Field Report Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape
 June 20, 2006

Tester: Rosaleen Sullivan
Age: 56 years
Gender: Female
Height: 5’ 9’’ / 1.75 m
Weight: 180 lb / 82 kg
E-mail: rosaleen43 (at) msn (dot) com
Home: Eastern Massachusetts, USA

Tester Background/Style
I’ve been backpacking off and on for about 20 years.   My normal gear includes a hammock, down bag and jacket, hiking poles, and an alcohol or fuel tablet stove, gear subject to revision for each trip. I also enjoy making gear, and often nudge myself out of a design daydream on the trail. Preferred trips last 3 days, but I have backpacked 10 days straight. While most of my journeys are within New England, I’ve hiked in the Grand Canyon, the length of the Smokey Mountains, and other trails far from home.

Manufacturer:  Six Moon Designs
URL:  http://sixmoondesigns.com/
Year of Manufacture: 2006
MSRP:  $110 US
    
Product Specifications
Product Information from the website
     Weight:  11 oz. (312 g) (everything but stakes and pole) (Measured weight
     within 1 oz (@ 11.1 oz (315 g)
     Capacity:  One (person)
     Coverage:  35 sq. ft. (~3.25 sq m)
     Packed Size:  8" X 10" X 1.5", 120 cu. in.
     (.2x.25x.46 sq. meters) (.023 cu m)
     Color:  Green, Gray & Blue (Cape under test is blue.)
     Stakes required:  6 (not included)
     Ships With:  Cape, Integrated Stuff Sack, Guylines
     Materials:  Canopy: 30D Silicone Nylon/ Zipper: #3 YKK
     Suggested Use:  Ultralight Backpacking/Day Hiking
     emergency bivouac

     Features
         -Full 360 Degree protection when set up as a shelter or worn as rain gear.
         -Full Zippered Entrance makes entering and exiting the shelter a snap.
          -Adjustable Vestibule Height allows you increase ventilation while
           maintaining adequate rain protection.
          -Side Hooks for shortening the long sides when worn as a cape.
          -Floating Canopy allows the canopy to be set to different heights
          depending upon conditions.
          -Integrated Map / Night Stash Pocket with zipper closure to keep
           stuff contained. Pocket also doubles as the stuff sack
          -Center Pole Support significantly improves the ability of the shelter to
           handle wind and snow loads.
          -Ultra-light Waterproof Canopy is made from high strength
          -Extremely Easy Setup requires only six stakes.
      
For “Product Description and Initial Impressions,” please see my Initial Report.  Pictures
are also located there.

Field Report
I used the Gatewood Cape for two overnights on a local trail Eastern Massachusetts, for a section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Pennsylvania in April, and at Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia in May.   We’ve had some chilly spells, especially at night, not quite freezing, but damp and penetrating during the test period.  So far, I’ve managed to escape actually hiking in rain, though not intentionally.  The rain predicted for my Pennsylvania trip held off until I would have been hiking a second planned section.  I had a small mishap and decided to cut the trip short, leaving before the rain hit.  At least I found the Gatewood Cape light enough that I didn’t mind carrying it for insurance over the nearly 50 mile (~ 80 km) stretch.  Closer to home, I was able to use the cape as a shelter during some rain.  I pitched it close to the ground, skipping the six optional lines on the staking points, and slept dry and comfortably through the rain in the low 40’s F (~5 C).  On a drier night, I did use the optional extension lines, and enjoyed the ventilation.  Unfortunately, I have not been able satisfactorily to rig the cape as a fly over my Hennessy hammock.  I can make it just cover the hammock, but I would have any decent ventilation blocked, and risk unsatisfactory coverage on the outer edges.  I found the Gatewood Cape to be quite handy as a wind-breaking garment while at Trail Days in Damascus.  I used it in light rain satisfactorily, but appreciated it even more when I was caught without my fleece jacket handy but with the breeze picking up.

Serendipitous Customer Service Test
I have already stated that I used the cape at Trail Days.  For those readers unfamiliar with the event, it is a very large trail festival, celebrating backpacking.  The Town of Damascus advertises events through the week, with the main focus the (elongated) weekend following Mother’s Day (a USA customary celebration in May).  Many vendors set up displays on the town common.  I suspected that I would see Ron Moak, the creator of Six Moon Designs, there.   Being a compulsory tease, I approached Ron with a complaint on the day the vendors set up.   My complaint to him was that the cape seemed to have already worn out.  It did so well at repelling rain while I was hiking in Pennsylvania, that the storm front never even appeared, and then I arrived at Trail Days in the middle of a storm.  Obviously, the cape’s magic wore out with one trip!  Ron looked taken aback at first, but laughed when I got to the end of my “complaint.”  (He passes the sense of humor test.)  Later in the weekend, I did have an actual problem.  While showing the harness assembly that helps suspend the cape as a shelter, I was asked what one ribbon was for.  That was when I discovered that a hook was missing.   It had come loose as I took the shelter down, and I’d not realized it.  Ron exchanged the broken harness for a whole new harness packet, new lines and all, while all I had asked for was one hook that I could sew on at home.  It seems I discovered a “quality control” issue for the Gatewood Capes.  The loops for my hooks were sewn with a straight stitch, while Ron had specified bar tacking.  I was lucky that the hook came loose before this event allowing me to be in place for an instant and easy fix.  In addition to asking for a replacement hook, I had previously contacted Ron to ask him if there was an electronic version of the hang tag/instructions that he might be able to E-mail to me.  The cape had arrived as I was about to leave for some training at a local Boy Scout camp.  I skimmed through the directions, and took the cape to camp.  Somewhere along the way, the original directions were lost.  One of the joys of dealing with small companies can be the personal response from the owner/designer.  Ron sent me a PDF file with the directions when he returned from a business trip.  My experiences with larger companies are not always as successful.

