[pct-l] Fw: Tents vrs Tarps - Bivies?

[Yoshihiro Murakami]

Dear Timothy

I had used the Six Moon Designs Luna Solo.
http://psycho01.edu.u-toyama.ac.jp/PB292082.jpg
But, this shelter needs many stakes and cannot set up at the hard
ground. Then, I decided to discard this shelter.

I have used  Hilleberg Akto for 4 years.
http://psycho01.edu.u-toyama.ac.jp/PB292082.jpg This tent is very
strong, and it can be set up by 4 stakes (locations are not strict). I
like this shelter best. But, now, this shelter (1.4Kg) is heavy and
expensive.

I bought Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 1.0Kg
http://psycho01.edu.u-toyama.ac.jp/P5212807.jpg and used at the JMT.
But, this shelter needs many stakes, and water proof is not strong. I
am living in Japan.  The strong rain will penetrate this tent. I
cannot recommend this tent especially in Japan.

 I bought Vaude Power Lizard UL 1.0 Kg. This shelter is very strong
for wind and water proof is 3000mm.  This shelter will be safe against
the very strong rain in Japan. I like this shelter.

And, I ordered the MSR Home Alone Bivy (0.8 Kg )for my wife in this summer.
http://www.moontrail.com/marmot-home-alone-bivy.php

This is like a single wall tent. I have not yet gotten this shelter,
so I cannot comment this. But, the numerics of water proof indicate
very strong enough.

The light shelters are not strong. I have heard that their longevity
is within 100 nights. So, you mightl need two or more shelters.





2011/2/7 Timothy Nye <timpnye at gmail.com>:
> Great series of posts on this question.  I posed my original question to Ron
> about the virtues of a light bivy vs. enhanced fabric for a sleeping bag
> based on specific situations that I had observed on the trail.  Who better
> to ask than one of the best known gear makers (Six Moons Designs)?
>
> This also goes to Mike's observation about not believing in limitations.  I
> couldn't agree more about that.  Most people limit themselves unnecessarily
> , that are inherent in us all, in failing to be able to recognize the true
> abilities that they possess and the things that they can otherwise achieve.
> Hikers see that all the time; encountering repeatedly the question
> of: "Isn't it dangerous out there"?  The same thing holds true about going
> into business for yourself.  In the end, it is all about having the
> knowledge to be able to make an informed decision; that is, a calculated
> risk and learning that in the end the rewards are infinitely greater.
>
> Specifically, last spring there were consecutive days of high winds (gale
> force) with freezing rain, sleet, snow.  How best to deal with this?  My
> first observation was that I understood at once the plains Indian's teepee
> design as being able to effectively shed wind from any direction.  This is
> something my tarp tent wouldn't be able to handle; and indeed many tents
> were trashed.  I have a tarp (7.5 oz)and a lightweight bivy (5.5 oz), the
> latter with a cuben fiber bottem and momentum top.
>
> The downside, as I see it, from a standard tarp set up is that high
> winds may blow precipitation in on a ground sheet, more or less depending on
> size, and create either a puddle effect or drainage channel wetting a bag.
> Ron's cape has the advantage of a pyramid design that sheds wind and would
> screen the rain; primary downside (to me) is that you lack the layering
> warmth that a true shell provides....but I could dump the weight of the tarp
> and the bivy and add a piece of painters plastic that I could form into a
> bathtub; all at the approx same weight as my existing shell.
>
> Yet, in the end the true value of these discussions, whether they lead to
> new gear or not on an informed cost benefit analysis, is really that they
> cause us to consider different scenarios that we may encounter on the trail
> and determine in advance how they might effectively be dealt with.
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-- 
Sincerely
--------------- --------------------------------------
Hiro    ( Yoshihiro Murakami )
Blogs http://completewalker.blogspot.com/
Photo http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/CompleteWalker/
Backpacking since about 1980 in Japan
2009 JMT, the first America.
2010 JMT, the second America.
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