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Testing Location Overview:
The hiking environment of the south-west of Western Australia
allows for hiking and backpacking from coastal plains to forest.
Elevation ranges from 0 to 585 metres (0 to 1,920 feet). Within this
region, I hike in varying
conditions from forestry roads, to sandy tracks to single-purpose
walking
trails, to rock hopping, to beach walking to completely off-track
walking
through open and dense country.
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Weather Conditions:
During the summer period, daytime
temperatures average 30° C (86° F), whereas from March through to
December the daytime average temperatures range from 15° C to 26° C
(59° F to 79° F). During the
autumn, winter, and spring periods the normal weather pattern is fairly
wet with frequent heavy rainstorms evident. It does not normally snow
in
Western Australia.
According to The Times Atlas of the World
(Concise Edition - Revised 1997)
our weather is described as being "Mediterranean - rainy climates with
mild
winters, coolest month above 0° C (32° F), but below 18° C (64° F);
warmest
month above 10° C (50° F)." The atlas depicts the coastal area north of
Los Angeles as having the same climate.
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Long-term experience
This report, the third in the series
should be read in-conjunction with my
Initial Report (first impressions of the tent) and my
Field Report (two months experience in the field). This final report
in the series focus on my remaining field experience and long-term issues.
Since posting my Field Report in June
2004 I have only had two more nights out in the shelter, not ideal, but
just the way things have worked out. The first night was in Noggerup Block
at the Noggerup campsite on the Bibbulmun Track in June 2004 and the
second night was in the Avon Valley National Park in July 2004. The
night at Noggerup is of particular interest as this was a two-up night
(two people sleeping in the tent) and it rained big time during the night.
This night highlighted three issues: interior space condensation and
waterproofness. These three issues are the focus of this report.
As outlined in the Field Report, MSR
claims that the Missing Link has "plenty of
interior space, including great headroom for two plus gear." I
would have to agree with their claims. My partner and I shared the tent at
Noggerup campsite. We fitted one full-length
Therm-a-Rest Classic sleeping pad, my
Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4s sleeping pad, two packs (Macpac
Cascade and Black Wolf model unknown), associated gear (strewn at end
of tent), pillow for Anne etc in the tent quite comfortably. I found that
we had enough room for us both to lie comfortably, to sit up and to get
changed etc without crawling all over each other. We did however,
find it important to pitch-out the rear of the tent as much as possible to
maximise interior space. See my
Field Report for further comment on this aspect.
In summary I would be comfortable with
sharing the Missing Link with someone with whom I don't have a personal
attachment :-).
The second aspect relates to MSR's claim that the Missing Link is "well
ventilated. High and low vents provide constant airflow to reduce
condensation."
According to the MSR Fast & Light Owner's Manual, "condensation is the
buildup of moisture inside your shelter due to differences between the
inside and outside temperatures." MSR suggest three common sources:
weather conditions - high humidity, low temperatures and rainy conditions;
people; and wet environment.
Well at Noggerup, we had low
temperatures and rainy conditions, two people in the tent and a wet
environment. Outcome being that within half an hour of settling in for the
night we both thought it was "raining" inside the tent. Well maybe that it
is a bit of an exaggeration, but let me put it this way. We had the front
door unzipped 50% (exposing the netting) to maximise the airflow and even
with this water droplets where evident in places within the tent and all
surfaces of the interior where noticeably damp. Anne, experiencing her
first night out in a tent couldn't get over the level of the condensation
and commented more than once on why one would bother with such a tent in
these conditions. To be honest, I was starting to wonder myself. I
always thought a tent was to provide protection from the elements!
In summary I found that under these
circumstances (raining, two people in the tent) the MSR Missing Link
does not adequately ventilate and condensation build-up is to such an
extent as to make sleeping in the tent at best uncomfortable and damp.
This leads to the third issue we experienced on the night. It seems that
the Missing Link leaked! Yep, our shelter against the elements actually
leaked water into the tent. Anne woke in the morning to find a puddle of
water, approximately 38 cm (15") in surface area near her head! She who
must be obeyed was not impressed! Neither was I! One does not expect
to find one's near new shelter leaking during a rainy night!
Following this up with MSR, I have been
advised by MSR and I quote:
"In a heavy rain
the missing link can leak. In only a few cases the rear and top
fly/roof seams can wet out and leak through to the outside of the body
(the inside is taped). The water can then run down the fabric and onto
the outside of the mesh until it stops at the bottom of the mesh at
the seam. At this point water can come through the mesh and into the
tent. If you have silicon based seam seal you can run a bead along the
fly/roof seams from the outside to prevent leakage. Customers can call
us at 00-531-9531 and we will send a small tube of sil-net, free of
charge, to take care of it."
This seems to be the case from my perspective. I have
since reported this matter to MSR and have now received the tube of Sil
Net Silicone sealer, but have not yet applied it nor had the opportunity
to test its effectiveness. On a positive note, I must congratulate MSR on
their prompt response to my contacting them in this regard. They
provided the tube of seam sealer promptly.
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Concluding comments:
Overall I am happy with the MSR Missing
Link and we continue to use it as my three-season shelter. Assuming the
sealing of the seams works out okay, I will be happy to use it as
solo-tent on walks where rain is forecast. However, where a two-person
shelter is required and rain is forecast, I am inclined to
leave it at home, just because of the condensation issue. In summary
the things I like about the MSR Missing Link are:
-
Handle/strap on the stuff sack. A nice
useful touch. The wonders of simple things;
-
Space ... so much space;
-
Space to weight ratio.
Things I dislike about the MSR Missing
Link:
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Tying off using guy cords instead of
trekking poles requires, in my experience, near vertical tie offs.
Something which in my view limits this option significantly;
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Provision of only one short guy rope,
even though the tent has three guy out points;
-
No interior storage pockets or laundry
rope;
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High levels of condensation experienced
when used as a two-person shelter in rain;
-
Leaking in heavy rain ... not what I
expect from a shelter today.
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Thanks to
Mountain Safety Research
and BackpackGearTest.org for
the opportunity to participate in this test.
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