Reviewing the Big Three - Part 3 The Shelter

One of the heaviest items in any hiker's repertoire is their shelter.

As a general rule,  the lightest shelters available are tarps whilst tents are heavier and take up more pack space. I did plenty of bivouacking with tarps and ground sheets as a teenager but my personal preference does not include sacrificing an enclosed shelter for space and weight savings so I will be discussing single and double walled three season tents only.

Now I rarely share my tent. Hiking with family or close friends, I might be persuaded to split the space to share the weight, but generally I hike with people outside that circle. Therefore, I must bear the weight of my shelter solo.

I own a Tarptent Double Rainbow. Unlike my sleeping bag, I agonised over its selection. The advice gleaned from OutdoorGearLab was largely responsible for my choosing this tent over the many others of more mainstream and mass produced tents and I feel that its review is highly reflective of the product's capabilities

Tarptent Double Rainbow:

The Double Rainbow is, in my very biased opinion, is an aesthetically attractive tent. It just looks so good pegged out in the field or bush.

At 1250 grams, it is a two person tent. It is prone to condensation, as is common for single walled tents. The optional breathable liner (which weighs an additional 110 grams) does mitigate this somewhat but not entirely. Running an absorbant pack towel over the silnylon interior helps to dry it off. So too does pegging it with maximum ventilation and it is capable of good ventilation as there are wide swatches of noseeum mesh across both side entries. Although the breathable liner does make it inconvenient to quickly wipe condensation away as you either have to fasten it whole or in part, or try to work around the fasteners.

The Double Rainbow is not snow rated and I have never taken it out in anything more than rain and wind. It handled both quite well on the 3-4 night trips for which I have used it.

A 1350 gram two person tent (including breathable liner) is by my estimation hardly a heavy tent even when it is used solo as mine is. There are many ultralight advertised tents that weigh similar or more for less space.

Tarptent is a small American company established in 1999. It has three sub-800 gram configurations requiring one or two walking poles for support.

The Tarptent Moment DW is a single person, double wall tent that is advertised as weighing only 960 grams and requires only two stakes. Exchanging the noseeum mesh for solid mesh increases the weight to 1020 grams. The tent is also freestanding and snow loading capable with the optional 200 gram crossing pole.

Tarptent Moment DW:

However for US$295 plus shipping, this is at most 350 grams less than the Double Rainbow (including breathable liner). For an extra UD $95 I can get both the no-see-um inner and solid inner to substitute depending on whether it will be cold and windy.

The newly released model, the Protrail, has a similar construction to the very tried and tested Contrail, and requires a walking pole support at its A-frame entry. It requires either an additional pole or optional 24 inch (61cm) pole at the rear A-frame which gives it a more 'stormproof' configuration. I understand it to be a 'performance revision' of the Contrail with the same US $209 price tag. It is advertised at 740 grams (excluding walking pole or additional pole weight.)

Tarptent Protrail:

This is a visually appealing tent with a huge weight saving but I am concerned about the cold, condensation and being flattened in an unexpected storm. It also takes a little skill to erect.

Yama Mountain Gear's Cirriform single person models are similar in structure to the Protrail but with the option of selecting a single or double wall, and cuben fibre or silnylon for the fly and/or tent floor. Cirriform DW would address my concerns regarding the cold and condensation as it has a net fly. Selecting the 0.5 cuben fibre fly, silnylon floor tent with rear pole and all guy lines and tent pegs would provide a significant saving as it weighs between 650-700 grams.

Yama Mountain Gear's Cirriform DW:

However that saving would be at US $432.54 plus shipping, double that of the Protrail. It has less venting than the Protrail and reviews are mixed as to its quality.

