Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Ed T's Backcountry Shelter

The cone is Dyneema Gridstop 8 ounce, essentially ends up being three layers, an outside cone, then a smaller inside cone, and then a small pole boot section. Plenty sturdy.

I believe this is going to be my setup for next falls sheep hunt into the Wrangells. Need to sell my Marmot first though.

Mine came in today (that was FAST!), and along with Ed T's stove, gonna give the heated shelter another chance this winter. I didn't get the optional door, but I'll play with it awhile to see if I need one.
Don

Hey EdT,

Could you compare and contrast this shelter to the Kifaru Sawtooth. Looks quite similar on paper, and of course I'd want to go with the lighter option, providing it can sleep 2 side by side. Planning to use a large air mattress (double or queen?) for 2 people, as opposed to single pads.

You want an UL state-of-the art backpackable heated shelter, but your primary selection criteria is that it be compatible with a Coleman chinese blow up mattress? And somebody is supposed to give you a serious answer? Where will your mattress porter sleep?

Tam,

There is plenty of room for side by side sleeping in the BC shelter.

As far as comparisons between the BC and the Sawtooth, there are differences and there are similarities. They both offer walk in head room, built in stove jacks, guy out points, made in the USA of American material, etc.
The BC is smaller in space, lighter, has an optional, zip-in expander panel to make it a 4 man shelter and costs less.

They are both, IMO excellent shelters. As I stated in the introduction of the BC Shelter, I was looking for the lightest, 7' tall, two man shelter. My experiences with a modified ID George tarp led to the collaboration between Kevin and myself and the Ed T/ Seekoutside Backcountry Shelter.

I don't want to get into a point by point review of the two, as I obivously have an interest in the BC shelter and therefore I wouldn't come across as unbiased. I have no doubt that you would be happy with either. To me, a slightly smaller living area was worth the 1 3/4 lb weight savings.

TAK,

Not sure where you got that it was a "Coleman chinese blow up mattress" (of which there is nothing wrong with). And I don't know about you, but for me, sharing gear is a great way to reduce weight, complexity and bulk.

EdT,

Thanks for the info, I'm sure it's a great shelter. If the quality is anything like your stoves, there's no doubt that it'll be excellent.

I'm sorry, I get it now. A sixty inch wide blow up mattress for two people is an excellent way to do that, regardless of the country of origin. I'm sure there is a US made UL version for sale somewhere.

I'd love to know of a small double mattress since my wife and I often hunt together. I'd love that mattress, and then we could look into a light but good double bag, sharing a bag and pad would in the end save some weight and other issues.

If you can give us a link I"d appreciate.

Damn all this costs me money all the time...

I think taking a sleep number for car camping would rock

Yes, sharing a quilt can save a lot of weight, you only need about 25 % more material, and you get a higher warmth rating as well, since two bodies are creating heat, theoretically, insulation can be cut in half, but in reality, it's probably more like a 40 % reduction. So for instance, the same amount of insulation that a single person requires for 30 degrees, should get two people to 15 - 30 degrees below zero, assuming the same amount of space.

As for a pad, take two inflatables and attach them with a webbing in 2 or 3 spots.

Thats what we do now, attach, but there is the crack in the middle that can and will give a cold spot.. if i could find a backpacking size/weight, that would do away with that seem, and really wouldn't have to be super wide anyway, I'd buy it and see...

Even putting 2 seperate pads in a big sleeve can give you that cold crack issue...

Just thinking out loud here..

Folders gave me two really good links, to provide a custom maker of a mat/pad for 2 folks, and a link to a nice down blanket, instead of wasting the extra material of the sleeping bag that you compress to no insulation alwyas.

Very nice links and waiting for a price on the custom pad.

Jeff

rost495:

If one of the links he gave you was Bender from BackPackingLight.com forums, I can vouch for his work. I have a custom single-wide down mattress that he made for me, and it is very nice.

Scott

Ray Jardine and his wife have been doing that for a couple decades at least. He sells a 2-person synthetic quilt kit. Jacks R'Better sells a down one. Quilts only work well for normal people down to freezing or a little below, unless you incorporate something that approximates the insulation of a sleeping bag hood into a vest or jacket. The JRB down hood velcroed onto a down vest is what many use. I think that was Francis Tapon's system on his CDT yo-yo.

If only my wife was into the sharing idea, she says I'm a cover stealer and she doesn't want to risk it, I say she is a cover giver

Is that made of bug net or can this be had in silnylon as well?

Wood's,

It both. A zip in sil door panel with bug netting.

Sounds great. Is the shelter's zipper a #8 YKK like on the Paratipi?

It's a number 5 ykk on the BCS, separating. On other shelters they are a #8.

Just got mine today. Box looks like the usps used it as a parking stop for a couple of days, but the contents appear to be in good shape. Can't wait for daylight to come, so I can set it up.