Performance in the Field:
The modified pyramid shape of the Vertex 5 results in more than expected room for me, my gear, and an occasional co-occupant. Generally speaking I have found that when buying tents, as with airplanes, it pays to buy one sized for one more occupant than is generally expected. So, in the case of a tent I usually find a two person tent provides me sufficient space to comfortably fit my gear and myself. If I'm traveling with a companion, I prefer a three person tent as I find a two person tent tends to have room for either one person and gear or two people who leave their gear outside. The Vertex has proven the exception to this rule of thumb. Even with gear inside, I find the Vertex comfortable even when I'm sharing the tent with another. Especially in winter, I prefer keeping my gear close at hand to forestall exposure to weather or waking to rock-solid boots (vs. tent-occupying boots which tend to be cold but only moderately stiff in the morning). The near vertical front wall of the Vertex allows me to sit without touching the tent walls and even allows for an uncramped game of cards.

Details concerning the construction and setup of the Vertex can be found in my Initial Report.  It's simply a matter of spreading the tent on the ground, staking it out, raising the center pole inside, completing the staking and then adjusting the tautness of the staking. However, a couple of things have become apparent over the past couple of months. First, it is far easier to pitch the Vertex with its single pole when wearing gloves than it is to pitch a freestanding dome or hoop tent. The center pole is unfolded, one end placed in the peak "pocket" and the other swung into place until the pole is vertical. There is no wrestling with a 10 or 12 foot (3 - 3.7 m) pole trying to get it to slip into sleeves or clips. I have also found that similar to tarp "tenting", a footprint or groundsheet is not necessary (at least in snow). I found no real difference when using a plastic footprint versus simply laying my sleeping pad on the snow in terms of comfort or incidental wetting of gear. Although I often roll around in my sleep, I do so within the constraints of the mattress or pad I'm sleeping on. Thus, I haven't ended up laying directly on the snow when not using a footprint. Tentmates have tended to be skeptical of this arrangement so when I'm sharing the Vertex, I use a footprint (usually of 3-4 mil plastic sheeting).

When I first set up the Vertex I wondered how successful the design, requiring 14+ stakes, would be when setup in any significant snow. In reality this turns out to have been a non-issue. I simply stomp a big circle where I'm going to setup the tent. After I've created this patch of tamped down snow I pitch the tent without regard to the snow cover. Stakes easily penetrate the snow and are surprisingly capable of being driven into the frozen ground without bending (using a nearby rock). The unmashed snow that surrounds the Vertex can then be piled against the edges to prevent any drafts from coming in under the fabric. I did find however that these same stakes that so nicely penetrate the frozen ground do not like to give up their grip after they've set for a night or more. I find that I have to place a knife blade across the notches in a stake and pull them up using the full length and width of the knife blade to give me sufficient purchase to pull the stakes. Once I have one stake out, I lay it horizontally across the other stakes in the stake notches in order to pull them out. I have used the staking loop on the tent to accomplish this same task on occasion but believe this produces unnecessary wear & tear on the tent fabric. If I were designing this tent I would use similar pegs with a pull cord attached (similar to Mountain Hardware's Y pegs). I expect I will end up modifying the stakes by drilling a hole through both "wings" and running a short length of Pulse cord (a thin Kevlar cord often used in marine applications) through the holes. This loop would be easily replaced if worn or abraded and yet still offer sufficient leverage to get even the stubbornest pegs out of the ground.

I also found that the steeply sloping sides prevented snow buildup when snow fell overnight. The snow slides down the sides & toward the back (perhaps due to the single seam that runs up & over the tent proper. Even when a couple of inches (5 cm) fell, it all slid to the back & sides leaving the front snow free. When tenting with a partner I found no signs of condensation which suggests a "well done" to Titanium Goat for the design and material selection would be appropriate.

A word about the fabric coating is warranted. The fabric has a DWR (durable water resistant) coating applied. This is not a stiff waterproof coating. According to Titanium Goat and borne out by my experience to date, this allows the fabric to breathe very well. Since there is no coating preventing water from escaping, water from my breath seems to go right through it. This might suggest that water from the outside would easily penetrate the tent, leaving me wet nonetheless. However, like old canvas tents, a tautly pitched tent with a DWR will tend not to allow big water droplets from rain to make their way through the tent wall. As long as the pressure of the fabric's stretch exceeds the rain's, the water simply slides off the tent. The staking & guy-outs for the Vertex seem to offer sufficient tautness in setup to prevent this issue. (I do need to confess that I have yet to seal the seams as suggested by the manufacturer but no leaking of any kind has been noted. I expect to do this before the upcoming rainy season though.)

Comfort when occupied:
I was initially concerned that squeezing two people into the tent (or for that matter with just one of me) that someone would roll into the center pole and knock it down during the night. I have found that there is enough room for a pair of 5' 8" (1.7 m) occupants to sleep side by side without touching either the tent walls or the center pole. Nor have I had any incidents where the pole was inadvertently knocked aside by a rolling sleeper. Being an ultralight (and low volume) backpacker I have found it sufficiently large enough to have comfortable space for myself as well as my gear...as well as another occupant and their gear.

I still don't know what the impact of the unfloored tent will have on my mosquito blood donation program but with spring fast approaching, I will have opportunities to evaluate this during the long-term testing phase. Similarly, I will have sufficient opportunity for testing in high humidity and rainy weather to validate my conclusions with regard to the possibility of condensation. I haven't had much use for the peak or floor vents as I've tended to button it up tight against the weather. Future testing should provide sufficient evaluation potential for these features in the next several months.

Quality & Durability:
So far I'm pleased with the quality of construction and the demonstrated (short-term) durability of the Vertex. I've observed no discernible wear, staining, or fraying of any fabric or stitching so far. With the exception of the mis-sewn stake loop I mentioned in my Initial Report, the tent's construction is top-notch. I was initially going to return the tent for a fix of the loop but found that a simple length of Pulse line (1/8" or 3 mm Kevlar cord) run through the mis-sewn loop created a new one that is certainly more than sufficient for my use.

Long-term Testing Strategy:
I will continue to use the Vertex on my backpacking excursions this spring and summer. This should provide the opportunity to test the Vertex in the other two seasons that might offer challenges to the design -- spring due to the rain and summer for its high heat and humidity. Spring is just beginning here (somewhat later than normal) with torrential rains becoming the rule rather than the exception. Either it is cold and dry as a bone or we're getting an inch or two (2.5 to 5 cm) of rain in a single day. I'll now be able to test its resistance to serious rain as well as the impact of high humidity on potential condensation issues. These rains should reveal the limitations (if any) of the DWR coating as well as whether a footprint is needed. Of course I'll continue to be on the lookout for durability and construction issues with extended use.

Overall Impressions:
It's somewhat unfair to compare the Vertex with other tents or tarps due to the significant differences in design (floorless vs. bathtub flooring, single vs. multi-pole, etc) so I'm commenting on the Vertex's ability to meet my expectations created when I reviewed their website. Also, as an inveterate tree-hanger, whether the Vertex provides some incentive to continued use in all seasons, is up for evaluation. At the very least though I like this tent for winter camping.

Pluses:
- Taut pitch provides water resistance (proofness)
- Steep sides allows snow to slide off the tent
- Near vertical front wall allows for a lot of headroom while sitting and the floor diameter provides sufficient space to keep me away from the walls.

Minuses:
- Price
- Mis-sewn stake loop
- Need 3 additional stakes to tie-out the guy lines and to keep the low rear vent open.

Altogether rather lopsided in favor of the pluses as the minuses are fairly trivial.

My thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Titanium Goat for the opportunity to test the Vertex 5.