Hi everyone, I have a couple questions about the GoLite Shangri-La 2.

What is the approximate distance between the two poles? Are they far enough part that 1 person could sleep between them, centered below the ridgeline?

Does the SL2 material stretch and sag in the rain?

And how much does your SL2 weigh? It seems I'm finding weights from 20-26 oz.

Thanks!

"What is the approximate distance between the two poles? Are they far enough part that 1 person could sleep between them, centered below the ridgeline?"

Not sure of the exact distance but no, you could not lay between the poles. You only have maybe 5 feet there (or less).

"Does the SL2 material stretch and sag in the rain?"

Yes. However, like any silicon treated fabric, it will only sag once. Then you re-tighten the lines and the sagging is gone.

"And how much does your SL2 weigh? It seems I'm finding weights from 20-26 oz."

I will have to weigh mine again but I think it was 25oz with the 3oz worth of pegs. So 22 oz(?). Newer version with the side guy outs.

Yeah, I was gonna' say about 4.5 or 5'. The SL2 is meant to sleep one person on each side of the two poles. You can skew one or both poles a little one way or the other, but I don't think this will buy you much extra room. I use it as a solo shelter and will skew the poles slightly (one to the left, the other to the right) so I can sleep more in the center of the shelter (but at a slight angle) to keep away from the sides.

You can shave a couple ounces off the shelter by cutting off extraneous features, and swapping out the guyouts with thinner cord. I also replaced the stiff plastic tubing used to keep the vents open with some soft plastic tubing that still works but is more pliable for packing purposes.

Edited by NickB on 02/25/2013 13:11:16 MST.

I had one for a little while. Didn't really like it. I thought it was too tight with 2 people. Hard to get in and out in the rain without getting everything dirty. Long and skinny. Seems like the poles were always in the way too. Its a very sturdy shelter in the wind and pretty rain proof. I don't think you can lay between them poles. I think some people put the poles in at a diagniol and lay at an angle between. I switched to a Trailstar and am much happier. The SL3 are really nice too as are most of the mids. To each their own...Dondo really likes his, check out his blog.

The length from pole spot to pole spot (measured the material- not set up) on my SL2 is:
56" (or 143 cm for Dave)
If your poles are vertical then only a very short person would fit. Angling the poles towards the end would give you more room (up to a foot and a half, and then you'd definitely fit) but this would cause the ridge to sag making for a sloppy pitch.

Weights w/o stakes:
21.9 oz (620.85 Grams), just weighed it.

I don't remember the year but its golden yellow so maybe the dye on mine is a little lighter.

Edited by bestbuilder on 02/25/2013 15:41:04 MST.

Mine is 22.2oz

" I thought it was too tight with 2 people. Hard to get in and out in the rain without getting everything dirty. . . I switched to a Trailstar. . . "

I agree it's not the greatest for two people. It works, but as you say it's a bit crowded; the single front entry setup with narrow tent just isn't good for two.

For one person, though, I don't see the Trailstar having any big advantage. I've never seen Trailstar in real life but entry seems to be just as cumbersome as SL2. Trailstar is wider, which is good for two people. But SL2 is fine with ingress/egress for one, you keep your pack and stuff on one half of tent -- or in front of your sleeping side -- and have one half as sleeping area. Plus SL2 has a door, which Trailstar lacks, and its smaller footprint may allow for more possible areas to pitch.

I actually think the Tarptent Stratospire 1 could be a good alternative. It's sold only together with inner so most people don't think of it as a tarp alternative, but I'm pretty sure just the tarp piece of the TT Strat1 is lighter than Golite SL2 tarp (I'm guessing 18 or 19oz without stakes) and has more usable space. There is room for two people to sleep side-by-side with no poles in between. Plus the Strat1 has dual side entries and a bugnet inner that complements it perfectly. SL2 is excellent in wind (and I expect Trailstar is even better) but I'm sure the TT Strat 1 is no slouch there, either. (I have the SL2 and the TT Notch, which is smaller version of Stratospire 1.)

Edited by hes on 02/25/2013 17:36:02 MST.

Pick up a SL2 on gear swap and give it a try. That's the best thing about this site. If you don't like it you should be able to sell it and get most of your money back. Don't be afraid to try new gear, even if its something that you wouldn't normally try. Usually those are the best kinds. I have had great success buying gnd selling gear here. Just post a WTB thread. Trying new gear is part of the fun.

Thanks for the answers everyone - very helpful.

For perspective, here're a couple pictures of the Golite SL2 with the MLD SoloInnernet from Nielsen Brown website:
http://nielsenbrownoutdoors.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/imgp17122.jpg
http://nielsenbrownoutdoors.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/golitesl2front2.jpg

And here's one of his blog posts, where he discusses why he chose SL2 over MLD Speedmid:
http://nielsenbrownoutdoors.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/and-the-winner-is-2/

And here's nice video on flickr of SL2 in some wind. Not sure how much wind, but looks to be quite well staked out and stable. Very pretty tent:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tyrolmountains/8043582922/in/photostream/

Edited by hes on 02/25/2013 20:11:46 MST.