MH Lightpath 2

Ever since I got my tent (by Mountain Hardwear) I’ve wanted to pitch it, so when I got the opportunity to do so at our office picnic at Sattal Christian Ashram I jumped at it. Unfortunately time was short and I had to pitch and strike my tent (and trek to and fro) within an hour. Cyclone Phyan did not help matters much and there was a steady drizzle which broke only on the last two days of our stay at Sattal. One of the dry days was used up to visit Nainital.

When I chose this 3 season – 2 person backpacking tent. I could not find any reviews online (unless they were those 5 liner store reviews) so I was very apprehensive about what I would get. Buying from Moosejaw was one of the better shopping experiences, what with their tongue in cheek humor all over the box & literature and also their excellent quality packing and timely delivery. I have added Moosejaw to my list of trusted stores.

The tent is basically supported by two different sized collapsible semi-circular poles which hold up the tent but need stakes in place to hold up the tent.

Spreading the footprint

The footprint which is an optional extra buy is slightly smaller than the floor of the tent to prevent water run off from the rain fly accumulating under the tent floor. But before that, the usual precautions when choosing a site for pitching a  tent. Away from strong winds, places where water will collect or flash floods wash away the tent. (with me inside) Also avoid  sites known for avalanches, land slides and falling rocks and do not pitch under trees which have branches big enough to brain you if the wind fells one of them. A footprint is a good investment as synthetic fabrics are quite thin and delicate and having a hole in the tent floor would not be very comfortable when it rains.

Once the footprint has been smoothed out, gently feel the surface of the footprint with your palm for any bumps or protrusions like sharp stones, sticks, shards of glass or roots as these might not only damage the footprint but also the floor of the tent.

Place the tent floor on the footprint, carefully aligning the corners and sides.

Next assemble the tent poles. The instructions caution you against allowing the poles to snap into shape during assembly as the pole ends might get damaged .  The poles are shock-corded and they advise that the poles be carefully assembled rather than allowing the pieces to snap together under the force of the elastic bands.

Pole Assembly

The poles go into either ends of the floor into the round hole in the (black) plastic clip and then into the  grommet/eyelet on the strap connected to the footprint. The other D shaped hole on the plastic connector is where the plastic clips from the rain fly are anchored. (Scroll down for a close-up further down the post)

Assembling the poles

The clips on the top of the net click onto the pole, however this is not a free standing tent and must be staked.

The tent however is not free standing and therefore must be staked

Rear three-quarter view

... with the rain fly on - Front view

The rain fly clips onto the poles from above and also needs to be staked down like the rest of the tent

Front three-quarter view with the rain fly unzipped to form a vestibule

The rain fly can be unzipped either from the left or right side.

Enough place to sit upright and do some other work (like reading or preparing for lunch/dinner) when "bad" weather prevails...

Could not finish pitching till the sun came up in strength and was totally exhausted and sweating. It was soft and springy inside though -thanks to the grass and  pine needles -concrete sucks!

Overall shape of the tent -nice and comfy

This is what happens when the stakes come off!

This is also exactly what will happen if the wind pulls out your tent pegs. The supplied tent pegs are good enough only for pitching on a still day or in dry compacted soil. In spite of it being a still day, I was having trouble staking the rain fly tight enough as the pegs kept slipping out of the wet ground. I’m going to get some  nice titanium pegs made by Snowpeak. They come in a nice carrying case with a hammer which doubles up as a tool to pull up the pegs as well.

