RE: [at-l] stephenson tents

["Mayer, Jim" <JMayer@crt.xerox.com>]

Jim,

Check the archives and look for messages from Solophile (Rachel DuBoise).
She thru-hiked with one the year before last (I think) and loved it.

I have one, but haven't used it in really severe weather or on a really long
hike.  I can make the following comments:

Pluses
------
It is by far the fastest tent to set up that I have ever seen.

It is long and quite roomy.

I haven't had any problems with condensation that I couldn't live with.

The side window option is WONDERFUL in summer weather.

Non-minuses
-----------
It doesn't have a vestibule.  On the other hand, it is as long as a tent
with a vestibule, so just set up a "wet" and a "dry" area.  Carry a cloth or
a sponge and dry anything you bring into the tent off as much as you can.
This is a good idea anyway.

The tent fabric is plenty strong.

The door is slanted out, so rain can get in when you enter or exit.  On the
other hand, the door design is such that you can slip in and out without
exposing much.  And, of course, any rain that comes in just gets onto the
"wet" area.  I don't think this is really a problem.

Minuses
-------
You have to pay attention to where you set the tent up.  There are vents and
"drainage" areas (for condensation on the end walls) on the floor of the
tent.  They are raised up enough so that wet grass or normal rain isn't a
problem, but if you set up in a pond the tent WILL fill.  Most tents will
anyway, at least after a bit of wear and tear, but the Warmlite tents don't
even try.

The length is wonderful, but the tent does have a big footprint.

The floor WILL abrade if you set it up on bracken.

The tent fabric is incredibly slippery.  You may want to put little "spots"
of silicon sealant on the floor so your pad doesn't go skating down the
smallest slope.

SUMMARY

All in all I'm quite happy with mine.  If I was thru-hiking, I still might
take a tarp and some mosquito netting, or maybe look at Kurt Russell's
"Wanderlust" tentlet (http://wanderlustgear.com) if he comes up with a
version for taller folks.  Why?  Because I like the freedom of camping
wherever I want, and I find it much easier to find suitable tarp sites than
suitable tent sites.  But all that is personal preference.

Anyway, if you are thinking of long distance hiking with one, definitely
contact Rachel.  She has the experience to back up her opinions!

-- Jim  

-----Original Message-----
From: Phillips [mailto:gammara1@mediaone.net]
Sent: Monday, January 11, 1999 9:28 PM