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Tent Review - Luxe Outdoor Sil-Habitat

Tent Review - Luxe Outdoor Sil-Habitat

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    Aug 03, 2015#1

    Recently, I've been hankering off a lighter tent for use on both canoeing trips and theoretical walking trips too. I have a few requirements that I'm quite fussy about, one of which is that the tent must be freestanding, not requiring tension just to stand up, as on numerous trips I've found myself on ground where its difficult to get reliable pegs in. Unfortunately, this means its hard to find many lightweight options.

    A couple of months ago, I stumbled across the Luxe Outdoor Habitat, a PU coated tent that seemed to fulfil most of my requirements. Unfortunately, there were non in stock. I contacted Backpacking Light, who said they hoped to get some more in and would let me know. Sadly, in the end they let me know that they wouldn't be getting any more. However they did point out that they had a siliconised nylon version, which was slightly bigger but a similar weight, approx 2kg, which matched my approximate target weight.

    The Sil-Habitat also had a few features that caught my eye

    - the mesh inner is freestanding, so could be used as a haven from the midges under a tarp
    - the outer can be erected on its own without the inner, for really light trips
    - it comes with a "footprint" groundsheet included
    - must be green to blend in

    There were a few questions I had, which were all answered excellently, including the need to seal seams (recommended but not essential), and the cut away nature of the ends on the Sil-Version.

    So, I ordered one for £160, and it arrived literally the next day, with a handwritten note and a packet of wine gums.


    Here are the specifications as per the Backpacking Light website.

    The Sil Habitat is slightly larger than the PU coated version and it is also slightly lighter and small to pack.

    The inner is mesh only, so not really suitable if you are looking for a shelter for winter use. However it does make it ideal for those needing something for the rest of the year, or more ventilation in warmer climates.

    It can also be pitched without the inner, by using the included footprint which has location holes for the poles.

    With two vestibules it offers excellent storage for two users or one person with equipment, such as a cycle tourer or motor cycle tourer.

    Please note that shelters which use Silicone based fabrics will require additional seam sealing and we recommend that users apply the (supplied) sealing on the inside of the flysheet along the stitching and seams, in order to obtain better weather protection if the tent is going to be subjected to persistent rainfall.

    2 person
    3 season
    Flysheet: 40D/230T Nylon ripstop fabric with siliconized treatment on both sides. HH: 2500mm
    Tent Floot: 68D Nylon taffeta PU5000mm
    Pole: Yunan Korea allot 7001 T6/8.5mm
    Guyrope: Reflective rope 2.2mm dia x 2
    Cord adjuster: Glow in the dark effect on guyrope
    Pegs: Y-Shape alloy pegs x8
    Tube of seam sealant
    Weight:
    Fly sheet: 578g
    Inner: 790g
    Poles: 554g
    Pegs (8) 92g
    Total: 2.01 kg
    Footprint for outer only pitching 238g


    Comments: Larger than standard Habitat for taller users. Two spacious vestibules. Good ventilation. Full mesh inner. Can be used fly only with footprint.


    Pictures








    Pitching

    Assuming you're pitching the whole tent, simply throw the inner on the floor (on top of footprint if you're using it). The main pole is an all in one unit and clicks easily together to form the frame, and this is again easily poked into the corner eyelets. You then clip the inner to the poles, and add a central cross pole to give extra headroom.















    The flysheet simply throws over the top, with 4 small velcro internal tabs that match the poles, and then adjustable webbing straps pop over the pole ends and can be tightened.






    Now you can peg out the tent using the ultralight "Y" channel pegs which are superb, but painful on the hand!



    There are only 2 guys lines, one at each end. These have very simply but clever tension adjusters with single-strand guylines.







    In use

    I've used the tent 3 times now, once on a sneaky wild camp in the Surrey Hills, and twice on the river with the canoe. And I can basically say I'm very pleased with it.

    The weight is pretty much spot on as per the specifications. This means my theoretical lightest without the inner would be around 1.5kg with the footprint, which is pretty good for a full 2 person tent. To be honest, though, most of the time, at about 2.2kg total, most of the time I'd take the whole thing.

