Hi Marie-Noëlle,

The pics look good. You can put the review here;

Reviews > Rain Gear > Jackets and Pants > The Packa > Owner Reviews

Or use this;

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Rain%20Gear/Jackets%20and%
20Pants/The%20Packa/Owner%20Reviews/

Thanks,

Ray

Done and the test folder cleaned.
Thanks,
Marie-Noëlle

2007/1/1, rayestrella1 <rayestrella@...>:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Marie-Noëlle,
>
>  The pics look good. You can put the review here;
>

--
Marie-Noëlle
Wilderness Addict
Blog : http://mnaugendre.blogspot.com/
Gallery : http://www.marie-noelle-augendre.com/pwg/index.php

The HTML version of this report can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ymymzk


Gossamer Gear Squall Classic Tent
BY JERRY GOLLER
OR
December 13, 2006

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Jerry Goller
EMAIL: jerrygoller@...
AGE: 59
LOCATION: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 5' 11" (1.80 m)
WEIGHT: 229 lb (104.00 kg)

I started camping with my father at age 6 or so. I've backpacked, off and
on, all of my life. Even in the Marine Corps, I was in the Infantry. I
consider myself a light weight backpacker with an average dry pack weight of
10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 7 kg), depending on the season and terrain. I
backpack year round.

Most of my trips are 2 to 5 days long and in Utah. I also, from time to
time, take much longer trips lasting one to two months or more. These trips
are usually on the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Gossamer Gear
Year of Manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.gossamergear.com/
MSRP: US$275.00
Listed Weight: 23 oz (652 g) This is the shelter with rear pole.
Measured Weight: 27 oz (765 g) This is the shelter with rear pole, 6 Easton
Mini Stakes, rear pole, 2 side pull out lines, and ball cord locks on all
pull out lines.
Size (from Gossamer Gear website):
Sleeps 2
28.7 sq. ft. - Floor space
7 sq. ft. - Beak storage
42" - Height in front
21" - Height in rear
80" - Width in front (netting to netting)
51" - Width in rear (netting to netting)
62" - Width of floor in front
42" - Width of floor in rear
81" - Length of floor

<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "Desolation Lake"  IMAGE CAPTION = "Squall
Classic at Desolation Lake">>

This shelter is huge. Although I've not confirmed these measurements, I have
no reason to doubt them and they are consistent with my experience in the
field.

Other details: The Squall Classic is a lightened version of the Squall by
Tarptent. The shelter is made of spinnaker sail cloth and has a sewn in
bathtub floor. Shape and support is provided by a supplied hoop pole in the
rear and the user's trekking pole in the front. The shelter has mesh panels
in front, rear, and on both sides for ventilation. The side pullouts, when
used, overhang the side mesh panels and allow the use of the full length
mesh side panels for ventilation even when it is raining. It also has a
front beak to prevent rain coming in the front of the tent but still allow
significant airflow through the tent. The front beak can be rolled to the
right (when standing at the front and facing the tent) and secured with hook
and loop straps to maximize airflow and allow easier entry and exit.

FIELD USE


I have used the Squall Classic as my primary shelter for about 6 months now.
I've used it from the desert canyon regions of southern Utah to the Uinta
Mountains in northern Utah.

The desert canyon region has very sandy soil, temperatures from the 80s or
90s F (27 to 32 C) in the daytime to the 20s F (-6 + C) at night with
sometimes high humidity (80 to 90% or higher) in the late fall or winter. It
has scrub bushes and small pine trees spaced apart from each other. The
terrain tends to be fairly flat between huge sandstone escarpments except
where if forms the slots canyons for which the region is famous. There is
little water. Hiking there requires lots of scrambling over rocks and across
long, sloping, exposed slick rock. Cairn will become your new girlfriend.
The country is breathtaking in its rugged beauty. Boulders the size of
houses are common. Good map reading skills are very important there. The
campsites tend to be small and not usually flat. All in all, the perfect
place to backpack.

The Uinta Mountains run from 6,000 to 11,000 ft  (1800 to 3400 m) or more.
The majority is below tree line. There are numerous lakes and streams
throughout the mountains. The valleys tend to be long and relatively gentle.
The range is the only major one in the U.S. to run east and west, instead of
north and south and is fairly heavily forested. In the relatively short
summer the temperatures are usually from the upper 70s/lower 80s F (around
25 C) for daytime highs and the lower 40s F (5+ C) at night. Summer storms
are not uncommon. All in all, the perfect place to backpack.

