It is a long time since I had a really good chat about gear. I feel out of touch with those who are closer to the gear zeitgeist. I haven’t even bought much new stuff this year.
Last night I had a good chat (via Skype) with Rob Hausam, a hiker based in Salt Lake City who I met on the 2007 TGO Challenge. Rob was caught be the Scotland bug and hoped to be back this year although other commitments got in the way. But in 2009 Rob will be back again, this time accompanied by his wife Lisa.
Rob crossed Scotland last time using a very lightweight gear selection based on a cuben fibre tarp. He also walked in sandals. But Lisa requires the comfort of a tent (I know how that feels). So, Rob has started looking at two-person, lightweight shelters.
The two shelters he is considering both come from Six Moon Designs, one of the many US lightweight specialists. I hadn’t come across either of these tents before, and they are worth a look.
The Lunar Duo is a very interesting tent that comes in a about 1 kilogram. In many ways it reminds me of the Henry Shire Tarptents. There is an integral bug netting/inner tent. The tent is supported by trekking poles.
What I like about this tent is that it shares many of the features of the Super Solar 2.2. The tent has dual entries, always a good thing in a two person tent. The shape is also similar;being almost a hexagon the tent should cope with wind coming at from every angle. The two porches look reasonably spacious.
I think the Duo is the tent that Ron is considering most seriously. The second tent is the lighter Refuge X. This weighs under 500 grams mainly die to its cuben fibre construction. This also has a sewn in floor and mesh to keep out bugs, in many ways this is closer to the Tarp Tents of Henry Shires. I do wonder, though, whether the cuben fibre will be robust enough for Scotland, not least because the warranty information states:
Due to the unique nature of the materials in used in the construction of the Refuge X, we offer no warranty on fabric failure. We will gladly fix any seam that fails due to manufacturing defect. These defects include seam failure do to improper construction or thread. There is no warranty for seams that fail due to fabric failure. We highly recommend you thoroughly understand the nature this product and how to properly incorporate it into your outdoor adventures.
Looking around the Six Moon site there are a few other shelters that are interesting.
One of the main reasons why these tents are so light is that the rely on walking poles as tent poles. You’re carrying the poles already, so why not make use of them?
I have used Pacer Poles for three years now and still find them to be superb. They do work differently than most poles and I’m convinced that they are more useful and more efficient. Pacers are an unusual shape but I’ve found that I can still use them with a variety of tarps. But I’m intrigued by a New Zealand range of tents that have been designed to work specifically with Pacer Poles.
Aarn is a New Zealand company that has become famous for its innovative range of packs, which balance a front sack with the rear sack. These are just beginning to be sold in the UK through Outdoor Elements.
Aarn distribute Pacer Poles in New Zealand and they’ve come up with a 2 person (Pacer 2) and 1 person tent (Pacer 1) that relies on these poles. The Pacers are connected together using a custom designed bracket.
Though not as light as the Six Moon designs these tents are lighter than UK mainstream equivalents. The Pacer 2 weighs 1.75 kg and seems to be very spacious. It can be used fly only which reduces weight to 716 grams. The Pacer 1 weighs 1.38 kg with the inner tent, Using just the fly takes the weight down to 796 grams.
The Pacer’s claim to be very robust, performing well in stormy conditions. They also seem quite roomy and I appreciate the height of the tents. I’d be interested in any reports if anyone reading this had used one of these tents.
Incidentally, the quality of Skype to Skype calls just seems to get better and better. Last night’s conversation with Rob had no delay and was almost broadcast quality. Next weekend we might record a podcasts based on planning the Challenge as an international entrant. We’ll talk about gear and also, maybe, about an Alaskan trek that rob has suggested we do, probably, in 2010.
Technorati Tags:
Six Moons Design, Aarn Tents, Rob hausam, Pacer Poles
I dream Alaska Andy. Check this video at, http://www.bucktrack.com/Alaska_Brooks_Range_Traverse.html
On tents they need a Terra Nova 09 Voyager which is going to weight 1.450k total and bomb proff. If you use the fly only option on the Pacer tents you still need a ground sheet(bath tub if poss )
Which for a solo tent puts you up in the Laser Comp weight any way. I would PM Franco at BPL as I reckon he would know someone who has used them Aarn Tents or post the question on the forum there.
