Anyone know when it will be published?

Also whether it will include new entrants from Nemo like the Meta 1 and 2P, Andi, etc.

I would also be interested in knowing if and when another tent SOTMR is planned. I have never bought and used my own tent for camping and am completely new to shopping for a tent. I am hoping to buy a tent before the summer. I started researching tents today and found a link to Backpacking Light on ConsumerSearch.

It would be nice to know when the next SOTMR might be coming so I can decide whether I should wait for it or just buy based on the old recommendations if those models go on sale. Have there been any major improvements in tent design/manufacture since the last SOTMR? (I would also be interested in other members' recommendations for 3- to 5-person tents, or links to some good information!)

Thanks.

There was a group/family tent SOTMR in October...You'll have to buy a membership to view it...
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/family_tents_sotm_2011.html

There is a survey and tutorial on tunnel tents due .

I regret the delay, but a lightning strike (main HD) and aberrant Maxtor software (NAS backup) in August/October meant I had lost EVERYTHING from the last 20+ years. It was ... heartbreaking.

Eventually Data Recovery was able to peel everything off the Maxtor NAS drive despite it being 'deleted'. I got the data back from them on Xmas Eve - what a Xmas present! Took a while to tidy up the backup into the right layout, but that has largely been completed. So I now have a backlog of reviews to do.

Cheers

The one Roger mentioned above is the only thing "tent"-ish in the queue. I'm working on putting together another shelter SOTM but it's on 20-25 oz 'mids.

If there's enough interest in something more traditional, I'll see if I can pull enough together for another SOTM.

What would you want to see? 1p or 2p? Single or double wall? Traditional pole support or trekking pole support? Unfortunately, we can't do them all every year.

I think the most interesting would be 1 and/or 2 person trekking pole supported double wall (or tarp + bug tent) shelters. There seems to be lot of innovation going on there these days. This field is a lot more interesting that traditional poled tents, which haven't changed that much.

Shelters to include:

SMD Haven
TarpTent StratoSpire/Notch
Zpacks Hexamid with Inner
MLD Cricket with Inner
MLD DuoMid with Inner
HMG Echo
BearPaw?
Alpinlite?

Edited by dandydan on 01/20/2012 19:36:18 MST.

+1 on trekking pole supported 'tents' (a la Dan)

I'd add to Dan's list:

In the trekking-pole supported shelters department, I'd also add a few suggestions even though they aren't double walled:
MSR Twin Sisters
Seek Outside Breakaway Tarp (looks a bit like Alpinlite's Terraform -- is Gen still making those? That seemed like a great idea, but I've not seen any reports about it in use yet)
Nemo Meta 1/2p
HMG Traverse -- looks a bit like the MSR Twin Sisters, but made of Cuben
MSR Twing

I agree about the poled tents; most of the innovation in that area seems to be in materials rather than in design. There are a few new ones floating around, like the upcoming Direkt 2 and the new TNF Assault 2.

A report on pyramids would also be more interesting than a report on traditional poled tents, IMO... so I'm glad there's one in the works :)

I'll third Dan's mention, too.

For UL backpacking, for 3-season use most of us take either A) a tarp (straightforward enough), B) a mid (and there are a number of options, which all seem quite similar to me Chris, I'm interested to see your report), or C) A pole-supported (e.g. trekking poles, but dedicated poles for those who don't use walking sticks) LW single-double wall construction.

A SOTM report for tarps seems rather silly. But for what most of us do most of the time, knowledge of (B) and (C) would be much appreciated. I like hearing that (B) is in the works – now it's just a matter of looking into (C), which Dan brought up.

A SOTMR of trekking pole supported double wall shelter systems would be beneficial to me. This could include 'mids with inners and the newer tarptent style double wall models that can also be used as a standalone shaped tarp.

Hi everyone-

I'm in the process of trying to define what this should look like, and would love feedback. So far it's mostly been narrowed to "trekking pole supported and double-walled". The good and bad side of such a broad definition is a lot fits in there and we obviously can't review everything on the market. Things like the GoLite Shangri-la could fit in this category or could be defined as a 'mid. The HMG Echo system could also fit or be defined as a tarp + inner.

