to strong wind.  I am torn between the solomid and the duomid (this is just for solo use by the way). Given my height, the extra length of the solomid is appealing.  The smaller footprint is also a big plus.  On the other hand, it would be nice to have that extra vestibule area for livability and to avoid getting my sleeping gear wet if entering in the rain.  I was curious to see how the footprint of the solomid and duomid would compare to my tarp so I set up my tarp in the storm pitch (which is the only way I ever set it up) and put a measuring tape up next to it with mid dimensions (the stake indicates solomid dimensions while the full length of the tape is the duomid).  It looks to me like even the duomid will have a smaller footprint than my current tarp in storm mode.

I should probably mention that I intend to use the mid with my current bivy.  I only set up the shelter if it is windy or if there is a chance of rain.  Otherwise, I prefer to sleep out under the stars.  If anyone has any opinions on a suitable shelter for my situation, I would love to hear them.  I just like to get outside input before laying down a bunch of money for new gear.

[Arne L.]

For what it’s worth: I use a cuben Locus Gear Khufu (287 grams/10,12 ounces) above threeline in the European Alps and never had a problem.

The Khufu has more or less the same specs as the Duomid, but it’s slightly lower and thus has less steep walls. It’s a bit lighter, too.

Give your length, you could look into the Duomid XL; I really appreciate the extra vestibule-space.

[William Chilton]

One option that would save you buying a whole new tent could be to get a door for the front of the tarp. As Tucas used to sell a triangular door for the Trailstar that works with an A-frame tarp. It should keep the worst of the wet off you, though it wouldn’t be as secure as four-walled shelter.

[Hiking Malto]

I used to do the bulk of my hiking in the Sierra and also share you dawn to dusk hiking style. I ended up switching from a cat tarp to a Cuban mid a couple of years back. I ended up making my own cubes mid based roughly on the MLD Solomon with slightly more compact dimensions. Why smaller? I only use my shelter if it’s going to rain and I wanted the smallest footprint and the smallest wind profile to be bullet proof. I also wanted the simplest setup possible given the number of times I set up in the dark. I have been very happy with this setup and use it either with a net inner or a bivy depending on the season or hiking location.

[Mario Caceres]

Alex, before you give up on your square tarp I suggest you try a few things.  1) try to raise the back pull-out a bit higher (more  room space at your feet height), 2) I second William’s suggestion. Add a curtain in the front.  (Basically a triangular piece of waterproof fabric) that will go a bit inside the edge of the open side).  You can make one out of cheap material like silnylon just to get a feel of how it would work for you and if it does you can make one out of a more expensive / lighter material (like cuben 0.5oz/yd).    3) You can also try an even more storm proof pitch like this one. But then you probably will need to add (Glue only, no stitching) some reinforcement (i.e a 4″-6″ circle of 1.4oz/yd cuben) where the handle of your pole goes against the tarp panel.  Some cushioning like a circular piece of close cell foam would also probably work (so you don’t need to alter your tarp in case you decide to sell it).  What you are trying to avoid too much pressure on the original tarp material where the handle of your pole pushes against the cuben fabric by spreading that pressure over a larger / stronger area.

Here is a couple of pictures to illustrate what I’m suggesting.

Here a Hoodless Tarp-Poncho (56″x114″) with curtain.  (You can make the curtain a bit larger if you want more coverage on the bottom).  If you want to avoid the tiny gap at the top you can put the curtain inside the pole, but being this a tiny tarp is nice to have a bit of a “vestibule”/extra space for cooking, etc under foul weather.

This is a 106″x106″ cuben fiber tarp I made out of 0.5oz stuff set up on the configuration I mentioned before.  If you carry an umbrella with you (Great for desert hiking as well) that is all you need to close in the front end.

[James holden]

ive got a trekkertent stealth on its way … basically its a a tarp with a beak …

http://www.trekkertent.com/home/home/3-stealth.html

marc can build it out of a variety of materials including cuben …

you can also get the tarp by itself without the inner tent …

they are built and tested in scotland where its quite windy and rainy … he says he tests the stealth just fine to ~100+ KM winds + rain

;)

 

[robert k]

@ Mario,

Hey, you’re in my spot :)

Seriously, if one wants to see how their shelter holds up to wind, Crissy Field is a good place. Wind every day and a grassy field that holds stakes well. Scenery is not bad either.

[Alex Kirsonis]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful replies, it gives me a lot to think about.  The triangular door is certainly an interesting option.  It would be a good modification for my current setup, but the smaller footprint and overall better protection of the pyramid definitely seems appealing at the moment.  I’ll have to mull over this option a bit more though.

The trekker tent also looks vey interesting.  Impressive that it stands up to Scottish winds and rain; sounds like it would certainly be sufficient for the Sierras

Hiking Malto – how many perimeter tie-outs did you use for your MYOG mid?  With how many perimeter tie-outs there are on my MLD square tarp, I am a bit surprised that there are only 6 on the solomid.  Almost seems like it would be nice to have more to spread out the tension, but maybe it is not necessary.

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