Recommendations for a one person shelter

[Threeme2189]

Also, if go to Colin's YT channel, he has over half a dozen videos where he went out in the woods and gave some shelters real world testing:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ColinOutdoors/videos

My god, it took me a few seconds to realize he was talking in English!
I'm not trying to to bash his videos, but he has a pretty heavy accent compared to the standard American accent I'm used to.

[Gareth]

Also, if go to Colin's YT channel, he has over half a dozen videos where he went out in the woods and gave some shelters real world testing:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ColinOutdoors/videos

My god, it took me a few seconds to realize he was talking in English!
I'm not trying to to bash his videos, but he has a pretty heavy accent compared to the standard American accent I'm used to.

That's a perfectly reasonable Scottish accent!   Perfectly understandable I think.

[Threeme2189]

Also, if go to Colin's YT channel, he has over half a dozen videos where he went out in the woods and gave some shelters real world testing:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ColinOutdoors/videos

My god, it took me a few seconds to realize he was talking in English!
I'm not trying to to bash his videos, but he has a pretty heavy accent compared to the standard American accent I'm used to.

That's a perfectly reasonable Scottish accent!   Perfectly understandable I think.

It is understandable, I just haven't heard that particular accent before.

I find different accents very interesting, and I like hearing people speak them.
But in all honesty, and not in a bad way, to me he sounds like he has a golf ball in his mouth.
I repeat, I am not bashing Colin, this is merely an observation!!

I'm sure that if he heard me talking he would have a few things to say 

[jzmtl]

Make a video and show us. 

[Nikos]

Heh, every time I watch one of Colin's videos, my mind automatically adds "and my axe!" at the end of every sentence... It's been a while but the same happened with Nick's videos as well. Go figure... 

[Nikos]

Here then, let's get this back on track... I had bought my brother a Snugpack Stratosphere a while back. He's put it through its paces and never had anything bad to say about it.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

My wife actually wants to do a section of the John Muir Trail this summer... about 50 mi. worth, and has been looking at a lot of these suggestions.  I think she should get the Six Moons Scout, but she's also found something else that looks like it might do for UL backpacking.  I'll see if I can find it and post the link.

[Sags]

I'm relatively new to this forum, first time I've looked in this section.

Anyway, when it comes to backpacking, I am a gear whore.  I've spent 5 summers as a full time backpacking/climbing guide in the Wind Rivers of Wyoming and have been all over the Mountain West states backpacking.  I'll share my thoughts on solo shelters.

The first thing I would ask is what your budget is?  Since I don't know, I'll just throw that variable out.

Tarps I would not recommend except as a basic windbreak.  Years ago I tried tarping for a couple of weeks and found several huge annoyances.   First off they are quite heavy, heavier then a solo tent or bivy.  Second they are not breathable, which means if you are bundled up in one tight enough to to keep the rain or snow out, you will get drenched from condensation anyway.  Lastly (and my biggest problem) is they do not keep out the bugs.  On my trips with a tarp I slept horribly, I would stick my face out of my mummy bag until I could not take the mosquito bites anymore, then I would cinch my mummy bag tight until I couldn't take the hot breath in my face anymore... then I would stick my face out and repeat.

Also I do not recommend cheap Wal-Mart or K-mart tents.  They will not keep rain/snow out, the cheap fiberglass poles flex way to much in the wind and they will usually get ripped to shreds in a moderate wind, they are not breathable, which means you will get rained or snowed on from the inside... etc, they are cheap for a reason.

Solo tents work well I quess, but I've never been a fan, just because for almost the same weight and price you can get a 2 person tent.

Bivys work well, if you can handle the material being right in front of your face.  I do carry a small Gore-Tex bivy that rolls up to the size of a 12oz soda can for an emergency shelter when day-hiking.  But for real overnight trips they are a bit claustrophobic for my taste, also most don't have a screen, so on those nice nights when you don't need the protection from rain/snow/dew you can't unzip it or you get eaten by bugs.

What I really recommend (and use) for a solo shelter are the bivy sack/tent hybrids.  There are lots of them out there now.  Basically it is a bivy sack from the chest down but has a small aluminum pole or two over the head area to give you some headroom.  Just enough to read a book, or something like that.  The one I've been using for the past 4 years is this guy

Big Agnes 3 wire bivy

and I love it.  At the very least look for one with Gore-Tex fabric, though if you can afford it there are fabrics much better out there now though.

The E-vent fabric mine is made out of is like Gore-Tex, only it breathes a million times better.  I've had it in blizzards with 8" of snow on top of me, and torrential downpours, and I've never had a leak or a single drop of condensation inside, literally dry as a bone.

There are lots of companies making hybrid bivy/tents now, so it shouldn't be hard to find one you like.  For the best compromise of lightweight and space to move around I recommend them highly.

[Gareth]

Cheers for the thoughts Sags.

[Sags]

My wife actually wants to do a section of the John Muir Trail this summer... about 50 mi. worth, and has been looking at a lot of these suggestions.  I think she should get the Six Moons Scout, but she's also found something else that looks like it might do for UL backpacking.  I'll see if I can find it and post the link.

Just looked at that Six Moons Scout, kinda like a copy of the BD Pyramid stuff.

