your lightest shelter setup.

C

coping

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Whats your lightest shelter combination, and why do you like the combination so much.

Some reason examples.
(ease of setup.
(not too pricey
(2-3-4 season
(you can see the fishing rod
(can have an open fire
Etc
Etc
Etc

try and put as much information as possible.


-Coping
 
My lightest shelter is no shelter, just a ground cloth, but I guess that's not answering the question.
My latest and lightest is a Tarptent Notch. I bought it for the versatility, as it has very little interior space-actually less usable space than my hooped bivy, but I can sit up in it, get dressed a lot more easily, and enter/exit without getting rain or snow all over my sleeping bag, like would happen with my bivy.
It's versatile because it has:
-a separate innernet, which is a bathtub floor attached to bug netting. Great for when the bugs are out. 26oz for the shelter with stakes.
-the separate innernet can also be set up alone. 9oz for just the innernet.
-In cold weather, when the bugs aren't out, the fly can be set up alone, and I have a cuben fiber bathtub floor that I got to go with it. 19.7oz total(17 for the fly plus stakes, 2.7 for the cuben floor).
It's light, easy to pack, and only takes a few minutes to set up. Uses my trekking poles instead of dedicated poles. The packed size is small enough across that I carry it in the mesh bottle holder pocket on one side of my pack.
I haven't had it that long, and have only used it 3 or 4 times, since I've been doing more dayhiking than overnighters. As yet have not tried the innernet alone, or the fly with the cuben floor. So far so good, though.

Here it is in my yard with the fly and cuben floor:
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And with the inner net:
img01353201207130907.jpg
 
Wow, thanks Owen...very good review. My wife and I are going to try Tarpent's StratoSpire2, but I was really looking at the Notch for a solo tent. You really cant beat the weight and versatilty of the Notch...

ROCK6
 
The last couple years I've been backpacking with a: Warbonnet Blackbird 1.0 DL Hammock with a Wilderness Logics Big Daddy Tarp and a Hammock Gear Summer Incubator with 900+ down fill.
The hammock comes with a permanent bug net and works great alone in the summer. This is a 1.5 pound package and is a bit bigger than a Nalgene when packed into the bag that you can see on the suspension.
This setup with a down sleeping bag allows me to camp in any season (I took it out on a January winter trek in Northern Michigan last February). The hammock, tarp, and Under Quilt weigh in under 4 pounds and get me down to about 20 degrees comfortable sleeping. I use a Stoic Somnus 15 degree down (800 fill) sleeping bag that zips on the front for much easier hammock use.

This setup packs tiny and can be raised anywhere there are trees. It's 10 times more comfortable than ground dwelling!

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DSC02493.jpg
 
My usual setup is a hammock that i made along with my silnylon tarp that i made. reasons: easy setup, basically free, comfortable and completely weatherproof. sometimes i use natural shelters such as lean-tos; last trip i slept in a cave. those are really just for the experience though; i don't see any benefits to those over my hammock.
 
My lightest is a Henry Shires TarpTent "Cloudburst II" and it's something like 2.5lbs. It's a good tent, but could use some extra support mid-wall.

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My next lightest is an Integral Design MK1 XL with 2 full doors, no tube vents, side-wall guy-out points and a heavy-fabric floor and it's in the 5lb vicinity (I also have the vestibule for it, but use it only in the winter).

I don't have a readily accessible pic of it though.....
 
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Oh dang. I didn't even notice. Danged sass mouths.

I don't have a lot of good information to contribute to this thread. I always just use a fleece blanket as a ground sheet along with a surerest(?) mat and a cat's meow sleeping bag. If it's raining or something I either don't camp or I make myself a shelter out of pine boughs. Snow is a no go for me.
 
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Chris Pierce said:
Oh dang. I didn't even notice. Danged sass mouths.

I don't have a lot of good information to contribute to this thread. I always just use a fleece blanket as a ground sheet along with a surerest(?) mat and a cat's meow sleeping bag. If it's raining or something I either don't camp or I make myself a shelter out of pine boughs. Snow is a no go for me.
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Yeah, I used to be an all-weather model myself but as I have gotten older, I just look at the weather forecast. Rain and storms or snow? I stay home. But I have been awoken in good weather by insects and other critters crawling and poking me so I use a tent for insect protection as much as for weather protection. Plus most of my camping is along rivers and streams and the dew/condensation is heavy there in the best of weather. When it comes to shelter and sleeping comfort for me these days, weight is a secondary consideration.
 
ROCK6 said:
Wow, thanks Owen...very good review. My wife and I are going to try Tarpent's StratoSpire2, but I was really looking at the Notch for a solo tent. You really cant beat the weight and versatilty of the Notch...

ROCK6
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I like that those Stratospires have a squared off floorspace. The Notch being tapered really doesn't bother me much, though, since all I'm doing in it is sleeping. I used it with a short pad and my pack under my feet a few nights ago. There was room at the head end for the stuff from my pack(except the bag with my food), and at the foot for my shoes, but that's it. I really do like the packed size fitting in a side pocket on the pack, as I was used to that with my ID bivy, anyway. If it was pouring down rain, I could pack everything up while still inside the shelter, then roll it in its bag, or stuff it in the back pocket on my pack and go. With the bivy, it was either wait for the rain to stop, or get everything wet, unless I strung up the tarp/ground cloth I often carried with it. The Notch is over a pound lighter than that combo, too.
 
