Go-Lite Shangri-La 2 Shelter thoughts ?

[jcramin]

Well I have been looking at the Go-Lite Shangri-La 2 Shelter for a while and I missed buying it when I saw it for $99. Well today I saw it for $79 on Steep and Cheap so I bought it.

I am a full tent guy when backpacking and camping, but I have been thinking about going lite.
I will be using this as a Solo shelter for me and my gear.

Any thoughts on this shelter ? Anything to watch out for when using it ? Anything I can do to it to make it better ?

I am just hoping I made a good choice as first shelter.

Thanks,
J

[Chaco Taco]

Shangrai la 1 just went up on Backpackinglight.com for under $100

[Franco]

I have done a quick floor mock up , looks to me that I would fit very nicely inside that..
for $75 I doubt that you will lose any money IF you change your mind.
Not 100% sure but it seems to me that it can be easily pitched down to the ground as well as a few inches off, so air flow control should not be too much of a problem. The only suggestion would be to use a groundcloth that covers the all floor, to minimise condensation from ground evaporation, but a few inches smaller all around then the fly . (roll that back to avoid getting it wet during ingress/egress)
If my measurements are correct a 20" mat against the poles should be about 11" away from the fly. So more than enough not to get the bag wet.
Franco

[burger]

I carried a Shangri-La 1 for the last 500 miles of the PCT.

The good: it's basically a 4-season shelter for a fraction of the weight. I had plenty of space (you'll obviously have even more in the SL2), and it's relatively easy to set up.

The bad: very mediocre ventilation; I had a ton of condensation inside on wet days. Also, it's not going to keep the bugs out on its own. I think you'll want something with netting for summer.

You might want to practice pitching it a few times before you take it out. It's not as easy as other tarps/tarptents I've used.

[Franco]

"You might want to practice pitching it a few times before you take it out. It's not as easy as other tarps/tarptents I've used."

Good point. I am reminded of that every time I pitch my pyramid tent (only a few times a year and just to try a new inner /pole combo or something like that..)
With the SL2 I would lay it down flat so as to have a perfect rectangle. Put the 4 guyout corner point at a 45 degree angle and peg it down, don't pull it out. Then unzip the door and insert the poles at the specified height. Then peg the sides out.
In practice it may not work exactly like this...
Again in theory, with one person you should have less condensation than you would with the 1
Franco

[jcramin]

Thanks for all the great info. UPS shows it will show up on Wednesday this week. I cant wait to get it and set it up.

J