More details and tester reports should be coming soon. Please let me know if you have any questions. I've been testing it extensively for months and am very pleased.
Looks great. Sort of a "modular mid". This thing appears to make a Kifaru Paratarp obselete as a backup shelter, and with the the rest of the setup, looks like you'd be set for warm-weather ramblin' with a friend and it looks like it would be a great solo shelter with a stove. Would the stove jack go in the base or the add-on?
Last edited by Take_a_knee; 09/17/12. Reason: spellin'
We are working out the stove placement and part of that will be after testers get done and taking into account how they slept orientation wise etc.
I know a stove jack could go on the tarp connection ideally when used as a 6 person size. It could go on either of the other segments as well. In fact, you could get two base or vestibule units one without stove jack and one with if you desire and swap them out depending on conditions.
Here are a couple things to note that are not on the page:
- it can be used as more of a flat tarp as well. I wouldn't use it that way unless it was dark and finding enough real estate to do more than bivy is a challenge. That happened once and it provided enough cover
- I've used it as a base shelter and then taking off one side for emergency use. Although it's pretty storm worthy even as a 3 sided shelter , what I have done is just toss all my gear on the one side, drop it, put a rock or something on it and then take the other side for emergency day use. Reconnect back at camp later.
- Dimensions not mentioned when using as a 4 person are roughly 8 ft wide, by 9'9" at the corners and 12'4" inches in the center. Using the guy outs it's very roomy for it's footprint
- How I found myself using it usually was with a trekking pole only when used small with a vestibule (2 person), and with an extender or CF pole when used as a 4 person
- I also suspect the dual doors will allow it to be used fairly well as a blind as well, since they can zip down from the top and allow you to peak out
I'm sure testers will chime in once they get units to play with which should be soon. Kevin
looks very solid Kevin. I like the flexibility of what two guys can accomplish who are each carrying one, if I understand the pictures and description properly.
So, as a one man shelter, how would you set this up for various conditions?
Early season?
Mid season?
Late season?
I assume you'd need two bases, vestibule and of course the nest, correct? What would be the reason to go with something like this over say a solo 4 season tent such as the Tarptent Scarp 1??? I assume with the Scarp 1 you're packing in extra weight when it's not necessarily needed (ie early season hunting)??
Kevin T I'm a virgin at backpack hunting, but have been doing my research. I keep coming back to Seek Outside or Tarptent for shelters. Without having any experience it's tough to know what a guy wants/needs in a shelter.
Looking forward to your videos on this shelter. I appologize if this is not the proper place for this disussion. I've been doing too much reading though, and my heads spinning...
To answer the question Evan had. Yes one person can carry each segment. Additionally, you could do a lot of mix and matching. For instance, in a BC hunt scenario, you could have two base sections with a tarp connecting them as a base camp. You take the tarp part as an emergency day shelter. You could also have a vestibule, disconnect one base and take the vestibule as a little spike camp. You can come up with a lot of scenarios where you could use or carry different segments. It will be interesting to see how people end up using it. It should be noted, if you are good at pitching in a protected place, the base section alone works pretty well.
As a one man shelter you could do several things. Realize it is comfortably large for one person with the base alone being about 43 sq feet, but most people like the space.
If bugs are not an issue , you can just take the base, or if you desire take the base plus a nest. If you feel safer with a full enclosure, add the vestibule in. I have slept two men, with the nest , vestibule and base , with dogs and gear in the vestibule. For one person it's more spacious but not over bearing. For me myself, if I was in protected areas, I'd usually only take the base and probably use a dri ducks poncho as a ground sheet (dual purpose). If I was near or above tree line, I'd take the vestibule and likely a rain jacket instead of the poncho. I could go nest, ground sheet or lightweight bivy inside then, or perhaps just a large pad.
- For one or two people and a small amount of gear all you need is 1 base and 1 vestibule to have complete coverage. If you want double wall protection , floor and a completely sealed bug environment add in a nest.
- For more room, perhaps lots of gear or more people take 2 bases only and add in nests if you want the double wall / winter or completely sealed bug free environment
- If you have 3 or more and a stove and gear connect them with a tarp. You could sleep up to 6 this way without a stove / gear
I plan on using 2 bases, and a tarp connector as a spike camp for 3 or 4 guys. If they prefer a full enclosure, they can take a nest as well. Then I plan to have an 8 or 12 as base camp for 4 or people.
It might sound a bit confusing now but I am sure with a video it will become more clear. I am super excited about this new shelter. I will still be keeping my BCS but it will replace my 1 person and 2 person Big Agnes tents. The abilty to have a emergency tarp, lightweight enough for a solo shelter, 2 person shelter, 4 person and 6 person shelter with the abilty to add one or two nest for an enclosed double wall sleeping area? That is a mouth full but sounds like the greatest thing to come along in shelters in sometime!
If you can get your friends to buy a LBO it will work out pretty sweet. Say one guy has more time off and goes in a day early. He can set up his LBO for that night. Your buddy comes in with another LBO base and you can put them togather.
