Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape with Serenity Nettent..What ate you Waiting For?

[dirtbag]

A short clip from my most recent solo overnight trip I went on using The Gatewood Cape and Serenity Nettent.. If this does not give the the itch to get out and go camping.. Im not sure what will!!!!  It doesn’t have to be some epic big trip.. sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to go..

https://youtu.be/Dg4t6c7iQBM

[dirtbag]

Well title should say.. what ARE you waiting for.. not what ATE.. lol

[Dustin V]

I’m already pretty itchy, looking at the world through my WFH window.

Curious; did you use a piece of cord through the arm hole to tie back the right-hand door? Or did you modify with a toggle? Mine is about 15 years old and doesn’t do that without intervention, but I haven’t tried it.

[dirtbag]

Mini magnets. The right side I used tenacious tape and taped one on door and one on tent… Works nice. The other side, with the pocket.. What I did was use a thin strip of black duct tape and taped together a mini magnet on each end… So now I just roll that door up and clip the magnets together and it holds the door up. And I can move it wherever I want.. Even use it on other side if needed. When I pack it up, I just clip the magnets thru the zipper pull loop and it stays put. If that makes any sense.. I can set it up one day this week when I get home from work early and take some close up pictures if you want…

[dirtbag]

if you can see from these pictures… i circled where the magnets are.. and the magnets with strip of black duct tape..

Im not crafty.. but this worked for me.. and it got really windy for some time on this trip and it worked!

[Dustin V]

I think I get how you did it. That really opens up the view.

I was thinking of threading a ring-shaped magnet on the head-end tie out on the outside of the tarp and then sticking my keychain light to it from inside the net, just to hold the net a little higher right above my face and give me a place for a tent light. And if there’s any stress on the net, it’ll just fall off.

[dirtbag]

Ohhhh… good idea..  i wonder why they did not make a small attachment loop for the Serenity net to go to the cape.. i see the loop on the cape already… which i assume is for when using it as a rain cape.  I did use it for tying my bivy off my face…

[Dustin V]

Yeah. The inner snaps are fairly useful for gathering up the loops at the bottom of the outer sides when worn. I am betting they didn’t make loops to attach the net to the tarp is to avoid stress on the middle of the netting.

[dirtbag]

Probably correct.  Anyway, it really does not bother me as is. I am content and comfortable sleeping in a bivy, so this inner net is a pleasure to lay in.. with plenty of room for me to sit up and do whatever i need.. change, cook,  chat (with myself) or just sit and gaze at my views.

[jscott]

It is an attractive set up.

I take it that you like the modularity of having a bivy and a net tent and fly. Otherwise, I would assume (and I easily could be wrong) that the total weight of that set up is ~the same as any number of standard double wall tents?

[dirtbag]

Yes yes and yes. Obviously it gets lighter as I strip it down. Depending on which bivy I would use (season/weather), or if I just use the cape alone. So yes the modularity is key factor.. along with the simplicity of pitching it. 1 pole set up a huge bonus for me. I also LOVE that I do not need a stuff sack for it!! Just another item I dont have to put somewhere and look for in the morning.  It all packs into its own pocket on the door! Every tent/tarp should have that option!!! I really like that the top is the hood.. you can leave it wide open on nice nights and get good ventilation and a slight peek at the sky above too. Another plus is the green color.. loving that as well. The cape alone has LOTS of room under it.. alone or with my bivy. The Nettent is definitely smaller and loses some of that space, but of no concern to me.. still consider it a palace in there with plenty of room for myself,  a regular/ wide or large/wide sleeping pad, and all of my gear. Shoes included.  I had it pitched for a week straight with daily rain ( at times very very heavy) and also a few of those days some heavy gusting winds and everything stayed 100% completely dry underneath it!!  Though that is something I would expect from most any shelter I would consider using.

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