    Space wise, its remarkably spacious, almost as big as my Vango Halo 200, just a little lower and with slightly smaller porches. Its actually bigger than I need, but I'm sure that the space will be used! The lower doors make it a little harder to get in and out without brushing against wet flysheet, but the inner is covered even with the door open.


    The mesh inner is great in summer, which is when I mainly expect to use this tent. Inside are a couple of decent end pockets, and little hanging loops.









    Little details impress, such as the simple use of little pieces of cord for zip pulls, which work well but save weight.






    The door ties are in theory, neat, but actually quite fiddly to use in the dark.






    Weather Protection

    This is based on a US designed tent, and it shows. The ends of the flysheet are cut in a rising curve, which is good for ventilation, but less so for protection from wind-driven rain. The inner groundsheet of the inner does, though, rise much higher than the curve at the ends, so there shouldn't be any issue when used with the inner, but as a fly-only shelter it may reduce the effectiveness and allow rain to puddle on the footprint. The rest of the fly comes nicely to the ground.






    Stability of the inner is pretty decent, but no 4 season tent, but because the fly is unsupported between corner and the end of the cross-pole, the wind can blow the fabric onto the inner. Its rated as 3 season, my personal feeling is that this is only just. It won't blow away, but in strong wind the outer will press onto the inner at these points, and it needs a guy line there. Given that this is where the door ties are, I might try it with a thin line, but they are not designed to be load bearing. Time will tell.

    I had condensation on the 3rd time I used it, but it was "one of those nights" and everything we had was soaked by morning, in the porch, under the canoe, everywhere. The previous two times I had zero condensation. The main outer zips only open from the bottom, which is a shame as it reduces venting options, and there are no other vents in the outer, so I guess those raised-curve ends do help airflow.

    Reflective strips by the doors, and thread in the guys, make it easy to spot at night, but overall the green is the perfect shade to blend in with the environment.



    The various bags are generously sized, so its easy to pack away, yet the packed size remains pretty small.






    Quality

    This is where I think it stands out ahead of similarly priced Vangos and the like. The siliconised nylon fabric is very light, but very strong and has a decent 2500mm Hydrostatic Head, but with it being sil-nylon I am assured its effectively much higher as it doesn't degrade. The floor is 5000mm and a good balance between light and tough. All the metal parts are excellent, light and nicely finished. The stitching throughout is immaculate.



    Summary

    I'm really impressed so far. The Sil-Habitat is really light for the amount of sheer space you get, and for lowland UK use I think its going to be a real winner. I'm not entirely convinced it will comfortably sit out a Highland gale without flapping over the doors, and wet outer touching inner, this might be the only limiting factor, but with a mesh inner I wouldn't intend to use it as a base camp tent in winter anyway, that's not what I bought it for. The true selling point to me is its versatility and flexibility - use the inner as a midge net under a tarp, or in a hot summer, or just take the outer for a high bivi.


    Positives
    Weight, space, quality, porches, pitching speed, mesh inner, free standing design, inner or outer can be used on its own, pegs, quick pole set up.

    Negatives
    Lack of vents, ability for fabric above door to flex in wind, high curved ends, fiddly door ties. Time will tell if it stands up well to wind driven rain.
    SMopencanoePaddler,blogger,camper,pyromaniac:

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    4,681574
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      Aug 03, 2015#2

      Excellent review Mal ....nice looking Tent, good ratio of space to weight.
      Forgive my ignorance....there's probably a technical reason....but the primary function of any tent in Britain is to keep the weather out .......so why do you have to reseal the seams on a new tent?
      All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

      2,90257
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        Aug 03, 2015#3

        I look forward to seeing the thing in person soon. Looks a decent bit of kit but the poles scare the carp out of me. Too much like the Kraptonfictor I worry.

        if Mal says it's good then it is though n
        MarkL
        www.canoemassifcentral.com
        Open Canoe hire/outfitting in the Massif Central
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        27K3,045
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        27K3,045

