Titanium Goat Vertex 5 Tent

Field Test Report

Biographical Information:

Name: Chuck Carnes

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)

Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)

Email address: ctcarnes1(at)yahoo(dot)com

City, State, Country: Taylors, S.C. United States                  

Date: April 26, 2005

Backpacking Background:

I love the outdoors. I’ve spent time camping in the outdoors since I was born, and have been actively hiking and backpacking for the past ten years. I consider myself a lightweight hiker, usually carrying 20-30 pounds (11-13 kg) for hikes up to a week in length. I hike at an easy pace, averaging 2 mph (3 kph). I am a one-man tent camper for now until a lighter two-man tent comes along and will give me more room. I like to carry a single trekking pole when I hike to help relieve stress to my legs and knees. I like to get out on the trail as often as I can.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Titanium Goat

Model: Vertex 5

Style: Conical, Single wall

No. Season: 4

No. Persons: 2

Color: Grey

Year of Manufacture: 2005

URL: http://www.titaniumgoat.com

MSRP: $400 

Listed Weight: 2 lb 2 oz (.96 kg) total weight

Weight as Delivered:

            Tent and Stuff Sack: 1 lb 7 oz (.65 kg)

            Pole: 8 oz (227g)

            14 Stakes: 7 oz (198 g)

            Total Weight: 2 lb 5 oz (1.62 kg)

Dimensions:

            Tent:     120 in (305 cm) front to back

                        108 in (274 cm) side to side

                        60 in (152 cm) height inside peak

Pole:     60 in (152 cm) as one pole (all 5 sections put together)

            15 in (38 cm) three sections

            13 in (33 cm) one section

            12 in (30 cm) shortest section

            .7 in (2 cm) pole diameter

Stakes: 7 in (17 cm) long

Initial Report

Field Conditions:

            At this point in the testing period, I have used the Titanium Goat Vertex 5 Tent on several occasions. My son and I like to go to a nearby trail and camp area so that we can do our father and son thing. The elevation is around 2200 ft. (671 m) at this area. The temperatures were a mild 72 F (22 C) during the day and 64 F (17 C) at night. We had clear skies and the stars shone bright at night.

            Another area that we went to is near Caesars Head where the elevation is around 5000 ft (1524 m). Here the temperatures were a little bit colder at 61 F (16 C) during the day and 45 F (7 C) at night. Rain storms threatened our area but it never rained.

Field Report:

            I have found the Titanium Goat Vertex 5 Tent to be an outstanding shelter. It is very easy to set up and there is plenty of room for me as a single sleeper and my gear or for my son and me with our gear in the middle. I was skeptical about the pole being in the middle that it would get knocked around a lot and possibly bend or get knocked over and the tent comes parachuting down on us. That was not the case at all. After maneuvering around a bit inside, we got used to it and really forgot that it was there. My son and I have really enjoyed this tent. He helps me put it up and we both have gotten really good at knowing where everything goes and it makes our set up time about two minutes from stuff sack to full set up. At first I wasn’t sure about the floorless design of the Vertex 5. I was really concerned about the bugs and I wasn’t sure what was going to happen if I was in the middle of a down pour and I have an instant river running through the middle of my tent. Well I haven’t experienced a down pour yet while in this tent but I have come across the bug issue. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I usually carry a sheet of Tyvec along with me to sit on if I ever need it. Well this helped a lot and it gave me a sense of having a floor in this tent. Also having the sleeping pads in the tent helped me visually not notice the floorless tent.

            The tent’s ventilation design has seemed to work great. I have been able to keep the top vent at the peak of the tent open at all times and the bottom rear vent open as well. I even felt a cool draft on a couple of occasions. With a full length zipper, entering and exiting is very easy. I even like the option of staking the unzipped corners out and having a full length opening to enter. I also like the side guy outs to be able to expand the inside a bit to give a little more room on the sides. I have not experienced any rain at this point in the test so I don’t know how well the tent functions when the whole tent is basically sealed up. Since the top vent has to be closed during a rain shower to prevent rain from dropping straight down into the tent, I can’t report on condensation issues during a rain storm. I hope to experience this during the rest of the testing period. However, being able to keep all the vents open during clear weather I did not find any condensation inside at all.

            For me, sleeping in the Vertex 5 is a little awkward with the conical shape. I am 6 ft (2 m) tall and laying flat on my back puts my head and my feet pretty close to the side wall of the tent and my hip is right at the center pole. I usually have to sleep on my side with the pole near my belly so that I am somewhat wrapped around the center pole. I do find it easy and roomy enough inside to be able to change clothes. I usually move to the front part of the tent and I seem to have a little bit more head room than I do on the sides.

            So far I have not visually seen any defects in the seams or any unraveling of threads. All of the zippers are still in good working condition and all of the stakes are still, none the less, straight. I have added three more stakes to the stake ensemble to be able to guy out the side guy strings without taking any from the other staking points.

Continued Test Plan:
            I do plan to do more extensive trips to be able to get more time in the tent and hopefully under some various weather conditions. The places included in those trips will be the Foothills trail where the elevation changes drastically over a period of 20-30 miles (32 - 48 km). Some other areas will be in the Smoky Mountains where the elevation will be around 6643 ft (2025 m). I will also be visiting the Pisgah National Forest where the elevation will range from 5000 to 6000 ft (1500 to 1800 m). During the upcoming testing season, I suspect that the temperatures will be well over 70 F (21 C) at all of these places. This will give me a chance to note any condensation issues. I will note all conditions in my Long Term Report. I will continue to monitor all of the features of the tent along with the tent’s durability and design.

 Thank you Titanium Goat and BGT for the opportunity to test this tent.