Long Term Test Plan
I am leaving soon to start backpacking north from Springer Mountain, Georgia, intending to make Fontana Dam, North Carolina, a trip of about 163 miles (<260 km).  Temperatures will easily be in the 90’s F (<30 C), with high humidity.  Afternoon thundershowers could be daily or nearly so.  I’m being told at least some of the area being hiked has been in a drought.  This is the Appalachian Trail, so conditions should be up and down mountains, meaning altitude will vary, but probably not enough to affect the cape’s materials.   The heat and humidity should prove a good test for the cape’s ventilation abilities, and I expect to put on some miles as I backpack in the rain under the Gatewood Cape.  I may save sleeping under the cape as a shelter for closer to home to avoid carrying the weight of a mattress.

Things looked for or tested
        -Protection from elements: 
               Does the cape actually keep my pack and me dry in
               rain?  Me, yes, in light rain.  Backpacking in the rain
               should be addressed in my Long Term Report.
               Does the shelter keep my gear and me dry?  So far,
               great. 
               Does each set up give me wind protection?  I have
               been comfortable, so far.
               If needed, how comfortable is the cape or shelter as
               sun protection?  Not needed, yet.
        -Cape construction:  Materials, stitching, pocket, straps,
         zipper, reinforcements, and attachment points
               Is the stitching straight, even, and balanced?   
               Looks good.
               Thread: strong enough in use?  For the most
               part, so far.
               Are hooks, reinforcements, or attachment points
               well located and functional?  Here was a rub: 
               The specified bar tacking was not done for the
               hooks on my first suspension harness.  It was
               replaced with one sewn to specs without a
               problem.
        -How easy or difficult is the cape to set up as a tent?
         Awkwardness eases with practice.
        -How easy is it to manipulate the zipper, from the
         inside and outside?  Do varying pitches affect this? 
         So far, no problems.
        -Are the stake loops sized and located for easy use?  Yes.
        -Does the door stay open easily and is its fastening user-
         friendly or awkward?  A bit of fumbling, but it works.
        -Do the side take-up hooks actually help keep the long
         sides out of the way as intended while using the poncho? 
         Yes.  

Extra Features:  Is there any part of this plan that can be
         also utilized in shelter-mode, such as attachments for
         a bug net or a clothesline?  Inside loops for taking up
        “sleeves” can work for a bug net, but are low and a bit
         stretchy for a clothesline.
       -Is the pocket intended as a map pocket/gear stash/stuff
        sack functional/useful?  Works for me, but I now carry
         the extra lines and harness in a separate bag.  I found that I
        dropped it too many times as I pulled the cape from its
        self-pocket.  (Personal preference thing.)
       -How well do these features stand up to trail use? 
        (Silnylon is fragile compared to many conventional rainwear
        and tent fabrics.)  If repairs are needed, can I make them, or
        do I have to send the cape back?  The only repair needed so
        far was the lost harness hook, a simple trade took care of this.
        If customer service is needed, how am I treated?   My two
        problems (lost directions and lost hook) were promptly and
        courteously resolved.

    Comfort: 
       -Does the Gatewood Cape afford good ventilation while
        being worn or used as a shelter and protect from the 
        elements at the same time?  Shelter, yes, with adjustments as
        needed.
        Good as a windbreaker or poncho.  Not extensively used
        to hike with a pack, yet.
       -Does it offer any wind breaking protection to the wearer?  Yes.
       -Can flapping be controlled during windy conditions, not
       just in shelter mode, but also while being worn?  Not tested, yet.
    Ease of set up: 
       -How easily can the shelter be rigged and the pitch
         modified for more or less airflow?  Seems rather
         straight-forward, so far.
       -Is it practical to set the shelter up in the rain while still
         wearing it, or do I need to completely remove it first? 
         Easier to just take it off and “Get on with it!”
       -When used as cape does the hood slide over my head          
         easily?  Yes.  Can I adjust it for comfort and protection
         or ventilation easily?  So, far, yes.
       -Does the cape fit and slide over a pack easily?  Not
        extensively tested, yet.
      -How has Six Moon Designs worked out the pole 
        placement inside the Cape for supporting the shelter
        without damaging the fabric?  Six Moon Designs
        provides a hub-like harness to trap the pole tip and
        hold up the shelter at the neckline seam.  How this
        will wear will be seen over time.
      -Does using the shelter require an adjustable pole, or will a
        fixed-length pole work?  (I’ve tried one of each set up. 
        So far, no problem.)

Other potential points of interest:
       -Can I rig the shelter as a fly replacement for my
        hammock?  (The better of two worlds!)  Not satisfactorily
        to date.
       -Opaqueness:  Does the Cape afford any privacy for
        changing clothes?  This is not a quality issue, but can
        be of interest.  Not tested, yet.

Likes
        Very light, so far shows good ventilation and versatility.
        When stuffed into its self-pocket, it makes a decent knee
        pillow in my hammock.
        Worked well as a windbreaker in chilly conditions.
        Has snaps inside to take up extra length on sides so that
        “sleeves” don’t drag.

Dislikes
        Overly bright, but “pretty.”   My personal preference is
        to carry gear in more subdued colors.
        Snaps that hold the extra arm fabric up are difficult to
        operate.

Thanks for reading my report,

Rosaleen Sullivan