Jul 27, 2009
I have a confession to make: I like space. I shudder when I look at some backpacking shelters and see that they claim to be suitable for two people and yet have only space enough, or so it seems, for one. To the best of my knowledge I am not claustrophobic but I know that squeezing into a shelter with just 20 or so square feet and only a small bit of headroom near one end or another really gets on my nerves if I must spend hours, let alone days, under the sheltering canopy of fabric. I worry that in such a tiny space something will get wet all too easily as I brush the walls of the shelter. I bemoan the fact that I can wriggle around all long nights but must stay put so I don't bump the walls. I know that in the vast majority of cases I really do not need the space. I shelter alone most times even if I am traveling with a group. I don't have a canine companion I need to keep under cover (though I have thought about that now and then). But I like the ability to spread out. That desire outweighs the urge to save a few ounces of weight (heresy, I know). So when a shelter like the Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar comes along I find myself intrigued. Here is a shaped tarp, a plus in its own right since I don't have to have an advanced degree in tarpology, that when even pitched low affords not only ample floor area but copious headroom (i.e., volume). It feels larger than it actually is because of its openness. I can bring a Tyvek floor or a bug bivy to improve my comfort depending on the situation (in either case the weight will likely be similar) and I even have all the extra space I could want should the day come and I find myself sharing a shelter routinely with another person.
While MLD claims the shelter can be set up in less than two minutes I doubt I'll ever get that fast. I take longer than anyone I know to set up even the very fast-to-pitch Shires Tarptent Virga. That is just the way I am: blame my vision. However, I have no doubt that in short order I will be pitching the Trailstar much more adroitly than I did in this video.