          Aug 03, 2015#4

          mayobren wrote:Excellent review Mal ....nice looking Tent, good ratio of space to weight.
          Forgive my ignorance....there's probably a technical reason....but the primary function of any tent in Britain is to keep the weather out .......so why do you have to reseal the seams on a new tent?
          Most tents are PU coated nylon or polyester. These can have a tape applied to the inside of the seam. However, the nature of siliconised fabrics, and their slipperyness, means that the tape can't be applied in the same way. So you get a stronger, very waterproof fabric that is much lighter, but there's a compromise. Some say that actually the holes are so small and the threads fill them, that there is little chance of leakage if the design is good, but just in case its worth running seam sealer over the seams - it comes with a tube and a brush. Was a pain in the arse to do though, a good 2 hours. To be honest, I could just have done the top seams, I think, but did all the main ones.
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            Aug 03, 2015#5

            I knew there would be a reason..........but......why wouldn't the manufacturer do that?
            All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

            27K3,045
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            27K3,045

              Aug 03, 2015#6

              mayobren wrote:I knew there would be a reason..........but......why wouldn't the manufacturer do that?
              Quite a few of the better manufaturers use these fabrics. There's a theory that its actually driven by the customers expecting sealed seams, rather than an actual need for it to be done. And it can't be easily automated, so would add to the cost noticeably. But I am surprised that, now such fabrics have been used by top manufacturers for a number of years, someone hasn't come up with something.
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                Aug 03, 2015#7

                Oh I do love a new tent. Probably why I have six!

                Nice review. I have the Luxe Single Inner V4 to go with my GoLite Shangrila. It has the same neat tension adjusters. They're a nice feature, so much easier to use than the regular kind.
                Matto

                Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within, as the river wound, twenty miles of the sea.

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                  Aug 03, 2015#8

                  Nice review Mal. IIRC it goes up faster than a ham fistedly pitched 3x3 tarp as well :D...

                  2,447236
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                    Aug 04, 2015#9

                    Nice review Mal.

                    I must say I was very impressed with this tent when I saw it on the Cherwell paddle a couple of weeks back.
                    I'm not a big fan of tunnel tents with lots of poles however this was a good thought out tent with minimal poles that went together very quickly and the quality was excellent.
                    I particularly like the fact that you could pop up the frame and then sling over the fly if you don't want the inner or if it's raining and you wan to put the inner up afterwards. My main bugbear with poll tents is having to thread the polls through the material however with this one the inner just clips to the frame with 9 clips............much easier.
                    Bootstrap SMpirate
                    There's no such thing as inclement weather - you're just incorrectly dressed SMopencanoe

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                      Aug 04, 2015#10

                      I have one of these tents from BackpackingLight, bought it last year and used it in Knoydart and Glen Africh.
                      superb tent based effectively on a MSR Hubba Hubba (I believe the quality is just as good, and plain to see if you pitch them next to each other). BackpackingLight are a great company with some excellent products. These tents are at a bargain price at the moment of £139.99��
                      To travel alone is a risky business, especially in the wilderness; equally risky is to have dreams and not follow them.

                      27K3,045
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                      27K3,045

                        Aug 04, 2015#11

                        Matkat wrote:I have one of these tents from BackpackingLight, bought it last year and used it in Knoydart and Glen Africh.
                        superb tent based effectively on a MSR Hubba Hubba (I believe the quality is just as good, and plain to see if you pitch them next to each other). BackpackingLight are a great company with some excellent products. These tents are at a bargain price at the moment of £139.99��
                        Yeah, suspiciously like the Hubba Hubba! Sounds like you have the PU version, which is the one I wanted originally, and might actually be better suited to UK conditions thanks to a lower cut fly and vents. They were out of stock in green though. However, the Sil version is actually a little bit bigger.
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                          Aug 04, 2015#12

                          the tent must be freestanding
                          Actually I wonder about this as I reckon with the lightweight spindly free standing frame which will put a lot of stress through the 3 point hubs, the tent will rely on guys to deal with any proper wind. Be interested to see how it plays out in the field.

                          27K3,045
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                          27K3,045

                            Aug 04, 2015#13

                            Davy 90 wrote:Actually I wonder about this as I reckon with the lightweight spindly free standing frame which will put a lot of stress through the 3 point hubs, the tent will rely on guys to deal with any proper wind. Be interested to see how it plays out in the field.
                            Yeah, its going to be a learning process, and I suspect on wilder trips the Halo will be first choice still. Unless LONG portages are in order...
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                              Aug 04, 2015#14

                              I bet you still bring the Luxe, it'll be fine, it'll just flex a bit :D

                              As you know, our completely bomber 4 season geodesic has been absolutely necessary for the camping we've done in it :D

                              It has withstood two small children swinging off the drying loops and pockets of the inner though...

