I have a friend that is looking in to the Shangri-La 3 for family camping and he is trying to get an idea of exactly how the 60 sq. ft is laid out and/or deciding if the 5 person model would be better. For summer, weekend length trip use is it a legit 3 person comfortable shelter or would the occupants feel stacked like wood inside?

I'd personally go with a 5. I figure if a tarp shelter isn't roomy and comfortable it might not be worth it.

The SL3 is really a one man tent, with lots of room for crap.

I haven't seen the 5, I own the 3 and I agree with Dan's description. The extra headroom in the 5 would be a bonus as well.

For three occupants, go with the 5.

Jason,
I just got the 5 and don't have as much experience as the guys above but you cannot go by the footprint on these tipis. The catenary design creates less room around the perimeter. The 5 will be good for 2 big guys, a stove and all gear

Kind of what I was afraid of, especially after I couldn't get foot print dimensions off of Golite. Thanks a bunch guys and I will pass along.

I just got the 5 and for 3 people I would not go any smaller. The 5 has enough room for 3 guys and gear with out a stove.

Spent a week in New Zealand hunting tahr out of a SL-4+. It is now called an SL-5 but is the same size at 90 square feet. Great for 2 men and gear with a Ti Goat small cylinder stove. We squeezed 4 in to sit and warm up by the stove but it was cozy. For 3 people I would definitly get the SL-5. They are very lightweight for the square footage. The only disadvantage of a larger size tipi is finding a level space large enough to contain the footprint. The weight difference between the 3 and 5 is of little consequence.

We've done 3 guys with stove in the SL4/5. Gear was outside, and it was a little cramped. Doable, but cramped. Better with 2 plus gear. Given the space to weight ratio differences, I'm not sure what the point of the SL3 is even for solo use. For an extra half a pound, you get 50% more floor space with the SL4/5. I guess if you're worried about keeping a smaller shelter warmer with just the body heat of one guy the SL3 makes some sense.

Just for conversation sake the new SL5 is a whole different shape then the old SL4. The 4 only has 4 side where as the 5 has 5. Its laid out much better for sleeping arrangements and a much better use of the space.

The way the door is on the 5 also makes sort of a nice vestibule area for gear and/or cooking.

Kenai, have you seen the shape differences in person? When the SL5 came out I couldn't figure out what the differences were. I actually got on GoLite's chat support line and tried to pin them down on the differences. The person I was chatting with didn't seem to have the answers close at hand. Finally they came back with the information that the two models were the same, the only difference being the new eyelid vent over the door on the SL5, and the "nest", if you choose to use one. The picture of the SL5 sure makes it look like it has the same 4 sided footprint of the SL4.

Yea I have the new SL5. Its a 5 sided structure. I looked into both pretty heavy and the easyest way to tell is look at the differences in the floors. The 4 only has 4 sides and the 5 has 5.

Interesting. You'd think, looking at the footprint of the SL4, that the best way to house 3 people is one along each side wall and one along the back wall. In actual practice, you end up offsetting the second and third guys so you end up with something more like a triangle inside of the square footprint. Sounds like the SL5 footprint might be more conducive to housing 3 people.

That makes sense. I think in the 5 the best layout is each person on there own side against the wall. That still leaves room for gear by the door. I have only set it up twice so no actual sleeping has been done. Probably going to set it up this weekend with gear in it so I can find the best place to put the stove.

Didn't know they had chat support. My e-mail request for a plan view with dimensions just got the response, " No, we do not have any additional views of the shelters. Please let me
know if you need any other information." I guess I could have asked how they figured out it was 60sq. ft.?
Not nearly as good as a few years ago when I asked for details on a poncho lean-to pic I saw on their website and the owner sent back a multi paragraph response telling me how that pic was of his poncho, info on the trip he used it on, how he pitched it, why he pitched it that way, when he wouldn't pitch it that way, and how else he used it. Very enthusiastic.

The 5 sounds about perfect for my buddies needs for 1 avg. size guy, 1 avg. size female, and an 8 year old for very fair weather short term trips. Harsher weather would likely be fewer people so the resulting space would be handy.

Can't comment on the SL5.

Here's an SL3.


I exchanged it for an SL4 and couldn't be happier. The SL3 would've been a tight fit for two people and a stove. The SL4 had room for two people, all our gear, stove, and firewood for the night.

Pardon the mess...

I wish tent companies would take pics like that.

Yeah. Even diagrams of a footprint can be very deceiving because they don't address the pitch of the walls. It's hard to tell from the pic of the SL3, but you'd be hard pressed to not bump the walls with head and feet getting in and out of your bag, regardless of how it's placed. (Assuming you're fitting two people and a stove)

I am guessing those mats are about 20" x 72" and the idea of fitting a 3rd person in there stove or not looks to be just about ridiculous. They need a less than 4'6" tall and/or fetal position occupant disclaimer.


Should have included this in the subject title, but are there any other similar size/weight//feature/price shelters along the lines of the Shangri-La 5 with bug nest? The only other shelter my friend has been looking at was one of the Cabela's lightweight 3 person, but those have even less square footage than the #5 so that seems to be on the negative.

Jason,

I will set up mine tomorrow or friday and take some pictures with bags in there for ya.

Without a stove, I think three occupants could fit in there if positioned head-to-toe around the perimeter. The second photo shows the door wide open which eliminates a lotta floor space, and there's some wasted space at the far end of the tent as well. It's definitely a two person shelter (at most) with a stove though, and doesn't look like fun for three even if they'd fit.

222 -- Scot, Superbadger, and I spent the first three nights of elk season in an SL4 with small stove this year. It wasn't great but worked. Now... Scot, you, and I? Probably not a good plan.

Yeah, we'd make a worst case scenario for most 3-4man shelters. An 8man tipi would be about perfect.

Even golites little picture looks like a bunch of sardines.

So, since I have been following this post a while, and have an SL3 purchase on my mind.....it will fit 2 comfortably without a stove?
The pics look roomy enough with the two pads, alot more space than what I am using now. I just dont like having to spoon with my hunting partner to fit in the friggin tiny little 2 man tents that fall into the "ultra-lightwieght" category.

Ok here are a few pictures of the SL5. I plan to put the stove in front of the pole out the vent or out the side.

Hey thanks KK, It looks like the sl3 will suit 2 guys on a sheep hunt just fine! Your sl5 is just a bit more than I need, and I am not going to be putting a stove into it any time soon. I have to get the last few goodies before my first baby pops out of the wife, and nows the time to fudge a few things around....golite.com, here I come.