I have experienced general weather conditions in the tent but have not used
it during a good storm or during snow. I just couldn't seem to get out when
there were good rainstorms available. I was recovering from surgery during
this period and missed the true rainy season. I call this my fair weather
shelter because it seems to clear up as soon as I pull it out of the stuff
sack. But I have experienced enough light rain, high humidity, or windy
conditions to get a good feel for how the tent is going to perform in a rain
storm of reasonably proportions.

This is by far the easiest shelter of its type to put up I've ever used. For
that matter, it is one of the easiest shelters to put up I've owned, period.
I've had a number of "freestanding" shelters that weren't nearly as easy or
fast to put up.

Erection is quite simple. After installing the back pole all that is
required is to set the back stake and center back pull out cord, stretch the
shelter out and then set the front stake. If I am going to use the beaks for
rain protection then it is best to have the beaks secured to the front pull
out to get proper tension and angle on that line. Now all that is left to do
is stake out the side pull outs and, if you are like me and like a taut
shelter, the front corner loops. It's up. It almost takes longer to explain
it than to do it.

One side note: the back pole does not ride in a pole sleeve. The back beak
is pulled over the pole and that is what holds it in place.

<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "Front Beak"  IMAGE CAPTION = "Front Beak">>
<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "Rear Beak"  IMAGE CAPTION = "Rear Beak">>





















As you can see from the images named Front and Rear Beak, the beaks are
quite large and provide more than ample rain protection and ventilation. The
image named Rear Beak also shows the excellent tub floor in the Squall
Classic. There are elastic cords with cord locks on them at each corner to
adjust how open, in relation to the tub floor, the mesh is allowed to be.






<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 4"  IMAGE CAPTION = "Side Vent">>



The image to the left shows just how big the side vents are. The shelter
roof forms an excellent overhang when guyed out. These vents can be used
even when it is raining.





<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 5"  IMAGE CAPTION = "Interior Size">>









The image to the right shows the interior size of the Squall Classic. The
two Therm-a-Rests are standard size, 20" X 72" (51 cm X 183 cm) and give
some idea of the room available inside the Squall Classic. This is a two
person shelter that actually is. I judge the size of a shelter by how many
sleeping pads I can fit in it.







<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "Tight Fit"  IMAGE CAPTION = "Lost Canyon">>







The image to the left was taken in Lost Canyon, Canyonlands National Park,
Utah. The campsite was pretty small and it was just a bit tough to fit the
Squall in. The Squall has a large footprint to match it's large interior
room.















SUMMARY

The Squall Classic has become my default summer shelter. I have found only
one minor thing about it that I changed. I like to have the beak down but
only on one side. The placement of the hook and loop strips to hold the
entire beak back aren't well placed to do this so I added extra strips to
hold just the "first" section of the beak open and folded over the "second"
section. Moving the current location of the strips on the shelter body to
line up with the strips on the beak would let me do this without modifying
the shelter and still not effect the correct alignment of those strips for
their primary function of holding the beak closed or completely open.

Although I didn't get a chance to use this shelter in a heavy rain I did get
to use it in both light rain and cool temperatures and high humidity (around
80%). The front beaks were open during the later conditions.
I observed only minor condensation on the inside of the roof of the tent.
Due to how far the roof overhangs the floor when the sides are pulled out, I
fully expect any condensation that forms heavily enough to actually run will
drip outside the floor. If I get a chance to use this shelter in heavy rain
I will post an addendum and describe the results.

This shelter solved a problem for me that has plagued me for a couple of
years now. I tend to sprawl in my shelter. I take my pack in with me and
take everything out of it. I need a two person shelter but historically been
unwilling to carry the weight. The Squall Classic is bigger than most of the
rest of my shelters and, at 27 oz (652 g), lighter than any of them.

What's not to like?




This report was created with the BGT Report Generator.
Copyright 2007.  All rights reserved.

  <http://www.backpackgeartest.org/> http://www.BackpackGearTest.org : the
most comprehensive interactive gear reviews and tests on the planet.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Team

This month's call is for items falling within the category on
BackpackGearTest.org titled "Rain Gear." As with previous months,
folks who respond favourably to the monthly call and post an approved
Owner Review will get brownie points in the shoot-out for test calls
(assuming all other criteria are met). So if you want to enhance your
prospects for getting selected for a test call respond to this call
for Owner Reviews as soon as possible. All Owner Reviews should be
posted to the BackpackGearTest Yahoo! group.