Z-Packs are also know for their ultralight cuben fiber tents. The Hexamid Solplex is a 1 person, two walking pole configuration that weighs only 459 grams for US $535.  The Hexamid Altaplex is a more recent model that is taller, requires only one walking pole and weighs 536 grams for US $565. Both tents have the option of 0.51 oz/sqyrd or the heavier (and more durable) 0.74 oz/sqyrd cuben fiber. Poles are available for them instead of waking pole use

Z-Packs Hexamid Altaplex:

The Protrail and Cirriform have similar structure that are designed to have at least one walking pole and a small rear pole. The Altaplex also requires one while the Solplex requires two. I only rarely hike with a walking pole and usually only one at that. The weight savings associated with these designs would be partially lost again on carrying a walking pole when usually I carry none. 

Moving back away from walking pole supported lightweight tents is the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1P l. This double walled tent is advertised as having a trail weight (poles, fly and tent body) of 482 grams and packed weight (trail weight plus stakes, guy lines, stuff sacks, instructions and packaging) of 936 grams. Assuming this places the actual weight at around 800 grams, this would weigh approximately 550 grams less than my Double Rainbow.

Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1P:

Reviews of the Fly Creek, however, indicate that while freestanding, it does not withstand wind particularly well and rain will enter the tent upon egress through a front only entry. In fine weather, it would be a shelter of considerable weight saving but at a RRP AUD$419.95 does not appear to be suitable for trips expecting more inclement weather.

I am still considering my options for downsizing my current shelter configuration. My tent is not particularly heavy but there is room for improvement. While I certainly am curious about the cuben fiber tents, they are expensive and not always particularly easy to pitch.  Alternatively, the easier to pitch Moment DW does not offer much weight saving nor does the lighter Fly Creek tent offer much stability.

I am not satisfied that the weight savings to be gained from the any of the designs above necessarily justify the investment at this time. I will persevere with my Tarptent Double Rainbow for the time being until I can find a tent more befitting my needs.

The Great Victorian Rail Trail

Full Trail: 134km between Tallarook and Mansfield, Victoria
Hiked Trail:16.5km between Molesworth and Yea (including Yea Wetlands)
Grade: Mostly flat
Hiked Ascent: 100m approx
Track: Chert or grantic sand
Condition: Section hiked in March 2015 had undergone a recent upgrade. The track was in good condition and the bridges were new.
Highlights: Cheviot Tunnel (201m tunnel)
Other: Shared pedestrian-cyclist pathway

Map: Great Victorian Rail Trail website

The Great Victorian Rail Trail is a pleasant and easy walk or bike ride through the Victorian countryside which can be completed either in its entirety or in sections. It can be accessed from towns along the original train line and at various intersecting roads.  Toilets are available on the trail in at least some sections.

The trail between Molesworth and Yea made the perfect first day hike for the year. Being in less than optimal hiking condition, I had no difficulty maintaining the group's approximate 5kph. Although, it would have been easier had I not assisted a friend relocate house from Melbourne to Geelong for 9 hours the day before. 

The track was approximately 2m in width with farm land set a little back on either side. Near Molesworth were three very friendly ponies who came running up to our group, tails streaming out behind, eager to be petted. This was also where we saw the most cyclists, it still being only around 11:30 on a sunny Sunday morning. We did not see any horse riders, who are able to use the trail also, but horse tracks and manure were visible on the trail. No motorbike tracks were seen and they are not permitted.

Cattle and sheep populated the adjoining farmland. At a couple of points there were fences with gates across the trail where the stock crossed between paddocks on either side but these were open when we passed through and would only be closed when the stock were in the actual process of being moved from one paddock, across the track and into another paddock directly opposite.   

The Cheviot Tunnel was the highlight of the hike as well as our lunch spot. Located approximately halfway into our hike and only 5km from Yea, it had originally enabled trains to pass beneath the Black Range at McLoughlins Gap. The 201m tunnel had been constructed using approximately 675,000 handmade clay bricks sourced from Quinlan's pit to the west.  Four safety alcoves continue to be located on its inner eastern wall which we did not know to look for at the time.  The tunnel is accessible by foot or bike only with a car park located nearby on the Yea side. 

