Testing: Stone Glacier Skyscraper 2P tent

[robby denning]

I have three nights in mine so far. True to form, never set it up at home and had to pull it from the panniers as a big thunderstorm was setting in and I was still an hour from camp. Took about 20 minutes to figure it out in the dark by headlamp (set it up next day in half that).

Seems like a solid tent for the weight. The truss seems to add a lot of strength if heavy wind or snow is expected, can add trekking poles or just long sticks (see next post for that)

Can’t comment on condensation as the temps were warm and humidity low for this trip, but I’ve stayed in several “tent within a tent” designs before and can’t imagine significant condensation in this one will be a problem. The only thing I don’t like is the bright color. Wish it was earth tones

Here’s some photos

That’s the truss up top. Can insert poles on each end



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[robby denning]

Here is the end of the truss where the trekking poles or long sticks go. I didn’t use anything for my trip




*8/15/18 update. turns out I've got the webtruss on upside down! That cross pole should face the sky. My bad.

 

[robby denning]

Ample s-twist style hooks really open up the interior space. I assume the twist keeps them hooked in high winds


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[robby denning]

The fly gives you essentially two vestibules with decent space. I cooked breakfast and kept my boots and a few items out of the rain

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[robby denning]

And here is a video overview of the tent in 3-season mode (lead pic is 4 season mode); I also tried to give you an idea on packed size relative to the Stone Glacier EVO 3300

[video=youtube_share;0BUr92beBTo]https://youtu.be/0BUr92beBTo[/video]

*8/15/18 update. turns out I've got the webtruss on upside down! That cross pole should face the sky. My bad. It'll obviously work this way, but it needs flipped for best set-up

 

[HankBC]

I have three nights in mine so far. True to form, never set it up at home and had to pull it from the panniers as a big thunderstorm was setting in and I was still an hour from camp. Took about 20 minutes to figure it out in the dark by headlamp (set it up next day in half that).

Seems like a solid tent for the weight. The truss seems to add a lot of strength if heavy wind or snow is expected, can add trekking poles or just long sticks (see next post for that)

Can’t comment on condensation as the temps were warm and humidity low for this trip, but I’ve stayed in several “tent within a tent” designs before and can’t imagine significant condensation in this one will be a problem. The only thing I don’t like is the bright color. Wish it was earth tones

Here’s some photos

That’s the truss up top. Can insert poles on each end



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How bad was it raining during this storm? Curious as to how the tent body faired during the 20 minutes it was exposed?
Think you could do a video of setting this tent up fly first like a hilleberg? In BC when it’s pissing down rain the last thing I’d want to do is sent up my tent body before the fly sheet. That’s what’s holding me back from the purchase. The weight is great, and I think the blue and white looks pretty dang cool.
Thanks for the info Legend.


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[robby denning]

How bad was it raining during this storm? Curious as to how the tent body faired during the 20 minutes it was exposed?
Think you could do a video of setting this tent up fly first like a hilleberg? In BC when it’s pissing down rain the last thing I’d want to do is sent up my tent body before the fly sheet. That’s what’s holding me back from the purchase. The weight is great, and I think the blue and white looks pretty dang cool.
Thanks for the info Legend.


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I actually beat the thunderstorm so no rain that night hit the inner tent. Next night might have got 0.10" at most on the inner tent without the fly and no leakage, but a very light rain.

The web truss stays attached after the first set up, so that's a big time saver for subsequent set-ups. I'm not sure I know how to set it up fly-first as you asked, as all the s-twist hooks have to be attached from above and the fly would block that, unless I just don't understand what you mean.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

How bad was it raining during this storm? Curious as to how the tent body faired during the 20 minutes it was exposed?
Think you could do a video of setting this tent up fly first like a hilleberg? In BC when it’s pissing down rain the last thing I’d want to do is sent up my tent body before the fly sheet. That’s what’s holding me back from the purchase. The weight is great, and I think the blue and white looks pretty dang cool.
Thanks for the info Legend.


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So you can kind of do what you’re talking about, but it isn’t 1 for 1 comparable with how hilleberg does their pitch since the structure is inside of the fly. The web truss clips to the 4 corners of the inner tent, and like Robby said, it can stay connected.