Using the BackpackGearTest.org website as a guide, the sort of things
we are talking about are:

Hammocks
Shelter Accessories
Tarps and Bivys
Tents

If you have another item that you would like to review which you
think may be fit in one of these top level categories but is not
listed in the sub-categories, please ask if it is a go. Please just
keep in mind we are a backpacking gear site, so your review must be
relevant. If in doubt, please ask first.

Even if there is a review on your item already in the files, post
another one! Like tests, a variety of reviews is the spice of life.

The Edit Team is standing by.

Thanks
Andrew Priest
Senior Edit Moderator
cc BackpackGearTesters



Yahoo! Groups Links

???
What Jason said ...

Marie-Noëlle

2007/1/2, Andrew Priest <apriest@...>:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Team
>
>  This month's call is for items falling within the category on
>  BackpackGearTest.org titled "Rain Gear."

...
  the sort of things
>  we are talking about are:
>
>  Hammocks
>  Shelter Accessories
>  Tarps and Bivys
>  Tents
>

--
Marie-Noëlle
Wilderness Addict
Blog : http://mnaugendre.blogspot.com/
Gallery : http://www.marie-noelle-augendre.com/pwg/index.php

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

Thanks for your Owner's Review.  It has been added to the Owner
Review Queue and will be picked up by an Edit Moderator soon.  Do
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To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
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PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

Thanks for your Owner's Review.  It has been added to the Owner
Review Queue and will be picked up by an Edit Moderator soon.  Do
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To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
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Review Queue and will be picked up by an Edit Moderator soon.  Do
not worry if nothing happens with it for several days.  All our
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To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
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experience is that it is more efficient for both the Editors and
yourself, if you post your first review, have it edited, approved
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You may receive edits or comments from other members of the group.
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If you'd like to keep track of the progress of your OR, the entire
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PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

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Review Queue and will be picked up by an Edit Moderator soon.  Do
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To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
that you post only ONE Owner Review for edit at a time. Our
experience is that it is more efficient for both the Editors and
yourself, if you post your first review, have it edited, approved
and uploaded before you post your second and subsequent reviews.
This way we can work with you on addressing any standard BGT policy
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If you are new to BackpackGearTest.org, welcome to the community!
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You may receive edits or comments from other members of the group.
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Editor has taken your OR and made the necessary edits they will post
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If you'd like to keep track of the progress of your OR, the entire
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Regards
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PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

Thanks for your Owner's Review.  It has been added to the Owner
Review Queue and will be picked up by an Edit Moderator soon.  Do
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To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
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experience is that it is more efficient for both the Editors and
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If you are new to BackpackGearTest.org, welcome to the community!
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You may receive edits or comments from other members of the group.
These edits and comments, while not official, should be considered
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Moderator.

Additionally, it is important for you to monitor the Yahoo Groups
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Editor has taken your OR and made the necessary edits they will post
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have incorporated these edits into your review please use REPOST in
the subject line. When your OR has been approved by the Editor they
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If you'd like to keep track of the progress of your OR, the entire
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PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

Thanks for your Owner's Review.  It has been added to the Owner
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To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
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If you are new to BackpackGearTest.org, welcome to the community!
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You may receive edits or comments from other members of the group.
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If you'd like to keep track of the progress of your OR, the entire
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If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask via
the list or contact me directly.

Regards
Jamie DeBenedetto
Edit Administration Manager

Dear Editors

For your editing pleasure one Owner Review is
below. The lucky editor will find the HTML copy
uploaded at
<http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/OWNER%20REVIEWS/Andrew_-_Crocs_Bea\
ch>.