                              27K3,045
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                              27K3,045

                                Aug 04, 2015#15

                                Davy 90 wrote:I bet you still bring the Luxe, it'll be fine, it'll just flex a bit :D

                                As you know, our completely bomber 4 season geodesic has been absolutely necessary for the camping we've done in it :D

                                It has withstood two small children swinging off the drying loops and pockets of the inner though...
                                Not sure I'd have wanted to be in the Luxe last New Year!!! Mind you, it is better than Nige's heap of cheapness which just about survived...
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                                20K2,260
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                                  Aug 04, 2015#16

                                  Great review. Just going to promote this to an article too.
                                  John

                                  Every time a canoe trip is not blogged on SotP, God makes a new kayaker.  SMopencanoe

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                                    Aug 04, 2015#17

                                    Great review. Interesting and informative .... like a Tentumentary.

                                    Look fwd to further field reports.
                                    If I could only paddle like a doggie oughta paddle

                                    27K3,045
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                                      Update

                                      Sep 03, 2015#18

                                      OK, I've now used the tent for a total of 13 nights, in 11 different places, not too bad for a tent I only bought in mid-July.

                                      Basically, my first impressions remain - light, flexible with pitching, freestanding for hard ground, etc, etc.

                                      To it, I can also add that it stands up to pretty windy weather well, and also is utterly waterproof in such conditions, even where pegging out was difficult. I still suspect that a forecast true British wet and windy camp, or a very cold one, would make me choose the Halo instead, but if (as is likely) one arrives un-forecast, I won't be worried in the Luxe.
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                                        Sep 04, 2015#19

                                        Mal Grey wrote:OK, I've now used the tent for a total of 13 nights, in 11 different places, not too bad for a tent I only bought in mid-July.

                                        Basically, my first impressions remain - light, flexible with pitching, freestanding for hard ground, etc, etc.

                                        To it, I can also add that it stands up to pretty windy weather well, and also is utterly waterproof in such conditions, even where pegging out was difficult. I still suspect that a forecast true British wet and windy camp, or a very cold one, would make me choose the Halo instead, but if (as is likely) one arrives un-forecast, I won't be worried in the Luxe.
                                        I was really impressed with it on the trip. Loved to more open way of sleeping and it seemed pretty waterproof to me .......

                                        [video][/video]
                                        MarkL
                                        www.canoemassifcentral.com
                                        Open Canoe hire/outfitting in the Massif Central
                                        We will make your trip work

                                        27K3,045
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                                        27K3,045

                                          Sep 07, 2015#20

                                          MarkL wrote:I was really impressed with it on the trip. Loved to more open way of sleeping and it seemed pretty waterproof to me .......

                                          [video][/video]
                                          Yeah, the fabric is really excellent, taut and totally waterproof. You could hear the rain "pinging" off it. And sleeping with both porches tied right back, behind full mesh doors, looking out over the lakes, was lovely.

                                            Feb 29, 2016#21

                                            A short update on this, now I have tested it thoroughly.

                                            I am still very pleased with the design, and the "weight to space" ratio is superb. Its also bearing up very well in terms of fabrics, stitching, pegs etc and is definitely a well made design.

                                            However....

                                            I mentioned my concerns over how it would perform in strong wind. As did Ade:
                                            Davy 90 wrote:Actually I wonder about this as I reckon with the lightweight spindly free standing frame which will put a lot of stress through the 3 point hubs, the tent will rely on guys to deal with any proper wind. Be interested to see how it plays out in the field.

                                            OK. So I tested it. Close to destruction. During Storm Desmond at the beginning of December, half way up a Brecon Beacon. Possibly not the wisest place to take this sort of tent. Ade and I had decided to do a sort of test wild camp with light gear. So light I forgot my mat, which is a different story, but not so light we didn't have wine. So, we headed uphill, hoping to get shelter from the gusting winds at Llyn Cwm Llwch below Pen y Fan. On the way, despite a 12kg pack and 80kg body, I got blown over once, landing face down, and it was too windy to hold the camera and take photos. Arriving at the Llyn, it was the opposite of sheltered, it was some sort of opening into a windy version of hell, with huge vortices spinning around, coming vertically downward, and side wards, and was basically an awesome display of the force of nature at its angriest.