What I'm looking for is suggestions on narrowing it down some more. I'd stipulate that it must be a system (the inner is specifically designed for the outer) and it must offer full coverage. I'd appreciate any feedback on defining what you guys want to include in this and I'd like to keep it under say 10 total.

Thanks,
Chris

Edited by simplespirit on 02/14/2012 13:49:29 MST.

Here's a few thoughts:

1) Although there's some awesome 2 person trekking pole supported shelters out there, I'd focus on 1 person shelters because a trekking pole design often works better for one person than two (for headroom reasons mostly). There are 2 trekking pole shelters that work well, but a lot of designs work better for one so you're going to get a more interesting test group if you look at one person shelters.

2) Rather than religiously focus on double wall, hybrid or single wall, I'd focus on the spirit of of the design. Most (all?) trekking pole supported shelters can be easily classified by what they attempt to provide:
a ) Rain protection (tarps/shaped tarps)
b ) Rain and Bug Protection (tarps/shaped tarps with floors)
c ) Rain, Bug and Condensation Protection (double wall or hybrid shelters)

C is where most of the innovation has been happening in the recent years. Some of these designs are full double wall shelters (ie. TT Notch), some are mostly double-wall (HMG Echo) and others are more of a hybrid design (SMD Skyscape, Lightheart Solo) but they all have the same basic goal of providing full protection. If a hybrid shelter can accomplish this (ie. the single wall areas are spots you'd never contact) then good for that design.

3) Deciding whether to include a tarp + net tent is a tough area and discretion is going to be needed. At a minimum, they should be been designed to work together. I would also say the tarp should be more than just a standard tarp. At a bare minimum, it should have provision for a beak attachment like the Echo I. So I would leave something like the MLD Grace Solo + Serenity shelter out. It's pretty well established how a standard tarp + net tent is going to perform (Unless you want to include one as sort of a baseline).

Shelters that come to mind that I would include are:
1) TarpTent Notch and/or StratoSpire 1
2) HMG Echo I
3) SMD Skyscape (which version?)
4) Lightheart Solo
5) Zpacks Hexamid Tarp + Net Tent (solo or solo plus?)
6) MLD Patrol Shelter + Serenity Shelter Inner

Maybe's:
- MLD DuoMid + Inner (pretty well known entity)
- MLD Cricket + Solo Inner
- One of BearPaw's combo's.
- SMD Gatewood Cape + SMD Serenity Net Tent

Edited by dandydan on 02/14/2012 17:24:45 MST.

The suggested types/models Dan mentioned are what I would be interested in. Maybe options from both ends of the price spectrum rather than all uberexpensive cuben models. Remember that many of us like the features/comfort of these hybrid shelters rather than carrying traditional tents but don't really want or need to go SUL and uncomfortable either.

I would also be interested in some tunnel designs as they seem to provide some of the best performance for the least weight in nasty conditions (winter, light mountaineering, Alaska or Iceland in summer...).

Edited by radio_guy on 02/14/2012 18:05:56 MST.

> I would also be interested in some tunnel designs

Coming soon, I promise.

Cheers

the aarn pacer tent could fall into this category as well.

http://www.aarnpacks.com/products/pacer_tent_1.html

not ultralight, but it seems to shed wind and rain good and should be able to handle some snow.

+1 on Dan's list too. Though, I'm less interested in the MLD Patrol Shelter + Serenity Net Tent mostly because the Patrol Shelter is a beaked tarp, which to me feels less like a shaped tent outer along the lines of the rest of the list. I would definitely be interested in MLD Duomid/Solomid + Inner and the Cricket Tent, as they seem to fit the qualifications more closely.

Seriously, awesome idea.

+1 on adding the MLD Solomid to the tent list.

This is what I have on my list so far:

TarpTent Stratospire 1
HMG Echo 1 (if different from the 2010 review)
SMD Skyscape Trekker
LightHeart SoLong 6
Zpacks Hexamid 1+ and Hextent 1+
MLD Cricket Tent

Any interest in including the GoLite Shang 1 and insert? Nemo Meta 1? Anything else?

Edited by simplespirit on 02/16/2012 17:17:31 MST.

I would be interested in the golite shangri la 1

What's the thinking behind going with the StratoSpire over the Notch? Purely my subjective opinion, but the design/weight of the Notch seems more suited to solo hiking where with the StratoSpire, I tend to see the two-person as a better design and more acceptable with weight.