Thanks
Andrew Priest



Crocs Beach
Owner Review
January 1, 2007

Authored by

Andrew Priest
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
aushiker@...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

*Product Details and Specifications
*Tester's Details
	 +Personal Biography
	 +Testing Playground
	 +Testing Environment
* Review Comments
	 + Overview
	 + Field Conditions
	 + Field Experience

Andrew, the tester:

I am a 46 year old male, 180 cm (5' 11") in
height, I weigh 111 kg (245 lb). I have been
bushwalking in Western Australia for
approximately five years. For the past four years
I have been regularly walking and leading on and
off-track pack carries with the Perth Bushwalkers
Club. I have also got into geocaching. I consider
myself as moving towards being a lightweight
tent-carrying bushwalker with my pack base weight
in the 8 to 12 kg (18 to 26 lb) range. I have
completed my End to End of the Bibbulmun Track
(2003), the Cape to Cape Track (Nov 2001), the
Coastal Plains Walk Track (numerous times), the
Larapinta Trail (July 2005) and Fitzgerald River National Park (April 2006).

[Click here to return to the top]

Andrew's testing playground:

The bushwalking environment of the south-west of
Western Australia allows for bushwalks and
backpacking from coastal plains to forest.
Elevation ranges from 0 to 585 metres (0 to 1,920
feet). Within this region, I walk in varying
conditions from forestry roads, to sandy tracks
to single-purpose walking trails, to rock
hopping, to beach walking to completely off-track
walking through open and dense country.

[Click here to return to the top]

The testing environment:

During the summer period, daytime temperatures
average 30° C (86° F), whereas from March through
to December the daytime average temperatures
range from 15° C to 26° C (59° F to 79° F).
During the autumn, winter, and spring periods the
normal weather pattern is fairly wet with
frequent heavy rainstorms evident. It does not
normally snow in Western Australia.

According to The Times Atlas of the World
(Concise Edition - Revised 1997) our weather is
described as being "Mediterranean - rainy
climates with mild winters, coolest month above
0° C (32° F), but below 18° C (64° F); warmest
month above 10° C (50° F)." The atlas depicts the
coastal area north of Los Angeles, California,
United States, as having the same climate.


Product Details:

* Manufacturer: Crocs or Crocs Shoes (Australia)
* Year of Manufacturer: 2006
* MSRP: US $29.95 or AU $49.95

[Click here to return to the top]


Specifications:

*Manufacturer's specified weight: Not available.
*My weight: 360 g (13 oz ) - size XL

Review Comments:

Overview:

I purchased my pair of Crocs Beach shoes as camp
shoes and for water crossings and so will focus
this review primary from that aspect. It does
appear that they are marketed with a range of uses which extend beyond my use.

I am not sure how one describes a Crocs Beach. My
best shot would be to call them a "plastic"
sandal, but they are not really plastic, they are
made of a "croslite PCCR material" according to
Crocs. They are two piece moulded sandal with the
substantive part of the sandal being one moulded
piece. The ankle strap is the second part and this attached by rivets.

Paraphrasing Crocs, the Beach are a buoyant
orthotic [sic] foot bed sandal with a toe-box
ventilation system. The soles are slip-resistant
and the footbed anti-microbial and odor
resistant. The big thing I noticed about the
Beach when I purchased them is that the toe-box
is quite roomy given the size of the sandal. That
is a sandal the right length has a larger toe-box
area than what I expected with a normal shoe or
sandal.  This aspect did take me awhile to get used to.

Field Conditions:

As I mentioned early I purchased the Crocs Beach
sandals with the intention of using them as camp
shoes and for river and stream crossings where I
didn't want to wear my trail shoes or boots. I
have had the Crocs since March 2006 and have used
them on my eight day walk of the Fitzgerald River
National Park as camp shoes, on weekend backpacks
in the Yanchep National Park and St John's Brook
Conservation Park, on geocaching trips where I
anticipated having to cross flowing creeks or
wade the edges of rivers and at the beach.

This has seen the Crocs used in very sandy
conditions (camps on beaches), camps in bush
(easy to pick up sticks etc); walking on rocks
(limestone included) and hanging out the beach playing cricket.

Field Experience:

As I alluded to early my primary purpose for
purchasing the Crocs was to use them as camp
shoes and for creek and river crossings. What
attracted me was their weight. At 360 g (13 oz)
this seemed a good weight compared to my Bite
Trail Low sandals which I had been using. I also
liked the look of the Crocs in respect to the
ventilation which I expected would let the water
flow through easily and that there was nothing to soak up water.

Okay so how have they gone in this regard? Well I
have mixed feelings about my usage of the Crocs.
I do like them, they are comfortable, they are
great at the beach, they are quite good around
camp and in creeks and rivers but they are bulky
and a pain to get into backpack, particularly on
the Fitzgerald River National Park bushwalk where
we started out with eight days of food and on
some days had to carry up to nine litres (9.50 US
Quarts) and so space was at a premium. It is this
aspect more than anything that has me continuing
to look for a replacement camp shoe.