                                            So we turned down and headed back to find somewhere lower, eventually dropping into the valley and finding a lovely little spot by the stream. It was more sheltered, but still the angry gusts were sweeping down and finding us. On the tops it was gusting 90mph+, ours probably weren't quite that, but it was strong.

                                            We settled in for a long evening, darkness lasts forever in December.

                                            Basically, this tent is not designed for this sort of wind. Ultimately, when the force gets strong enough, it squashes the windward end downwards, and pushes in the large unsupported parts of the porch. After a dodgy meal, Ade felt rough and retired to his coffin (Wild Country Zephyros). This left me alone in my tent, on a mat made from a foil bag and some spare clothing, in a tent which was moving around hugely. Fortunately in my lovely new PHD down sleeping bag, so I was toasty at least! At times I had to hold the poles to stop them imploding.





                                            I tried, but failed to get sleep. Every time I got close, a massive gust would try to flatten the tent, and wake me up. At one point, in the dark, the tent was blown so far inwards the ridge part of the pole pressed on my face. After that it happened more often. With heavy rain too, sometimes this was splashing through the gap between fly and inner, but overall was kept out very well considering. That was a looooooonnggg night, lying there from 7pm to 7am hoping my tent wasn't about to explode. And it didn't.

                                            However, come morning, I could see the damage. The tent hadn't broken, but it had bent, one of the four corner poles was very out of shape, and the ridge pole was also twisted in two places.





                                            It was still standing, but was weakened. So part of me is disappointed in its windy performance, but it was ridiculously windy, part of me is pleased that it didn't break. It is by some margin the windiest night I can remember camping in, and I don't blame the tent at all really, its simply not designed for that.

                                            On returning home, I eventually e-mailed Backpackinglight to ask about poles. No problem, but they're not stocked so would have to wait for the next shipment. They kept me informed throughout, and new poles arrived last week for £40. I now have a spare bent set (which I've used since December in still conditions). The service remains great - I got more sweets with my poles, and a nice little written note about hoping for calmer conditions for my next trip.

                                            This has slightly knocked my confidence in the conditions the tent will survive in, but it was properly extreme. There is no problem in 20-30mph stuff, even beyond that. However, what was clearly 50-60 or even higher is taking the mick, and those vertical ends just can't survive that. I will think carefully about using it in wilder British conditions, but it remains my "go-to" choice for most trips, and I used it again the night before last on the Wey, in 20mph+ gusts, when it just flaps a bit.
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                                              Feb 29, 2016#22

                                              respect for doing some proper testing!

                                              i remember a good number of sleepless nights in various tents, in various places, in high winds. the best probably was the one on the coast in norway where a proper storm kept 3 guys awake, sitting up with their backs against the tent fabric just to keep it from caving in on them. eventually we hatched a plan that made us work together like clockwork, to take the thing down and pack it without any part being broken, torn or swept away. we didn't sleep any better after that but at least we didn't lose anything.

                                              you deserve a medal of madness for putting yourself through this voluntarily. it's these kind of experiences that made me bite the bullet, shell out on a canvas fortress and forget about saving that last bit of weight.

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                                                Feb 29, 2016#23

                                                Hmmm, interesting. I've now got a similar type fellow in the form of the Exped Mira 2 which is not a long way off in shape, poles, design. Based on this, the balance is tipped, I'll stay away from mad weather conditions in improbable places and seasons ... then get blasted by a Mediterranean storm in July with hailstones the size of golf balls.

                                                Pleased you could get the replacement poles for it as it seemed a decent "mid weather" option when I saw it.
                                                MarkL
                                                www.canoemassifcentral.com
                                                Open Canoe hire/outfitting in the Massif Central
                                                We will make your trip work

                                                27K3,045
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                                                  Feb 29, 2016#24

                                                  MarkL wrote:Hmmm, interesting. I've now got a similar type fellow in the form of the Exped Mira 2 which is not a long way off in shape, poles, design. Based on this, the balance is tipped, I'll stay away from mad weather conditions in improbable places and seasons ... then get blasted by a Mediterranean storm in July with hailstones the size of golf balls.

