Progression of shelters

Forget the tent, take your fiancé out to dinner.

maybe an 8×10 or 10×10 tarp is more suited to your needs than a hex shaped one. you can always sew your own for cheap.

I’m big on the tarp and bivy/net setup too. I usually do an Etowah 8×10 silnylon with a Borah bivy, I dunno how much the combo weighs but probably in the 19-20oz range. Are you looking for a one- or two-person setup? I ask because you put ‘we like to go out…’ in there. Do you carry trekking poles all the time you backpack? Use a ridgeline only?  I just looked at a hex tarp, it doesn’t look very snug unless you’re in a hammock. The etowahs I think are the best bang for the buck out there, easily under a hundred bucks and mine’s been going strong for six years or so. If you always carry trekking poles I’d check out the LightHeart tent line.

I like Jon’s suggestion!

It sounds like you are very happy with the Hex tarp and if you know that works for you I think you should get a hex tarp with doors. Perhaps you could sell your current HG Hex and replace with their version with doors. Or you could eat a few ounces of weight and switch over to a Warbonnet tarp in silpoly. They make their tarps in a number of sizes.

Seconding Ratatosk’s question about 1/2P.

I have tried some flat and cat-cut tarps but came to the conclusion that rigging a door out of a rain skirt/jacket just didn’t seem like a good idea based on some rough conditions endured (in a tent). I’ve moved on to shaped tarps: first a couple of ‘mids and now a YMG Cirriform Min. My point is that rigging doors doesn’t appeal much to me. I’d like to be able to close up my tarp reliably when the conditions warrant. YMMV

When you say you like the Durston but “can’t get that”, are you referring to the availability? We are still short supply until our improved production starts in a few months, but we do have another batch of tents becoming available shortly.

Sounds like you don’t want to spend a lot, and are looking for something reasonably priced for 2 persons.  And you also want something that you can button up in severe rainstorms, or as Matthew K stated:  “I’d like to be able to close up my tarp reliably when the conditions warrant.”  And you don’t want one of the heavy 5 or so pound 2P tents sold by REI and other retailers.

Where we part is I don’t think a tarp, with or without beaks, would assure protection against severe rainstorms of long duration.  That is an issue that rages even longer on BPL, but a simple way to resolve it would be to ask your partner when you can have a thoughtful discussion.

If the result sounds like ‘tent,’ I can see why you are stymied by the restocking delays at X-mid, not to mention TarpTent.   Another alternative is LightHeart Gear, suggested by Ratatosk, and which has a history of satisfied customers.  Applying your criteria of  foul weather protection, low cost, and lightweight; Lightheart has a 2 person Solong 6 (not meaning 6 persons) in both silnylon and silpoly.  But check with them on availability.  And as Jon noted, two trekking poles are required, but they are connected at the peaks, which should add stability in high winds.

But if the decision is for a tarp, and the trips are likely to be 3-5 days in an unpredictable climate, I can only wish you good luck, and suggest being prepared for foul weather should it descend on you both.  Sometimes really good site selection and staking can be a lifesaver.

The shelter would be for me only. Sorry, that is some important infromation I forgot.  I do carry trekking poles, and the hex tarp does not have a ridge line.

Sorry I forgot to mention the shelter would be for me.  I am going to check out the Lightheart website.  Thank you for the rec!

Dan, correct!  And thanks for the heads up

Hahaha I try to take my fiance out on a date at least once a week.  She got a good laugh out of that one

With that amount of rain and storm worthiness you are searching I would remove the pocket tarp from the list.

Matt, I would stay with my remarks with one exception:  You would have to carry two trekking poles, or a collapsible second pole, when going solo with the Lightheart solo tents.  Am glad you are gong to take a look at them.  The design was used by Eb Eberhart (Nimblewill) in many of his treks, including the triple crown.  He was also one of the first to have one made using Cuben Fiber, before DCF existed.  His book, “Where Less the Path is Worn,” covers his hike from the mouth of the St. Lawrence River to the southern tip of Florida on the AT and many other trails, and may still be available on line from some of the used book sites.

It is great that a small cottage company, Lightheart Gear, has preserved the design.  Note:  I am not connected with them in any way, and do not promote their products.

Sam,

Thanks for the recs.  I like the shelter if I were looking for a one do it all shelter.  For a personal preference, I am not a fan of shelters that do not have a separate rain fly (though Ive never used one).  Since I have a net tent and a bivy, I like having the ability to to not use a rain fly/tarp unless I need it.

While I mentioned that I am looking for a storm worthy shelter, I would still like to be able to sleep under the stars if it is a possibility.  I am still unsure though, and I keep going back and looking at the LG6.

I am looking for a storm worthy shelter

It sounds like you want a shaped tarp to use with your net tent and bivy. You already have a YMG net tent. Gen has Cirriform Mins in stock in both materials. I feel like the answer here is obvious. 🙂

If I recap your expected conditions:  not winter camping, most of your trips are 3 to 4 days or less, camping below tree line, and you state that you set up early, so I assume lots of time for site selection. With the 3 to 4 day or less time frame, the weather forecast should be very accurate.