Hi Andy
I, like you, found the Aarn design of tent very interesting. Please feel free to contact me to exchange views and ideas on the way the poles integrate into the tent.
Kind regards
Trevor
I’ve been checking out the Pacertents too Andy! For anyone using Pacerpoles they are fascinating. The chap who runs the Outdoor Warehouse (Windermere)was planning to import a few from NZ to see what interest might be over here!
The only thing to be aware of with SixMoonDesigns tents is the groundsheet. Ron Moak isn’t a fan of bath-tub floors, unlike Henry Shires.
The lack of a bath-tub floor is something to bear in mind if buying one of his tents. Groundwater isn’t unheard of in Scotland!
Other methods of dealing with potential overnight floods would have to be considered.
Mike fae Dundee.
Mike,
I appreciate that. I’m not sure I’d use one of these, but it’s always nice to see what is going on!
David,
Perhaps we should all chat to Trevor!
Hi all
Martin alerted me to this thread, so here are some comments (5c plus VAT if applicable)
I have no field experience at all with the Pacers but have played several times with them at the local importer.
First I would like to say that I would not hesitate in buying and using the Pacer 1 as a winter or “mountaineering” tent and the only reason why I don’t have it is because I am waiting for a not too dissimilar shelter whilst I already have several others at my disposal.
The Pacer 1 I feels very solid, the new version with the poles on the outside is rather easy to set up and I would expect it to be able to handle strong winds and good snow loads, more than the Laser and even the Akto (not double poled) .
You don’t need to use Pacer Poles , any walking pole will do, however I would not recommend the fix length type. Just a few days ago I was in the shop and took the opportunity to re-set the Pacer 2 ( it was a bit limp) and the first thing I did was to adjust the poles, easy does it.
I am 171cm tall so it’s plenty big enough for me, a mate that is 180cm (around 100kg) is comfortable inside but his bag would touch the inner if on a thick mat. There is good space (5-7cm) between the inner and the fly.
The Pacer 2 interior is pretty much like the single door Laser , not that I have compared the two side by side but from memory. You need to be two adults that really like or tolerate each other and not regular visitors to the Weight Watcher organisation.
Not too sure about condensation management but with the ends slightly raised , as seen here :http://aarnpacks.com/products/pacer_tent_1.html and the two big apex vents I would expected to be better than with other similar designs, so possibly more “4 season”.
BTW that gold colour on the Aarn site is pretty accurate. It is definitely not stealth but a very “happy” type colour.
The Vango 100/200 are a lighter version and incorporate some of the Pacer features (also by Aarn)
Franco
Thannks Franco. Must have a look at the Vango tents.
Andy please keep in mind that the Vargo are single wall and 3 season, again (to me) the Aarns feel very strong.
Franco
The SMD Lunar Duo does have a bathtub floor, while the Refuge X does not. However, the Refuge X for 2 people at 0.45 kg certainly is very tempting, even for the price…what to do?
I actually haven’t even decided for sure yet on one of the SMD tents. I’m going to look at some other options, as well, and hopefully make a decision soon. I’ll report back on how that turns out.
Rob
Rob
There is a lot of talk about Cuben Fiber (Refuge -X) because it is so light and waterproof, however it’s weakness is the lack of puncture resistance. Roger Caffin at Backpakinglight (Cuben Fiber thread,Fear Forum) has finally spelled out that when you stitch you are puncturing the fabric creating a weak easy to tear area. So if you are thinking Refuge-X in Scotland (wind) I suggest you follow up some of the user experiences with that shelter first. As Roger has pointed out, silnylon is a lot more forgiving, but even the sil version I think is a bit too boxy for high wind areas
Keep an eye on the Tarptent site.
Franco
We’re straying into the area in which Colin had problems last year. I’m sure he’ll drop in soon to enlighten us!