In terms of wearing them. At the end of a long
days walk, with my feet closed up in my trail
shoes I found it a relief to get the Crocs on.
The wide toe-box really came into their own here,
in that they let my feet spread out and relax. So
great from this perspective and I have found they
have survived camp life okay so far. No damage
from sticks poking them for example. I also find
they are quite effective at protecting my feet
from sticks and stones despite the ventilation holes.

However those same ventilation holes are really
good at letting in sand. This was quite
noticeable at the sandy campsites and on one
particularly geocaching trip which involved
wading up the Swan River here in Perth. The Swan
River is tidal, so with the tide flowing I found
I was quickly picking up sand from the river bed
in the Crocs. On the positive side a quick
removal and rinse and the Crocs are clear of derbies.

Where I have used them as my walking shoe, e.g.,
wading up the Swan River and clambering over the
rocks whilst carrying a light day pack, again I
have found the Crocs quite effective as foot
protection. Such that I will continue to use them
in these circumstances particularly on short geocaching trips.

So in summary I am pretty happy with the Crocs
and will continue to use them for water related
activities but will continue to look for a better solution as a camp shoe.

[Click here to return to the top]

Way to go Todd Morken and Tim Tessier!  Congrats on finishing the
first step to testerhood.  I hope you guys get to test some fun gear
really soon.

Jamie D
OR Edit Admin Manager

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

Thanks for your Owner's Review.  It has been added to the Owner
Review Queue and will be picked up by an Edit Moderator soon.  Do
not worry if nothing happens with it for several days.  All our
Editors are volunteers and your report will be subject to an
official edit within fourteen days. If you have not had a response
from an Edit Moderator via the Yahoo Groups list within this
timeframe, please let me know directly at jdeben@....

To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
that you post only ONE Owner Review for edit at a time. Our
experience is that it is more efficient for both the Editors and
yourself, if you post your first review, have it edited, approved
and uploaded before you post your second and subsequent reviews.
This way we can work with you on addressing any standard BGT policy
edits which you can incorporate into your second and subsequent
reviews before submission.

If you are new to BackpackGearTest.org, welcome to the community!
The Editors will work with you, within their own time constraints,
to get your first two Owner Reviews approved and upload in a timely
manner.  Once these first two Owner Reviews have been approved and
you have submitted your Tester Agreement you will be eligible to
start applying for Tests. If you'd like more assistance or guidance
with the process you can request a mentor by sending an email to
Jennifer P, the mentor coordinator, at (jennifer.pope@...).

You may receive edits or comments from other members of the group.
These edits and comments, while not official, should be considered
carefully, and if you find them substantial, revise and re-post your
review. Incorporating member edits and re-submitting to the list
will usually result in a better review, as well as making things
easier for the official Editor. Please put REVISED in the subject
line of your re-submitted review, if you take this route or make any
changes to your review BEFORE the review has been taken by an Edit
Moderator.

Additionally, it is important for you to monitor the Yahoo Groups
list to keep track of the progress of your Owner Review.  Once an
Editor has taken your OR and made the necessary edits they will post
their comments to the list with EDIT in the subject line.  Once you
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the subject line. When your OR has been approved by the Editor they
will use APPROVED in the subject line.

If you'd like to keep track of the progress of your OR, the entire
Owner Review Queue is posted to this yahoo group list on Fridays.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask via
the list or contact me directly.

Regards
Jamie DeBenedetto
Edit Administration Manager

Dear Editors

For your pain of being an editor you can have a
second Owner Review from me.  You will find the
HTML copy at
<http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/test/OWNER%20REVIEWS/Andrew_OR_Sea_to_S\
ummit_Sn240_Stuff_sacks>

Thanks
Andrew Priest



SEA TO SUMMIT Sn240 ULTRA-LIGHT STUFF SACKS
Owner Review
January 2, 2007

Photo courtesy of Sea to Summit

Authored by

Andrew Priest
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
aushiker@...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

*Product Details and Specifications
*Tester's Details
	 +Personal Biography
	 +Testing Playground
	 +Testing Environment
* Review Comments
	 + Overview
	 + Field Conditions
	 + Field Experience

