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Mountain Hardwear Waypoint 1
Tested
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Price:
£170
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Weight: 960 grammes (claimed minimim
weight) 1130 grammes (packed weight)
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Features:
three-season superlight one-man tent, single main pole and
one end pole, single wall design, optional rear strut
support, double-slider, venting, water-resistant zip, celing
venting, mesh perimiter venting, seamless welding attaching
fly to floor, single side entry, UVX window in front. Comes
with pegs, guys and Seamgrip seam seal.
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Very light, roomy for one person.
Condensation issues and no vestibule.
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The Concept Bivvy bags and tarps are light but cramped and
often impractical. With the one-person Waypoint - there's also a
two-man version - MHW has spent a few extra grammes, with a claimed
useable weight of under a kilo and added a bit of general useability
along the way.
It's a single-skin tent, which in the UK normally means big
condensation problems, but the design uses 'mesh perimiter venting'
and other vents to try and minimise the effects. The aim is a pack it
and forget it tent, that's very light but still reasonably
comfortable.
Features Construction is ostensibly simple single pole with
end pole structure plus a PU-coated Nylon outer with added silicone
coating on the
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The strip above the ground sheet
is mesh
for improved ventilation, while the 'fly' runs
down to the ground outside for rain
shedding
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outside. MHW says that weight for weight, Nylon is more tear
resistant than Polyester, which is why they use it.
So far so simple, but there are some neat touches. The most
obvious is the use of glueing technology to attach the walls to the
seam-sealed bath-tub groundsheet via a continuous mesh venting strip
and also creates a rain-shedding external profile - think eaves, or
just a conventional two-skin fly sheet construction.
The large side door uses water-resistant zippers to save weight,
there's a roof window to minimise claustrophobic feelings and vents
both at the foot of the tent, where an optional upright pole allows
air flow, and at the head.
In Action First the plus points, the Waypoint packs down very
small, pitches very, very quickly and easily - there's just one main pole and the optional vertical end pole. Plus it's nice and big, roomy enough for one person,
a pack and associated gubbins.
On top of that, the 'head end' of
things is tall enough to avoid the claustrophobic atmosphere of
typical bivvy tents and the tapered toe is just high enough to minimise soggy sleeping bag syndrome. Construction shouts 'quality' with everything
fitting and working. We liked neat touches like the colour coded zip
pull tags on the double-ended main door zip so you actually tell top
from bottom.
So far so good, but the news isn't all positive. First - and to be
fair, we knew this when we got the tent in - there's no covered porch
/ vestibule, so cooking in miserable conditions is, well, miserable
really and you'll need to bring all your wet kit into the tent with
you. In settled summer conditions, it's not an issue. Next, still on
the door front, there's no insect mesh to keep inquisitive midgies at
bay.
Condensation is a further problem. MHW has tried hard to minimise
this with the mesh ventilation strip that runs round between the
groundsheet and two main plus one end vents. Unfortunately in certain
conditions, the vents simply can't cope and even with the door half
open, we woke up to find the walls coated in condensation. That means
you have to pack the tent damp, so it's still wet when you put it up
next evening, meaning you need an extra 30 minutes to dry it out.
To be fair, on some nights things weren't too bad, it all depends
on how humid and how warm or cold it is, but in UK conditions it is
an issue and you need to be aware of it. Other minor points are the
lack of internal storage pockets and vents which can only be opened
from the outside.
One OM tester used the Waypoint for cycle touring - because he
wasn't cooking in the tent at all, the lack of a vestibule wasn't an
issue and the low weight, small pack size, fast pitching, roomy interior and
increased comfort over a bivvy bag made it damn near perfect.
In fact add a mesh panel to the door and get rid of the
intermittent condensation problems and it would be near perfect for
that sort of use. Ah, condensation - it's the bug bear of single-skin
tents and despite MHW's cunning mesh strip and multiple vents, still
a problem on some nights, though on others - less humid ones - it was
much better. Really it's a relative thing - compare it to a normal
bivvy tent and it's a step-up, but stick it up against a twin-skin
tent and the Waypoint loses out on the dampness issue.
For more general use, the lack of midge-mesh door and absence of
porch are both limiting and something you need to consider if you
want an all-weather tent - you can open the door and cook out in the
open while sitting inside the tent, but it's not ideal.
Ultimately we'd say the Waypoint has many of the advantages of a
bivvy bag or tent, but with added comfort, space and ventilation,
it's a much nicer place to be. The condensation in some conditions is
the price you pay for the weight saving though, and that, together
with the lack of porch and insect mesh, means that we'd be inclined to
spend a few more grammes and go for a lightweight twin-skin tent for
all-weather UK use.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
Very light, very compact and nicely made, the Waypoint is a
roomy step up from a bivvy bag or tent and more protective
than a tarp and still pitches fast. Unfortunately the single-skin construction led
to sporadic problems with internal condensation and it also
lacks both a porch and an insect mesh panel in the door,
both factors that limit its useability in UK conditions.
Great for cycle touring though.
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