The were a significant number of European wasps in and around Yea. Wasps will travel 0.5km for food and in February and March, seek protein to feed their larvae. No one was stung but the wasps did appear to be attracted to our day packs and were a bit of a nuisance.

The Yea Wetlands are located off the main street. The adjoining resource/information centre appeared quite new although we did not stay long to look. The wetlands were rather dry in mid March and by the time we arrived the easier hiking group (who hiked only 11.5km) had walked through,  so few birds remained easily visible: only a couple of parakeets, water hens and an ibis.

Cafes were available in the main street for a coffee or something sweet after the hike.

History of the Great Victorian Rail Trail:
1882 - 1891 Survey and construction of the railway between Tallarook and Mansfield
1909 Alexandria branch added to the railway
1977 Last train passenger service
1978 Line formally closed
2004 - 2006 Work commenced on the Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail
2011 Final sections of the trail completed
2012 Official opening of the Great Victorian Rail Trail

Everest Circuit Rerouted XIII: Base Camp

Wednesday, 23 October 2013 17:30 Hrs at 4910m (Gorak Shep)

The terrain between Dingboche and Labouche is a narrow plain of grass and juniper and rock. Its ascent was fairly gentle except for the small hill immediately above the village of Tukla where we paused briefly for lunch. And by small hill, I mean something similar to the gradient and size of Sugarloaf (my father's hill) or the Lyre bird Track adjoining the 1000 Steps, Dandenongs. To the east of our trail and south of Tukla, a small collection of buildings and rock walled farm lots in the valley made up the village of Periche. It is said that when the Khumbu Glacier finally breaks free from its moorings further up the Khumbu Valley, the village of Periche will exist no longer, built in the path the glacier will travel. Our leader, Meet, advised that measures were being taken to reduce the likelihood of such an event, however one day the glacier would give way and there will be little more warning for those in its pathway than if it were a flash flood.

The way to base camp:

Labouche is a village that exists solely on the purse strings of tourism. Unlike Portse, Pangboche, Dingboche and Periche, farming is not sustainable. There are no farm lots, only teahouses and lodges that rely on the constant influx of tourists from Australia, UK and North America, Europe and Asia, all here to make the pilgrimage to Everest Base Camp or Kala Pattar or both.

The view into Gorak Shep:

Gorak Shep exists similarly as a launch point for many of those tourists. It was the original Everest Base Camp. In October and November, accommodation in Labouche and Gorak Shep must be arranged in advance due to popularity. The hike into Gorak Shep is fraught with pedestrian traffic jams, the fastest way in or out being as part of a caravan of yaks which have precedence and are always met by cries of, “Safe side, safe side,” as tourists and guides alike shift as far from the path as the snow will allow. The early snow has made the trail precariously slippery in places, either because the snow has melted too much or because it has iced over. We slipped and skidded our way into Gorak Shep at approximately 10:00hrs this morning following a 05:00hr wake up call.

After a short break for an early lunch, we then made the push for Everest Base Camp. It being autumn in Nepal and summiting season being late spring, there was no tent city to mark the camp. Instead, we recognised it by the colourful prayer flags and throng of milling tourists, each vying to have their photograph taken at the infamous ‘Base Camp’. There was, however, no formal signage. The camp itself being impermanent due to the shifting nature of the glacier on which it exists, there can be no one fixed sign. In the background, the would be Everest summiteers must negotiate a (mostly) solid wall of ice that from Base Camp appears deceptively small against the enormity of what we can see of the mountain, which is very little at all.

Base Camp:

To reach Base Camp, trekkers must contend with a rocky moraine and a rock fall. During less than favourable conditions, when the cloud comes in, I understand that it is very easy to get lost on the moraine. However, with the path cut into the snow, we could see the way laid out before us ridge to rocky ridge, and where it was not so clear, there was always a bobbing, moving tide of coloured beanies and caps, and bright gaiters and jackets to mark the way. These ridges went on for some time.

