new tent

it's small. really really small. if i cross my arms behind my head my feet touch the foot-end wall. it's got a wall, that's neat. most solo tents come to a point and you gotta point your toes to fit in.

i won't be storing any gear inside this one. it's small. really really small.

the vestibule isn't all too big either, but i spose it will do. in the half dome, when i took it out in the rain, i kept all my gear inside because there's plenty of room when i'm solo. not so for this one, because... you get the idea.

the half dome spoiled me for ease of set up. HD2 is freestanding, meaning you don't need stakes (or ground) to set it up. this one requires stakes -- it has only one pole. The HD2 has pole clips instead of a sleeve. that's luxury. i love it. this one has a sleeve. ugh. i hate it. and the pole itself is bent in 2 places (by design) so it's kinda funky to jam it through the sleeve.

so it's a pain to set up relative to the HD2, and it's a pain to be in, relative to the HD2. that's what I get for shedding 3lbs.

i'm not the type who goes camping w/out first having set up his tent at least once. so how do i set up a tent that requires stakes in my apartment?

i used safety pins to "stake" it to my carpet =) i'm a smart one, me.

so, compared to the HD2 it's a pain to set up, it's small, and the rainfly doesn't cover as much. but: it's cheap, it's light and it's big enough to sleep in (maybe). eventually i may just end up with a tarp or bivy -- i like the idea of utralight packing. eventually.

so, we'll see how it does. if it stays up i should be happy. that requires the stakes to stay in. i plan to go solo high-desert camping in about a month - i dunno if my stakes will stay in in that soil, though to be honest, i also dunno what "that soil" is. one thing's sure: i won't need the rainfly.