New Kifaru Megatarp

Aron Snyder

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The Megatarp should be available to order by weeks end..... but don't quote me on that:)

The Megatarp will have one sewn in entry and the other will except the Annex. The reason for this configuration was to make it more versatile for year round use. In the summer and early fall the sewn in door can be opened completely and the Annex left at home (for increased air/wind flow). This will still give you a large amount of room that will be completely protected from the elements, but an open end to glass out of when pitched in the right place.

Weight:

1lb 5 oz's with sewn in entry and guy-lines (no Annex)

1lb 10.5 oz's with Annex, guy-lines and sewn in vestibule


Dimensions:

68" entry at both ends

52" in height throughout (span of 8 feet)

Total length (with vestibule and Annex) APPX 13' 6'

The Megatarp was designed to be the lightest and largest option for a 2 person shelter, giving a pair of hunters their own entry and the option off adding a ultralght stove when the temps start to drop.

We were able to fit 2 people with five days of gear inside with no issue. Each vestibule is large enough for entry/exit through one side of the door and gear/pack to be stored under the other. You will also have a decent amount of space between each other for cooking/food prep.

I will post more photos later, but the placement of the guy-lines allows for a much taller vertical wall (more usable space) and the ability to sit upright, even when against the edge of the shelter.

These photos were taken during the prototype stages and the shelter wasn't perfect just yet....but it gives you an idea of the total size of the Megatarp. I will take several photos and video this weekend (going on backpacking/scouting trip) and will have them posted up Sunday when I return.

This photo gives a great illustration of the usable space the Megatarp allows.
DSC01313.jpg


DSC01316.jpg


Sawtooth on left and Mega on right
DSC01303.jpg
 

Mike7

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Aron, I would love to see some photos if you get a chance of the shelter setup for glassing from the sewn vestibule end of the shelter...and I wonder how stable the shelter is with at least one side pitched up off of the ground several inches for increased airflow?
Sorry, to be buggy, but you're my favorite Kifaru salesman whether you're trying to be or not. This might be the multipurpose 1-2 person, multi-season shelter I've been looking for...crap, I'm going to have trouble explaining this and the T2 pack in one season to my wife. :)
 

cmeier117

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That was cheaper than I was thinking. May sell the Super Tarp after the season is over and get one of these. I take it the useable space is much better for 2 guys than the super tarp?
 
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Aron Snyder

Aron Snyder

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Cameron,

That price is a guess, so it could be a little more...not sure. It would be safe to figure between $360-390 either way.

Mike7,

I have pitched it that exact way, but only delt with 30ish MPH gusts and it had no issues. We used 4 trekking poles to do it this way (me and my partenrs) and ran guy-lines off the outter trekking poles to keep everyhting tight.

We will be glassing out of the Megatarp for the next several days @ 13,000 feet, so I will take as many photos as I can.

The Mega is truly a "do all" shelter for the UL hunter/hunters and a lot of thought has gone into the design. You can actually pitch this with as little as 8 total stakes (without Annex) and 9 with Annex....and it will hold up well with that amount. If you average 1/2 ounce per stake, that gives you as little as 4 additional ounces to the total pack weight of the Mega.

In high wind or cold weather, I would suggest more pegs, but for all my summer and early fall trips I will be using 8 pegs for sure.
 

dobby

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That looks like it could be the ticket cant wait for a video review
 

Mike7

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Thanks Aron. I was only thinking of pitching one side or the other up off of the ground some when it wasn't too windy when the extra ventillation is really needed. I suppose adding something like a couple of these carbon tent poles (http://www.fibraplex.com/tentpoles.htm) at 0.02 oz/inch might work for additional pitching options for less than a few ounces?

If I am seeing things correctly in the picture, I really like that I would be able to open the detachable vestibule and drop down some firewood next to the stove, but then still use the other sewn on vestibule opening at the other end for entry and general living without having to crawl/squeeze my too-large self between the tent side and the hot stove while climbing over firewood... probably not a pretty site.
 
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I'll be picking up one of these "used" supertarps people will be having for sale. itll go right along with my paratipi

X2 my thoughts exactly...
Although if the hunting partner wants to split it, I think we could definitely pull together to grab on of these Megatarps!

Mike
 

Lawnboi

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More options to make it even harder when I pick up a big shelter this winter.

I would like to see a pic with 2 people actually in the thing, how much room there really is. Also curious if i could easily get a bigger stove in it, say a medium kifaru, atleast.
 
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Aron Snyder

Aron Snyder

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I will have more photos up on Sunday, but I will say that you won't need anything larger than a medium to heat the Mega.

We tested a small, medium and large, but the small and medium seemed to do the trick. The large fit with ease, but it did make the guy on the stove side back into the vestibule a little bit:)
 
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Aron Snyder

Aron Snyder

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If I am seeing things correctly in the picture, I really like that I would be able to open the detachable vestibule and drop down some firewood next to the stove, but then still use the other sewn on vestibule opening at the other end for entry and general living without having to crawl/squeeze my too-large self between the tent side and the hot stove while climbing over firewood... probably not a pretty site.

You are seeing that correctly Mike...

If you wanted to load the Annex side of the Mega up with wood and use the sewn in side for the entry/exit, you would not need to worry about dipping by the stove or pipe. This is a good example of why the shelter is so versatile! When I tested the Megatarp during cold weather/heavy snow, I was able to pile 3 days of wood inside the Annex and close it off for good. I then used the sewn in entry as the only entry. This would work with 1 or 2 people, but it did get cramped with that much wood, gear and sleeping bags.

Sticking 1 night or days worth of wood inside the Annex (beside the stove) and leaving the other side of the Annex open for exit/entry worked well with 2 guys and gear.

One of the issued with the Supertarp was having to climb over each other to get out and piss in the middle of the night. This would always screw up your buddies sleep and take more time to get out, but with dual entries, this was not an issue.

Air flow in the summer early fall months was another key point we wanted to focus on. Leaving the Annex at home and keeping both doors in the rear open will make the Mega a very good wind tunnel and give you protection from the sun at the same time. A lot of this will have to do with where and how you pitch the Megatarp, but it was significant cooler than the Supertarp when set up in the same location.

Another key note on the Mega is the use of 2 trekking poles to erect it, and the concept behind this was for each hunter (when you have a partenr) to use 1 of their trekking poles to pitch the Mega, but still leaving them the other trekking pole for daily hunting use and packing heavy loads. I ended up doing this when I was solo as well, but used a stick for one side instead of my partners trekking pole....because I didn't have one:)
 
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Aron Snyder

Aron Snyder

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It's smaller... kinda like the Supertarp and Sawtooth "had fun" one night and gave birth to the Megatarp a few days later!
 
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