Andrew, the tester:

I am a 46 year old male, 180 cm (5' 11") in
height, I weigh 111 kg (245 lb). I have been
bushwalking in Western Australia for
approximately five years. For the past four years
I have been regularly walking and leading on and
off-track pack carries with the Perth Bushwalkers
Club. I have also got into geocaching. I consider
myself as moving towards being a lightweight
tent-carrying bushwalker with my pack base weight
in the 8 to 12 kg (18 to 26 lb) range. I have
completed my End to End of the Bibbulmun Track
(2003), the Cape to Cape Track (Nov 2001), the
Coastal Plains Walk Track (numerous times), the
Larapinta Trail (July 2005) and Fitzgerald River National Park (April 2006).

[Click here to return to the top]


Andrew's testing playground:

The bushwalking environment of the south-west of
Western Australia allows for bushwalks and
backpacking from coastal plains to forest.
Elevation ranges from 0 to 585 metres (0 to 1,920
feet). Within this region, I walk in varying
conditions from forestry roads, to sandy tracks
to single-purpose walking trails, to rock
hopping, to beach walking to completely off-track
walking through open and dense country.

[Click here to return to the top]

The testing environment:

During the summer period, daytime temperatures
average 30° C (86° F), whereas from March through
to December the daytime average temperatures
range from 15° C to 26° C (59° F to 79° F).
During the autumn, winter, and spring periods the
normal weather pattern is fairly wet with
frequent heavy rainstorms evident. It does not
normally snow in Western Australia.

According to The Times Atlas of the World
(Concise Edition - Revised 1997) our weather is
described as being "Mediterranean - rainy
climates with mild winters, coolest month above
0° C (32° F), but below 18° C (64° F); warmest
month above 10° C (50° F)." The atlas depicts the
coastal area north of Los Angeles, California,
United States, as having the same climate.


Product Details:

* Manufacturer: Sea to Summit (International) or Sea to Summit USA
* Year of Manufacturer: 2006
* MSRP: Not available

[Click here to return to the top]

Specifications:

*Manufacturer's specified weight: 14 g (0.5 oz) -
Size XS; 17 g (0.6 oz ) - Size S
*My weight:  15 g (0.5 oz) - Size XS; 18 g (0.63 oz ) - size S
*Manufacturer's Measurements: 13 cm x 30.5 cm (5"
x 12") - Size XS; 16.5 cm x 33 cm (6.5" x 13") - Size S
*My measurements: Not measured as I can't
ascertain how the manufacturer has measured the sacks.
*Manufacturer's Stated Volume: 4 litres (240 cu
in) - Size XS; 6.5 litres (430 cu in) - Size S.
*My Measured Volume: Not measured.

Review Comments:

Overview:

I purchased my Sea to Summit Sn240 Ultra-Light
Stuff Sacks in combination with some Sea to
Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sacks as I need to change my
packing style when I started testing the Granite
Gear Stratus Latitude pack. I have used stuff
sacks and dry bags for a number of years so I am
familiar with using them. The difference with
these stuff sacks is their lightweight and their material.

Sea to Summit do make various sizes, ranging from
XXS to XXL. I only use a extra small (XS) and
small (S) sized stuff sack so my comments are in
the main respective of these sizes. The Sn240
Ultra-Light Stuff Sacks are according to Sea to
Summit made of a "30 denier ripstop Siliconised
[sic] Cordura material.  Sea to Summit describe
the stuff sacks as having "high tear strength,"
and a "slippery finish for easy packing." The
stuff sacks are cylindrical in shape with a grab
handle sewn on the bottom and a draw-cord at the open end.

Field Conditions:

As I mentioned early I have used stuff sacks and
dry sacks for a number of years. I started using
the Sn240 Ultra-Light Stuff Sacks in April 2006.
I have used the stuff sacks on my eight day walk
of the Fitzgerald River National Park, on weekend
backpacks in the Yanchep National Park and St
John's Brook Conservation Park and on a day walk.

Field Experience:

My primary use of the stuff sacks is to hold my
first aid kit which is a loose assortment of
various items literally stuffed into the sack and
some other assorted personal items.  All my gear
is stored in either stuff sacks or dry bags
within my pack.  Depending on the walk my pack
can be packed to its maximum capacity or with
some spare capacity. On the Fitzgerald River walk
my pack was pushed to its limit so stuff sacks
where literally stuffed into the pack for pretty
much all of the eight days, as even as the food
was eaten the freed up space was taken up gear from coming in from the cold.

