Titanium Goat Vertex 5

Initial 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: February 24, 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: 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

General Description of the Company and Tent Features:

From the web site:       

“Titanium goat is a small two man operation located in Ogden, Utah on
the Wasatch Front. We are currently working on getting our customers
quality tents and stoves, but look for new products to come as our
schedule allows. Want something custom? Have a product idea? Let us
know, Our mission is to get our customers what they want.”

Here are some features specifically for the Vertex 5 (Taken from the web site):

1.1  oz DWR treated, breathable fabric

Peak and tail vents

Full length door zip

Removable guy out system

Peak loops

Sectional Easton aluminum pole

Aluminum Y pegs

 Delivery:

            The Vertex 5 arrived stuffed in a grey stuff sack. Inside the stuff sack was the Vertex 5 tent, pole and stakes in a separate stuff sack, pitching instructions for the Vertex 5, a “Caring for your tent” sheet along with typical newspaper as packing. The Vertex arrived undamaged and even the “pitching instructions” sheet and “caring for your tent” sheet arrived clean and flat; no bent corners or wrinkles.

            The “Pitching instructions” sheet has the Titanium Goat logo at the top left and 5 pictures of different stages while setting up the tent. Beside the pictures are 6 steps on how to pitch the tent. I will not list the steps word for word but the steps basically are stated like this:

1. With zippers closed, stake out the front loops.
2. Go to the tail and pull tent taught.
3. Measure in towards front 24” (4 stake lengths or 1 stake past the rear vent) and stake the tail loops at this point.
4. Pull out center side loops and stake.
5. Unzip door and place pole in tent
6. Stake the rest of the loops working from front to back.

At the bottom of the sheet it reads:

Tent specifications (conversions are mine):

Length: 108 in (274 cm)

Width: 96 in (244 cm)

Peak: 62 (157 cm)

Weight: 2 lb 2 oz (.96 kg)

Pole: 9 oz (255 g), Stakes 6 oz (170 g), Tent and stuff sacks 19 oz (539 g)

      The “Caring for your tent” sheet is rather lengthy and I will not type it word for word but it is basically stated like this:

Cleaning:

      Clean the tent with mild soap and warm water while tent is fully pitched with a sponge or soft cloth. Do NOT machine wash or dry, it will cause damage to the DWR treatment. Clean tent poles and stakes with warm water and dry before storage. Wash and dry zippers thoroughly.

Storing your tent:

      Hang the tent by the peak in a cool dry place. If you can not, loosely roll it to prevent creases.

Seam sealing:

      We recommend seam sealers such as Kenyon Seam sealer3 or McNett Seam Grip. If it is recommended for breathable fabrics it will work on the Vertex tent. Follow manufactures instructions.

DWR:

      The Vertex has a DWR treatment applied to it. DWR stands for Durable Water Repellent, it coats each fabric fiber and causes water to bead up and roll off. When DWR gets worn it looses its ability to repel water. DWR can start to diminish after 2-3 washings. When it becomes worn, it can be restored with products such as Revive X or Nikwax TX Direct. Follow manufacturers instructions.         

Initial Inspection and Setup:

            The Vertex 5 showed up in a grey stuff sack. I was surprised that there were no hang tags anywhere on the stuff sack. The stuff sack is made of thin rip stop nylon with a yellow draw cord at the top that is held closed with a cord lock. Inside the stuff sack was the Vertex 5 tent along with another small, long stuff sack that holds the single aluminum pole and 14 aluminum ‘V’ stakes. The pole and stake stuff sack matches the larger stuff sack, except smaller, in material, draw cord and closure.

            I first opened the pole and stake stuff sack and removed its contents. The single aluminum pole is broken down into five sections that vary in size. The pole basically snaps its self together by an elastic chord the runs inside the pole from one end to the other. The two ends of the pole are capped off with a flat, black plastic plug that is the same diameter as the pole. The pole is made of aluminum and seems to be very strong and sturdy. All of the sections of the pole fit very well together and there are no signs of rough or sharp edges.

            The 14 stakes are also aluminum and are in the shape of a ‘V’. The web site states ‘Y’ shape but these are ‘V’ shaped. Engraved on the side of the stakes are the words “The North Face 7075-T6” and has a notch towards the top. The stakes also seem to be very sturdy and well constructed. On the opposite end from the notch the stake is pointed but not sharp. It appears that the stake will work in most soils up to as hard as packed dirt. I will monitor the types of soil and ease of insertion into the soil that the stakes are placed in and note those in my following reports.  

