My wife and myself are after a new tent. We're both working towards our ML and do a lot of work with DoE at the moment. We're also trying to get pack weights down (replaced macpac with Golite Jam and sleeping bag to replaced with Alpkit PD600). I've been looking at the hex-3 for a while and now the Shangri-La and I've asked a similar question on a Bushcraft forum but with differeing views due to different expectations of a shelter. I like the size the of the Shangri-La and I also like the fact that I can take just ther outer, or the outer and inner depending on the circumstatnces, I also like the space inside. Main concerns is the lack of a porch and the problems with vents sometimes letting in water (although I'm happy to fit some draw cords to close these when needed. Being the main tent this will be used on everything from Bronze DoE training, through to several days in the hills. Is this the right tent or are there better alternatives? I can't go much above £250 so this fits the bill nicely. What do you think? Cheers Matt
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I should have also said that this summer I'm spending some time in the lakes then up to Scotland for a couple weeks, want to do few multiday walks with wildcamping so that I can do the ML training.
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 Hiya Matt, Wind blown ingress through the vents is a huge problem and i plan to get this sorted with the addition of a couple of silite flaps sewn in at the base of the vent. Draw cords will not cure the problem at all. Porch space is a problem but I tent to use the outer only with the Ground sheet rolled back or none at all. TBH I got mine as a xmas pressie but if I was in your position I'd buy the Helsport or the Mountain Hardwear Kiva Drew (my hex3 and Crux bomb in a base camp setup wild camp we use the Hex as a Mess tent in these situation))
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 When you say wind-blown ingress I presume you mean rain and snow entering? I've had a Hex 3 since it came out and I've been testing a Shangri-La 3 over the winter. Both have been up in 50mph winds with heavy rain, sleet and snow and I've had no problems with rain or snow entering through the vents. Snow does get in round the edges unless these are buried in the snow. Wind does blow through the vents, but this helps keep condensation down. I wouldn't choose the Shangri-La 3 for Scottish summer use due to the lack of a porch if you use the inner, which would be essential to keep the midges out. Without the inner, which is how I usually use it, there is plenty of room for cooking and storing wet gear inside.
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Is it just for the 2 of you? I just got a 2 man single skin Force10 Vitesse for £100. It looks like a smaller one of the old force10 ridge tents, except is has a groundsheet and inner mesh doors attached to the single outer skin. There is a vent at one end and doors around the porch at the other. The doors can apparently be left open without rain entering the inner groundsheeted part. I'll be using it on my own but you could get 2 into it provided you are close. Anyone used the Vitesse? What's it like for the UK camping conditions?
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The problem with the Vitesse, like every single skin tent with a sewn-in groundsheet I've tested, is that condensation is a big problem in humid conditions, running down the walls and forming pools on the groundsheet. I wouldn't use it with two except in an emergency as avoiding touching the wet walls would be difficult.
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I did actually look at the Force10 Helium 200, which looks like it could be quite good. It was the internal space of the Shangri-a that appealed to me, especially with the amount of use its going to get.
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What other options are there, not sure if I can stretch to this but the Laserlarge 1 looks like it could be good, the problem I can see with Helium is I'm not sure if the porch is big enough for bags etc.
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| Edited: 16/04/08 13:58 |
hmmmm, should really get back to marking coursework, but can't seem to stay off kit sites, I'm not evening going to get started on sleeping bags at the moment.... I need suggestions, 3-4 season, preferably sub £300 (don't think I can swing more than that), must sleep 2 (preferably not a cramped 2) and needs somewhere to store kit, either inside or porch. Must be double skinned (sorry not hard enough to put with midges in Scotland  ) Do I go with gut and get the Shangri or is something like the Helium a better bet (just how big are they inside?)
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| Edited: 16/04/08 18:22 |
The Helium 200 is tiny compared with the Shangri-La 3. I'd describe it as cramped for two. The Shangri-La 3 inner can be pulled back to create a space for cooking under cover if necessary. No one is hard enough to put up with midges!
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If the inner can be pulled back that would give an impromptu porch... cheers Chris I think thats made my mind up. Have you had any problems with pegging these out on softer grounds?
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The opposite - problems on hard ground! The Shangri-La comes with Y-shaped pegs that hold well in soft ground but need hammering with a rock to get into hard ground. I haven't used the inner so I don't know how easy it is to pitch. It clips onto the edges of the outer and so could be unclipped to pull it back to create cooking space. I reviewed the Shangri-La 3 in the April TGO if you want to see more details.
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Cheers, just reading that now, missed that one. Can you use a walking pole instead of the supplied one to reduce the weight?
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You'd need two walking poles connected together, GoLite used to do a tube connector for the Hex 3. I don't know if they still offer it. I don't think trekking poles would be as strong in winds as the supplied pole, which is pretty substantial.
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