Madnik
Lil-Rokslider
I had been looking for a lightweight, versatile shelter for some time now to compliment my other options. There are lots of options in the lightweight, versatile category, each with their relative strengths and weaknesses. Of the relative strengths, I decided to emphasize wind resistance - a lot. Quite a bit of searching and reading later, you know how it is, I discovered a seemingly "short list" on various lightweight forums of wind resistant options that would seemingly suit my needs. Among them was the Mountain Laurel Designs (MLD) Trailstar. A bit of what my wife terms "near-obsessive research" later, I decided to order a silnylon Trailstar on gray or olive brown. A phone call revealed that while I'd have to wait five weeks for one in gray that one in olive brown was available for immediate delivery - so, that's what I have. It arrived within a week.
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=102
The Trailstar is simple, and that is part of it's strength. It's a pentagon shaped tarp with equal 7'2" sides designed for use with hiking poles that provides, per the MLD site, 50+ square feet of usable floor space depending on how it is pitched. There are ten tie outs with LineLocks. There are gear hang loops half-way up the ridge lines on each of the five seams. The apex is reinforced with dyneema and has an outside guyline loop. As with tarps and other shaped tarp designs, is can be pitched tight to the ground for maximum protection or higher for better ventilation , views, etc. For more on pitching options:
http://dzjow.com/2011/02/18/pitching-options-for-the-trailstar/ . Most use either what that site terms the "standard pitch" or the "storm pitch" as necessary. While my backyard has seem most of these, the mountains have seen the storm pitch, with the height varied for experimentation. Regardless of height, it handled the wind, and I experienced some, quite well.
As delivered:
1 silnylon Trailstar
1 silnyon stuff sack
50 feet of cordage
A patch of fabric for repairs
1 tube of seam sealant
MLD lists the "base weight" of the Trailstar as 16 ounces. My Trailstar in the stuff sack, sealed and with LineLocks and cordage attached weighs 18.5 ounces. Add to that 7.1 ounces for 10 MSR Groundhog pegs for a total of 25.6 ounces. Yes, you can use llighter pegs, fewer pegs or even craft some pegs in the filed, Like I mentioned, wind resistance is a priority, so I brought 10 that I trust.
So with that, up a few mountains I went. Note, I'm not saying that I spent a few seasons on a Trailstar. I'm saying that I spent a few weekends. A bit more than that, actually. This is not a long term review. I did, however, weather a week's worth of nights where I experienced what most would consider windy conditions coupled with snow, hail, sleet and regular winds of 20-30 mph with gusts of between 40 and 50 mph for a 24 hour or there about period of time. Not bad, but certainly a nice break in period of weather for evaluating new gear. The Trailstar performed as advertised. One of my hiking poles, the one forming the door, slipped in the night under a three to four inch wet snow load. That's on the pole, to my way of thinking. It did not effect the integrity of the interior much, and in fact I only discovered in in the morning. A quick resetting of the pole and retentioning of the LineLock and everything was as good as new.
All in all, I am satisfied, happy with my decision, and would recommend folks here with similar needs to consider the MLD Trailstar. You could certainly do worse.
Some of the reviews that I found helpful in my decision making process:
http://www.andyhowell.info/Colin-Ibbotson/Trailstar-review.pdf
http://www.summitandvalley.com/2011/07/is-trailstar-best-lightweight-shelter.html
http://stevenhorner.com/blog/2010/09/19/mld-trailstar-review/
http://sectionhiker.com/mountain-laurel-designs-trailstar-long-term-review-by-dave-lintern/
I hope this is helpful. The Trailstar isn't for everyone, but then again, it isn't supposed to be.
Best - M
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=102
The Trailstar is simple, and that is part of it's strength. It's a pentagon shaped tarp with equal 7'2" sides designed for use with hiking poles that provides, per the MLD site, 50+ square feet of usable floor space depending on how it is pitched. There are ten tie outs with LineLocks. There are gear hang loops half-way up the ridge lines on each of the five seams. The apex is reinforced with dyneema and has an outside guyline loop. As with tarps and other shaped tarp designs, is can be pitched tight to the ground for maximum protection or higher for better ventilation , views, etc. For more on pitching options:
http://dzjow.com/2011/02/18/pitching-options-for-the-trailstar/ . Most use either what that site terms the "standard pitch" or the "storm pitch" as necessary. While my backyard has seem most of these, the mountains have seen the storm pitch, with the height varied for experimentation. Regardless of height, it handled the wind, and I experienced some, quite well.
As delivered:
1 silnylon Trailstar
1 silnyon stuff sack
50 feet of cordage
A patch of fabric for repairs
1 tube of seam sealant
MLD lists the "base weight" of the Trailstar as 16 ounces. My Trailstar in the stuff sack, sealed and with LineLocks and cordage attached weighs 18.5 ounces. Add to that 7.1 ounces for 10 MSR Groundhog pegs for a total of 25.6 ounces. Yes, you can use llighter pegs, fewer pegs or even craft some pegs in the filed, Like I mentioned, wind resistance is a priority, so I brought 10 that I trust.
So with that, up a few mountains I went. Note, I'm not saying that I spent a few seasons on a Trailstar. I'm saying that I spent a few weekends. A bit more than that, actually. This is not a long term review. I did, however, weather a week's worth of nights where I experienced what most would consider windy conditions coupled with snow, hail, sleet and regular winds of 20-30 mph with gusts of between 40 and 50 mph for a 24 hour or there about period of time. Not bad, but certainly a nice break in period of weather for evaluating new gear. The Trailstar performed as advertised. One of my hiking poles, the one forming the door, slipped in the night under a three to four inch wet snow load. That's on the pole, to my way of thinking. It did not effect the integrity of the interior much, and in fact I only discovered in in the morning. A quick resetting of the pole and retentioning of the LineLock and everything was as good as new.
All in all, I am satisfied, happy with my decision, and would recommend folks here with similar needs to consider the MLD Trailstar. You could certainly do worse.
Some of the reviews that I found helpful in my decision making process:
http://www.andyhowell.info/Colin-Ibbotson/Trailstar-review.pdf
http://www.summitandvalley.com/2011/07/is-trailstar-best-lightweight-shelter.html
http://stevenhorner.com/blog/2010/09/19/mld-trailstar-review/
http://sectionhiker.com/mountain-laurel-designs-trailstar-long-term-review-by-dave-lintern/
I hope this is helpful. The Trailstar isn't for everyone, but then again, it isn't supposed to be.
Best - M