It seems that unless you expect the wind to be blowing the rain sideways, your existing hex with a 11 foot? ridge line pitched low should be more than enough storm protection. Since you want to stay within budget, the next step up in wind protection would be a shaped tarp like the Mountain Laurel Designs (MLD) Cricket, or  a pyramid available from multiple vendors such as the various MLD Mids.  And since you don’t want to spend a lot of money, MLD and others offer silnylon shelters.

Given your preference for sleeping under the sky, I do not think you will be happy in a fully enclosed shelter.  Several vendors sell now bug bivies with solid sides that offer bit more weather protection (example: MLD) as well as various net tents that hang down from the top of the tarp that weigh slightly more than a bivy.  But it sounds like if the weather forecast is 70% chance of rain, and there is a 30% chance of not rain. you would rather sleep under the stars.  If there is a chance of rain, I often set up my tarp one place but lay out my bivy another place just to sleep under the stars. If it starts raining, I just move under the tarp.

Also check out the recent thread on the long life of a Grace Solo tarp and the conditions it was used in.

Matthew K,

I have been looking at the Min Cirriform version for a while, but have not pulled the trigger due to me not having eyes on how much vestible space/possible condensation issues the Min has vs the Standard.  I would imagine that the Min is a little easier to set up which is a plus.  Your comment made me go back and reconsider, so thank you.  I typically will always bring my hex tarp to hang out in if the weather looks like it could be bad, so now I am not too concerned with the vestibule space. I justify the hex tarp when I am with my friends due to the fact that they let me use their stove and they usually make a dinner for me the first night to make up the weight. Having a dry place to hang out in is a necessity to use, since we may be on a fishing trip and not cranking out miles.  Even if we were not on a fishing trip, I would still bring it should the forcast be challenging.  Our style is to move at our own pace.  We all appreciate nature, and if we want to wander off on a spur trail, look at flowers, hang at a vista longer, we will!

Thinking back to a recent thread regarding 1P shelters, did you use the silpoly version of this in Virginia?  VA can be super humid, and that would be a concern if I were stuck in there.

Bruce,

Most of our backpacking is done October-June,  however we get out at least once or twice every month.  Should the forcast call for 33-40 degrees and constant rain, I would probably stay home.  If the forcast calls for snow but temps are around freezing, we would go out.

My hex tarp works out great in most conditions, and it is a 12 ft hex tarp.  I have checked out the Cricket, and that one has been up on my list well.  Now im going back and forth on the cost.  I figured bumping up from Sil to dcf would mean that I would cancel one trip that I would have gone on.  So leaning towards that route and would be ok staying under $400 which the Cricket and Cirriform would meet that.

Thanks Bruce!

Given your preferences, I would just go with a bigger tarp (as several people have suggested). First, you like the flexibility of having a separate rain fly and bug net. Second, you have experience with tarps — my guess is you would have no trouble adjusting the tarp based on the weather conditions (pitch it low). Third, a bigger tarp isn’t going to be that expensive. It may seem redundant (you already have a tarp) but there will always be situations where an extra tarp is handy. Having tarps, bug tents and a good Big Agnes tent seems like a good combination.

There are a number of different ways of creating a lightweight tent. Many use Dyneema, which is expensive. Others use a hybrid single wall/double wall setup. For example, the Six Moons Skyscape. It performs like a double wall, but the rain fly is attached (to save weight). Other tents are really small. These are all trade-offs, and it sounds like you wouldn’t like any of them. This is why I think the best option is a bigger tarp.

There is also the advantage of waiting for better tents to come on the market (or simply be available). It is quite possible that in a couple years, there will be several very good tent options available from Dan Durston, for example. To be fair, sometimes tents are no longer available (I can’t get the Skyscape in Dyneema/Cuben anymore) but my guess is there will be more tents available in a couple years than there are now. If you do find yourself with an extra tarp, they you should have no trouble selling it, as tarps aren’t really a personal preference things (i. e. not a lot of features to like or hate on a tarp).

The vestibule in the Min is fine for keeping a pack and shoes dry but definitely not large enough for people (plural) to hang out unless the tarp was pitched really high or they were making out.

I totally get the appeal of a hammock tarp. I once had seven or eight people enjoying a rainy afternoon under my old Hennessy Hex.

Forgive me if this has been discussed but have you considered going the hammock route? That eliminates the duplicated shelter setup and allows you to active your goal of having a place to chill with friends. Perhaps you are not comfortable sleeping in a hammock.

Thanks Ross and Matthew.  I am going back and forth between a larger tarp with doors, or the Cirriform Min.

I have not done any hammocking camping, quite frankly because I have thrown a lot of money into sleeping on the ground, and I would need to aquire a new skill set for the hammock.  I just started a new job, and have been moving as well, so not as much free time as I am used to!

Matthew, thanks for the info on the Cirriform.  I would be bringing it out if the weather were to be bad, but Id also bring the hex tarp too so we could all fit!  Was curious about the volume in the vestible, but I can always hang my gear under the tarp.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped me.  Now I just have to make a decision!