My only gripes with that kind of shelter is that it is not free-standing, which means in rocky camp areas they are a PITA to get to work,  I've been there tying off packs and rocks and stuff to the corners to make a non free-standing tent stand up, even with decent stakes in soft dirt, it doesn't take much wind to pull them out.  Also I don't use trekking poles except for deep snow in winter.

But if you always make camp in nice dirt areas, out of the wind, and you do use trekking poles.  The pole-less design means a super lightweight shelter.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

A couple of weeks ago my wife bought one of these,

http://www.bearpawwd.com/tents_tarps/canopy_tent.html

and we tested it out in the backyard.  As fortune would have it, we also got a pretty decent rain storm that came in literally just a few hours after she set it up. 

After the kids were asleep we went outside with our sleeping pads and just hung out, talked, and had a few beers inside of it, and I was very impressed with how well it worked. 

For me personally, I'd prefer something that was at least bug resistant... creep crawlies really annoy me.  So I'd also want either a bug net or a bivy to go inside of it. 

But for now, she seems to like it and it seems like it'll meet her needs for her trip.

I did a long trip in the Wind Rivers way back when I was in college.  We put in at a trailhead in Pinedale; spent 9 days out there and I had a blast.  Took my backpacking pole and reel and a small selection of lures with me... was some of the best fishing I've ever experienced.  We hiked in over three days, base camped for four days, and took a shorter route out over two days.  On one of our base camp days, we did a day hike to what's supposed to be the highest point in WY, but I don't remember what it was called, as it was about 20 years ago.  One of the funnest trips I've ever done. 

[Sags]

I did a long trip in the Wind Rivers way back when I was in college.  We put in at a trailhead in Pinedale; spent 9 days out there and I had a blast.  Took my backpacking pole and reel and a small selection of lures with me... was some of the best fishing I've ever experienced.  We hiked in over three days, base camped for four days, and took a shorter route out over two days.  On one of our base camp days, we did a day hike to what's supposed to be the highest point in WY, but I don't remember what it was called, as it was about 20 years ago.  One of the funnest trips I've ever done. 

That would be Gannet Peak, 13,800ft.  If you came in from Pinedale, I bet you're base camp was in the Titcomb Basin, that's one popular way to summit Gannett, from Titcomb basin, it's basically a long slog up Mammoth glacier to the ridgeline south of the peak.  Though I think the most popular way is from the east side, up Dinwoody Glacier. 

I've been to Titcomb Basin, but the one time I actually summited Gannett was from the New Fork trailhead, we base camped at a lake called Scott Lake, and found an all rock route to the ridgeline north of the peak from there, that way we didn't need to carry crampons and ice picks.

I love the Wind Rivers, closest place to heaven on earth I've been.

[Styerman]

In mild weather , the US Mil. Poncho , and an aftermarket thinsilate liner will do the trick . Two Poncho's plus 10" paracord =tent .

Chris

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I did a long trip in the Wind Rivers way back when I was in college.  We put in at a trailhead in Pinedale; spent 9 days out there and I had a blast.  Took my backpacking pole and reel and a small selection of lures with me... was some of the best fishing I've ever experienced.  We hiked in over three days, base camped for four days, and took a shorter route out over two days.  On one of our base camp days, we did a day hike to what's supposed to be the highest point in WY, but I don't remember what it was called, as it was about 20 years ago.  One of the funnest trips I've ever done. 

That would be Gannet Peak, 13,800ft.  If you came in from Pinedale, I bet you're base camp was in the Titcomb Basin, that's one popular way to summit Gannett, from Titcomb basin, it's basically a long slog up Mammoth glacier to the ridgeline south of the peak.  Though I think the most popular way is from the east side, up Dinwoody Glacier. 

I've been to Titcomb Basin, but the one time I actually summited Gannett was from the New Fork trailhead, we base camped at a lake called Scott Lake, and found an all rock route to the ridgeline north of the peak from there, that way we didn't need to carry crampons and ice picks.

I love the Wind Rivers, closest place to heaven on earth I've been.

It certainly was beautiful there... but we were above tree-line most of the time, and I'm awfully fond of the forest.  (It was filthy with marmots there I do remember... don't remember if I saw any pikas though...)

For me, it's the Sierras... If I could choose only one place to spend the rest of my life, it'd probably some place in the northern Sierras... somewhere between Donner summit and Mt. Lassen. 

Even though I've lived in California for 30+ years, I've never been to the Trinity Alps, on the CA/OR border.  Very high on my list and hopefully I'll be able to plan a trip there for several days this summer with the wife and kids.  Its our favorite family activity; both my son and daughter are crazy for camping... we're teaching them right!

[Sags]

In mild weather , the US Mil. Poncho , and an aftermarket thinsilate liner will do the trick . Two Poncho's plus 10" paracord =tent .

Chris

Before I got the little bivy I carried some big clear garbage bags, duct tape and paracord for an emergency shelter in my survival pack. I actually still have all that in my survival pack, but for reasons other then shelter now (like transpiration water collection and snares)

Shelters like that works in an emergency, but given the choice I would much rather have a nice modern shelter with freestanding poles and netting to keep the mosquitoes out.