Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#174047 - 01/18/13 01:50 PM Tarptent Hogback good for Mt Whitney Trail Camp?
Claus Offline
member

Registered: 04/19/10
Posts: 56
Loc: Central Iowa
I'm planning on hiking Mt Whitney this year with my wife and one or two other guys. We'll be staying overnight at Trail Camp. My wife sleeps better with me in the tent so I won't be taking my tarptent moment. The only other tent I have is the tarptent hogback. We two certainly would have enough space in it. laugh The other two have their own tent.

The six tie down strings would need to be wrapped around/under rocks but I'm not sure if that will hold up to the winds that we might encounter up there. Also, how is the space requirement of this tent compared to others? Will we have enough flat space to set it up?

Any comments on the usability of the hogback at the Trail Camp is appreciated. It would be nice not having to buy another tent.

Hogback specs: http://www.tarptent.com/hogback.html
_________________________
Please feel free to disregard my opinion.
http://adventurelaus.blogspot.com

Top
#174052 - 01/18/13 04:06 PM Re: Tarptent Hogback good for Mt Whitney Trail Camp? [Re: Claus]
Franco Offline
member

Registered: 04/05/04
Posts: 1010
Loc: Australia
I don't know how windy it gets up there but if you do end up using the Hogback here are some suggestions.
First you can get an optional pole from TT , as you can see in this photo :

Note how the tent is set up.
So make sure that it is set up nice and taut, tents don't perform well when floppy.
(exactly like a sail but ,for some unknown to me reason, sailors don't blame the sails, campers blame their tents...)
Next, the 8" Easton according to BPL tests have a
holding power of 66lbs, so that is a combined power of almost 400lbs.
(the TripTease cord can hold about 250lbs..)
So don't be afraid to pile up a lot of weight over those corner guyouts as well as extending the ones in the middle so that you can wrap them around logs/rocks.
Lastly do install pole guylines ( so you have another two anchoring points)
Those should be used in all but the mildest conditions.
BTW, make sure the rocks you put on top of the PitchLock corners don't rub against the TripTease cords.

Top
#174056 - 01/18/13 04:58 PM Re: Tarptent Hogback good for Mt Whitney Trail Camp? [Re: Claus]
wandering_daisy Offline
member

Registered: 01/11/06
Posts: 2865
Loc: California
Depending on when you arrive at trail camp, the large tent sites may be all taken, leaving some tighter spots. As a rule of thumb, at crowded Sierra sites, the smaller your tent "footprint" the better. Generally, the weather is good and many people just cowboy camp. I have a Moment and in a pinch two people (depending on their size) could fit inside. How about your wife inside and your head under the vestibule with feet outside? You would be real close, albeit not exactly inside the tent with her. It rarely rains all night. During brief thunderstorms you could both cozily squeeze inside. If you decide to take the Hogback, part of the floor space may have to be set up over rocks, lumps or steeper sloping ground.

Top
#174060 - 01/18/13 05:34 PM Re: Tarptent Hogback good for Mt Whitney Trail Camp? [Re: wandering_daisy]
Franco Offline
member

Registered: 04/05/04
Posts: 1010
Loc: Australia
This is why the Pitch Lock corner (Scarps/Hogback/moment and Notch) works well without stakes :

(I was seam sealing a Scarp this morning so I took this shot...)


Edited by Franco (01/18/13 05:35 PM)

Top
#174216 - 01/23/13 03:34 PM Re: Tarptent Hogback good for Mt Whitney Trail Camp? [Re: Franco]
Claus Offline
member

Registered: 04/19/10
Posts: 56
Loc: Central Iowa
Wandering Dasy, I don't think my wife would appreciate to sleep under the vestibule with her feet sticking out. wink Both of us would like to have a chance of a good night sleep. Using the Moment would guarantee that at least one of us doesn't have a chance. Most likely both.

Looking at the dimension of other two person tents (e.g. Big Agnes Fly Creek / Copper Spur, TT Rainbow / Scrap 2) they don't any smaller than the Hogback especially with rain flies.

I did set up the Hogback several times in the basement with dumbbells for cleaning and drying. So I know it's possible. Luckily there should be enough large rocks so that I don't have to carry the dumbbells. smile

Originally Posted By Franco
BTW, make sure the rocks you put on top of the PitchLock corners don't rub against the TripTease cords.
This doesn't make sense to me. You're not proposing something asides putting the rocks on top of the guylines or wrapping the guylines around rocks? Maybe it's just that I don't know the terminology of PitchLock and TripTease.
_________________________
Please feel free to disregard my opinion.
http://adventurelaus.blogspot.com

Top
#174222 - 01/23/13 03:56 PM Re: Tarptent Hogback good for Mt Whitney Trail Camp? [Re: Claus]
Franco Offline
member

Registered: 04/05/04
Posts: 1010
Loc: Australia
"This doesn't make sense to me"

That is why I posted that picture so that you could see what I meant about rocks on the PitchLock ( the two CarbonFiber struts (black inside the sleeve) and the TripTease (yellow guyline) combination form the Pitch Lock corner)
If you have rocks with jugged edges there ,the wind can cause the guyline to rub and eventually break.
So make sure you either have rocks with a smooth surface there (not like my bricks...) or put something in between to protect the guylines ( cloth /stuffsack/spare socks if you have to...)

Top
#174284 - 01/24/13 03:01 PM Re: Tarptent Hogback good for Mt Whitney Trail Camp? [Re: Franco]
Claus Offline
member

Registered: 04/19/10
Posts: 56
Loc: Central Iowa
Got it.
_________________________
Please feel free to disregard my opinion.
http://adventurelaus.blogspot.com

Top
#174286 - 01/24/13 03:14 PM Re: Tarptent Hogback good for Mt Whitney Trail Camp? [Re: Claus]
Claus Offline
member

Registered: 04/19/10
Posts: 56
Loc: Central Iowa
Another question. Would you leave the tent up and slightly open with your stuff inside it so the critters can inspect it and hopefully not harm anything. Or would to pack the tent away and store everything but food in a tightly packed backpack that you leave at the camp while summiting? I read that the critters at Trail Camp are quite unforgiving with their search for food and made holes in closed tents. There are no trees to hang a pack.

I never had to worry about that since my prior hikes always had a different overnight location.
_________________________
Please feel free to disregard my opinion.
http://adventurelaus.blogspot.com

Top
#174398 - 01/28/13 02:42 PM Mt Whitney Trail Camp critters [Re: Claus]
WildOregon Offline
newbie

Registered: 01/28/13
Posts: 2
I've been to Trail Camp on Whitney a number of times and I would agree with your approach, leave things open for the marmots to check out while you summit.

Top
#174606 - 02/03/13 12:41 PM Re: Mt Whitney Trail Camp critters [Re: WildOregon]
wandering_daisy Offline
member

Registered: 01/11/06
Posts: 2865
Loc: California
If you leave your tent open for the marmots to check out and your backpack is inside, you may end up with chewed up straps. Marmots go for anything with salt. Hang anything with salt from sweat from a overhanging rock so they cannot get it. Better yet, take a backpack that you can also use as a summit pack leaving no chance for the marmots to get it.

Top

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 180 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum