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.

Packing Light

I have spent the past two days weighing and assessing every piece of hiking equipment that I own, recording their weights and preferences on an Excel spreadsheet in preparation for what I hope will be an exciting new year of bushwalking.

Last year, due to commitments to work and being a Maid of Honour at my best friend's wedding, I only managed a handful of day hikes with my hiking group. I regret not making the time to be able to attend any scheduled weekend pack carry trips and intend to make amends for it. As such, inspired by my new red Light My Fire spork weighing in at only 10 grams, I have attempted to reduce my base pack weight to below 9 kilograms (excluding food and water).

Luckily, I had weighed much of my gear before I departed for Nepal just over a year ago. I needed only weigh those items specific to camping and anything newly acquired. I confess that I became rather tenacious in my research and calculations as I have doggedly searched for ways to reduce weight so that I can better justify other items.

Those 9 kilograms include almost a kilogram entirely devoted to my being warm when the sun sets (down jacket and booties and lightweight polartec pants). After freezing 2 nights in a row on a mid-winter hike at Hattar Lakes 18 months ago, the mercury edging towards zero degrees Celsius beneath the clear skies, I'd rather carry that kilogram than be that cold again. So to keep the weight down, I've attempted to be clever on other savings.

The most obvious weight saving that I could make would be investing in a tent that weighs under 800 grams. At present I have a TarpTent Rainbow Double. It weighs 1300 with the optional liner (which assists with condensation associated with it being a single walled tent) and the 6 provided tent pegs. I love this tent. It is roomy and a breeze to set up. I have had the wind howling around my ears and a huntsman spider staring at me from the safety of the vestibule on the other side of the No See Um mesh, and it managed fine. And as the 500 gram saving would require approximately $400 investment, it's worth looking closer to home for weight savings for now. I will eventually make that investment, a larger tent does not warm up the same with body heat, but not right now.

I have identified another 450 grams that could be saved by much smaller investment. A 130 gram silk sleeping bag liner would be half the weight of the Sea to Summit Thermoreactor Plus liner that I am presently using (and am not entirely convinced works to the full extent advertised). Switching from an Optimus Terra HE Weekend cookset to an Optimus Terra Solo cookset and retiring a SnowPeak Titanium 450 mug would save another 160 grams although I am seriously considering making a titanium pot warmer in the style of the Caldera Cone (only to hook onto the pot set rather than wrap the canister) to improve fuel efficiency, which would reclaim some of that weight. An additional 100 grams could be shaved by modifying my toiletries system, such as a lighter cathole trowel and smaller containers for sunscreen and multipurpose biodegradable soap. And by exchanging my expensive but heavy Nalgene Wide Mouth 1 litre bottle for a Gatorade bottle, I expect to save a further 100 - 120 grams. I only want the bottle for easier water management than my Camelbak bladder and am hoping to use it as storage for toiletries and my glasses during the day as opposed to using a hard glasses case.

Caldera cone sourced from Trail Designs:

Trying to channel this resourcefulness, today I created a 13-14 gram deodorant stick by melting Rexona Crystal Anti Perspirant stick into a Nivea 4.8 gram lip balm container. Personally, I'm not ready to give up deodorant and it doubles as anti-chafe for under sports bras and other sensitive areas as discovered having previously developed terrible chafe in Nepal. I created a 30g version also which could probably used on much longer trips. This was melted down from my existing 75 gram stick. And just so that there will be no confusion and it mistakenly applied as a lipbalm, I even took the opportunity to buff the name from the tube's exterior using a four step nail block and using a Sharpie permanent texta to rename it. I also took the opportunity to halve the weight of my toothbrush by breaking it. And finally, the Light My Fire spork replaced both a folding MSR fork and spoon which were of much flimsier construction.

While these last changes may seem excessive, for little money and an interesting afternoon, I created an 80 gram saving which is the weight of my spare pair of socks or 3/4 of my spare t-shirt. I anticipate to make another 100 grams of weight savings by instituting similar scrimping measures to my other toiletries, such as using tooth powder and not toothpaste and a smaller mirror to put my contacts in.

I also tried to be discerning in what I included as my preferred carry list. Only one change of socks, underwear and t-shirt (if it is not raining, gear can be dried on the back of a pack if it doesn't dry following its rinse the previous afternoon or overnight, and odor resistant shirts have at least 2 days in them anyway). One pair of thermals and soft sportsbra for camp/night (not negotiable). I was drier in my Nepalese Sherpa poncho than my eVent Montane Athena jacket and suffered less condensation. The poncho is lighter, can be shortened by press studs when pack coverage is not required and can be worn with just gaiters (which I ordinarily hike in with my shorts, even in a Victorian winter) so waterproof pants are not required either. Although, if I were to walk through snow, I would reevaluate as I found that hiking through knee deep snow, it was sufficient to use a running t-shirt, Patagonia R1 Hoody, a Montane Windshirt, woolen buff and glove liners, and a pair of Marmont Pre-Cip Full Zip over my hiking pants.

After instituting the smaller changes, my pack will weigh in just over my goal weight at 9.2 kilograms. Those North Face polartec pants are a luxury that I'm not ready to give into yet. So too are the booties until I'm satisfied the jacket is enough. I suppose I could sacrifice my Keen Clearwater CNX sandals to gain another 450 grams if I really needed to scrimp during winter. In the warmer months, without the extra space required for the down, I do believe the space savings might actually permit me to limit myself to a 50 litre pack providing weight savings yet again which would place my base pack around 8.5 kilograms. Changing tents could further reduce this to a 8 kilogram pack in moderate weather.

I doubt I will ever be prepared to go ultralight but perhaps within the next 12 months I will be comfortably within the lightweight category, even when hiking mid-winter (in areas without snow).