The rock fall crossing:

We could see Base Camp slowly advancing in the distance (I personally was able to identify the camp by the icefall behind it) while at every crest there was a new gully and a new ridge awaiting us. Not that the trek could be undertaken head up. Much of the trail was either rock or ice. Rock was preferable – we could skip between them easily enough, particularly using one walking pole for balance. Ice was more difficult. It was not always immediately obvious whether the snow was slush or frozen over again. Both falls I had were on ice and in both instances it was my camera I tried to save first. Successfully, I might add. The snow for all its hazard, however, added to the spectacular view. The moraine, a sweeping tundra of grey rock, was utterly transformed into snowy rock cropped valleys and ridges and ice lakes with ice waterfalls. It was truly magnificent.

Returning to Gorak Shep:

(Postscript: The contrast provided by the snow made for spectacular photographs. While it was disappointing that we were not able to summit Gokyo Ri or cross the Cho La because of it, and we were prone to falling over, I do not regret the experience of hiking through the snow. As someone that loves a good picture and carried a DSLR by hand most of the journey, the memories I captured on camera have such amazing depth and contrast, I doubt I could have achieved otherwise. If you are an avid photographer, it would be well worth bearing that in mind when considering making the pilgrimage for yourself. The snow we experienced was certainly not the norm for that time of year and was the result of typhoons throughout South East Asia.)

Sleeping Bag Review: Feathered Friends Egret UL 20 vs Sea to Summit Traverse XtII

My Feathered Friends Egret UL 20 sleeping bag arrived from Seattle today a fortnight after I first ordered it. There it was, an inocuous brown package, awaiting me on my work desk as I walked through the door this morning. Needless to say I had the scissors out to secure the bag's immediate - but careful - release the moment I was seated.

Comparing the fabric:

The bag is, at first inspection, of a higher quality than the Sea to Summit Traverse XtII bag.  The fabric of the Egret UL 20 appears to have a tighter smoother weave to it. The non waterproof inner is particularly softer. There is also more reinforced double stitch around not just the zipper like the XtII but also the inner baffle as well as the inner and outer boxing of the hood. The XtII has velcro at the top of the zipper and in the footbox, something I have never liked. There is no velcro on the Egret UL 20. Conversely the press stud and hood draw cord do not seem as sturdy as the XtII. The Egret UL 20 has only one draw cord to the XtII's two, but the I prefer the do hickey on the Egret UL 20's draw cord. It appears easier to pinch between two fingers than the little ball on the XtII.

The Egret UL 20 draw cord:

The Egret UL 20 has a footbox 22cm deep compared to the XtII which is only 16cm. There is no zip through the footbox so it cannot be opened as with the XtII and therefore sacrifices some versatility for greater heat efficiency and weight savings. The down in the footbox seems to loft better without the zipper compressing it. Additional down appears also to have been included in the footbox.

Sea to Summit Traverse XtII  (left) and Feathered Friends Egret UL 20  (right):

The zip baffle is appreciably plumper as well although the strip of material under the zipper is noiser. The XtII has a thicker neck baffle however this does not necessarily make it more comfortable. The Egret UL 20's continuous horizontal baffles allowed movement of down to wherever it is needed including from front to back. The XtII lacks this versatility.

Inside the Egret UL 20 I have the room to draw one leg up on both my back and side. I can only draw my knee up on my side in the XtII and with far less room. The roomier footbox is also noticeable.

The Egret UL 20 did appear to have better lofting when compared side by side on the floor however this comparison was made within an hour after my compressing the Egret UL 20 into its stuff sack to be weighed while the XtII had been in its far more sizeable storage bag.

A comparison of the manufacturer's specifications is contained in an earlier blog.

Weighing only 805 grams without its 22 gram stuff sack, my new sleep system has been reduced from 1460 grams to 940 grams for a (not so) measly cost of AUD $676.

I cannot wait to try the Feathered Friends Egret UL 20 in the coming weeks.