Hey all,

I finished writing up a new article and spreadsheet last night that compares some of the lightest of the lightest enclosed shelters on the market as of this time.

The premise of what I was after was to find complete setups that are not over 20 ounces (567 grams) total shelter weight.

The spreadsheet itself is not a complete list but it would be really complicated (and time consuming) to make it a complete list. I try to highlight those companies that are at the top of the list of what we usually read about here at BPL, such as ZPacks, Mountain Laurel Designs, Six Moon Designs, Gossamer Gear and such. Actually Gossamer Gear only makes it into the list via their Bug Canopy which I am not even really sure should be on the list as it is not a fully enclosed bug shelter. TarpTent and Terra Nova are no where on the list because they do not have sub 567 gram total weight shelters.

Anyway the article is here:

http://hikelighter.com/2011/12/29/sulxul-enclosed-shelter-comparisons/

I would really like to hear some feedback on other options that I should consider to put onto the spreadsheet. I know there are small cottage companies out there making SUL/XUL shelters but its hard to keep a running list of those that are in the sub 567 gram range - so please do let me know of any that you might know of that are not listed!! It is my intent to keep the spreadsheet updated for a rather long time because I do not know of anything else out there that comes close to what it offers.

I believe the correct number of stakes is 8 for the Hexamid Solo w/o beak, and 9 stakes for the Hexamid Solo with beak.

Nice Job. I really like the Skyscape X. If I didn't already have a great shelter I'd be drooling over that, although the 0.74oz cuben floor (CT2K.08) might be a deal killer for me. The pin holes are going to make that material far from waterproof after a few dozen nights on the trail. I much prefer 1.2 or 1.5oz cuben.

Right now I'm quite happy with my 24.4oz (total weight inc. everything) HMG Echo I. I could get it to 20oz by leaving the beak at home and using 6g stakes instead of 8g. The nice thing with the Echo I is that when bugs are less of a concern I can leave the heavy inner (11oz) at home and use it as a full coverage tarp.

I believe the correct number of stakes is 8 for the Hexamid Solo w/o beak, and 9 stakes for the Hexamid Solo with beak.

@Dan: Nice Job. I really like the Skyscape X. If I didn't already have a great shelter I'd be drooling over that, although the 0.74oz cuben floor (CT2K.08) might be a deal killer for me. The pin holes are going to make that material far from waterproof after a few dozen nights on the trail. I much prefer 1.2 or 1.5oz cuben.

Right now I'm quite happy with my 24.4oz (total weight inc. everything) HMG Echo I. I could get it to 20oz by leaving the beak at home and using 6g stakes instead of 8g. The nice thing with the Echo I is that when bugs are less of a concern I can leave the heavy inner (11oz) at home and use it as a full coverage tarp.

Edited by JohnAbela on 12/29/2011 21:52:06 MST.

"I do not want you to think I am challenging what you said but 31 straight days of being setup is well beyond what any hiker would encounter and they have more then proven themselves."

For how many of those 31 days was there somebody sleeping in there, and rolling around pounding the floor into the dirt, gravel, and sticks underneath?

--B.G.--

You can punch a hole in any floor material if you're not careful. Most UL/SUL hikers are (must be) by definition super-careful because they know their lighter gear lacks the durability and/or abrasion-resistence of the "heavy" stuff.

That said, I think most of us also carry a groundsheet of some sort for cowboy camping when the shelter is not needed for either weather or bugs. That ground sheet would naturally go under the shelter, providing more protection for the floor.

Bottom line: The 0.74 Cuben floor of the Skyscape X should be fine.......unless you're careless.

For how many of those 31 days was there somebody sleeping in there, and rolling around pounding the floor into the dirt, gravel, and sticks underneath?

Edited by JohnAbela on 12/29/2011 22:08:45 MST.

It sounds like it was just a paperwork lab test if there were no people actually sleeping in there. Where is the documentation?

I'll be sure and buy one of those shelters if I just want to have it and not sleep in it.

