Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Gossamer Gear Spinnshelter > Mark Verber > Field Report

Gossamer Gear Spinnshelter Field Review

Name: Mark Verber
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10" (1.8 m)
Weight: 180 lb (81 kg)
Email:
Region: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Date: January 17, 2005

Item

Review Item: Gossamer Gear Spinnshelter
Manufacturer URL: http://www.gossamergear.com/
Manufacture Year: 2004
Listed weight: Tarp before seam sealing 8.7oz + Stuff Sack 0.2 oz
Weight as delivered: tarp 8.9oz (255g) + stuff sack .4oz (12g) + guylines .1oz (3g)
MSRP: US$174.95

Overview

The Spinnshelter is a shaped tarp with a catenary ridgeline designed for a solo user.  The tarp is made from a Germany originated spinnaker cloth. There are vestibules for both the foot and head ends of the tarp.  Also included was a small spinnaker cloth stuff sack and Spectra Cord to be used as guylines. No stakes were provided.  A simple diagram with measurements can be seen to the right.  For a more complete description, see my initial review.

Field Conditions

My field experience with the Spinnshelter has been below 2000 ft (600 m) in Ventana Wilderness and in the Santa Cruz mountains. Night-time low temperatures have ranged from between 37-48 F (3-9 C).  Wind has varied from dead calm to gusts of 20 mph (32 km/h). Every night had humidity in excess of 90%. In all cases I used my Leki's Nordic Walking Sticks as poles for the tarp and was sleeping under a Nunatak Ghost down blanket.

Field Use

My first field use was an overnight trip to Sykes Hot Springs in the Ventana Wilderness.  Sykes is in a small river valley approximately ten miles (16 km) in from the coast.  I selected this location because it is well known to be moist during the winter and because it's nice to soak in the hot springs. The night-time low temperature was 37F (3 C), 99% humidity, with still air.  The conditions hovered just above dew point.  A storm was predicted so I staked the tarp in a lockdown configuration (tarp walls down to the ground).  The front was pitched a bit narrower and the top was 3 inches (8 cm) higher than suggested in the instructions. The rear vestibule was closed and I left the front vestibule open. Setup took 8 minutes.  Once set up, I needed to re-staked the front guyline after around 1 hour and the tarp stayed taut the rest of the night.  I found that I could easily pull the front vestibule across the front for privacy while changing. There was plenty of room for me with my gear laid out next to me. Changing under the tarp was possible, but I bumped my head against the tarp repeatedly. On this trip I slept on top of my water resistant bivy, using the bivy as a ground cloth.  To minimize movement of the bivy I tried running the clipping guide lines through the staking loops on the bivy.  I found that using the guide lines in this way was moderately effective in keeping the bivy in place. I was delighted to wake up in the morning to find no condensation on the walls of the tarp.

My second trip was in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  When I set out on my hike it had been raining pretty consistently for two days with a storm watch for that night predicting 50mph (112 km/h) winds and more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) of rain.  When I got to my campsite I found the ground very soggy.  It took me around seven minutes to get a moderately taut pitch.  Given the weather I pitched the tarp in full lock down with the front and the rear vestibule closed. On this trip I switch to BPL orange titanium stakes.  The stakes pulled out a couple of times while I was setting up the tarp... a sign of things to come.  I put down my Tyvek ground sheet and then closed the front vestibule. I was surprised how roomy the tarp felt with the front vestibule deployed. It rained all night with an accumulation of approximately 3/4 of an inch (2 cm).  The wind was less than expected.  There was a constant blow of around 10 mph (16 km/h).  I measured gusts of around 20 mph (32 km/h) though some gusts might have been more.  I found that with the Spinnshelter staked to the ground and both vestibules closed the wind was sufficiently blocked that I didn't feel a draft while using my quilt. The low for the night was 48 F (9 C), with the humidity reading 98%. I was pleased to note that the tarp was quieter than my sil-nylon poncho/tarp which I had used in similar conditions.  I believe the quieter experience is due in a large part to the taut pitch that is possible thanks to the catenary ridgeline.  I quickly fell asleep to the sound of falling rain.  In the middle of the night I was wakened by the sound of flapping.  I found that the stake for the left front corner had been pulled mostly out of the ground.  It was easy to re-stake the corner without getting out of my quilt. Thankfully the tarp didn't collapse and provided reasonable protection until I woke up.  In the early morning I was once again awoke to the sound of excessive flapping.  The left corner near my foot slipped off the stake.  This time I had to get out from under my quilt, flip around so my head was facing the foot of the tarp, and re-attach the pullout to the stake.  While I was doing this I brushed against the roof of the tarp getting my back slightly damp. Back to sleep. In the morning I examined the tarp. Though I had not seam sealed the ridgeline, there were no signs of leakage.  There was moderate condensation along the entire tarp which is understandable given that that I left no ventilation and the high humidity.  Particularly strong wind gusts would dislodge a few droplets of condensation.  This was rare enough that I didn't notice it until after I was awake. The droplets which fell evaporated faster than they accumulated. Nothing inside the tarp was noticeably damp from falling condensation.  A quick pass of a cloth along the tarp walls took the excess water away.  While it's hard to know for sure, it didn't seem that significant moisture made it through space around the poles. As before, I found that I bumped my head when changing.  My poncho/tarp's high point in a few inches taller which seems to make a big difference.  My head hits when sitting on my bottom facing the front of the tarp, and my back hits if I try to kneel leaning forward.  I can sit up if I am at the front of the tarp with my legs pointing toward the foot.

