High Sierra Topix

Daisy wrote:

One thing that is seldom discussed is the water retention of different tent fabrics. Evidently Cuben does not retain moisture so even if packed wet, just wipe it off and it weighs nearly the same as a dry tent. Whereas, SilNylon , especially as it ages, can absorb moisture into the fabric, so even if you wipe it off, if you have to carry a wet tent, there is a significant added weight, in addition to the fact that a wet soggy tent cannot be packed inside the pack.

Daisy,

Seems to me that short of air drying that whatever you use to wipe your tent will retain some water even after wringing it out so adding weight will be inevitable. Of course the small towels I carry dry out pretty quickly (unless the rain continues) when tied to the outside of my pack.

Also despite experiencing 2 20 hour deluges last summer my Big Sky evolution did not mist on me, though neither event involved significant wind which, I suppose, could change the game.

Mike

The REI Dash?
https://www.rei.com/product/862419/rei-dash-2-tent

Phillip did a very thorough review:
http://sectionhiker.com/rei-dash-2-ultr ... nt-review/

I went to REI yesterday and set up the Big Agnes Copper Spur 1. I know this is probably just me, but I really did not like it! It looked SO good in the photos, but not only had trouble setting it up (cross bar too tight and the hub pole system seems like a big puzzle that would drive me crazy at the end of a long day or if I had to set up in the dark), the stretchy cord inside the poles had many flaws, the zipper stuck and was difficult to work, and most of all, OMG, it felt like it was made of paper! I really wanted to like this tent!

I am back to looking at TarpTent. The new Moment DW or Notch. Having lived in the old Moment for years, at least I know what I am getting and the new design seems to have fixed a lot of the problems. The Notch also looks good, now that I know you can buy optional poles if you do not want to use your trekking poles. Both are double walled. Does anyone here have experience with the Notch? The only complaint I have come across is that floor space is smaller than the Moment. Since the Moment is actually too big for me, I think that a smaller tent actually is better for me.

Still looking at the MSR Hubba NX. Unfortunately my local REI does not have one in the store. I may have to wait until the sale (20% off for members) to buy one to try.

Other option, is to seal the floor of my old tent (both sides) and limp through another backpack season and see what next year brings.

I really like my TarpTent ProTrail! It sets up super quick with trekking poles, is roomy for this six footer and held up solid during rain in Deso and Hoover. It is front entry as opposed to side, but I didn't have a problem with that. And only 26 ounces....

Other option, is to seal the floor of my old tent (both sides) and limp through another backpack season and see what next year brings.

I see you in your Moment Daisy until it falls apart, which may not be for a couple of years.

Wandering Daisy wrote:
The Notch also looks good, now that I know you can buy optional poles if you do not want to use your trekking poles.

The optional poles are nowhere near as sturdy as trekking poles. Yes they'll work, but I would not want to rely on them in anything beyond a breeze. They'll actually flex just from tightening stake & guy points. Furthermore, without the option to adjust the height of the poles like you would with adjustable trekking poles, setting up on uneven & soft ground, holes, etc. will be difficult to get a nice taut pitch.

Wandering Daisy wrote:I am back to looking at TarpTent. The new Moment DW or Notch.

I have the original single-wall Moment and later I bought Notch. I like the Notch. It is lighter (no pole), flexible, because it has separate mesh and fly, and it has wide entrances on both sides. It is easier to shake the fly dry after detaching the mesh/floor. Also, one can set up the fly higher or lower trading off ventilation for wind protection.

Sometimes, when there are no bugs, I set the fly with no mesh, and use the mesh/floor as a ground sheet under my inflatable pad to protect it. Sometimes I set the fly with both vestibules wide open, and only the roof "stripe" overhead - sleeping almost under the stars. If the wind picks up, I simply close some of the four halves of the vestibules (no need to close them all) at night, without fully getting out of the sleeping bag. Only one half of the vestibule wall has the guy line, but I attached lines to the other halves.

Once I set up camp on top of McGee pass (got there after sunset). There was seemingly no room for the tent, so I set up the ground sheet near a rock to shield from any wind, and used the fly as a cover or a bivvy. Then I propped one side up with a pole, then another, then I found that, after clearing a few rocks, I was able to erect the fly around the sleeping spot - I had the full tent set up.

A down side is that it takes a little longer to set up. A bigger down side is that it is harder to adjust the position of the tent, because there are more stakes to move and the vestibule stakes have to be more precisely positioned than the remaining stakes (although it is not as bad as for TarpTent StratoSpire 2, that I also have for family trips), which sometimes is a trouble due to rocks that have to be avoided. By the way, with both Notch and StratoSpire I always use the apex pull-outs, because they allow me to open both halves of the vestibules and they increase stability. If the sleeping spot is very small, that I can't shift up/down/left/right, I set up the floor, mark the corners, then carefully set up the fly over the floor making sure that it lines up correctly.

The trekking poles are easy to remove if you want to hike and leave the tent behind. You can easily tighten the apex pull-outs after the tent does down to keep it taunt, if you want.

Click to enlarge photos.

Wide open, floor/mesh used as ground sheet: On top of McGee Pass. Note that there was no room for one vestibule next to the rock - I set it up "squished" (and closed, to protect from the wind). You can see my short (head to hip length) inflatable pad, supplemented by a short foam pad - soft, but if inflatable fails I have at least some foam pad (although too short by itself), and I can use the foam pad for sitting on rocks, etc.

I've had my BA fly creek 2 is some fierce cold rain and hail and it always stay dry. I had a zipper problem and sent it back to BA and they sent me a whole new tent! They kinda made a friend for life out of me.


Wanderng Jack

Conclusion to the quest!

You will not believe this, but a gear junkie on another backpack forum is giving me a BA Copper Spur 1 that he bought a few years back but does not use, because for him, it is too heavy. He also bought the Fly Creek UL the same time, and prefers the Fly Creek. Well, I could hardly say no. It is worth a try to see if it works for me. His only requirement was that if it does not work for me, I "give it forward" to some deserving person. After using it this summer, I will give a complete review!

Wandering Daisy wrote:Conclusion to the quest!

You will not believe this, but a gear junkie on another backpack forum is giving me a BA Copper Spur 1 that he bought a few years back but does not use, because for him, it is too heavy. He also bought the Fly Creek UL the same time, and prefers the Fly Creek. Well, I could hardly say no. It is worth a try to see if it works for me. His only requirement was that if it does not work for me, I "give it forward" to some deserving person. After using it this summer, I will give a complete review!

Wow, what a deal!