--B.G.--

I do agree that 0.74oz cuben can be successfully used as a floor when taken very well care of. I do think it needs very good care though, and not just the good care that more UL'ers try to practice.

When I say I'd prefer a 1.2oz cuben floor, I'm mostly speaking from my experience with 0.74oz cuben stuff sacks. Absolutely the stuff is entirely waterproof when it's undamaged and can handle 31 days of rain. My concerns lie with the abrasion and poking damage that might be incurred when used over the long term as a tent floor.

When I choose a tent site, I spend 1-2 minutes picking it free of obvious pinecones, sticks and rocks, but I don't get every little bit off so there's always a chance of a small sharp rock or a pokey stick. Based on my experience with using 0.74oz cuben over the long term in a stuff sack application, I think opting for 1.2oz cuben for the floor would be weight well spent.

I never thought my 0.74oz cuben stuff sacks would see too much wear from just setting them around camp etc, but after 1 year of regular use they had numerous pinholes so weren't nearly waterproof anymore, and after 2 years of use there were real holes developing to the point that I began to be concerned I'd lose small items out of the sack. Last night I replaced my main ditties sack with a new one made of 1.2oz cuben. The former sack was 0.74oz cuben and bonded using 3M tape. Despite using tougher cuben, the new sack weighs less (5.0g vs. 6.7g) because I sewed it instead of using adhesive tape.

Anyways, I think my stuff sacks have seen a lot of high wear since I've never really been too concerned with taking care of them like I do some of my more valuable gear. I know this is the SUL forum and we're focused on SUL shelters, but I think an extra 1oz for a tough floor is weight pretty well spent. A typical solo shelter might have a floor area around 2 square yards (ie. 30" x 84"), so the extra weight of using 1.2oz cuben would be 2 x (1.2-0.74), which is 0.92oz. You could easily save that back using 0.51oz cuben instead of 0.74oz cuben for the canopy. I'd much prefer a 0.51oz canopy & 1.2oz floor, over an all 0.74oz shelter.

Photo of my 0.74oz stuff sack bottom after 2 years of use. Duct tape is covering the largest hole:

Edited by dandydan on 12/29/2011 22:37:20 MST.

I'll be sure and buy one of those shelters if I just want to have it and not sleep in it.

Photo of my 0.74oz stuff sack bottom after 2 years of use. Duct tape is covering the largest hole

Thanks for posting your article John. I appreciate the details and the spread sheet makes it easy to compare the bottom line on many different shelter options, including the ground sheet, guylines & stuff sack(s).

Would using a medium GG polycryo ground cloth save just over 1/2 oz?

I realize it was probably necessary to include the stuff sacks for comparison, but after the 5th night on a long thru hike this summer I just stopped using my 'stake sack' and didn't bother bringing a shelter stuff sack.

This may sound overly gram focused, but this is for SUL/XUL.

Thanks again John. Awesome article!

@Andy:
Would using a medium GG polycryo ground cloth save just over 1/2 oz?

I realize it was probably necessary to include the stuff sacks for comparison, but after the 5th night on a long thru hike this summer I just stopped using my 'stake sack' and didn't bother bringing a shelter stuff sack.

This may sound overly gram focused, but this is for SUL/XUL.

@Andy: Thanks for posting your article John. I appreciate the details and the spread sheet makes it easy to compare the bottom line on many different shelter options, including the ground sheet, guylines & stuff sack(s). Thanks again John. Awesome article!

Are actually going to be reviewing these shelters in the field or is this more a cost/ benefit comparison?

Are actually going to be reviewing these shelters in the field or is this more a cost/ benefit comparison?

Thanks - I am going to look at the links.

Keep up the great work for us..; )

Excellent article. Your work will be time (and $ saver) for me. May I suggest you "keep up the good work" and update your findings as you see fit? Thanks!

@Todd: Excellent article. Your work will be time (and $ saver) for me. May I suggest you "keep up the good work" and update your findings as you see fit? Thanks!

"...with a bit of improvisation...it is possible to get this setup under the 20 gram mark"

Impressive.