Oh, and I'd like to see the GoLite Shangri-la 1 too.

"Oh, and I'd like to see the GoLite Shangri-la 1 too."

I as well. I'd also like to add the Sierra Designs Origami and Mountain Guide tarps to the list, though the latter might be better suited to a more extreme category, and also the Nemo Pentalite and Transform. And the MSR Twin Sisters, and the MLD Circus Tent, if it's still in production. :)

Dan Said "Although there's some awesome 2 person trekking pole supported shelters out there, I'd focus on 1 person shelters because a trekking pole design often works better for one person than two (for headroom reasons mostly). There are 2 trekking pole shelters that work well, but a lot of designs work better for one so you're going to get a more interesting test group if you look at one person shelters."
For me, this seems like a very good reason to INCLUDE 2 person shelters, to see which ones do work. I would like to see the SL2 and Stratospire 2 included.

I know it doesn't fall within the trekking pole support tents. But when it's released I'd really like to see a good review on the Easton Kilo 1P tent. The weight, and more importantly pack size of this tent is intriguing to me.

We obviously can't include every possible shelter that sleeps 1 or 2 people in a single SOTM (ok, maybe we could but it'd take forever to get published and be a bear). I'm open to doing separate 1 person and 2 person SOTMs, if there's a real need. A lot of these newer shelters can sleep 1+ or come in both a 1p and 2p version where only the dimensions vary, so separate reviews probably doesn't make sense. You guys tell me what you want though.

These are definite:

Zpacks Hexatent 1+
LightHeart - Solong 6 or Solo (not 100% sure which yet)
HMG Echo - option here is the 1 or the 2 but apparently most people are buying the 2 for the minimal weight difference

Don't we already have an HMG Echo review? Would we do another, or would we just include the specs from that review?

We do. There are changes being made to the 1 (10-15% larger), but nothing has been done as of yet. I'm open to doing it either way. Doing an updated review would mostly just offer another perspective and be under different conditions.

Is there a particular number of shelters you'd like to keep it to?

I'm thinking 10 tops and even that would likely require splitting them up. It would also take a month or two to see all of the pieces published (based on current trends anyway).

Received my Kilo 1p last week and set it up inside to check it out. Looks really good. I am a small guy, (5'7") and 160 lbs, so the 1p is sufficient. If I were much bigger though it would probably be claustrophobic. Initially, there are two things I would change. #1, when I was in the Bridger in the Cirque of the Towers a couple years ago, there were bright colored tents everywhere. Some were day-glo neon and the whole area felt crowded. (last time I was there in 1974 we had the whole place to ourselves so I guess I'm spoiled). I wish the Kilo fly was a more muted green. #2, it seemed to need a guy out point just above my head and to the left as I was laying down. I am not sure how to add one though as it would need to penetrate the fly and attach to the mesh tent body. I am open to suggestions. I like the side entrance and the vestibule is larger than expected.

Any interest in the Sea to Summit Specialist?

The Specialist. Too short, and what's with a 37 inch wide double? Pass.

Kevin...Im thinking of getting this tent, but your comments about you being much bigger might make you feel claustrophobic has me worried. Was it the height or the width or maybe both that had you feeling this way.

Im 6'2 200lbs and from the demensions it looked like me and my pad would fit rather nicely, but maybe not. Do the head and foot ends have a good vertical slope to them. If you could take some pics and maybe do a little review that would be great to those of us considering this tent.

Thanks.

Edited by cfionthefly on 02/27/2012 07:01:45 MST.

I think it would be great if you included an MLD pyramid, such as the Duomid, and come cuben offering from Bear Paw, such as the Bear den w/ vestibule or the Luna.
-Conner

And........I was just going to say Bear Paw. I am always one person too late.

Here's what I have in hand or in route:

HMG Echo II (my personal shelter) - HMG hasn't made any changes to the I or II at this point, so I'm not inclined to do another review but I would definitely include the measurements for comparison and the original review could be linked to in the overall SOTMR page(s).

------------------------------

Zpacks Hexamid Solo-Plus tent - Joe indicated this was his most popular version of the Hexamid.

