We have owned this excellent large tent for quite a few years now. We bought it for our cross-Tasmania walk in 2011 way down in the Roaring 40s, the often awful conditions of wind and rain of which it stood up to admirably. We needed a three person (plus lots of gear) tent for that trip which it was more than roomy enough for. The tent is 9’ x 9’ and over 6’ high at the centre. We could have squeezed another very good friend in too, if pressed.
Here we are with it at Freeney Lagoon on Cox’s Bight, enjoying a cuppa:
And at the Louisa River just before crossing the formidable Ironbound Range:
In the photo above you will notice Della is wearing a pair of MLD waterproof chaps (https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/rain-chaps/) which weigh a mere 65 grams. We also carried (and used) MLD ultralight gaiters and event mittens (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-mitts-and-gaiters/) which we also highly recommend:
I double-waterproofed the floor using this method (http://www.theultralighthiker.com/waterproofing-tent-floors-and-ground-sheets/), which worked well, but was probably overkill. (It also no doubt added some additional weight). We also carried a lot more pegs and tie-outs than you would normally ever need, but winds down there are only too often hurricane force and can flatten a tent or blow it clean away!
Even in terrifying wind and torrential rain the tent never looked like letting us down. Erin McKittrick & Bretwood Higman (http://groundtruthtrekking.org/) used this tent on their 4,000 mile journey along the Pacidfiic rim from Seattle to the Bering Sea, so it can really take some punishment. Our tent is the silnylon model. It tent weighed 740 grams bare, and the floor 340 grams, not bad for such a huge tent which you can stand up in – even dance if the occasion so takes you! We used two Gossamer Gear trekking poles as the centre pole.
Here are some of its specs:
- 70+ sq/ft of usable floor space perfect for four or a palace for two or three
• ONE oversized peak vent design is best: pitch the rear of the SuperMid into the wind to prevent rain and snow from blowing into the vent and to create a mini Venturi Effect, pulling condensation out the oversize vent on the downwind side
• Oversized peak vent that can be easily closed during hard wind, blowing rain, and snow, by pulling out the wand and Velcro-ing the vent tightly shut
• Plenty of room to stand up
• Side walls shed snow well
• Main seams are triple rolled, stitched, and flat felled (an MLD Exclusive.)
• Interior Apex hang loop
• Apex/Peak reinforced with Dyneema X
• 2 Doors: Both doors roll open and tie back
• Mid-height zipper door snaps allow doors to be partially opened
• A total of 17 tie-outs!
• 8 ground level perimeter tie-outs with LineLocks for easy adjustment: LineLocks make cold weather and winter use (buried snow anchors) MUCH easier. LineLocks can be removed to save about 1.0 oz
• Extra center side panel tie-outs on all sides for really high winds.
• Use a short length of guyline to tie two trek poles together for center pole support
And the floor’s:
- Waterproof Pro SilNylon and Cuben Fiber- Very High Hydrostatic Rating
• Cuben Version is made with Ultimate Lightweight .75 oz Cuben Fiber
• 5 in | 12.7 cm bathtub walls
• Corner Struts keep the floor upright and tight
• Center Pole Floor Reinforcement of Dyneema X (Silnylon Version) or Thick Cuben Fiber (Cuben Version) on Duo + Super Floors
• Extra center tie-outs on the long sides
• Same size as the floors of the Pyramid InnerNets
• Use four separate stakes, or use the supplied 3/32″ bungee cord to connect to the Pyramids corner tie-outs or to the same stakes as your Mid Pyramid Shelter
• SILNYLON VERSION: Use SilNet silicone seam sealer on the inside corner seams and on any floor stitching for maximum waterproofness
•CUBEN VERSION: is seam taped and does not need any additional seam sealing
Such a large tent makes an excellent base camp in cold, wet weather such as you are likely to encounter in Southern Tasmania or Fiordland New Zealand. It is bigger than Della and I need just for the two of us though. It is more of an expedition tent, good to carry amongst a party of 3-4. You could try some of MLD’s smaller tents such as the Solomid (https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/solomid-xl/) or Duomid (https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/duomid/) if you are venturing alone into the wilderness or with just your partner.
