Question about those tens/tarps that look like TePees

[sirbingo]

Hey Yall,

In my quest to finding a really light shelter set-up I have come across tents and tarps that set up with a single poll in the center. They kinda look like a Tepee.

Some examples: http://www.golite.com/images_products/300X300/SH6128_285.JPG

http://www.golite.com/images_products/300X300/SH6125_285_FRONT.JPG



Anybody at whiteblaze use this type of setup? Whats the room like inside? Is it a pain to have a pole stinking right in the middle of your living space?

:-?

[freespirit2000]

I bought a tarp tent like you described, used it about 3 times on short hikes, and ended up selling it and getting a Hubba. The tent (six moon designs) weighed only 1 1/2 pounds. I dont think it would hold up for a thru hike and condesation was a real problem. The only place you could sit up was right by the door..it slanted down in every direction from that point. it also took up a lot of room to set up. I decided (since I mostly tent out on long distant hikes), that I would take the extra pound and have a sturdier tent and be able to sit upright anywhere it the tent. There's plenty of room in the Hubba. I love it!

[generoll]

I've got the Black Diamond Megalight which I use for all my hikes. I originally bought this type of tent so I could take my dog and not worry about his nails tearing the floor. The tent is floorless and I just take a piece of Tyvek for a groundcloth. The tent is roomy, packs down small, and is very light weight. Condensation is an issue since the fabric does not breathe. It's a pyramidal tent and requires a footprint of about 8' x 8'. So there it is, take your pick.

[Tipi Walter]

I spent a winter in the moutains of North Carolina in an old Chouinard pyramid tipi-style tent and gotta tell you, it was designed for snow camping and putting snow around the outside bottom as a wind block.

My experience was fairly ptiful as I spent most of the time holding down the leading edge from the wind. Without snow, I could never get the edges secure enough to sit tightly on the ground and not lift off in a high wind.

The center pole is a hassle, it interferes with body placement so I usually ended up with some of my sleeping bag touching the heavily condensated walls.(single wall, you know).

But it sure looked good sitting up at some campsite. I love the tipi design per se, but wouldn't use a tipi tent again though(no floor, noseeums and black ants crawl in and over you, no vestibule and unzipped door lets in rain, etc).

[fiddlehead]

I used a Mega-mid (Black Diamond) for a CDT hike as well as a Pyrenees traverse.
I loved this tent. It was pretty stable in the wind, lots of room, easy to set up, and dry. I finally broke the zipper. I also copied the design and made one out of sil nylon.

I will use this tent again. It is a great design. I believe it is better for the western trails where there is more flat space that is not a potential water puddle. One thing though: you can set it up over top of a rock or bush when other's cannot and that means some nice, virgin campsites sometimes. (and it doesn't leave much of a mark for LNT, except where your body layed.)

[shelterbuilder]

I'm not really familiar with how these shelters are designed, so here's a question for someone with more knowledge than me: are these shelters designed (or could they be modified) so that they could be hung (suspended) from an overhead point (tree branch, cluster of "tipi-type poles, etc.) in such a manner that the center pole could be removed and discarded?

[Tipi Walter]

I'm not really familiar with how these shelters are designed, so here's a question for someone with more knowledge than me: are these shelters designed (or could they be modified) so that they could be hung (suspended) from an overhead point (tree branch, cluster of "tipi-type poles, etc.) in such a manner that the center pole could be removed and discarded?

The simple answer is yes, these nylon cones can be suspended from above whether using a tree limb and rope or suspended inside a circle of tipi poles. Another option would be to build a small tripod tipi and add several poles around the circle and place the tent around and over these poles.

With a vent hole on top(some of them do have a small venthole, others even have a stovepipe sleeve), a small fire can be built inside, preferably one inside a little portable woodstove.

Another thing I used to do is construct small little tipi skeletons thruout my backpacking area and leave them. When I reached a campsite I'd just wrapped the poles with my tipi tent and have a little sturdy shelter big enough for a small twig fire. The problem is that these tipi tents don't vent enough and can get smokey. A better option is to carry a large tarp and wrap the tipi poles with it, leaving a larger chimney-style vent hole at the top. This can be covered with another small tarp when it rains.

[generoll]

you could do away with the center pole by suspending it as you mentioned. the reality is that i never have since finding level ground with an overhanging branch in just the right place is a challenge.

condensation is an issue with any single wall tent and might be less of a problem in the drier West then here in the East. Since the tent is so roomy for one I just sleep close to the pole and stack my gear on the other side of the pole. if i'm using the tent for two then I shove my pack against the outside and let it touch the fabric. Still plenty of room.

one thing that might be an issue for some is that the tents aren't free standing. they must be either staked or weighted with rocks or something.

