Hi all,

I am not very familiar with these kind of tents (Duomids, other "non-free standing" tents etc). I am, however, very interested in purchasing a MLD Duomid. I live and mostly hike in the BC Coastal Range mountains. Many times, I camp up in the alpine where staking such a tent might be an issue on rocky terrain. I was wondering if this would be an issue with these kinds of tents?

Thanks,

I use my duomid in alpine areas all the time. I can always find anough dirt to fit the stakes in, and if they don't go in real far, I just plop a big rock on top to hold the stake down.

Here is a link to a picture of my duomid pitched 75 yards below the Dinwoody glacier, Wind River Range, WY

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.610398295290.2088845.52901914&l=6f9a7cbc8e&type=1#!/photo.php?fbid=610400580710&set=a.610398295290.2088845.52901914&type=1&l=6f9a7cbc8e&theater

Any non-freestanding tent 'can' be problematic to setup on rocky terrain. There are a few ways to deal with it though and people do it all the time.

If the ground is a mixture of soil and rock, stakes with a long length or large surface area (such as the longer Eastons or MSR Groundhogs) tend to drive well through rocks and will hold their integrity. If you can get them through the rocks. As suggested above, if you can get the stake (any stake) into the ground a bit, rocks on top help quite a bit to keep it in place.

Alternatively, a Dead Man anchor setup can be used. Simply place the stake or a suitable downed stick or tree branch through the shelter's stake loop and weigh down the stake or stick with rocks. Stuff sacks that have been weighted sufficiently can also work, etc...

Edited by AaronMB on 09/06/2011 13:15:39 MDT.

Re: "Any non-freestanding tent 'can' be problematic to setup on rocky terrain"

Actually it shouldn't make much difference if a tent is freestanding or not, both require the same methods of attachment.

I have pitched pyramid, flat tarps and even freestanding tents on top of solid rock slabs using many of the various methods of attachment that are common. Usually a combination of stakes in cracks and sticks or stones weighted down with boulders.

Thanks for the information, all!. This helps a lot!


PS, Nice pic, Gabe.

Edited by stormwolf on 09/06/2011 13:34:24 MDT.

""Actually it shouldn't make much difference if a tent is freestanding or not, both require the same methods of attachment.""

The very definition of a freestanding shelter suggests that it doesn't inherently need stakes in the ground to maintain its structure. It can be staked down if the user wishes, to maximize floor space, perhaps, or better handle adverse weather, but it isn't a necessity as it is with a non-freestanding setup.

Edited by AaronMB on 09/06/2011 13:55:45 MDT.

Although if your fly is touching the wall of your tent which occurs with many tents when the fly is not staked out, it will likely wet through. So i think at a minimum you could get by with two stakes for most freestanding tents.

Re: "It can be staked down if the user wishes"

, but I would never recommend it not be attached and would never think of doing such a thing myself, except for playing around in the back yard.

I have witnessed the disasters that have occurred when people did not fasten their tents on nice calm days.

If you haven't seen these clips, watch them to learn the value of staking down even "free-standing" tents in a breeze!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4eFZ09Um2g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCcWOWYVsyE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCjlQHS2M2I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LOEramdXW8&feature=related

James, Stephen, and Steven - your points are well received and I agree. I worded my response the way I did in attempt to help the OP with his original inquiry about staking non-freestanding tents in rocky areas...which will be staked, somehow, regardless.

Worry not. Had the post's actual inquiry been: "Should I bother staking down a freestanding tent?" I would have answered "Yes."

Edited by AaronMB on 09/06/2011 16:27:02 MDT.

Vaibhav - You will indeed have to stake the Duomid - but as mentioned above, you'd be a fool NOT to stake down any tent, unless you were in the most sheltered of locations. If you're willing to put good sized rocks on top of the stakes or use other creative solutions, you'll have no troubles. The Duomid is up to the challenge of wind and storm!

Arron - I was just responding to Steven's witnessing of tent disasters for lack of staking, giving others a chance to see how unstaked free-standing tents can fly while holding their structure!

I think we can all agree that any shelter - freestanding or not - should be staked down. However, the benefit to a freestanding shelter on rocky soil is that it does not depend on the stakes to keep it up. I have a DuoMid but it would NOT be my first choice on hardpacked soil or rock.

I agree with David in the way that mids require good strong solid tie points. The corners tend to take a lot more of the brunt of wind than on freestanding domes.

The big problem with pyramid/tipi shelters and wind is that the tie out points are more critical.

A mid that is solidly anchored will do equal or better than most shelters in wind, but if they are not solidly anchored, they can fail.

I have been exposed to tropical storms on exposed Atlantic ridges in mids and have had good results, with a good nights sleep, while tent poles were breaking and walls were flapping noisily away on other shelters.
If I had not piled rocks on my stake-out points, I would have been miserable.