To pitch the outer tent first, you are really just attaching it to the web truss before clipping the inner tent up to the truss. To do that:
1) you lay out the inner tent on ground. Rain could hit it.
2) insert poles and erect the web truss.
3) throw fly sheet over the web truss (inner is still flat on ground)
4) attach fly to web truss at corners.
5) get under one side of the vestibule and start clipping the inner tent to underside of web truss. At the very end things get a bit acrobatic/tight and it helps to have the inner door open. You can do the Velcro fly to web truss attachment at this point, or earlier in the process.

I’ve done it with the skyscraper as well as a hilleberg anjan. The Anjan could be totally removed while you packed the disconnected inner under the fly. The skyscraper just isn’t the same thing, and prioritizes other features over a suspended inner. I think you can get the SG tent set up without soaking the inner (haven’t done it in a full-on rain storm), but doing it will certainly expose it a bit.

That isn’t a video, but hopefully it helps articulate the process somewhat coherently.

 

[robby denning]

Thank you MT_Wyatt, that makes sense now


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[Josh Boyd]

Like Robby, I've been putting the Skyscraper to use recently. The last trip out was forecast as dry and windy so I opted to pack only the tent body to test how it held up to a stiff breeze. I intentionally pitched it in a windy spot and crawled in to see how well it sealed up when fully zipped. It did really well at sealing out any drafts and I suspect it would be just fine in a quick light shower in case the forecast was wrong. For more gear storage and covered cooking space the fly offers a ton of room on both sides of the tent and will be used most of the time.

As far as pitching it with the fly on it wouldn't pitch quite like a Hilleberg but you could leave the fly clipped in on either end and pitch it with the wind. This would minimize the exposure of the tent body to rain. After using this setup a few times I can get it pitched in just a few minutes. It's really simple.

Here is the center pole pitched without any additional trekking pole supports.

 

[Steve O]

Josh/Robby, I just ordered a Skyscraper yesterday. Does this need seam sealing or is it good to go when it arrives. I’m in a bit of a time crunch as an opportunity came up I could not pass on and I want to make sure I have a fully enclosed floored shelter rather than my Sawtooth.

 

[Josh Boyd]

Josh/Robby, I just ordered a Skyscraper yesterday. Does this need seam sealing or is it good to go when it arrives. I’m in a bit of a time crunch as an opportunity came up I could not pass on and I want to make sure I have a fully enclosed floored shelter rather than my Sawtooth.

Steve,
It's completely sealed from the factory. It was nice to not having to smear Sil-Net all over the place on the initial set up.

 

[Steve O]

Fantastic news; I’ve got more than enough to do. Thank you.

 

[robby denning]

Fantastic news; I’ve got more than enough to do. Thank you.

I think every company should offer this, who wants to seal their seams when it's time to go hunting. I hunted with a SO tipi for a year before I got around to sealing it. Surprisingly, it leaked very little before the sealing.

 

[Sverimerica]

So I am just going to ask: in terms of quality, and percieved durability (too new a product to have the reputation yet), how does this stack up against a Hilleberg? Would you feel comfortable being in harsh winter weather in this thing? The cost is lower, the weight is lower, and the volume greater than any comparable Hilleberg. What are any possible short comings of this tent? I want the tent that will do everything! Hoping this is it!

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[robby denning]

Josh can probably give the best answer but I’ll try...

I’ve only used 1 Hilleberg, a Nallo GT. I have no real objective way to answer your question without doing a side-by-side comparison in identical conditions over several seasons but in my opinion, the Hilleberg would be more durable, but it was heavier per sq ft, too (and more $).

Somethings gotta give when saving weight. It’s like some of my lightweight First Lite clothing, it functions well at a low weight, but I have to replace it more often.


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[Yellowknife]

So I am just going to ask: in terms of quality, and percieved durability (too new a product to have the reputation yet), how does this stack up against a Hilleberg? Would you feel comfortable being in harsh winter weather in this thing? The cost is lower, the weight is lower, and the volume greater than any comparable Hilleberg. What are any possible short comings of this tent? I want the tent that will do everything! Hoping this is it!

I'm not sure there is a tent that will "do everything", but my opinion after extensive "testing" by my six yr old daughter in the back yard for the last couple of nights.... Obviously, too new to me to have real miles on it yet, although it will see some mountains this fall.

Quality: Looks good. Haven't found a stitch out of place on this copy and the cut seems dead on. I have tents where this is not the case.

Durability: I don't know the fabric weight is exactly, but it's clearly heavier than my ultralight tents. I don't think it's in the same class as a Nallo though. You don't get a sub 5lb dome tent without some compromise.

