Because as a user, I can tell you that that kind of theoretical comment is not borne out in real world use.

The GC is essentially a Wild Oasis with a hood at the peak. It eliminates the edge netting, and allows no net or a net inner tent, as the needs dictate, and the net inner tent combined with the GC gives double-wall shelter at 19 ounces.

I live near the AT, and I know what wet weather is. The GC is as perfect a shelter as I can think of, because it works extremely well, is very light and condensation-resistant with the double-wall feature, keeps out bugs and critters, and is excellent shelter.
The poncho feature is just an added bonus.

"What about skurkas comment do you disagree with? He is basically saying that if you combine a poncho and tarp you have a compromise for both purposes. Makes perfect sense. How could a single purpose (optimized) piece of equipment not perform better for it's task than a dual use? It may weigh more to have two single purpose piece of gear but overall performance should increase."

Agree. It is a compromise and often requires a 3rd piece of equipment: bivy. Using a poncho/tarp does require some skill and experience, especially when it is raining and you are setting up your shelter.

I used a poncho/tarp for many years with good results.

But a 8 X 10 tarp with separate rain gear works better for me. No bivy required. As gear got lighter, it became possible to go with two pieces of gear that are lighter than a poncho/tarp sans bivy. A plain Hexamid with a zPacks poncho/ground sheet is an example, and a combination I have used a lot in the past year and a half.

Oh, and on the two pole wind stability. The typical a-frame like the Patrol and others of that type, have the poles at each end. Many shelters have the poles closer together near the middle or on one end with larger areas that can twist or implode in the wind.

BUT, be aware that depending on where you hike, this may never be an issue, I have only had issues with this kind of wind problem once on an exposed ridge and once near the Atlantic shoreline during unusual wind storms.

Most people never get themselves in such situations and usually have a better wind break when they do.
So this is probably not an issue for you.

I know you have considered a hammock and jungle style hammocks are popular with people I know who hike in South America, but that depends on what part you will be hiking.

A hammock would obviously be a bad choice for parts of Patagonia, Tiera Del Fuego and a few other treeless areas.

I plan on doing hikes while biking through So. America, and I have a bad foot so I'm tied to my Leki Poles, even if it's just a 2 mile jaunt up to a peak. They'll be with me.

My tentative route starts in southern Argentina and follows the coast up to the top of Peru, and if I'm feeling ambitious by then, I may continue onwards into Central America. I know from the very beginning of my research for that trip (forgive me if I'm underschooled here) that there are a lot of treeless areas in Argentina and Patagonia, as well as windswept deserts and rocky ridgelines. I want to go with a tent here because, quite simply, there's always ground underneath my feet.

I will forever be a hammock proponent and FIGHT against the "There aren't enough trees!" argument, but they are not for every trip, geographically speaking.

I want to go with something windproof because my tent is useful and comfortable when the weather is nice, and possibly lifesaving when the weather isn't. If the tent can't handle the lifesaving part, I need to add a bit of weight and look for something hardier. Storms happen, as do injuries that prevent me from finding better camp spots. A shredded rain-fly that won't stay down in a tough moment isn't ideal for an extended trip in another country. That being said, I don't want to carry a house. The smaller, the better.

I don't have ANY experience with ANY tents, so forgive my inaccuracies. I'm here to learn. The Nemo Meta looks stronger to me because the stakes and guylines are simple, and very tortional. The stakes on the Notch look, to me, like they are allowed to swing out, especially because the carbide end goes into a cup with the handle against the ground. This may, in practice, be completely strong and I am more than willing to take it on faith that the 2-pole system works if people have taken this tent into tough winds successfully.

Edited by mdilthey on 01/07/2013 15:21:00 MST.

Well, it doesn't use trekking poles, but if you don't care about lots of room, and you want a wind-worthy/storm-worthy tent that you can still open up somewhat when it's hot, a Hilleberg Atko could work. Fairly quick setup. I believe they even sell a mesh inner for it for the hotter climes.

It's also not exceptionally light. But you can't have everything!

Edited by idester on 01/07/2013 15:28:58 MST.

Lightheart Gear Solo.