In addition to these two trips I set up the tarp repeatedly in the backyard. I found the backyard performance to be similar to my two field experiences.  Condensation was completely manageable even when the tarp was staked out to the ground.  When faced with multiple days of rain, the tarp kept items under it dry without noticeable moisture accumulation. The only problem I had was the tarp slipping off the stakes. On future trips I will either double-loop the pullouts around the stakes, or switch to stakes which have more of a hook on top. I have been able to get a reasonably taut pitch, but I am using more force when staking the tarp down that I am used to with other shelters.  In particular, I have been struggling to get the tarp flat between the front corners and the foot ridgeline. I wonder if the pressure required to get a taut pitch might be related to the pullouts slipping off my stakes and the stakes pulling out of the ground.

I still feel mixed about the spectra cords.  I have not tripped over them since first testing the tarp in my back yard. Positive attributes of these cords are that they are amazingly light, don't stretch, and are sufficiently strong.  On the downside many common knots slip, the cords are narrow enough to that they hurt my fingers when I pull hard, and it is very hard to see the cords in the night time.

Future Testing

Alas, work and family has kept me very busy this season. I ended up having to cancel one trip and shorten another.  The next few months should be better.  I am planning a trip to the Lost Coast hoping to catch both high winds and extended rain showers. I will be very interested to see how the tarp handles high winds and how much the sides will deflect.  I am also looking forward to future trips when the predicted weather conditions would encourage pitches with more ventilation.  I am still trying to figure out if the weight saves of the Spectra cords is worth the hassle.

Summary

The Spinnshelter is an amazingly light and storm worthy solo shelter. I am looking forward to facing the notoriously rainy and windy Lost Coast with this shaped tarp. This shelter system is a mere 12.7 oz (360 g) including the Spinnshelter, a Gossamer Gear Polycryo Ground Cloth, and 8 titanium stakes. The combination of my shelter and a Rainshield O2 Jacket weights less my former system: a dual use Poncho/Tarp + water resistant bivy sack that I needed to carry for protection from wind blown rain. 

Things I like so far:

• Super-light weight
• Nice design with pretty lines
• Much easier to get a taut pitch than my flat tarp
• Fabric doesn't stretch... no re-staking required if the ground is hard
• Good size for solo hiker

Things I don't like so far:

• Not as much headroom as I'd like
• Not as easy to get a taut pitch when compared to a Tarptent Squall.
• Slightly challenging getting poles to work with slippery guylines
• Instructions could include a few more details and pointers

Backpacking Background

I did a lot of backpacking from 1972 until the mid '80s. During this time I hiked sections of the AT (approximately 1/3 completed), spent a significant amount of time backpacking in the Rockies (Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Tetons, Glacier National Parks), and frequented Red River Gorge and various destinations in Canada. In the '90s my outdoor activities slowed down to make room for other aspects of life. Nearly all my backpacking was heavy-weight style. In 2001 I started seriously backpacking again... mostly in the Sierras. Over the next three years I switch from a heavyweight to ultralight to lightweight style. My three season base weight is now 8-13 lb (3.5-5 kg). Full carry weight including food and water is typically 15-30 lb (7-13 kg) depending on the length of the trip. Winter trips are more like 18 lb (8 kg) base weight.

Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Gossamer Gear Spinnshelter > Mark Verber > Field Report