Long Term Report Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape
 August 22, 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.  For mid test experiences, see my Field Report.

Long Term Report Experiences
During the second two testing months, I carried the Gatewood Cape during a 134 mile (216 km) section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Georgia and North Carolina in July and for two overnight trips in Eastern Massachusetts in August.  Conditions were mostly very hot and humid on the AT, and one fair and one rainy night in Massachusetts.  In the approximate two weeks of section hiking, I had two episodes of very heavy daytime rain as I hiked.  I was sweat-soaked before donning the cape and found that some rain seemed to enter via the arm slits and/or front vent, causing me to be even wetter when the rain ended.  I was, however, warm enough.  During summer hikes, since I am going to be wet from sweat anyway, my main goals for rain gear are keeping the rest of my things dry and avoiding chill from cold falling rain.  I was not willing to carry a mattress during the AT section hike, so I reserved the use of the cape as a ground shelter for short, close to home overnights.  For the two nights that was able to use the cape as a shelter,  I pitched it using the six optional lines on the staking loops, and slept dry and comfortably through the one night of rain, and appreciated the ventilation both the rainy and fair nights. 

Things observed during the test
        -Protection from elements: 
               Does the cape actually keep my pack and me dry in
               rain?  I was happily dry enough in light rain and moderate
               temperatures.  Hiking in 90 F (~30 C) temperatures with
               90% humidity, I was sweat soaked already, as was my
               pack, where it contacted my back.  Opening vents allowed
               rain under the cape.  The rain fell fast and hard enough to
               turn the trail into a swift stream, so I didn’t expect much
               better results.  Besides the two deluge experiences, I did
               deploy the cape for brief light showers.  I felt as if I were in
               an instant sauna, and tried different adjustments including
               unzipping the cape and stuffing the front between my back
               and pack.  I had the hood over my head and around my neck,
               draping the cape body over and around my pack. This helped
               somewhat, but I was most eager to take it off and stow my
              cape as soon as practicable.  
              Does the shelter keep my gear and me dry?   
              I was very satisfied with the Gatewood Cape as a
              shelter.  (One additional remark, though, I haven’t had
              to use the shelter in high winds.)  My pack and its
              contents were protected satisfactorily.
               Does each set up give me wind protection?  I felt
               protected in moderate winds, but did not have the
               opportunity to test the shelter in a high wind situation. 
               If needed, how comfortable is the cape or shelter as sun
               protection?  The sun quickly chased me out of the shelter
               when I tested it for an afternoon nap.
        -Cape construction:  Materials, stitching, pocket, straps,
          zipper, reinforcements, and attachment points
               Is the stitching straight, even, and balanced?   
               The stitching still looks good.
               Thread: strong enough in use?  The thread held up for
               the entire test.
               Are hooks, reinforcements, or attachment points
               well located and functional?  During the Field Test, I
               received a replacement for the suspension harness.  The
               first one was not bar tacked at the hook attachments, as the
               designer specified.  The replacement does have the proper
               bar tacking, and has held up.
        -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? 
         I had 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.  I did need to run a line to the
         harness hub to get a comfortable height.
       -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 first “repair” needed
        was the lost harness hook:  A simple trade took care of this.
        I recently observed a pin sized hole next to the arm slit stitching.
        I will be able to take care of it with a spot of silicone.  I looked for
        snags or holes from overgrown thorny bushes that caught at the
        cape and found none.
        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?  I was happy with the shelter,
        with adjusting the height and ventilation as needed.  It was
        good as a windbreaker or poncho in mild temperatures.  I
        was too hot to keep wearing the cape in hot conditions
        except in pouring rain.  (I should add a little more personal
        information relative to my heat tolerance.  I seem to feel hot
        most of the time, and am subject to frequent “hot flashes.”)    
       -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?  I did not test
        this extensively, but did have some luck with tucking excess 
        fabric under pack straps (temporary solution) or under a piece
        of shock cord.
    Ease of set up: 
       -How easily can the shelter be rigged and the pitch
         modified for more or less airflow?  With practice, the shelter
         becomes easier to pitch.  Adjustments were easy, once the
         shelter was set up.     
       -Is it practical to set the shelter up in the rain while still
        wearing it, or do I need to completely remove it first? 
        It is easier to just take it off and “get on with it,” or give the
        storm a chance to dissipate. 
       -When used as cape does the hood slide over my head          
         easily?  Yes.  Can I adjust it for comfort and protection
         or ventilation easily?  Yes.  However, maximum ventilation
         does increase opportunities for water to enter.
       -Does the cape fit and slide over a pack easily?  Yes.
        -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.  The second harness
        still appears new.
       -Does using the shelter require an adjustable pole, or will a
        fixed-length pole work?  (I’ve tried one of each set up. 
        With a fixed-length pole, I just angled it more when I needed
        to pitch the shelter lower to the ground.)

Other points of interest:
       -Can I rig the shelter as a fly replacement for my
        hammock?  (This could be the better of two worlds!)  Not
        satisfactorily.  The cape is too different in shape from the
        hammock.
       -Opaqueness:  Does the Cape afford any privacy for
        changing clothes?  This is not a quality issue, but can
        be of interest.  Not much, but this is not a great problem
        for “dispersed camping “.

Likes
        This shelter and rain gear combination is light and versatile.
        When stuffed into its self-pocket, it makes a decent pillow.
        The Gatewood Cape works well as a windbreaker.
        It 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.
        Because silnylon is not breathable, the cape can be too hot
        to wear in very hot conditions. 

Thanks for reading my report,

Rosaleen Sullivan