I am interested to hear reports and see pictures of guys using stoves and how they used them in the setup. To be honest I am not looking at this shelter for use with a stove and I will probably never use one with it. That could be because I already have a BCS though.
Evan, vestibule is the blue colored section. Its my understanding the only use for the vestibule is with one base LBO fly. I could be wrong though, it would be kinda cool if you could turn the vestibule into a poncho or pack cover?
Kevin, I'm unclear as to which part is the "nest". On the link you provided I see what appears to be the base (khaki sorta color?) and the vestibule (Blue, right?). So, what is the "nest" part of the system you are mentioning?
Looks like a nice set up anyway.
Maybe I'm looking at the nest part over to the left hand side of the second pic down in the "images" section?
Another question... Are there any distributers where I might be able to see your products in person instead of just looking at them online?
Thanks, Geno
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
- For one or two people and a small amount of gear all you need is 1 base and 1 vestibule to have complete coverage. If you want double wall protection , floor and a completely sealed bug environment add in a nest.
- For more room, perhaps lots of gear or more people take 2 bases only and add in nests if you want the double wall / winter or completely sealed bug free environment
- If you have 3 or more and a stove and gear connect them with a tarp. You could sleep up to 6 this way without a stove / gear
I plan on using 2 bases, and a tarp connector as a spike camp for 3 or 4 guys. If they prefer a full enclosure, they can take a nest as well. Then I plan to have an 8 or 12 as base camp for 4 or people.
Make sense ?
Thanks Kevin
Thank you.....Sounds about as versatile as a guy can get.
Do people more often than not use these types of shelters without a nest or floor??? It's seems without a nest they offer a great advantage in weight compared to tents.
Kevin, I'm unclear as to which part is the "nest". On the link you provided I see what appears to be the base (khaki sorta color?) and the vestibule (Blue, right?). So, what is the "nest" part of the system you are mentioning?
Looks like a nice set up anyway.
Maybe I'm looking at the nest part over to the left hand side of the second pic down in the "images" section?
Another question... Are there any distributers where I might be able to see your products in person instead of just looking at them online?
Some people go floorless, other prefer a full enclosure, thus the nest. It does save weight going floorless. The nest provides a bit more warmth and of course bug / dirt protection.
The vestibule is the blue section, it won't be blue in production, but aided us in identifying everything
We don't have any distributers at the time being but we do have a 30 day check out period with a minimal 10% restocking to minimize investment
I preface this video by saying it is bad, but that happens sometimes. Anyway you can see the setup a bit easier with this. For the record, the vestibule is there under the floor. Of course, being zippered in resolves that issue (as it is now). These shown were prototypes. You can see pitching it all together though, in the rain (as I was).
One other note, and I don't mean to confuse anyone but what the heck, there is another mode where you can set up two of the base unit's in what I term "blocking mode". This is great for two guys that aren't going in together or at the same time. It's an alternative to zipping them as full enclosure. It does require two poles instead of one, but you basically pitch them facing each other, with enough room to pull out the beak between them and get in and get out. In this mode they are pretty weather proof, and there is a couple foot gap in between them. One blocks the other from low angled blowing rain and most wind.
I agree Big W having the vestibule provide an additional function would be nice. I'm not sure if the shape is conducive, but I'd be willing to go through a prototype cycle on it.
Thanks for the info re: nest and distributers. I'm just checking things out for next year, this year is pretty well planned out. No backpacking this year and then there's knee surgery after my elk hunt at the end of Nov.
Maybe next year I'll check with you to see if one of your customers is in my area.
Nice looking products, sure a whole lot different than what I learned to backpack with: tube tents (huh?) which were a WHOLE lot lighter than the surplus canvas half shelters I used in Boy Scouts!
You young'uns have it so easy nowadays, you can probably call mom from up there on your "smart phones"!
Geno
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
I hunted Kevin's area last week, was fortunate enough to spend a couple nights in his house, and even coerced him into helping me pack elk meat! I also saw the LBO in person.
What you guys need to understand is that Kevin lives and hunts in some STEEP, tall, and rugged country. That drives his gear choices and designs. What he makes has to be reliable and functional, but also needs to be light weight and flexible.
My thoughts on the LBO:
- Summer/early fall, expecting nice weather - take just the base tarp. Pitch it with the open side facing a nice big spruce or pine and even an unexpected storm won't wet you.
- Expecting colder weather - Take the base and vestibule for a fully enclosed shelter.
- Expecting several days of rain or if the wife is along - take base, vestibule, and nest. The nest turns it into a double wall tent which helps with condensation. My wife hates bugs and dirt, so if she goes so does the nest.
Winter - I'd probably take the base and vestibule with a small woodburner depending on configuration. Maybe even two bases. I also own a BCS so it would be a tough decision between the two.
I can see the base tarp being used as a woodshed/awning/emergency tarp when base camping from a larger shelter. Also, the nest integrates into the BCS and the larger tipis, so it isn't a one trick pony.
