My wife and I are going to the Canadian Rockies for 2+ weeks of hiking and backpacking, early this summer.

I have a Hilleberg Nallo 3 that I may take but would rather not if I can find something cool for the two of us, that would be...

1) Roomy. A true two person tent/shelter for two people and gear. One that we could both sit up in and move around a bit. I'm 5'11" and she is shorter, both on the slender side.
2) No heavier than 4.5 pounds complete with bug protection.
3) Is actually available for purchase, in time for us to get it dialed in. That rules out MLD mids.
4) Storm worthy is where it's at. Not so concerned with snow loading but we do live at 7000 ft in Colorado and get out early in the season. It's mainly the thunderstorms and gust fronts that I'm concerned with. We'll carry a little extra weight to know that the our shelter "has our backs".

The Golite Shangri-La 3 is available but it looks like it might be hard to find a place for pitching it in smaller camping situations. Is that true? Is it true enough to be a factor in the Rockies.

I'm considering the new Hilleberg Rogen if I could get one by the end of May. This doesn't seem 100% likely but I'm waiting to hear back from Petra. I'd certainly rather not spend that much but if the Rogen would work out, I'd likely sell our Hilleberg Staika.

Other possibilities?

Tarptent Scarp 2, and if you REALLY wanted a lot of room, the Hogback.

We've had a lot of trending toward very high wind gusts over the last couple of years in the Colorado high country.

Are there any accounts of high wind performance with the Scarp? Any videos?

I backpack in the Canadian Rockies. First - enjoy; glad to have visitors.

What route are you doing? I ask because many of the 'established' routes do get above treeline very quickly but the designated campsites in the Provincial Parks are all below treeline or nestled in amongst trees. Even at 8000ft. I use a tarp shelter almost exclusively in these areas and although I have used a an Akto, it was a bit overkill for the area.

The designated campsites are quite large. Big enough for two solo shelters so a larger mid type shelter would be just fine (i.e. the Golite SL3 you mentioned).

Otherwise the Scarp 2 is a great combination of light weight and storm worthiness.

I personally don't have any first hand accounts of the Scarp 2, but I have a Double Rainbow, had a Squall 2, and they are well made. From what I know of other's comments on the Scarp, it is a sturdy shelter.

Unfortunately, that's as far as my advice can go on the Scarp. Good luck!

If you're interested in a pyramid but not willing or able to wait for MLD to build a custom one for you, you could consider Oware's 'mids. They don't include a peak vent as a standard feature, but Oware quality is very good.

Or you could be a bit nuttier and follow this example:
Twing Review

:)

Edited by Tamerlin on 03/20/2012 12:04:59 MDT.

It would be worth it to make a WTB request for an MLD Trailstar on Gear Swap. My wife and I live in western Colorado, as well, and it handles high winds very well. To the Trailstar we added a Bear Paw Designs PyraNet 2. BPD's turnaround is very fast.

Tal

Rakesh - thanks for that review link. Simply for the pics....

No kidding... the pictures alone keep me coming back to that review :)

I have to admit that they also managed to make the Twing look and sound like a great shelter ;)

I've got a Twing and it's a pretty neat shelter. TONS of room. But, it's got a huge footprint which can be a problem in many areas.

Thanks everyone!

@Rakesh: Great photos sell, sell even not so great product, often.

It doesn't look like the Twig is something for my wife and I. Now when I go out on my own I'd be game for something along those lines. I'll look into Oware. I remember being on their site and leaving them as a possibility for some reason but don't recall why.

@Tal: Hello neighbor. A Trailstar and PyraNet would be a go if I could get the tarp. Two problems with the Gear Swap route...I've looked at asks for Trailstars and Duomids and they appeared to be rarely successful. Pair that with the fact that I can't post a new thread there because I'm not yet a paying member of the forum.

@David: Thanks. :) To Lake Magog from Sunshine and back, likely overnighting at Og because my wife is having some hip issues and may not be able to cover 17 miles across that route, twice.

Ron - it is a great trip! If you can go a little further toward Mt. Assiniboine, you will not be disappointed. We did this last July and it was simply stunning.

That is indeed the plan. One of many. :) What were the temps last July? I'm wondering how the dryer winter is going to effect things. Fire conditions, etc.

What route did you take, or did you take the easy way in? :)

Guys,

Thanks for throwing my review up and being far too kind about our pics.
If you have any questions just shoot.