Weather: It's a pretty solid dome tent type structure. I would say it will likely handle some mild snow better than the tunnel Hilles, but likely worse than their expedition dome tents. The top is relatively flat, so it won't shed wet snow without some help. It has LOTS of guy out tabs in and out, so I'd judge you could make it pretty hurricane proof. Doors are dry entries and vestibules are big, which is super helpful in a foul weather tent.

Short Comings: This doesn't look like a great summer or rainforest tent. Ventilation is minimal and the solid fabric inner will likely get hot in the summer.

Other notes: Pack size is pretty small for the size of the tent and the poles are short sections. Actual weight in the bag is 4 lb 12 oz, which is pretty good for what it is. Getting down to the "minimum" weight would involve losing the the stakes and guylines. The Truss makes a solid structure, but TBD if it's worth the additional complication. Length is good for my 5' 11" self. Headroom is great. Easy entry/exit. Unlike most, the 2p tent looks fairly legit usable for two people with 50" width and vertical walls. I have roughly half a dozen rough weather mountain trips in a Nallo 3, and relative to that the SG is a more complicated and slower set up, but has better entry/exit and more headroom.

For scale, the tent is the back is a Brook Range Foray 2p, and the green one is a North Face Polaris 2p with lots of miles on it. The Foray is VERY cramped as a 2p tent, and has tough entry/exit, but is also 1.7 lbs lighter. The Polaris was my standard for two person livability for many years, but is 2 lbs heavier and the SG exceeds it for space. (three tents, because I have three kids)

Oh yeah... and my daughter who claimed this one approves. I'm pretty sure she would sleep in there until the snow flew if I let her.

 

[Sverimerica]

That's really helpful. I have decided that I would get the mesh inner for warm weather trips. I would bet that if Kurt endorses this, it would absolutely hold up to anything I would do. High winds and moderate snow at worst. Does the fly reach all the way to the ground?

I'm not sure there is a tent that will "do everything", but my opinion after extensive "testing" by my six yr old daughter in the back yard for the last couple of nights.... Obviously, too new to me to have real miles on it yet, although it will see some mountains this fall.

Quality: Looks good. Haven't found a stitch out of place on this copy and the cut seems dead on. I have tents where this is not the case.

Durability: I don't know the fabric weight is exactly, but it's clearly heavier than my ultralight tents. I don't think it's in the same class as a Nallo though. You don't get a sub 5lb dome tent without some compromise.

Weather: It's a pretty solid dome tent type structure. I would say it will likely handle some mild snow better than the tunnel Hilles, but likely worse than their expedition dome tents. The top is relatively flat, so it won't shed wet snow without some help. It has LOTS of guy out tabs in and out, so I'd judge you could make it pretty hurricane proof. Doors are dry entries and vestibules are big, which is super helpful in a foul weather tent.

Short Comings: This doesn't look like a great summer or rainforest tent. Ventilation is minimal and the solid fabric inner will likely get hot in the summer.

Other notes: Pack size is pretty small for the size of the tent and the poles are short sections. Actual weight in the bag is 4 lb 12 oz, which is pretty good for what it is. Getting down to the "minimum" weight would involve losing the the stakes and guylines. The Truss makes a solid structure, but TBD if it's worth the additional complication. Length is good for my 5' 11" self. Headroom is great. Easy entry/exit. Unlike most, the 2p tent looks fairly legit usable for two people with 50" width and vertical walls. I have roughly half a dozen rough weather mountain trips in a Nallo 3, and relative to that the SG is a more complicated and slower set up, but has better entry/exit and more headroom.

For scale, the tent is the back is a Brook Range Foray 2p, and the green one is a North Face Polaris 2p with lots of miles on it. The Foray is VERY cramped as a 2p tent, and has tough entry/exit, but is also 1.7 lbs lighter. The Polaris was my standard for two person livability for many years, but is 2 lbs heavier and the SG exceeds it for space. (three tents, because I have three kids)

Oh yeah... and my daughter who claimed this one approves. I'm pretty sure she would sleep in there until the snow flew if I let her.

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[robby denning]

Very helpful post Yellowknife

Sverimerica, look in TT post #24 at my fly set up. That shows how close to the ground it goes


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[Sverimerica]

Thanks for pointing that out Robby! A little disappointed to see it doesnt go all the way down. Oh well, looks like a great tent. If its good enough for everest, probably good enough for me!!

Very helpful post Yellowknife

Sverimerica, look in TT post #24 at my fly set up. That shows how close to the ground it goes


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