Roomy for one, and two at a squeeze.
Light weight,
Option of Bug inner,
And a colour that blends with the environment.
However, I have had mixed performance when using the shelter with its bug inner which lead me to conclude that they did not fit well together. Although when used with a light weight Bivvy such as the SMD Meteor the ID SilShelter works well.
There is a near endless list of shelters available that would meet my requirements. So after much research and discussions with other hikers I have purchase a GoLite Shangri-la 2 and its matching inner Nest. As a pair they should make a flexible light weight shelter for two, but for one the inner Nest is too heavy. A smaller and lighter weight option is too use a bivvy (for example the SMD Meteor) or small bug net such as MLD Solo Mid inner or the SMD Serenity. The second two options provide a large amount of space for one and my gear regardless of the weather.
The other thing I noticed when searching the web for shelters is for some shelters there are lots of good photos whilst for others the selection is limited to the manufactures’ glossy brochures. These brochures often lack detail when considering an on-line purchase. So I have taken a few photos to help other potential purchaser of the GoLite SL2.
When pitched by itself the SL2 Nest needs a guy line to hold the front of the shelter. This line is not required when the SL2 outer is placed over the top.
The mats in the photos are a Therm-a-Rest’s ProLite 4 3/4 length and an Exped SL7 UL size M
When pitched together the inner nest goes all the way to the back of the outer but stops about 24’ (600mm) from the front of the outer. I used 8 pegs in this pitch. The extra two went on the front of the nest.
Hey Wazza, this whole UL shelter business is a killer isn't it? The sheer choice when surfing online hurts my brain and then the extreme variation in reviews doesn't help!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where to go, but I'm thinking about the GoLite Shangri-La 1 Shelter. Why? I have no idea other than it's a little bit lighter than the BigAgnes Seeedhouse I'm using now. Then again I might just end up returning to the bivy bag which has served me fine! Thanks for the write up :)
Yep you are right Greg there is are far too many choices when it comes to tent/shelters.
ReplyDeleteI went away from the Bivvy as I was tired of doing the “bivvy shuffle” to get into the bag.
It’s funny you mention the SL1, it’s very close in size to the ID Sil-Shelter, and if I did not already have the ID I think I would have gone that way. The SL1 has a good amount of size for one and a compact foot print. Of course it only a one person shelter.
To try something different I decide to give the side entry system a go, an example is the Mountain Laurel Designs Duo Mid. It was when looking at such shelters I thought of placing a one person mozzie net in a two person outer to achieve that mix of bug free space, dry space for gear and removing the need for the 180dgeree turn when getting into bed. Well it seems great minds think alike because I discovered I was not the only person with this idea, I found that www.nielsenbrownoutdoors.com (plus others) had also thought about, and is away in Lapland for 20 days giving it a try. Of course mixing and match brands can be fraught with danger so I look forward (with finger crossed) to trying out my new system.
It looks like you're giving it a good crack to see if it works out for you. I'm the first to admit I get a little lazy trying to track down what I think will be the 'ideal' gear.
ReplyDeleteIt really ends up being a little subjective. I can't complain about my Seedhouse, but there is always that thought I can drop another 500 grams with something else. Man, this hiking business used to be quite a simple exercise. The tech going on now is hard to keep up with.
I'll be interested to see how you go. I'm out of action for week long hikes for quite some time I think, so I'll just stew on a few UL gear choices until I'm ready to go (fingers crossed)
I hope it goes well for you though and yeah, I do check Nielson out and he seems to be a savvy walker, so it'll be interesting to see what he thinks in the end.
Keep at it mate!