And yes, we are nuts... that's the least you could say ;-))

Coming july we will leave for a 13-month packrafting and thruhiking trip on which the Twing will be our shelter in Arctic Scandinavia, along the great himalayan trail in Nepal, on some prety remote corners in Patagonia, Bolivia and Sout-Easth Alaska.

Some more living updates about the Twing coming up. :-)

Edited by evets on 03/20/2012 14:37:12 MDT.

Steve - hope that you are okay with me posting that amazing pic. If not, I will remove it.

Off course I am ok with that... I feel honored that people even want to share my pics ;-)

Nice work Steve and have a fantastic trip. I'll look forward to seeing more of you guys and the Twing in action.

Yes, the easy way in. Parked a car up Spray Lakes in Canmore and then took another car to Sunshine Resort. Took the bus up the 6KM to the ski hill and hiked all the way past Mt Assiniboine to our car at Spray Lakes. Seems like a waste of energy to hike up that road to the ski hill (I'm Lazy).

Ha! That's not the easy way. The easy way is by air. lol. We don't plan to walk up to Sunshine either. So what were the temps you had then?

"@Rakesh: Great photos sell, sell even not so great product, often."

True. I'm hoping that great photos will sell my own products... which are basically great photos, or so I strive for ;)

MSR generally makes pretty good stuff, so the Twing seems like it has a lot of promise. And an impressive space to weight ratio... :)

Well best of luck to you with that Rakesh, from a retired pro photographer.

"The Golite Shangri-La 3 is available but it looks like it might be hard to find a place for pitching it in smaller camping situations. Is that true? Is it true enough to be a factor in the Rockies."

I don't know about the Canadian Rockies but I don't have any problem finding spots to pitch it in the Colorado Rockies. I even pitched it with a small bush inside before (but it was just me and my dog). Gave it nice ambiance. :)

For tighter spots, pitch it as a duo-mid. I've only done this for fun at home but it's in my back pocket now if I need it. Check out Craig's post on it:


http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=18598

@Ron - Ha! Yes I guess that IS the easy way. And also the very expensive way.

Temps were about 22C at higher altitudes and maybe 5-7C in the evening. No rain. No snow.

@Ron - Thanks! It's going to be a long road, but I'm not giving up.

:)

" the Twing will be our shelter in Arctic Scandinavia, along the great himalayan trail in Nepal, on some prety remote corners in Patagonia, Bolivia and Sout-Easth Alaska."

I take it then that you're pretty confident in the Twing's ability to withstand nasty weather, eh? :)

It sounds like the Canadian Rockies won't be a problem for a big shelter-footprint and I didn't expect it would but during my forum research I came across at least one owner commenting about tightness in some camps with the Shangri-La 3. Thanks for that link. The illustrated pitch would indeed make the SL3 more versatile.

I've also read some comments about duo mids being a bit cramped and in someone's words not suitable for 2. That makes me feel even better about the SL3 if I go that direction.

Ron, I would agree with the duomid being a bit cramped for two people. It can work, but since the walls slope in pretty aggressively, I mostly use it as a solo shelter.

I think the SL3 will work out just fine; pretty lightweight, plenty of space, and holds up in bad weather.

I love the SL3. I've weathered many rainstorms comfortably with two people in it. Absolute rain palace for one at only 24oz. for the fly.
And if the campsite is tight, pitch it as a mid.

http://sweepingthegarden.wordpress.com/2010/12/27/golite-shangri-la-3-hex-to-mid-conversion/

As a mid the dimensions are almost identical to the MLD Duomid.

What's light transmission like on the SL3, with the door closed down for weather protection?

I think the model being sold now has two peak vents. Did they go from 1 to 3 and then 2? Any other changes to be aware of from the last edition to the one currently being sold on the Golite site?

Getting down to decision time. I always like to go once more around the horn.

No one is tuned in with a MLD SuperMid they are looking to move? lol.

I'll be buying something by tomorrow and scouring the net again tonight.

I havent used the Scarp 2 but I have used a Scarp 1 with two folk in it (fly sheet only) in 70mph+ gust and it faired well.

Was that your account where the tent was greatly deforming throughout the night as you braced it from inside until you basically were so mentally fatigued that you simply didn't care any longer and fell asleep? I could be wrong, I've been reading an awful lot of reviews lately.