LightHeart SoLong 6 - This includes the awning and rear door options.

Both of these are light enough for 1 but can sleep a couple (two burly men would be interesting to say the least). Both also use poles in such a way that living space is not encroached upon.

Given these parameters, I'm inclined to adjust the criteria for this SOTMR to this:

Space for 1+
Trekking pole supported
Double-wall or hybrid single/double
Supports are not in the middle of the sheltered space
Light enough for solo use

That would changes things a bit but keep the scope more defined.

With that in mind, I'd like to list off shelters that fit.

GoLite Shangri-La 1 tent - 23 sq ft @ 36 oz (not really big enough for two but spacious for one)

GoLite Shangri-La 2 tent - 45 sq ft @ 50 oz (spacious for even two men, but maybe too heavy for solo use)

MLD DuoMid + net - 29 oz with duo net or 24.5 oz with solo net (assuming pole outside the net if solo and inverted V using two poles if duo)

TarpTent StratoSpire 1 - 19 sq ft @ 33 oz (same as the Shangri-La 1)

TarpTent StratoSpire 2 - 31 sq ft @ 40 oz (not much heavier than the 1 and enough space for two)

SMD SkyScape Trekker - 23 sq ft @ 24 oz (probably a bit tight for two but cavernous for one)

Nemo Meta 1 - 26 sq ft @ 31 oz (cozy for two but cavernous for one)

Nemo Meta 2 - 36 sq ft @ 47 oz (spacious for two but maybe too heavy for solo)

Bear Paw - too many options to list

What else am I missing? Thoughts on these?

Edited by simplespirit on 02/29/2012 13:49:43 MST.

Chris - the Tarptent Notch?

My thought is that at 15 sq ft the Notch is small, even for one, and doesn't really fit with the others listed. Maybe it deserves its own review?

Edited by simplespirit on 02/29/2012 13:58:18 MST.

Well I have one and it feels much more spacious than 15sq feet. I think it may have to do with the ends of the inner. The footprint is almost a modified diamond shape and feels roomy. At 6'1" I don't touch the ends or the sides.

A review would be nice all the same.

Are you volunteering? :-)

Sure - but the next field test won't happen until the third week in May when the next 5 day trip is planned. The wet and wild West Coast Trail. A good test for all things 'waterproof.'

it is more like a 3 - 4 season tent and not ultralight.

but the aarn pacer tents could be interesting too.

the 1 person version weighs 2.8 pounds though.


http://www.aarnpacks.com/products/pacer_tent_1.html

some people in NZ and Tasmania like it for inclement conditions.

Chris, I think you've got an excellent list there. I'm with David, I'd love to see the Notch included, but I understand why it's outside of your criteria. It would be nice if there's another review, especially testing how it carries over to shoulder season (I'd do it if I had one, but that's outside the budget).

I'm also noticing that many of these are potentially good for four seasons. Are there any plans to incorporate that into the SOTMR? For me, any shelter I own has to stand up to at least light to moderate snow loading or it'll only be good for July and August.

In regards to 4-season use, I'd say it depends. Unless something changes here, winter appears to be gone for the most part so testing for snow would push things out way too far. We could definitely note winter-worthy features though like wall slopes, extra guy lines, etc.

Oh, and I talked to GoLite today about their Shangri-La 1 tent, and apparently 4 of the ounces that they list is just for stakes (6 of them). I would assume that's true of Shangri-La 2 as well. That makes them that much more appealing.

I noticed that on their site as well. A good point since most (if not all) of the other weights are without stakes.

You mean you can't set up all the tents in your backyard and then borrow one of those fancy snow-making machines to test it out?

Haha. We do have some ski spots I might could play with them at. I'll see what I can do. No promises of course. :-)

I'm pretty sure Henry includes stakes in his weights as well, but he also uses lighter stakes. Both versions of the StratoSpire take 6 stakes, and for the 6" Easton stakes that he ships, that drops just over 2 ounces from each shelter there as well.

Let's try to narrow it down some between the 1P and 2P versions.

On the duomid, I think it makes sense to use the 2P inner since it adds very minimal weight.

The easy solution for narrowing things down is to add a weight restriction.

2.5 lbs?

Edited by simplespirit on 02/29/2012 15:08:39 MST.

