So, for several years now Robert and I have been taking the Integral Designs 8 x 10 flat tarp (no bivies) as our all-around shelter. Then last summer in the Sierras we ran into such a swarm of mosquitoes (near Cathedral Lakes) that even our Texas hides were sent running. We've had a couple of more recent serious mosquito episodes in east Texas. And we hope to try more ambitious trips in the near future. We broke down and ordered a SMD Haven 2 and its Net Tent. It arrived Saturday so of course I set it all up first thing! It is a very pretty piece of work, and not hard at all to set up.

Tarp and net:



Cat investigates, gets inside, apparently can't see the netting, all confused, has to be rescued:



Net tent set up by itself:



First chance to use it on the trail will be in a couple of weeks.

Mina

Looks good, Mina. This is a shelter that seems to get overlooked, even though it fits what a lot of people would want in a 2p shelter.

Please post some post-trip pictures!

Hi Mina,

What was the driving factor for choosing the silnylon version vs. the cuben version of the Haven? Availibility? Price? The cuben version is 8 oz lighter (10 oz vs. 18 oz) and is supposed to be available beginning of next month. I'm waiting for it to come out, so I can take it on a couple of test weekends. I carry often shared gear for my kids, so I'm really watching weight and volume of every item. This tent seems to be in a really sweet spot for our family outings.

Best Regards,

Manfred

Price, I guess. We were already feeling sticker shock. And familiarity? I am used to silnylon. Skittish about cuben, especially considering the price. (And, we also just sprung for 2 Bearikade Weekenders...)

Mina

Edited for spelling typo.

Edited by elmvine on 05/21/2012 15:55:55 MDT.

The best shelters keep mosquitoes out and cats in.

What's better, rolling or just stuffing the cat + tent into your pack?

My preferred strategy is just to toss the cat somewhere else.

Mina

Nobody's asked how much it weighs? I know what the website says but curious what your scale reports.

BTW - Cool tent!

OK, here it is. This isn't lightening our packs, so weight wasn't "front and center" for me.

My scale is a Pelouze SP5, the little round gray postage scale.

Haven in its bag is 19 oz.
Net tent in its bag, with the cords attached, is 14.1 oz.
8 Ti shepherds hook stakes (from Gossamer Gear--not included with tent set), 1.8 oz

The ID 8 x 10, with 9 of the stakes and some cordage in its bag, is 17 oz.

The Haven only needs 6 stakes to set up (not counting extra guy-outs) but we have a history of losing stakes.

So we've doubled our shelter weight, adding a little over a pound. Or, to be more precise, *I* have added the extra to *my* pack weight, since I carry the shared gear. But we have other places we are learning to save at least that much. For example, last summer, following standard guidelines, we brought too much food.

Mina

How much does the cat weigh? Left that part out.

How far can the cat hike? Meat on the hoof for some Asian type cooking. :)
Duane

For my needs (vestibules, dual entrances, internal space) I'd have chosen a
Tarptent Stratospire 2 instead. Just 2.5 lbs. Not bad for a roomy 2-person double wall tent.

But I guess you already had the tent and just needed the netting.

Nice tent. Check out "Hiking Bengal" on Youtube.

Mina, thanks for giving a go. Pretty light shelter overall. Have fun.

Well, the cat that lives at our house is *not* an ultralight cat. She is definitely a traditional heavyweight cat. No way is she going in my pack.

The Stratospire 2 looks interesting, but it is probably more than we need, and a bit heavier. We got both the Haven tarp and the net tent. Our old tarp is an 8 x 10 flat tarp and the net tent is oriented the other way so it doesn't really work with that. I was going to make a net tent to go under the 8 x 10, but when I looked at the summer schedule, with three trips (2 Camp Fire trips of a week or 10 days for me, and then the 3 week family trip in August) and food to make (or coach kids making food--even more time-consuming), and the house in remodeling and no place to spread out and do a sewing project, I realized that project wasn't likely to get done. So like proper Americans we went shopping instead.

Will report after first trip!

Mina

Edit: OK, I weighed the cat. 11.6 lbs. She would about double my base weight! (I knew it was getting harder to do the cat-toss...)

Edited by elmvine on 05/29/2012 16:19:11 MDT.