I just got a Golite Shangri-la 3. Does anyone have any tips on getting the stake spacing right? I set it up tonight, but it felt a bit like highshool geometry.

Also I'd be curious what people do when you cant get a stake in the ground due to a large rock or something underground. I'm used to free-standing shelters where this isn't as critical. With this shelter it seems important to stake it down at all 6 spots.

I try to do 2 on one side, then 2 on the other, then the door and the back. If you hit a rock, spin the tent, or try to angle the stake around it. Or live with a less than perfect pitch.

Using the pole to measure out the stacking points is useful too, see this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d98heYvoXBg

Here are a few approaches:

Position the stakes using the center pole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebnQbeWmv0U

Make a template and staking cord:
http://colorablelife.blogspot.com/2009/06/golite-hex-shangri-la-speed-setup.html

Make it like a Duomid with 4 corners:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=40671

Unless you need to fit three people in there, the last option is probably best for the sake of pitching simplicity.

Thanks for the replies. I tried the pole method that the guy on Youtube used the first time I tried setting it up. But I must have had the pole extended too far and ended up with pegs too far apart to work. I figure there must be some ideal length. I'll have to do more experimenting.

The duo setup is cool. Our initial reason for this tent is to use it for family BPing so we will want the spacemost of the time. I'll have to keep that in mind when leaving the kids behind.

The template idea is great. I thought a piece of string would work to the radius once we figure the magic length. But I hadn't come up with a way to get the angles right. A template is perfect.

If you are using the nest or ground-sheet, stake that first which gives you the shape, then just pitch the fly-sheet to the same points.

I assumed the guy in the video for the 'pole method' was setting the fly-sheet up on it's own. I don't know why he went through all that performance with the pole, when all he had to do was stake the nest out first and take it from there.

As Jim says. The groundsheet or nest is a ready made template.
I wouldn't stress too much about setting it up. After a few times it is pretty easy.
Before you pitch it, test the ground with a stake to make sure the ground will take them. It's annoying to lay everything out, then find there is only an inch of soil over bedrock.

With My Hex, I've tried the various 'geometric' pitching methods seen on youtube, and got just as good results doing it by eye alone. Sometimes need to repeg to even things up (50% ish!)

If a problem patch, can use guys to peg around - as in my photo - the ground was rocky and dropped away.....

Edited by MoleJ on 12/31/2011 12:53:34 MST.