I'm inclined to adjust the criteria for this SOTMR to this:

Space for 1+
Trekking pole supported
Double-wall or hybrid single/double
Supports are not in the middle of the sheltered space
Light enough for solo use"

I think your criteria is excellent. No suggestions for improvement from me.

The Sea to Summit Specialist looks like a good shelter to include IMO. The 37" wide Duo version looks like a joke, but the 27" wide solo shelter at 15.6oz sounds like a nice competitor to the LG Solong and the SMD Skyscape. I'd include it if you can. The SOTMR would be stronger for it.

Let's try to narrow it down some between the 1P and 2P versions."
I'd say go with whatever is likely to be the most popular option/version and fits your above criteria. Then just quickly mention the other options in the review and/or just include them in the comparison table but don't do detailed reviews. In general, I think 1 person or 1+ person is going to be more interesting due to a wider range of designs that aren't always available in 2P (ie. SMD Skyscape) and even when they are (ie. HMG Echo II), they're really more suited for 1+ person use because of a lack of headroom.

Edited by dandydan on 02/29/2012 15:18:20 MST.

Looking at 1+ shelters to me means tents good for one person but enough room for two people if you're either very close to one another or encounter unexpected weather. Since a lot of people on here hike with their spouses but may not want two shelters (or their spouses don't want them to have two shelters), this 1+ designation seems like a strong criteria.

With that logic then, you probably wouldn't want to include anything that one person shouldn't carry. Being generous then, that would imply a limit of around 36-40 ounces. How is that for a cut off?

Edited by GlacierRambler on 02/29/2012 15:14:25 MST.

Right in line with my thinking. This gives me a much more defined list to work from and start trying to obtain.

"Looking at 1+ shelters to me means tents good for one person but enough room for two people if you're either very close to one another or encounter unexpected weather."

Makes sense. But something like the Notch is a bit of an anomaly. The shelter has two vestibules and the inner can be unclipped. With the inner out of the way, you could probably squeeze in 3 in an emergency. But then that means no dedicated floor and / or bug protection.

So that gets you down to these:

Zpacks Hexamid Solo-Plus - 9.3 oz
LightHeart SoLong 6 - 30 sq ft @ 27 oz
GoLite Shangri-La 1 - 23 sq ft @ 32 oz
MLD DuoMid + net - 29 oz with duo net or 24.5 oz with solo net
TarpTent StratoSpire 1 - 19 sq ft @ 31 oz
TarpTent StratoSpire 2 - 31 sq ft @ 38 oz
SMD SkyScape Trekker - 23 sq ft @ 24 oz
Nemo Meta 1 - 26 sq ft @ 31 oz

This seems like a strong list. I'd really enjoy reading up on that. Thanks Chris.

Regarding a weight cap, I think 36oz is a good cap for 1 and 1+ person shelters.

"Since a lot of people on here hike with their spouses but may not want two shelters (or their spouses don't want them to have two shelters), this 1+ designation seems like a strong criteria."

This is semantics, but I think the appeal of a 1+ person shelter is that a hiker can enjoy a generous amount of space for just a tiny weight penalty over a 1P shelter, thus increasing comfort on the trail. Most people who've tried to use a 1+ person shelter with their wife can probably tell you that it doesn't work out so well if you're trying to get her to enjoy camping.

Edited by dandydan on 02/29/2012 15:28:22 MST.

I'd be interested to see if the extra few ounces of the SS2 is worth the weight penalty. But that might be outside the purview of this report since it seems unlikely that someone would use it for a solo shelter with the SS1 being so large already.

I sorta view the SS1 as a 1+ person version of the Notch.

"This is semantics, but I think the appeal of a 1+ person shelter is that a hiker can enjoy a generous amount of space for just a tiny weight penalty over a 1P shelter, thus increasing comfort on the trail. Most people who've tried to use a 1+ person shelter with their wife can probably tell you that it doesn't work out so well if you're trying to get her to enjoy camping.

Good point about the extra space for minimal weight.

As for spouses, that's how we do it, and it works well for us. Of course, my wife is pretty small, and she prefers the warmth of being so close. (Actually, I'm the one who'd rather have a proper two-person shelter for convenience sake.) Either way, 1+ is a good category.