Types of shelter

@geeves Yes, I also have a cheap ($65) 3 man tent I bought 15 years ago which we use when driving to a campground or similar. Can even put mattresses in it. In fact we are taking it to Te Hapu today just in case the grandkids want to sleep out. Of course the fibreglass tent poles will fold inside out in a strong wind but as long as I get the 4 main guy ropes going UPwards, rather than downwards its no problem. So I park strategically and utilise trees, car, etc so the ropes go upwards. Just realised I recently bought some good looking aluminium poles at the dump store for $1 and they fit this tent! So will be interesting to see how it now performs.

Ive just purchase new ali poles for a 4 man dome mine off aliexpress. Still just as bulky but it knocked 2kg off its weight. Its not a tent thats going on the great adventure but on an easy train where the wife wants a bit more room it can do this now.

Just bought the Zephyros 1. Should arrive tomorrow. I plan to go and test it and my Klymit Insulated Static V sleeping mat in the snow that looks to be arriving in the next few days. :)

Good choice! Very interested in your feedback - I'm sold on mine but always good to hear what others think.

Just putting in my few cents, Ive recently started trying to lighten up significantly (with varying levels of success, mainly due to budgetary constraints) and have started using gear such as a tarp and bivvy bag. Love the experience of using the tarp+bivvy combo, you are a lot more connected to the outside than with a tent. The downside is a single skin 1 man tent is lighter than my current bivvy and tarp. Im enjoying avoiding using my tent, as the tarp and bivvy is a perfectly adequate shelter in all conditions that my tent would be, however if the weather turns on you there is a bit less space than in a tent. (I have a small tent though, so its not much different). It also takes me longer to set up my tarp than a tent, though I feel thats due to lack of practice, and a need to figure out some better knots to use with it. Word of advice to anyone interested in going for a bivvy. Get one with facemesh to keep the bitey flying things out, and make sure it has a wire or hoop to keep the mesh off your face, alternatively, wear a cap while you sleep. The brim keeps the mesh off your face. Additionally, you become very aware of ventilation issues, gotta get the balance of warmth and insect protection vs condensation. Also, dont buy the USMC improved bivvy cover and sleeping bag that were manufactured by propper international. Truely made by the lowest bidder and have severe issues, The updated model made by tennier industries is supposedly better but Im not risking it (and dont have the budget to do so). Military Spec and military surplus are rather different. Milspec tends to be bombproof gear if a bit heavy, milsurp can be made by the lowest bidder crap.

Only tried a bivvy bag once. Never again as I sleep HOT and don't fancy another night of sauna. I must say I prefer either sleeping under a tree or under my lightweight tarp as I can lie there looking at the stars etc. But, I almost always am overruled by my partner and use a tent, or hut. Sigh! She reacts to sandflies though, so she does have a point.

I tend to sleep warm as well, so there have been some interesting ventilation shenanigans in the bivvy. They are more suited to those that sleep cooler. Key to it is having a small tarp so I don't have to have it fully zipped up tight, and can get ventilation out the head end. The eVent bivvies are meant to be excellent however. What size tarp do you use deepriver? Im looking to upgrade from my tiny blue polytarp to something lighter, and more suitable as a standalone shelter. Also something with tieout loops. Nearly tore out the grommets on my tarp last trip when the wind picked up. Also the damn thing crackled all night and apparently my mate next to me was having trouble sleeping cos of it. And yeah, sandflies are a pain, That's part of the reason I use my bivvy. Keeps the biters off.

a fly has always been a good option for some situations. nylon or similar material with strong attachments and non stretch light webbing down the 'ridge' line are pretty important. the right line on the guys makes a big difference. 2.5m square works well. Pitch high for wet lunch times, low and wide for exposed overnights. never carry poles or pegs. above the bushline use walking poles. I'm not sure what is available off the shelf at present but I'd try looking at hunting/fishing outlets. If the material is good the rest can be modified or added. Insects can be a pain - sand flies don't operate at night (or above the bushline) so winter (any time with 8+ hours of dark) is actually better for flys. With shorter daylight going to bed after dark and getting up at first light is practicable. But as charlie douglas recorded in 1880 - night flying mosquitoes are a major hassle in some areas and flys alone leave you completely at their mercy. Can't avoid the need for a strong effective insect repellant - and it does work at night in combination with any light face cover, if its only occasionally. My broad brimmed sunhat with repellent soaked into the brim, not my skin, and positioned lightly over my head/face worked well enough for the early mornings on a recent summer trip. I haven't carried a bivvy bag for a long time - usually the 'waterproof' outer on my down sleeping bag is more than adequate by itself to handle condensation, dew, frost or a little windblown drift . I don't enjoy the heat and damp of using a bivvy bag. But i always carry a large orange plastic bag, as a groundsheet usually, and there for when I 'need' to sleep out in the rain - about once a decade. And for emergencies - maybe twice in forty years. But the crunch point for me - when I'm solo the outer only of my microlight tent in conjunction with a 'waterproof' sleeping bag and the big orange plastic bag is the lightest most protective wind resistant and mostly insect proof system. if there's two (or more) of us and we plan to camp - the Minaret hits the sweet spot for protection, weight and cost.

Just a question, why is the webbing down the ridgeline important? Id assume for strength, but most people I know that tarp have a standard silnylon flat tarp with nothing down the ridgeline and they just rely on the silnylon taking the tension. I might be missing something here tho

some of the newer materials may be able to take the strain without stretching (which makes getting the sides flat impossible). A length of light non stretch tape or webbing that also becomes the attachment loops at each end allows you to crank up the tension on the supporting ridge without stressing or stretching the fly itself or pulling out the attachment points. Makes the whole arrangement more secure particularly in wind. When you're rigging up a cheap blue plastic sheet, try tensioning some cord as the ridge first then effectively draping the plastic over the support. Works much better in my experience. Same principle.