            After inspecting the pole and the stakes I lay the tent out and proceeded to read the included instructions and erect the tent. The instructions and pictures certainly helped the process. It took approximately 5 minutes to fully pitch the tent and that included picking up the instruction sheet after every step. After doing it one time and remembering how I did it, the next time will be much easier and faster. On the two sides of the tent, on the outside, there is a daisy chain type of web strapping that has a bright pink string hand woven through the chain with a carabineer attached at about 12 in (30 cm) away from the tent. From the carabineer there is a single guy out cord attached that is adjustable. Once I figured out what this was for and staked it out, it gave even more room inside the tent. Just for the sake of trying out the guying system, I took two of the stakes from the other loops. There are only enough stakes to stake out the tent. Three extra stakes are needed to complete the setup; two for the guy outs and one for the rear vent cover.

The Vertex 5 has two venting options; one at the peak where the door meets the peak of the tent and one at the bottom rear. The vent is held open by a small tube, smaller than a pencil, with a string through the entire length of the tube and a knot tied at the end. The string is attached to the zipper seam.  The tube is 6 in (15 cm) long and is inserted into a small tab pocket that is sewn into the zipper seam on the opposite side; this is a great way of venting the top but there is no way of preventing rain or snow from falling into the tent; there is nothing that covers this opening.

The bottom rear vent has double pull zippers that run from the rear loops up the back of the tent approximately 18 in (45 cm). This vent does have a cover but appears to have to be staked out but does not come with guy lines or stake. Inside the tent at this vent are two stings, one on either side of the vent. These strings run from the vent to the first stake out points from the rear stake out loops. The cord locks are sewn into the zipper seam and the strings run through these cord locks. For the vent to stay open, the user simply pulls the end of the string until the desired opening appears and the cord locks hold the zippers apart.

            The door to the Vertex has double pull zippers that run from the front loops to the peak of the tent. This way there is an option to vent the top and still be able to unzip from the bottom to enter or exit the tent. There is no storm flap that covers the zipper area to prevent water from entering into the tent from this area. The tent door can be unstaked at the front two loops and folded back to give a bigger and better opening. There is no attachment to keep the door folded back but it seems to stay folded back on its own as long as the wind doesn’t blow. At the peak of the tent there is patch of thick nylon material that makes up the pocket for the pole to be inserted into. Sewn into this pocket is a web strap that is 6 in (15 cm) long with a loop at the end. This is where gear can be hung or a light of some sort. The pole is positioned slightly towards the front of the tent. From the front loops of the door to the tent pole is 48 in (cm). As mentioned before, the pole is 60 in (152 cm) long so this is the dimension from the ground to the inside peak of the tent. All of which are slightly different than what Titanium Goat states.

Thoughts and Summary:

The tent is very roomy inside to be of a conical design. It has more room than what I could imagine from the specifications and pictures on the web site. I like the fact that I can sit up easily and not touch my head to the tent fabric. I do feel like I have to lie close to the pole to get as much head to toe room as possible. This has great room for a two person tent and could be even better for a one person and have plenty of room for gear and a pet. This tent has only one seam that runs from the front left quadrant, up and around towards the back and over to the front right quadrant. This seam is not sealed but is sewn very straight and neat. All seams appear to be done professionally and the tent appears to be assembled with care and with pride. I was able to get the tent quite taught without the two guy outs staked. With two extra stakes to guy out the sides, this could make a big difference when it comes to sagging when the tent gets wet.

Overall I am happy and impressed with the Vertex 5. I look forward to taking it into the field and truly putting it to the test.

Test Plan and Location:
            As further testing goes on, I will be looking for and testing some of the key features that were mentioned earlier. I will be testing the durability and functionality of the tent in different locations and hopefully in different weather situations.

I plan to use this tent on these and other various trips. The places included in those trips will be in the Smoky Mountains National Park of Tennessee where the elevation will be around 6643 ft (2025 m). The weather in this area can change at anytime, from clear skies and comfortable temperatures to high winds and heavy rain. I will be visiting the Pisgah National Forest where the elevation will range from 5000 to 6000 ft (1500 to 1800 m) and the temperatures will be around 20 to 50 F (-6 to 10 C). I will be taking a couple of one night trips to Jones Gap in the higher regions of South Carolina where the elevation will be around 5000 ft (1500 m) and the temperatures can range from 30 to 60 F (-1 to 15 C).

The things that I will be looking for throughout the test are the tents overall durability and design issues if there are any. These and other tests will be performed and noted in my Field and Long Term Reports.

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