Close up of how the ground sheet (black strap), tent floor (bluish thinner strap) & rain fly (Black plastic clip held by my thumb) come together

Packs small and is pretty light to carry

Overall a very light & good tent for backpacking, I leave the poles assembled  at home as per the manufacturers instructions and hang them on opposite wall ssupported by two nails each. The tent is very light to carry and the packed tent can be used as a pillow when traveling by bus or train. Being light probably also translates as being delicate and it does not have a very great or probably no UV protection. The accompanying (good) literature, points out that in high altitudes the tent would not last more than a month before it gives up the ghost and so  advises users to strike tent in the mornings to avoid exposing the tent unnecessarily to the suns rays. Although this is disappointing, I hope to use it carefully in this matter and make it last long as long as possible as I paid over Rs. 12,000 which in Indian rupees is a reasonable large sum of money. I’m also going to use my wood burning stove (The Bushbuddy) as far as possible from the tent or even my Trangia meth burner as it is very easy to tip over

Although this is not a full fledged review, I will keep adding details about its performance under real usage in the days to come. I was unable to carry my sleeping bag & pad this time due to space constraints as I had planned to spend the night in the tent.  Going by the design, the condensation should form on the inside of the rain fly and follow it to the ground outside the floor area, -unless it forms on the flat area of  the mosquito net -floor assembly  in spite of the ventilation,. Personally I am happy with the quality of the product and would gladly recommend it to others. However do remember that although it is rated for two people, practically it is suitable only for one person and their belongings. Two sleeping bags can be accommodated in the tent (with all gear placed outside the tent), but it would be uncomfortable  or difficult for two people to sit knee to knee facing each other under the highest point of the tent. Without a rain fly it  also makes for a great summer tent with all its mosquito/bug proof netting. Wish it was free standing though… I’ll have to look out for another free standing mosquito net for  my non camping travels!

Pros:

• Lightweight, good as a single backpackers tent
• Good quality materials
• Bath tub floor -keeps flowing water on the ground out of the tent.
• You don’t need to read the manual to be able to set it up.

Cons:

• Short tent pegs, do not hold well in wet and sandy soils
• Stuff sack is made from tent material and not robust enough to take traveling wear and tear.
• Not really adequate for two persons although you could sleep two to prove a point.
• Setting up and striking down the tent is time consuming
• Not free standing
• Low ceiling
• Shape of the tent allows only one short person to sit at the entrance.
• Good only for sleeping or reading while lying down. Getting into the tent was the last thing to do before bed.

All said and done, I am pleased with Mountain Hardware’s quality and attention to detail. I plan to buy more of their products later.

Note: I have not yet been able to test the tent in adverse weather. Once I do, I will update this whole post. Unfortunately, none of my friends want to go camping in adverse weather and camping out alone in the places I want to go camping  is not advisable.

Hands On: [21st to 24th April 2011] [Camping trip to Yamuna bridge, Pokhri]

Observations:

• In comparison to the free standing dome tents of my friends, I found my tent to be difficult (time consuming) to setup. By the time I was done, they had already setup their tents, collected firewood and were heating up dinner. [Probably they divided up the tasks]
• The height of the tent being low, the tent needs to be setup on all fours or in a squatting position which is difficult after an arduous trek.
• This makes the tent a no no for seniors or those with big bellies.
• The compactness of the tent becomes a shortcoming as it is virtually practical to do anything useful in the tent apart from sleeping and reading.
• The two person tent means that it can sleep two, two people cannot sit upright in this tent as it is resembles a super bivvy bag with a higher ceiling.
• This tent is comfortable only for a single person provided they are not too tall and accommodates their rucksack etc.. In case of an emergency, two people can sleep side by side provided all their belongings are chucked out of the tent.
• The mosquito netting works like a dream.
• The tent became unbearably hot with the rain fly on at 9 am in the morning, but others in their dome tents experienced the same.
• This tent should be pretty warm for winter camping or so it seems now.
• Had no rain, snow or wind so cannot comment on  its performance in adverse conditions.
• The cover tore on first use as it snagged on something. I’m planning to discard it and use it for patching the tent if required and get a denim cover made to house the tent.

These insects didn't make it into my sleeping area!

We pitched a bit far from the other tents as the Lightpath2 had difficulties in the sandy soil

Its not as spacious as it looks like it is in this photograph. Two adults cannot sit upright.

 

1. Seema November 17, 2009 9:55 PM

   Wow! you’ve lived out your Dream….. So happy for you brother

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2. admin November 18, 2009 11:03 AM

   Thanks Seema!

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