So you are tied to your poles, so what, they'll be needed for your tent. ;-)



And if you can trust the weather it can become a screened porch of sorts.

http://www.lightheartgear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15

27 ounces, $245.00 and made with 3500 mm Hydrostatic head 1.1 oz sil-nylon.

Party On,

Newton

I am suprised no one has mentioned the Sixmoon designs Skyscape since there has already been so much discussion about the gatewood cape. Depending on your price point you can get progressively lighter versions.

John Abela did an excellent write up on the cuben Skyscape X here:
http://hikelighter.com/2012/04/03/six-moon-designs-skyscape-x/

"I am interested in hearing more about the tortional rigidity provided by a 2-pole tent. It seems counter-intuitive to me; the Notch looks a lot less stable than something like the Nemo Meta 1P"

One pole stable. Two poles twice as stable.

Seriously though, the Notch sets up rock solid with only 4 stakes. You can add two more in really windy conditions, but the form of the shelter works and works well.

The Nemo requires more pegs to maximize the room and has a large, flat side to take the wind. Not my idea of stability.

Newton, I really like that tent. The user review about a thunderstorm is also reassuring. What can you tell me about the material it's made of? I'm willing to sacrifice ounces for something that will last a month of backpacking and come right back for a cycle tour, with proper care of course.

I may have made the mistake of choosing that particular tent as a comparison. Obviously, I don't know the strength of either. For the sake of the thread, understand that my intent is not to prove the Nemo meta is a good tent; I already discarded it from my list of potential tents. Secondly, I'm also not looking to disprove 2-stake shelters. Of course, I'm sure it works great.

I just love learning more about why things work, since the nuances of tarp tension, space between tent walls, rigidity from guylines, etc. are often more accurately described after first-person experience.

First, regardless of how enthusiastic one is a bout a shelter , you need to be happy with your choice before you start using it.
The best way to make sure a shelter fails is not to like it in the first place.
Having stated that ...
"especially because the carbide end goes into a cup with the handle against the ground"
Tips in the grommet is used by several makers because they just lock into place.
My opinion (and practical experience) is that if the poles are straight up and the shelter is staked out correctly , you can use handles up. (I do...)
However some find that a bit hard to do, so Henry has made some "pockets" that tie to the grommets grosgrain and grab the pole handle.
When he finishes playing with his new shelters he may even add those to the Extras in the order section.
They look like this :

Edited by Franco on 01/07/2013 16:48:50 MST.

LightHeart Tents are made of 1.1 oz. sil-nylon (silicone impregnated ripstop nylon). Custom LightHeart Solo Tents are made from Cordura®brand sil-nylon. Windows and doors are nylon no-seeum mesh

Sil-nylon is extremely waterproof. The “standard” tents come with sil-nylon that has a hydrostatic head of 3500 mm water. Custom tents have a hydrostatic head of 1200 mm water.

Sil-nylon like any other fabric is flammable. It is not recommended that you cook inside the tent or vestibule. Carbon monoxide poisoning can occur this way and potentially cause death. Extreme caution should be used when an open flame is near the tent.

The rain fly on all LightHeart Tents is attached to the body of the tent.

Seam sealing instructions are provided with the tent. McNett Sil-Net seam sealer is offered for sale, and they will also seam seal the tent for you for an additional fee.

Tents in NEW condition may be returned within 30 days for a full refund. When returned, the tent will be checked over to make sure it has not been set up outside, once checked a refund will be made through PayPal. If YOU seam seal a tent it is not refundable. If they seam seal the tent for you it is fully refundable within 30 days of receipt.

The Solo can also be had in cuben fiber.



http://www.lightheartgear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=14

All Cuben tents come fully seam sealed.
Note: Cuben tents are custom sewn to your specs and as such are non-refundable.

Party On,

Newton

Thank you!

Since your comming from a hammock background, be prepaired for the shock of not being able to find a place to pitch your tent.

This is one reason that swayed me to favor the tents I do. Flexibility and to a lesser extent ease of pitch.

Some may think it is nice to have a roomy all-in-one tent, but the roomier the shelter, especially all-in-one tents, the harder it is to find places to pitch them.

Going solo allows you the abilty to choose something small enough to pitch in more places. A more flexible tarp style shelter allows even more options.

