Went to a gatewood cape and love

Posted by: toddfw2003

Went to a gatewood cape and love - 10/30/17 01:28 AM

I debated buying one because I was worried about being too tall for it. Then I checked out the measurements on it. It is the same length as my Deschutes plus. Took it out on a two night backpacking trip this weekend so i could seam seal it. IM 6'4. I fit fine in it. Neither my head or foot touched the walls. I was able to fit me, my dog and my pack in it comfortable. 12 oz and dont need any rain gear. It is pretty nice


Posted by: BrianLe

Re: Went to a gatewood cape and love - 10/30/17 10:31 AM

Wow. I'm impressed --- and surprised --- that at 6'4" you fit in a Gatewood cape (as a shelter I mean, not an issue as a poncho).

I'm somewhere between 5' 9" and 10" (probably shrinking down close to the former now), and find that with a thick air mattress I have to be careful not to get condensation on the end of my sleeping bag in my Gatewood cape.

But if it works for you, it works, so --- great!
Posted by: OregonMouse

Re: Went to a gatewood cape and love - 10/30/17 02:27 PM

Some of us have to get up several times during the night, which makes this combination of shelter and rain gear most impracticable!
Posted by: toddfw2003

Re: Went to a gatewood cape and love - 10/30/17 03:29 PM

I use a gatorade bottle. They make a think that looks like a funnel for women
Posted by: toddfw2003

Re: Went to a gatewood cape and love - 10/30/17 03:33 PM

not sure how high you have your set up or how tall your mattress is. I use an xtherm. I also staked out the side loops

Posted by: DustinV

Re: Went to a gatewood cape and love - 11/06/17 01:51 PM

What are you using for your floor? And what are you doing for bug mitigation?

I've been using a Gatewood for about 10 years, now. I am 5'10" and the height is adequate for me. I am happily surprised that it's working for you. On my first few uses, I staked the back side down to the ground, which severely limited the headroom, but made for good wind protection. When I finally put the 3"-4" guy-lines on the back side and raised the height of the trekking pole, it felt a LOT roomier and the pitch was much more taut.

I ended up getting a lightweight bivy so I could have a ground sheet, a tiny bug-free space and wind resistance for the breezes that blow up under that gap at the bottom. This negates the weight savings, to some degree, but the loop above the face net is perfectly positioned under the inner snap. Still, I am considering grabbing the net inner to have a bathtub floor and a bigger bug-free space.
Posted by: BrianLe

Re: Went to a gatewood cape and love - 11/07/17 11:05 AM

I have the net inner, and it's a pretty small space. If you lay still it works, if you sit up or move around much, you're running into mesh. You have to put pretty much all of your stuff outside of the net inner tent, so if you need to mess with your gear at all, you're opening up the mesh. It works, but it's not my favorite piece of kit.

The height/length and just generally overall space available inside the G.C. does vary based on how high and just generally 'how' you pitch it. With a second trekking pole and then maybe a local stick or overhead branch, it certainly does help to pull out the loops on the long ends.

I personally find my G.C. the right piece of gear to bring along (a) on extended day hikes in decent weahter where it seems prudent to bring along some sort of emergency shelter, (b) short (1 or 2 day) backpacking trips where the weather looks pretty good and it's not likely to be buggy.

For other trips I prefer a 'real' lightweight 3-season tent.

I have a friend, though, who used a Wild Oasis tent for long distance hiking and seemed happy enough with it. Wild Oasis is also made by SMC and is basically a G.C. that can't be used as a poncho, and has added a little skirt of bug mesh --- still a floorless tent, but the mesh skirt worked well enough for him (and of course left a lot more usable space inside than the G.C. with its dedicated inner net tent).
Posted by: DustinV

Re: Went to a gatewood cape and love - 11/07/17 02:42 PM

Hmmm. I guess I'll stick with the bivy, for now. It seems to help keep the whole pad/quilt/pillow/clothes mess in one place and thwe wind resistance is good. Sitting up may not be worth always touching the netting..

Do you end up using the pocket? I never seem to find anything I want to put in there, since my pack is laying right under it.
Posted by: toddfw2003

Re: Went to a gatewood cape and love - 11/08/17 08:38 AM

I use my cape when temps are colder and bugs arent an,issue. If its warmer i use my deschute plus. Forthe wind problem the back side of the tarp faces the wind and is all the way on the ground. I made a bathtub floor with polycro similar to zpacks bathtub
Posted by: toddfw2003

Re: Went to a gatewood cape and love - 11/08/17 08:41 AM

Originally Posted By DustinV
What are you using for your floor? And what are you doing for bug mitigation?

I've been using a Gatewood for about 10 years, now. I am 5'10" and the height is adequate for me. I am happily surprised that it's working for you. On my first few uses, I staked the back side down to the ground, which severely limited the headroom, but made for good wind protection. When I finally put the 3"-4" guy-lines on the back side and raised the height of the trekking pole, it felt a LOT roomier and the pitch was much more taut.

I ended up getting a lightweight bivy so I could have a ground sheet, a tiny bug-free space and wind resistance for the breezes that blow up under that gap at the bottom. This negates the weight savings, to some degree, but the loop above the face net is perfectly positioned under the inner snap. Still, I am considering grabbing the net inner to have a bathtub floor and a bigger bug-free space.






If you stake the back down but raise the front to 50 inches it works well. I have plenty of head room. Be sure the backside is facing the wind.i also stake out the extra side loop with a couple of sticks. Gives me more room