[BR360]

I've owned a Chouinard/Black Diamond Megamid since 1988. Used it with a hiking & climbing partners to great success here in the Southeast, in the Rockies, and in the Cascades and Olympics. Yes, there is consistently more condensation in the more humid South, and wet-snow conditions elsewhere.

PROS:
Light weight
Super easy to pitch, esp in rain: Throw it out, get inside with pack, erect pole, leave pack inside, step outside and stake out 4 corners and door.
Lots of room (8'x8')
No worries about mess on floor (must use separate ground sheet)
Can pitch it "high" for ventilation, or "low" to keep wind, rainsplash and snowdrift out)
Does great in snow and (if properly staked out) 30-40 MPH wind

CONS
No bug netting (only a few nights the bugs were so bad I went nearly crazy)
Extra bug netting adds weight
Sometimes its a hassle to get a tight pitch (only fully free-standing tents eliminate this problem)
Must be mindful that touching the sides will mean getting wet with condensation, especially in the more humid east (but practice virtually eliminates this problem)
Must sleep close to pole to avoid touching sides (not a big problem)

BOTTOM-LINE: A good choice for maximum versatility in a lightweight, easy-to-use, "bombproof" shelter that will likely see you in a variety of camping situations and conditions. A poor choice for use in highly biting/stinging buggy areas. Many good lightweight alternatives exist for this type of use.

[Dances with Mice]

What do othe MegaMid / Lite owners use for stakes?

I found the supplied stakes were too wimpy so I upgraded to thicker ones, tossed those for aluminum gutter nails, finally replaced those with REI Ground Hogs (http://www.rei.com/product/682543). I've been happy with the Ground Hogs.

[fiddlehead]

I always used regular aluminum or titanium stakes. (like the ones you get with the tent) No different than other tents. I learned some tricks from the Sherpa's in Nepal, if you are staking out a tent and you don't have enough good friction for your stakes, put rocks on top or tie to a big rocks and put other rocks on top. (or a tree, bush, log) Small logs with rocks also.

On the mega-mid, you want to first stake out the 4 corners as square as you can, then erect the pole, then put the other 4 stakes in. (tight) everything should be as tight as possible so the tent doesn't sag and square so it doesn't have a lopsided look.

Here's a picture of mine from our Pyrenees hike in '99:
http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg201/fiddleheadpa/IMG_0003.jpg

And another one from a desert hike in AZ where you can see more of the corners: http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg201/fiddleheadpa/DCP00317.jpg
(you can even see a rock on top of a corner stake in this pic)

[RenoRoamer]

My feeling is that a good tent is the best choice for winter hiking and a tarp/bugbivy combo is the best choice for 3-season hiking. But if you really like the teepee idea, then you might want to consider a half-teepee, like the Alphamid at http://www.owareusa.com/. The expensive $400 dollar model on the home page there is ultralite cuben fabric. The silnylon versions are about half as much and the urethane coated nylon still cheaper.

[BOWSINGER]

Here are two more outfits that make a lot of tipis in a lot of sizes including some very lightweight models:
www.kifaru.net (http://www.kifaru.net/) has a great web site with a lot of good feedback on their forums.

www.titaniumgoat.com (http://www.titaniumgoat.com/) has some really lightweight setups.

You don’t have to buy the backpackable wood stoves that are designed for these tipis but they sure would be nice!

[BR360]

I use ground hogs. I also weight them down with rocks, esp. when the soil is laomy or sandy and not dense enough.

In the winter and on solid granite surfaces I have used stuff sacks filled with snow or rocks to "stake" out the corners.

[hootyhoo]

I love it. the dog does too. as some have said condensation can be a problem with these type shelters -unless you know how to pitch one correctly. Use good sense and ventilate it when you pitch - duh. anyhow, the reason i like this one over the others is the almost unlimited different pitches you can have. One side high, both high, double doors open, up high, down low, blah, blah blah. had an arm sized branch fall out of tree from 50 feet up during a storm on its maiden voyage. all it did was make a discolored mark where it hit. if that had been silnylon i would have been doomed. had it on top of big fodderstack and got some monster wind blasts on another trip - i thought all was lost- it even bent my hiking pole- but nothing failed and i stayed dry. there have been numerous times that i found a branch and just let er hang. the pole has never bothered me and i would be carrying a hiking pole anyways, so why not use it as tent pole. i love tarp camping and the teepee is like tarpin' with some privacy if you want it. i hammock in the summer. sometimes use a poncho tarp. have some tents that never get to go anymore. like to cowboy whenever possible. and i sure do like my oragami.