                                                  Pleased you could get the replacement poles for it as it seemed a decent "mid weather" option when I saw it.
                                                  Interesting variation on a theme, that Exped Mira. There are a few new tents on the market in the same basic layout. I think the fact yours has a smaller "end" will be an advantage, and from what I can tell the porches are likely to be less flappy as they're steeper pitched. I think there are more guying points too, and the fact the poles are in sleeves will add stability over my clipper ones, at the expense of pitching time. On mine, guying points where the door ties are would help, but the ties are not strong enough to adapt. Also a guying point at each end of the transverse pole would be good.
                                                  I like the clever guys which can hook round trees, and little details like the gear loft and pole organiser. Should be perfect for the same sort of trips mine was bought for.
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                                                    Feb 29, 2016#25

                                                    Ade and I had decided to do a sort of test wild camp with light gear.
                                                    Hehe, it was an interesting weekend - the wind was amazing, it was blowing huge depressions into the llyn as it dropped down the cwm in gusts, never seen anything like it.

                                                    New found respect for my Zephyros 2 that night as I actually slept for most of it despite pitching on a load of hawthorn twigs and discovering the pitch had flooded with standing water under the bathtub during the night, dry inside... :)

                                                    Pity about the pasta disaster...

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                                                      Mar 02, 2016#26

                                                      Great follow up to your review Mal........nowt like real world testing!
                                                      All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

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                                                        Mar 10, 2016#27

                                                        Impressive test Mal. Isn't mother nature wonderful when she gets worked up over something. Extremes of weather of whatever kind always impress. I often wonder about the intrinsic strength of those kind of tents. It seems you take what is basically a geodesic or semi geodesic frame design then destroy the strength that comes with that kind of design by introducing those 3 point hubs. I've got two semi geodesics, a Terra Nova and a Vango and a couple of tunnels, Vango and Lightwave. I'm always happier in a tunnel in heavy weather so long as I can get it pitched the right way and the wind doesn't vere round! Also a couple of my tents are inner first pitch which always makes me paranoid about the weather when I'm using them, putting it up in heavy rain resulting in a soaked inner does not result in a pleasant place to be. I think my next canoe camping tent will be a small vango tunnel or semi geodesic with an outer first pitch such as the Omega 250, Pulsar or Mirage series.
                                                        Mike

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                                                          Mar 10, 2016#28

                                                          25272527 wrote: I'm always happier in a tunnel in heavy weather so long as I can get it pitched the right way and the wind doesn't vere round!
                                                          The Vango tension band system, while really only being a set of webbing straps, works REALLY well in high winds. Sound engineering principles of triangulation (better, curved triangles). In still conditions, the tent acts as a normal tunnel with the big curve of the pole forming a semi-circle with the strap along the ground to support the flysheet.

                                                          Hit it with a wind from the side and it flexes so far then the strap comes into tension. The tent is now supported by a much smaller, shorter triangle consisting of the tension band and half the pole. Importantly, the curved part of this triangle is pointing towards the wind, is firmly anchored at one end by the peg and has two further supports in the form of the guy rope.

                                                          Mrs stinkwheel and I laid inside our spirit 200 in a genuine force 10 storm in a field on Shetland. You could see the TBS working overtime as the wind slewed around. It would flex so far then the tension would catch it. We came to a point where we realised the tent was safe and secure and got a good nights kip. I did go out and double peg the guyropes.

                                                          Makes me think other tents could easily be retrofitted with something similar. Even very lightweight ones. You could use paracord. It would only work on poles which have a full curve from one peg to another thought, wouldn't work with a free-hanging pole.

                                                          One real advantage of Mals setup is even in the above conditions, that silnylon fly remains utterly waterproof. Collapsing the poles and simply wrapping you and your gear in the fly is a totally valid option in extreme conditions. In fact, I've been reading some bumpf on tents recently because I'm in the market for a new lightweight tent. Hilleberg actually recommend doing exactly this if the wind conditions preclude errecting the tent properly.
                                                          "I'm not getting in a boat which is DESIGNED to go upside down."