Franco,
I’m already doing exactly what you suggest. As tempting as the Refuge-X might be for me, I do have some concern about its ability to handle well the winds that are likely to be encountered in Scotland (and often in the US above treeline). My concern is more due to the overall design of the tent than due to the Cuben fabric, though. The tent is so new that there isn’t much user experience with it available on the Web yet, and I’m hoping to see a bit more before I consider taking the plunge.
There is a pretty good review of the on the Web site. It is a “members only” article, however. In it Doug Johnson does express his concerns about the overall wind stability of these tents.
I am interesting in hearing more from Colin on the general topic of Cuben tarps/shelters, if he does want to chime in on this.
Rob
Somehow I really messed up the hyperlinks on the above post, but the first one actually does work correctly
What I had intended to say in the earlier post is that there is a pretty good review of the Refuge/Refuge X on the BackpackingLight.com Web site.
Rob, I intend writing about my experiences with tarp materials and my thinking behind my choice of tarp for the 2009 Challenge which Andy will hopefully add to my pages. Just need to find the time!
As ever Colin, I will be more than happy to publish them for you. What do you reckon to Ron’s new products?
Andy I do like Ron’s new products. What I don’t like is that the weight of a lot of his gear is increasing. A good example being the Prophet rucksack which has nearly doubled in weight for the 2009 version. Ron’s new shelters look very storm proof but when you add the weight of a bivi or groundsheet/bug net combo and the necessary guys/pegs it will be very close to the weight of a Laser Competition tent. I would guess the trail weight of a Trailstar would be about 800g.
This is always the dilemma for the UK is it not!
Once the trail weight is that high it almost doesn’t make sense, except that the experience is different. It is that experience that gives the tarp its excitement.
Perhaps it looks a better option if considered as a two person shelter. Ron reckons this is as big as the Duo tarp. My Duo tarp is huge = you could get a whole conference of bloggers underneath it!
Hi again
The shelter I had in mind for your sort of weather (Scotland) is the Scarp 1, the new one from Henry Shires (Tarptent), a lighter but possibly stronger version of the Akto type hoop tents. 1250 g all up or if you prefer freestanding and some added support 1590g with the two extra cross poles. Some will like to use it fly only and that (fly/pole/ 6 pegs) is just on 900g. This of course applies to most of New Zealand as well as Tasmania.
The good bits are the extra headroom (99 cm under the inner) the potentially much stronger boxed end ( inverted V corner struts and straight center strut) the longer usable floor area and the double doors for ventilation/views/ protected cooking and sometimes an option when someone erects a tent a bit too close to yours ( in my case that is anything closer than 50 meters…)
The two apex vents should also work better than most of the other versions. (they can be closed down)
The name Scarp 1 should be a strong clue that there will be a Scarp 2, but if you want to save weight look at the Sublite Sil and maybe soon a Sublite Sil 2.
The Sublite Sil is a touch over 600g, has a mesh door and a mini porch/rain curtain and it is a pretty solid design. Could be good competition to the Terra Nova Photon. ( if you use trekking poles)
http://www.tarptent.com/new.html
Franco
I reckon it is just too heavy. The Akto is 1.5k and can cope with most everything that is thrown at it. Have you noticed how lightweight manufacturers and increasing the weight of their gear?
Andy
If you compare like for like, as in the Scarp 1 and the Akto with the standard supplied pole ( Easton T9 7075W ) the TT is 250g lighter, so when you state “It is just to heavy” what shelter did you have in mind ?
BTW, in spite of the obvious comparison with the Hilleberg, that hoop tent style has been used (for good reasons) by many manufacturers over the years, for example the Exped Vela,Terra Nova Laser/ Photon, Fjallraven Ringstindt,Mountain Hardwear Stiletto,Robens Small Dreamer,Saunders Spacepaker, however with the exception of the Terra Nova Laser Competition Photon they are all heavier than the TT version.
I am pretty sure that Henry Shire did not want to make an “Akto ” killer he simply wanted to design a 4 season shelter for himself and his customers based on what a lot of people want .
Franco
Franco, I’m sure you’re right. I wasn’t commenting on Henry’s tents. I was just thinking that it doesn’t offer any great advantages to us here.