OwenM said:
I like that those Stratospires have a squared off floorspace. The Notch being tapered really doesn't bother me much, though, since all I'm doing in it is sleeping. I used it with a short pad and my pack under my feet a few nights ago. There was room at the head end for the stuff from my pack(except the bag with my food), and at the foot for my shoes, but that's it. I really do like the packed size fitting in a side pocket on the pack, as I was used to that with my ID bivy, anyway. If it was pouring down rain, I could pack everything up while still inside the shelter, then roll it in its bag, or stuff it in the back pocket on my pack and go. With the bivy, it was either wait for the rain to stop, or get everything wet, unless I strung up the tarp/ground cloth I often carried with it. The Notch is over a pound lighter than that combo, too.
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I used to have an ID Unishelter bivy - it was amazing in all ways except the idea of a bivy being incompatible with my preferences (even though i'd used a bivy before). I realized how important to me the "dry zone" a tent provides only after several outings with the bivy where rain just made for an unpleasant experience.

I'm considering selling my Cloudburst II and buying something different. I've only used it a handful of times so it's in excellent condition and should go along way toward another ultra-light shelter.
 
Using a bivy, ground sheet, small tarp including 12oz. of stakes and line is 3.1 lbs.

A bridge hammock and tarp including 12oz. of stakes and line is 3.6 lbs. I could leave the spreader bars at home and make my own to save 8oz. of carry weight.

A Sierra Designs Light Year with line and stakes is 3.5 lbs.

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My pack is 3lbs.

My full length pad is 14oz and 3/4 length is 10oz.

My top quilt for mild three season weather is 20oz.

My under quilt for serious three seasons is another 18oz.

I'm good down to 0 degrees by adding another pound for a different set of quilts.
 
OwenM said:
I like that those Stratospires have a squared off floorspace. The Notch being tapered really doesn't bother me much, though, since all I'm doing in it is sleeping. I used it with a short pad and my pack under my feet a few nights ago. There was room at the head end for the stuff from my pack(except the bag with my food), and at the foot for my shoes, but that's it. I really do like the packed size fitting in a side pocket on the pack, as I was used to that with my ID bivy, anyway. If it was pouring down rain, I could pack everything up while still inside the shelter, then roll it in its bag, or stuff it in the back pocket on my pack and go. With the bivy, it was either wait for the rain to stop, or get everything wet, unless I strung up the tarp/ground cloth I often carried with it. The Notch is over a pound lighter than that combo, too.
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Good to hear. Yeah, I'm getting a good idea of the room inside. I really think the different setup variations will be a big benefit, especially in the summer where you can setup just the mesh. We'll get a few trips with the StratoSpire, but I'm really considering the Notch for cold season backpacking when it's just my son and I (he has a decent little ALPS 1-man tent). The vestibules on the Notch look pretty large; another nice feature. Our StratoSpire 2 should be here tomorrow!

ROCK6
 
I hope you like that SS2 Rock. Although I've only used my SS1 3 times, I love it. The duel side entry ways proved really useful on a trip this year when I had to set up inside an existing tent area due to the fragile alpine vegatation. Since the SS1 had duel doors it didnt hamper my entry into the tent nor my view of the surrounding areas which otherwise would have been obstructed. The side reinforced corners really seem to bolster the wind resistance of the shelter too. I never got to test this out in anything more than 10-15 mile winds, but inside the tent was rock solid and calm. The other thing I love about the SS1 is what Owen stated- the ability to pack the inner netting before the rain fly without it getting wet or leaving it home to reduce weight. I actually started looking at the SS1 when Owen posted his Notch pictures.
 
milani74 said:
I hope you like that SS2 Rock. Although I've only used my SS1 3 times, I love it. The duel side entry ways proved really useful on a trip this year when I had to set up inside an existing tent area due to the fragile alpine vegatation. Since the SS1 had duel doors it didnt hamper my entry into the tent nor my view of the surrounding areas which otherwise would have been obstructed. The side reinforced corners really seem to bolster the wind resistance of the shelter too. I never got to test this out in anything more than 10-15 mile winds, but inside the tent was rock solid and calm. The other thing I love about the SS1 is what Owen stated- the ability to pack the inner netting before the rain fly without it getting wet or leaving it home to reduce weight. I actually started looking at the SS1 when Owen posted his Notch pictures.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the follow up Chief! The SS2 showed up today, but I got home way too late to put it up. It’s very light and really compact for a 2.5 person tent! If I can’t get it out on the trail, I’ll try it out over a weekend night here at the house. I’ll try and get some pictures of it put up…

ROCK6
 
my integral designs siltarp2 (8'x10') with pmi cordage and 8 exped aluminum v-stakes is 1.5 lbs total.

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Super light huh? 5x8' nylon tarp, using natural materials located on site for stakes or tie offs. Quickly sharpen some wooden stakes and am golden. Don't need no stink'n stakes!!! Raisetarp high for good weather, put it low for cold and have a warming fire if weather is miserable. Small foot print übber lightweight.
 
Hammock bliss hammock with bug net, 6' piece of reflectix insulation (for hammock liner) and a microfleece blanket about 3lbs.
Much more comfy in the 4000lb pop up camper with bathroom and king size bed with heated mattress.
 
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