Ode to the Mountain Hardwear Kiva

Kiva5Floorless pyramid/tipi style tents are more popular than ever, thanks mostly to mountain hunters who need to pack as little weight as possible… knowing that chances are they will be packing extreme weight on the way down from there destination.  There are many pro’s to this style of shelter the biggest of course being the weight to space ratio and their compact size once in your pack.  Most guys will use their trekking poles for the center pole, saving even more space and weight.  Another big pro is the ability to cook inside the tent, and not having a floor, one does not have to worry about removing your boots and tracking mud into your shelter.  This makes it also handy for guys who backpack with their dogs.  The advantage the Mountain Hardwear Kiva has over similar tipi style shelters on the market is the extra material sewn in along the bottom to keep out bugs and the wind.  Kiva4

 

There are some cons to this set up however.   You have to be conscious of where you camp.  If you choose a spot that water can collect in, and it rains, you will wake up with a wet ground and gear.  Also set up times are much greater with this style of shelter so that’s something to consider as well.

Some specific brands/tents that I recommend are:

–  Mountain Hardwear Kiva, and their new Hoopla(Review on the Hoopla coming soon).

– GoLite Shangri-La 3 and 5

– Black Diamond Mega lite

– Kifaru Tipi’s

Kiva1

 

Mountain Hardwear Skyledge 2.1 Review

Skyledge1I purchased this tent 2 years ago to replace my MH Helion 2, which was a fantastic one person tent, but just too small for  2 guys… unless your hobbits.  I’ve done a few backpack hunts with the Skyledge now and it has served me well.  For the weight it has performed great even in high winds, and has been able to withstand a decent snow load.  The tension arch 3rd pole design is simple but strong, especially once you guy it out.  The tent has 2 doors and 2 separate vestibules that enables you to store both your gear under the fly, and no crawling over one another to get out of the tent.  It has a ton of convenient pockets inside the tent and large doors to get in and out easily.  The biggest advantage this tent has is the weight.  For a double wall tent it is very light, weighing in at under 4lbs.  It’s large enough to fit 2 6ft guys comfortably enough, but if you are claustrophobic or just a bigger dude, you might want to consider the Skyledge 3.

Skyledge The Skylege 2.1 is plenty light enough to serve as a 1 person tent as well so keep that in mind if your in the market for a single person shelter.  The only complaint I have is the durability of the fly material.  I’ts very light and will tear if your not careful.  However a thicker, more durable fly would add more weight to the tent…  Overall I have been impressed with the Mountain Hardwear Skyledge 2.1 and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a lightweight backpacking tent for August and into September where there’s a chance of bad weather. www.mountainhardwear.ca

Mountain-Hardwear-Skyledge-21-Tent---2-Person,-3-Season

 

Specifications

# of People: 2
Freestanding: Yes
Packed Weight: 4 lb 4 oz / 1.91 kg
Trail Weight: 3 lb 7 oz / 1.56 kg
Pitchlight Weight: 2 lb 11 oz / 1.23 kg
# of Poles: 3
Floor Area: 28 sq ft / 2.6 sq m
Vestibule Area: 11 sq ft x 2 / 1.1 sq m x 2
Peak Height: 39 in
Packed Dimensions: 21 x 6 in
Number of vestibules: 2