BetaMid vs Shangrlia vs Appy Trail vs ??

Hey folks,

Looking for input on any of the above 2 persons tarp/tents.

I already have a basic tarp and larger MegaMid. I'm definitely looking for something like the above: full coverage to the ground (not a basic tarp), small foot print, pitchable with standard treking poles.

Use will be for solo or light 2 person trips in New England. Heavy rain, high winds and ability to fit into tight places in our tight woods are all things I need. Very aware of the issues with condensation with this style tent. This will see occasional winter use.

Leaning heavily towards the BetaMid but am curious about the others. Not finding many reviews of the Appy Trails.

Which Shangrila? I have the 2 and 3 models, tarp only. No experience with the others.

Cheers,

I'm sorry. Should have clarified.

Looking at the Shangri-la 2.

Weird behavior on the Go-lite web site. If I navigate through form their home page, the Shangri-la 2 is the only one I can find. I can get to the web pages of teh 3 and 5 via google though. Regardless, yes, only considering the 2.

FWIW the GoLite site is always an adventure.

Shangrila 2 is spacious for one but I'd not rely on it for two in long bouts of heavy weather--might be on the tight side.

In its favor, it's easy to pitch and quite rugged compared to a lot of lightweight shelters. Haven't had it in much wind, so can't comment on that. The 3 is a great two-person shelter and frankly, not much heavier than the 2 (again, just the canopy). It handles wind very well but requires relatively a lot of space to set up.

Cheers,

I've seen the shangri-la 2 - I own a shangri-3. While you can't officially put up a shangri-la 3 with a trekking pole, You can manage it very well with about 12 to 18 inch "pole extender" - which amounts to a cut piece of old-school aluminum tent pole that you stick onto the end of your trekking pole. If you
want something a bit bigger than the 2, you could try the 3 and set it up this way.

Lots of other floorless options out there though too, depending on what you want to spend. you can try zpacks if you have a relatively high budget Six moon designs lunar duo might
also suit you.

If you're not set on setting up with trekking poles, look at the tarptent scarp2, I can reccomend it from experience for doing well with two big guys in heavy weather.

Pinnah, is that you, Dave?

Rick, can the Shangrila 2 be easily pitched above the ground like the MegaMid and BetaMid can (add 6" chord loops on tie outs)?

Tom, yes it's me. Only one person dumb enough to use "pinnah"!!!! From TTips yes? You had the ?Atomic? boots? Based on your avatar, any connection to Mountain Tools of PG Outdoor? Fond memories of Monterey but the skiing wasn't as good as NH!

Phat, thanks to the pointer to the Scarp. I'm pretty set on a floorless single wall with a small foot print compared to my aging MegaMid.

Hi Dave! Thought that might be you from your reference to NE. Welcome aboard. Yes, you've got a great memory. I sold my skis though, just wasn't using them enough. Too bad about TTips, maybe someday someone will resurrect it.

I see you asked on VFTT as well. You may want to ask on Trailspace, too.

There wasn't much snow around part of the country this year (SoCal) until the very end of the season, so no winter trip for me this year, I'm afraid.

ps. I thought "Pinnah" was a reference to 3 pin bindings until I did a Google search for you and caught the real reference.

Nope, no connection to Mountain Tools. The jacket is a North Face I picked up on eBay a few years ago.

Yes it can. Have never had any cause to pitch it flush to the ground (maybe it brings good weather or something?) and it would be a lot more snug pitched that way. Anchor straps are pretty long and adjust in length, so setup and tensioning are relatively easy. I use adjustable trekking poles for support (unlike the SL3, the 2 doesn't ship with poles).

Cheers,

ETA here's a pic.

Shangrila 2