What is your go to 1p Shelter?

ZPacks Plexamid–15oz + 5oz stakes and has held up great in up to 50mph wind/rain.

7×9 DCF flat Tarp from ZPacks

Borah Gear DCF Bivy Regular/Wide

With stakes and guy line total weight is 11.92 oz.   Super versatile, great coverage, full bug protection.

@JStanky have you had this setup in high winds? How do you pitch the tarp?

If I know I’m going into something really severe I’d likely opt for my Solomid XL with the Bivy.  But I did take this setup out into a high wind and freak snow event to see if it would work and it did.  Half Pyramid is by far the best setup for high wind and weather.  Here’s a link to some photos and from the video clips you can get an idea of the wind.   The wind did die down in the evening when the bulk of the snow came.  I’m confident to take this out in mild to moderate conditions and if things go sideways I’m confident enough in my ability to pitch it tight enough to ride things out.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oMThuiuudkb9j4UU6

If clicking the link doesn’t work try copying and pasting it into your browser.

Durston X-Mid 1P

My go to 1P shelter is a 2P XMid :)

If I ever felt the need to go back to a true 1P shelter, it would also be the XMid.

Winter/fall in California Sierra Nevada: MLD .75 DCF DuoMid

Spring/summer in California Sierra Nevada and Coastal Range Mtns: MLD .75 DCF Solo Grace Tarp sometimes with the MLD Innernet

One Planet Goondie 1P, modified to to replace floor with 20D silnylon, extend floor into rear vestibule, and substitute carbon for alloy poles:  https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/81307

If I did it agains, would order the model with a solid ceiling.  The old model came with a solid ceiling, but it still had netted openings that would admit water during pitching in downpours.  I understand that the ceiling in the current model is all solid.  A dry pitch in a downpour is a big plus, I think.

Please note that this is an Aussie tent, and the price to ship to America can vary considerably, depending on the currency exchange rate.

I rotate between a X-mid 1P and a dutchware hammock with DCF tarp. Will be picking up a Cirriform Min tarp to pair with my bivy when I want to go a little lighter.

2014 MLD Solomid XL paired with an MYOG bivy.

About 10 years ago I was able to pick up a used Six Moon Designs Deschutes in silnylon (now called the Deschutes Plus).  I bring a polycro ground sheet that I replace every few years.  As a gear addict, I’m always looking for a reason to upgrade or try something else, but this one does the job so well that I’ve never seen the need to replace it.

I think characteristics might be more important than brand.  For example I purchase two one person tents this season.  One for myself and one for my son.  So mine is the tarptent aeon Li and his is the big agnes’s copper spur hv ul 1.  So I used mine for the first time last weekend the aeon Li.  It is crazy light but it might not be ideal for me.  Weather conditions were cool so I had it pretty closed up, I ended up with a lot of condensation which damped my bag especially the foot box.  I use an inflatable pad so I was having some contact with each end of the tent.  If I used a foam pad instead of an inflatable or a thin self in floating where i was about 1″ off the ground I would have a lot more clearance in the tent.  So this tent might be more ideal for someone who sleeps on a thin pad than an air pad.  I am 5’10 so not especially tall.  When I can open the tent at night more on warmer nights the condensation will be less of an issue.

As to the big agnes’s my son said he had a lot of condensation also but his has a full mesh interior and a fly so that kept the moisture more away from his sleeping area.  His tent weighs two pounds and mine weighs one pound.  I may end up selling my aeon after our coming trip this summer and get something with a bigger interior but want to stay in the 1 pound range so i might switch to the tarp tent notch which is a two trekking pole tent.

Tarptent Protrail Li or my MLD Grace Duo Dyneema.

Hexamid

I’m with Thom, Solo Hexamid in .74 spruce green.

Hot and/or relatively dry conditions, winds 30 mph or less: Zpacks Pocket Tarp w/ Doors + Borah UL Bivy. 11.5 oz, but limited room and 3-season only. Kind of a PITA to pitch too.

Winter/alpine/heavy rain/wind advisory: Black Diamond FirstLight w/ vestibule. Bulletproof, palatial, but 41 oz (lightly hacked, with Fibraplex CF poles).

I have an Aeon Li and a 1p Xmid, but a really like my Nemo Hornet 1p.  It weighs more, but I like everything about it.

@ Scott. Sounds like your conclusion is when using an inflatable pad in reference to usable space, the usable length of Aeon Li falls short of the specified 88 inches, yes?

Yeah, the Aeon Li IS NOT FOR TALLER PEOPLE, especially on thick pads. It’s actually a very tiny shelter.

This kind of makes me mad, because Tarptent’s website says it’s great for tall people, and they show a 7 foot tall dude in one, kind of implying it’s for really tall people. IT’S NOT. I’m 6’4″ and while it is a great shelters, it is not large, even when pitched highest.

I emailed Henry Shires about this and he said it is absolutely not big enough for 6’4″ people on normal sleeping pads. I asked him to make that clear on their website, but that has clearly not happened. I know people love to praise their customer service, but that’s kind of dishonest and misleading marketing. If you show a 7 foot guy in your tent, it better darn well be capable of sleeping him, otherwise it’s just a gimmick to imply your shelter is somehow larger than it is.

I now have two Altaplex shelters (tarp and tent) which on paper don’t seem much larger than the Aeon, but the volume difference inside is massive.

I have been happy with my Plexamid, no complaints really. I also like the looks of the Aeon Li, and would be curious to try it. But already having the Plexamid, the upgrade doesn’t seem worth the cost.

Summer intermountain West: Six Moon Designs Deschutes DCF tarp with Sea To Summit Nano Pyramid Mosquito Net and polycro groundsheet.

Shoulder season intermountain West: Six Moon Designs Deschutes DCF tarp with MYOG partial solid inner net tent/bug bivy.

> I emailed Henry Shires about this and he said it is absolutely not big enough for 6’4″ people on normal sleeping pads.

Actually what I said was “the Aeon Li will absolutely not fit tall people on thick pads.”  By thick I mean pads in 2.5-3in range.  In my, apparently antiquated, world pads are maybe 1.5in thick and for a tent like the Aeon Li that makes a big difference to usable length. At 5’11 in a sleeping bag and on a 1.5 in pad, I don’t touch any ends in the Aeon Li.  Point taken about showing a 7-footer sitting up as that could imply lying down.  I have removed the tag showing that the Aeon Li can sleep people over 6’3″.

Thanks for clarifying that, Henry. You must not be getting much feedback on the shelter size if you knew exactly who was the one who emailed you about this months ago. LOL I appreciate that you took a second look at what the website implies about shelter size.

To be fair though, 2.5 inch pads are pretty much the norm for many/most UL backpackers.

I still think that an XL Aeon Li with a little more height and length would be a killer shelter, but I also understand that larger solo shelters are not in high demand, and people looking for larger should just go 2P.

@Johan are you using a pole or stick to pull out the head/foot end on your Altaplex to increase interior room? 6’4″ seems pretty tall for that shelt from what I read-due to steep end walls.