This just arrived recently and I haven't had the chance to use it yet nor even set it up other than when these photos were taken. The dimensions are similar to a Duo Mid. It is a Tim Marshall product. I will report back with more details as soon as I have more time with it. Tim says it weighs 15.X ozs.

I-WANT-ONE

or at least the pattern..

Edited by MAYNARD76 on 03/04/2009 21:47:30 MST.

And to think... I coulda had a Sublite.

Denis, I ordered this for winter use with nasty weather and minimum daylight hours in mind. Also for double occupancy on the very rare occasions when my wife hikes with me or when one of my children go along. The Hex is the inspiration with the main consideration being to get in out of the weather, sit up in my Sling Light and otherwise avoid the prone position at least until 8:00 or 8:30. The Sublite remains my go-to tent.

That's alright John. I understand. Man doth not live for one tent alone.

Give us a photo of you sitting inside in your SlingLight

Edited by redleader on 03/04/2009 22:53:02 MST.

Well said, Denis. :)

For use in nasty weather -

How waterproof is Tyvek? I have two Tyvek ground sheets I have washed a couple of times. When I take them out of the washer, they feel like they have not absorbed water. Could we assume Tyvek would shed water as well a silnylon?

Breathability? Will it breath at all during sustained rain? If so, would it make enough difference to be a significant substitution for silnylon?

Durability? To me, nasty weather includes wind. Will the guline attachments stay secue in sustain winds of lets say 10-20 mph, and gusts up to 40 mph? The point being, would silnylon be a better choise for wind?

The OP said it weighs 15 oz and is similar in dimensions to a Duo Mid. A silnlyon Duo Mid weighs 15 oz. So other than cost, what is the advantage of this shelter?

Tim or John, what kind of Tyvek did you use? How did you seal/reinforce the seams? I have drawn up several different "tarp/tent" patterns in AutoCAD and am planning on making something similar to what you have here. I like it!!

Tim, since you are in the same metro area as I, maybe we can get together for coffee sometime and I can pick your brain a bit.

Jeremy,

Read this BPL review: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/tarptent_sublite_review.html

And, here's John's review: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=16926

Nick,

Waterproof/ water resistant: For the areas that I hike, Sierras and Southwest (Arizona), Tyvek is ideal. Testing the Tarptent Tyvek tents for a year has provided confidence that this material is the best available for now, for me personally. It has also withstood without any anxiety, just about as vicious a wind I have ever experienced.

Condensation: This factor more than any other, perhaps, has been the paramount issue in my quest for a satisfactory shelter. I have never experienced condensation with Tyvek in my 18 months of usage. I have used other pyramid tents made of silnylon with mixed results. The Hex is one of my favorite tents and although condensation occurs occasionally, it has never been so serious that it has rained condensation. The only drawback to the Hex is that it is a tad bit heavy for solo use. On the other hand, a smaller mid made of silnylon generated so much condensation I may been just as well off sleeping outside. So size may have something to do with it. The Sublite, though is a solo shelter and has never generated condensation in my experience with it. Refer to the links in Denis’s message above for more reporting on the Sublite Tyvek.

So, this tent is the result of desiring a light weight smaller mid for nasty weather that will give me the shelter for the areas I hike without the risk of condensation. The material does have limitations. It is not recommended areas that frequently experience prolonged rain.

Jeremy,

The material is 1443 Tyvek.

To those interested,

Tim Marshall has done a pretty neat job on this tent and has put in some nice features. I will report back on these details as soon as I get a chance to put it to use.

Edited by johnk on 03/05/2009 20:38:02 MST.

Jeremy,

Like John said i used 1443r tyvek. I used flat felled seams and John is sealing them, not sure what he is using. However you can use a variety of tapes on tyvek.

John has used Tyvek for over a year now with great result, but for me i am deadly afraid of failure with this material. I took a small piece and pulled on it with medium force and it pulled apart in slices, like 2 tectonic plates separating. When i pull on silnylon 1.1 with all my strength not much happens, maybe a little deformation, but certainly no rips or failures.

I live a lot closer to LaCrosse WI than to the twin cities. If you're within an hr of there i'd be down for some coffee.

I am near 3hrs for the cities(per my wife as i am new to the area and she grew up here).

Also to be clear, I am not making this mid for mass sale. I don't like to copy designs from other companies. I have changed the designs of my quilts because in some areas i was too close to MLD. I made this for John because it is in a material that MLD doesn't use. I don't want to be know as the knock off guy and don't want to take any business from MLD or any other company, at least not by just copying their designs. I wouldn't mid my own small slice of the market as far as custom work goes, but i don't want to be the goto guy for china style design theft.

That said i am the goto guy to get your custom designs made at a reasonable price.

-Tim

Edited by MarshLaw303 on 03/06/2009 18:39:38 MST.

John,

Any more news on this? Get it outside yet?

-Tim

Tim,

I hope to take it out this weekend. I will be testing it with a new tyvek bivy. Will update you as soon as possible.

You can't zip your sleeping bags together or cuddle in it, though.

With two sets of hiking poles you can. Link them and set both as an "A-Frame".

Jim,
Did you mean a "set of poles" ?

Or is one pole not long enough to span the distance, hence the need to double up?

Actually Diane, if you lenghten the pole and offset it to the side there is plenty of room for two to cuddle. This has worked well in the Hex and I see no reason for it not to be an option with this smaller mid.

To open up the whole interior it would probably require four poles because I doubt that one pole would reach from edge to peak.

Moving a single pole off-center only works so far. Eventually the strain would become rather high and either the stakes pull out, peak tear out, or pole collapses. Obviously a single pole at the very edge of the pyramid would not hold it up unless you had a guy on that side.

Edited by jimqpublic on 03/16/2009 11:22:10 MDT.

John,

You've had a little time with this now. How is it working out? Any trip reports to speak of?

-Tim

Have you had it out on a trip yet. And how did it work with the Bivy.

Tim, can you tell me whether the Tyvek 1443 is house wrap?

it's not house wrap, it's the soft structure all white stuff you can get from quest. i got it from a kite site, but it's the same as what quest has.

-Tim

Tim and Rod,

I am scrambling right now to get the rest of my gear together and a resupply box in the mail. I am leaving in the morning to drive up to Lone Pine to start hiking the JMT. I will be back in town around the 18th. Thanks for the inquiry. Will get back to you as soon as I can.

How did it work out?