Shelters and Tents
Hyperlite Ultamid 2 (19.1oz body only)
This is our most recent acquisition. We grabbed this after the Hayduke in 2024 when we realized we needed a shelter that was a little more rugged like our much beloved and discontinued Hyperlite Dirigo 2. The Ultamid features the same large toothed waterproof YKK zipper that the Dirigo had and I know I can trust it where ever adventure leads me. The Dyneema Composite Fiber (DCF) body never gets saturated with dew or rain, seems mostly unaffected by UV and never stretches and sags when wet. The floor space in this guy is kind of ridiculously large at 83"x107" (211cm x 272cm) so the only real challenge is finding a big enough tent site! We also added the bug mesh insert with the DCF 11 floor for those mosquito infested alpine areas we love. This does add another 22oz to the weight but this is easily split between two people. We're really looking forward to putting some more miles on this one on the Transcaucasian Trail this spring and summer!
Hyperlite Unbound 2 (22oz)
This is the shelter we used on the Hayduke, like here in this photo on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in early May, after about 4 inches of snow. Lightweight, spacious, well ventilated and with double vestibules we found it to be a very comfortable tent. Why aren't we using it now? We had a zipper failure, probably caused by the harsh and sandy conditions of the route we were on, so we opted for a shelter with a beefier zipper, like the Ultamid above or the discontinued Hyperlite Dirigo 2. For most users I really don't see this as a major weakness, but it is something to consider if you're frequently in the American Southwest or sandstorms...
NEMO Dagger 3p (4lbs 7oz)
(updated model available Dagger OSMO)
This has been our shoulder season palace. Somewhere to sleep on the more casual trips, or when the sun sets at 4pm. Its spacious, solidly built and works well in all four seasons despite being a "three season" tent. It has good headroom, we can sit up, cook dinner in a snow storm or play cards after dark with room for our gear in the tent. It has the traditional shortcomings of silnylon tents but that helps keep the price point a little more approachable.