My choice of using a bugnet/bivy combined with a narrow shaped tarp means I can pitch in a lot more locations than when I used an all-in-one tent. I can also vary my setup to acomodate more weather situations.

I do not give up comfort and in many cases am more comfortable with the more flexible design of the MLD Patrol, GG Spinnshelter and similar shelters than I am in my other tents.
I had wanted an MLD Trailstar and the various pyramids for the obvious advantages, but they lacked some of flexibity I was looking for.

My Tarptent style shelters are great because they are quick and easy to setup, but again the lack of flexibility made me lean a little more towards the a-frame tarps again.

And as much as I wanted to like freestanding dome tents, they just don't work well unless you are going to be canmping in more pristine "campgrounds".

Something to consider.

Edited by brooklynkayak on 01/07/2013 18:00:17 MST.

What about freestanding dome tents that have a narrow footprint? I never see big brands mentioned on this forum; is that a general move towards cottage suppliers based on their ability to customize for you, or is there something wrong with these big manufacturers?

For reference, I'm looking at this:

http://www.rei.com/product/779612/big-agnes-fly-creek-ul1-tent

The BA Fly Creek comes in at a little over 2lbs, stands nearly by itself, and looks uncomplicated and sturdy. I can't integrate my trekking poles, but it'd be useful to know why or why not to consider a tent like this.

Thanks,
MD

EDIT: it's not free-standing, sorry.

Edited by mdilthey on 01/07/2013 18:14:09 MST.

How tall are you? The Fly Creek UL1 is for those no taller than about 5'9" and even then there is little side to side room. It also lacks headroom but that may not be an issue for you.

Uncomplicated? It takes 13 pegs for a taut pitch.

Of note, any dedicated tent pole will flex. Trekking poles don't and would not be a point of failure of the shelter.

Size is important. Thank you for bringing this up. I'm 6'2". The BA tent is no good, but the Copper Spur might be. Question still stands; why the ubiquity of cottage brands?

Ooh. The Copper Spur is a nice tent. Long, side entry, reasonable weight. Why no love? The Cottage manufacturers provide lighter weight shelters, most often at a lower price point as well. Finally, it is nice to buy domestic.

Lair with sewn bug protection and silnylon floor. sub 20oz and use one trekking pole (or two).

Yeah, yeah, at a "whopping" 2 pounds 14 ounces, it's more like something that one of those people on WHiteBlaze everyone complains about would carry. But I have my reasons (Granted, all these reasons are relative to other tents I've used).

1. It's actually freestanding, unlike the Fly Creek and other small one man tents. No structural integrity requires a stake; only the vestibule. If any stakes pulled, the worst you'd have is a flapping vestibule but not a collapse of the walls. This makes it really easy for beaches or pitching on solid rock slabs.

2. It has an overhanging, rain-free entry, unlike a Fly Creek or Solomid (both of which I've had).

3. It doesn't need trekking poles (I don't use them).

4. It has way more headroom and footroom than a Fly Creek. Granted, it's narrow, but with a large side door, it doesn't bother me. I'm 6'2". The mesh inner door can be left fully open in the rain with no ill effect and plenty of ventilation.

5. I can pitch the fly with poles, then clip in the inner, solving the typical double-wall pitching problem in the rain.

6. I love the color; it's my happy green place while zipped inside. Very scientific, I know.

7. With a few added guylines, I've had it in some serious wind with zero issues.

8. I wouldn't trust it for a serious snow load, but I'd certainly trust it as a shoulder season tent.

9. No single wall condensation rubbing issues. My Tarptent Contrail was really bothersome for this.

10. I can set it up in minutes, with now guyline fiddling, tensioning, etc. My Tarptent Contrail felt so finicky to get a good pitch.

11. It's durable. I expect it will wear far better than anything in silnylon that I've owned.

12. Easy to cook in the vestibule while still being in my bag.

13. I plan on doing two mods this season: adding some silnylon to extend the rear vestibule/overhang lower and add a zipper to the rear wall to access the rear vestibule. It has a sizable amount of space you can't get to from inside, enough for a pack and shoes.

Edited by xnomanx on 01/07/2013 20:48:50 MST.