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Frosty
10-22-2004, 15:23
Any tall hikers out there use a Squall? I'm 6'5" and don't want the bottom of my bag touching the end of the tent. I know from experience that manufacturer dimensions are not accurate enough to predict fit (I've been in 90" sleeping bags that were too short and 86 inch bags that were plenty long - you tall folk know what I'm talking about).

So my question is to tall hikers:

1. Do you fit in the Squall lengthwise
2. What lightweight tent do you fit in?

chris
10-22-2004, 15:33
The Virga has the same length as the Squall and I have no problems in it. I am 6'4". The rear of the tarp is really well protected from storms, so you can scoot well done to the end, near the skeeter netting. When I do this, my head is well away from the netting in the front. With an extended beak, you've got nothing to worry about from storms, unless you pitch in a bad place, let the tarp sag, or suffer from water dripping off the sides, onto the netting, and then running the netting to your ground cloth. With the tarp taut, I can sit up at the front end without crouching. If it sags, I have to sag as well.

Frosty
10-22-2004, 16:18
The Virga has the same length as the Squall and I have no problems in it. I am 6'4". The rear of the tarp is really well protected from storms, so you can scoot well done to the end, near the skeeter netting. When I do this, my head is well away from the netting in the front. With an extended beak, you've got nothing to worry about from storms, unless you pitch in a bad place, let the tarp sag, or suffer from water dripping off the sides, onto the netting, and then running the netting to your ground cloth. With the tarp taut, I can sit up at the front end without crouching. If it sags, I have to sag as well.Thanks, that's good to know. Do you have a built-in floor? If so, any thoughts on it? If not, how's the bug protection without a floor?

chris
10-22-2004, 17:23
I did not get the built in floor, as carrying a separate ground cloth gives you a few more options, like using it in a shelter as a partial wind break or as a ground cloth. Bug protection is very, very good. Basically, you get in and use bits of gear to hold certain parts of the netting (the gear can, but doesn't have to, get wet if it rains) down. On the GDT, where the bugs were worse than anything I've experienced outside of northern BC (I haven't hiked in June in Maine, but I have in the Whites in early June), I would generally hop inside as quickly as possible (usually less thana minute to seal it) and then kill bugs that flew in with me (easy to do since they mostly hover on the material. I kept track of my various records. One night, I killed 85 bugs of various sorts. After the initial killing, no others got in. So, I would rate the bug protection as equal to that of a tent.

One reason not to get a built in floor is as follows: You might puncture the floor, say by setting up in the dark over a sharp rockor piece of glass you didn't see. Now, you've got a hole in your floor and will have to patch it (can be done, takes a day, some silnylon, mineral spirits, silicone). If you have a ground cloth (say, a painters 2mil drop cloth), you can just buy another one. Incidently, a roll of 2 mil big enough for 3 ground sheets can be had for less than $5. I think I paid $2.50 for mine. If you do go with a groundcloth, cut it larger and longer than you might think you need. This allows you to bathtub the sleeping area. At some point, I'll put up a review of the Virga here that spells out what this means.

SalParadise
10-22-2004, 21:03
I'm 6'5" and hiked with the PCT1 (4 lbs.). I was head to toe in it, but there were never really any leak problems. The ceiling was tall--not enough to sit up straight in, but a minimal height to change in. No place for your pack, but the rainfly stuck out just far enough to keep both my boots away from the rain.
Otherwise the Eureka Solitude (I believe is the name) is more than long enough for you, though there's only a couple feet of headroom.

Frosty
10-22-2004, 21:20
I'm 6'5" and hiked with the PCT1 (4 lbs.). I was head to toe in it, but there were never really any leak problems. The ceiling was tall--not enough to sit up straight in, but a minimal height to change in. No place for your pack, but the rainfly stuck out just far enough to keep both my boots away from the rain.
Otherwise the Eureka Solitude (I believe is the name) is more than long enough for you, though there's only a couple feet of headroom.Well, I already have a four pound tent, a Kelty Windfoil. Very long, plenty of room for gear plus a vestibule. It was a terrific lightweight tent when I bought it ten years ago.

Right now I want to get lighter. I have a tarp, but found I needed mosquito netting under the tarp for bugs. So I'm considering a tarptent. I like the Squall because it is a pound and a half. My concern is that it wouldn't be long enough, but it sounds like that won't be an issue.

I'm still undecided between tarp/bug netting and a tarp tent.

chris
10-24-2004, 13:17
Dancing Light (www.trailquest.net) makes a nice, very basic, very light sleep net. Think of a garbage sack made from mesh. It is long enough to fit from the head down to about the bottom of my rib cage and did a good job keeping the bugs away on the PCT. I also didn't spend much non-sleeping time in camp. On the AT, I haven't had any particularly bad bug nights. A little DEET before bed, and then would leave me alone. On the GDT, this wasn't possible (strong bugs in Canada) and I was glad to have the netting on the tarp itself.