Has anyone ever used this new tarptent by Six Moons? Likes, dislikes?

Thanks.

I haven't used the Wild Oasis, but I have used the Gatewood Cape, which is the same thing except with a hood and without the net skirt. It takes a bit of adjusting, but I had mine pitched nicely within a few minutes. It's just big enough for me to sleep in (I'm 6'2"; stomach sleeper), held up nicely in the stiff breeze Saturday evening, and did have some condensation but not enough to drip. I like the Gatewood Cape because it's a lightweight solution for raingear and solo shelter. The Wild Oasis doesn't have that dual function. On the other hand, I carried a Gossamer Gear Bug Canopy, which wouldn't be necessary with the Wild Oasis. Neither the Gatewood Cape nor the Wild Oasis has a floor, so if crawling insects are a problem then these wouldn't be a good solution--I woke with a gold beetle climbing on my hand.

I recently received a Wild Oasis and just set it up for the first time. I find it easier to set up than the Gatewood Cape. I really like the perimeter bug skirt. One could cut a ground sheet to fit over the bug skirt and have a completely enclosed shelter. I had one of the original tarptents without a floor and this worked well then so it should work well with the Wild Oasis. It is large enough not to need a bivy. I think as long as a good camping spot is selected there should be no problem when it rains. I am impressed with the pack size and weight fo this shelter. The attention to detail is great. There even is a silnylon piece on the bug netting to rest your trekking pole on when the shelter is set up. I would recommend this shelter. The only negatives I can see are that set up takes a little while to perfect and the bug netting may be a little fragile (but this is expected to save weight).

David,
is the door netted or just silnylon? I have the old floorless Virga and am looking for something that I don't have to crawl into now. Also, do you find the pole to be in the way? I know...I'm getting particular as I age! It used to be I could sleep under a picnic table and be happy with that!

Thanks!

I forgot...how many stakes?

Edited by leadfoot on 06/14/2007 12:54:53 MDT.

Donna, I don't know if you saw my thread about my new AGG tarp tent. If you haven't looked at them, take a look. They have a full floor and one side of mesh, so no bugs getting in. Mostly what I liked was that the pole is in the door, not in the way of sleeping.
Though I have to say that the Six Moons Lunar is a nice tent!

David, would it be possible to post a few pictures of your Wild Oasis from different angles including one showing the inside. The SMD website has only the one picture. I have been very interested in this shelter but have not had access to any detailed reviews and pictures. Thanks

How would the Wild Oasis compare to the Oware alphamid?

would it be suitable for snow??

I wonder the weight of the tarp with the bug skirt cut out

It seems to be considerbly shorter than the alphamid

but the perimeter seems to be smaller also.

so I am asuming the walls would still be steep enough to shed snow

I will set it up and take pictures tomorrow. It arrived with some unraveling of stitches on a velcro patch on the bug netting. Six Moon Designs has excellent service (can't say enough good things about the company) and is going to fix it up for me. I will take pictures before I send it back. For the entrance, There is a zipper followed by two separate velcro taps along the mesh skirt. The pole is not in the way when getting in. If it is, one can just move it to the side very quickly and then replace it back in position.

I have never done any winter backpacking with snow loads so I have no idea how the Wild Oasis (or any other shelter) would fare. I used a shelter on the AT when it was snowing.

That would be great if we had some pictures. I'm more interested to see if the entrance way is meshed, too, so that I can leave the door open and not get eaten alive.

The one thing I like is there seems to be no guyline in the front...something I tend to run into. This is one reason I am drawn to the Rainbow TT.

Sarah- yes I've followed you AGG posts and also read some reviews on that great little tent. I haven't decided about needing a floor yet. It's just those darn front guylines....

You CANNOT leave the door open. Once you unzip the zipper the shelter is wide open. There should be enough of an airflow if pitched high not to need more ventilation. I will hopefully post tomorrow.

Yeah, that guyline is a fun one to set up-you do have to watch where the tent goes-and that can be fun if you have 4 or 5 tents going up in a small campsite. On a good note, it is white cord, so you see it!

Edited by dstenberg1 on 06/15/2007 11:41:46 MDT.

dave - you one of those likes the site as close to the latrine as possible?

Hi David,

Thanks for the great pictures.

I noticed you are using the trekking pole to hold down the netting at the front. Does the netting around the perimeter more or less stay in place, or does it need to be weighed down with rocks etc?

Thanks!

Dan

Cary-funny comments. It seemed like as good a spot as any.

Daniel-The bug netting seems to stay in place, but I think I will weight it down a little. The mesh is fragile so I need to be careful with what might be put on the netting. I could always put some stuff sacks at the corners without any problems.

Edited by dstenberg1 on 06/15/2007 13:26:42 MDT.

David,

Thanks for posting the photos, they are great help.

Nice little tent. Thanks for the photos. It almost looks like Sarah's AGG tent in some respects. It seems like a stripped down version of the Lunar solo.