My comments above lead me to the slippery finish
of the stuff sacks and to some extent their
apparent high tear strength. I have mixed
feelings on the slipperiness of the material. On
the one hand when getting the stuff sack into a
tight spot or trying to compress it around things
the slipperiness is an advantage in my
experience. I found it really good when I was top
down packing my pack. However, when I used the
Stratus Latitude more as a "travel pack", that is
opening up the whole pack and packing it sort of
like a suitcase, the slipperiness became a pain
as it became harder to keep the stuff sacks in
place whilst adding other gear before partially
closing up the pack and therefore "locking in" so
to speak the sacks packed up to that point. What
this means is that I have found the stuff sack
slipperiness great when either I packed my pack
from the top to bottom but not so hot when I took a suitcase approach.

In respect of the durability and tear strength of
the material, my usage to date has not result in
any damage to the sacks material. My initial
impression of the material had me a little
concerned about its durability such that I have
continued to store my gas stove in a thicker
material stuff sack. Having now used the Sn240
stuff sacks for awhile I am ready to try using
one to store my stove and accessories.

I also have found that the sacks do not appear to
take up dirt easily so have not bothered to wash
mine yet. Similar usage of my nylon stuff sacks
would have seen me washing them after each trip.

On the negative side I have managed to break the
cord lock on the small sack. I do feel that the
cord lock are not as substantive as I would like.
The lock on the small sack went with a few days
of purchase. It has not been a major hassle but
still it would be nice if the cord lock where more substantive in my view.

The other feature I like about the stuff sacks is
the grab handle on the bottom of the sack. This
can make it just that bit easier to get the gear
out of the sack, especially when it is stuffed in
tight. A handy feature in my view.

So in summary I am pretty happy with the Sea to
Summit Sn240 Ultra-Light Stuff Sacks and will
continue to use them as my stuff sacks. I can
live with the slipperiness of the material but
would like to see the cord locks being of a more substantive material.

   [Click here to return to the top]

BIP - Richard Lyon

Welcome back everybody. Here is an OR in response to the call. HTML
may be found here;

http://tinyurl.com/yllhk4

Tarptent Squall 2

Initial Report
January 02, 2006

Tester Information
Name: Raymond Estrella
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 3" (193 cm)
Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Email address: rayestrella@...
City: Huntington Beach
State: California
Country: USA

Backpacking Background:

I have been backpacking for over 30 years, all over the state of
California, and also in Washington, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho
and Utah. I hike year-round, mostly in the Sierra Nevada, and average
500+ miles (800+ km) per year.  As I start my 4th decade of
backpacking I am making the move to lightweight gear, and smaller
volume packs. I start early and hike hard so as to enjoy the
afternoons exploring. I usually take a freestanding tent and enjoy
hot meals at night. If not hiking solo I am usually my brother-in-law
Dave or girlfriend Jenn.

The Product

Manufacturer: Tarptent by Henry Shires
Web site: www.tarptent.com
Product: Squall 2 w/ sewn-in floor
Year manufactured: 2006
MSRP: $230.00 (US)
Size: 2 person
Weight (complete) listed: 2 lb 3 oz (1.8 kg) Actual weight: 2 lb 2.1
oz ( kg)
Interior height listed (at front): 45 in (114 cm)  Verified accurate
but can change with setup
Height at rear (mine): 21 in (53 cm)
Length listed: 94 in (239 cm) Verified accurate but can change with
setup
Width (foot & head) listed: 51 and 78 in (130 & 198 cm) Verified
accurate
Packed size listed: 20 x 4 x 3 in (51 x 10 x 7.5 cm) Verified accurate
Color: Dusty Green
Warranty: (quoted from company web site) "Tarptents are fully
guaranteed against fabric and workmanship failure and you may return
one uninjured for a full refund if not satisfied. That means you can
set one up, even try it out overnight, and then decide if it's
something that will work for you. We stand behind every Tarptent and
will make every effort to repair or replace products that fail due to
defects in workmanship or materials. Normal wear and tear repairs
will be done on a "non profit" basis and we will provide a price
quote before beginning the work. In many cases, we charge only for
the return shipping."

Product Description

The Squall 2 is a 2-person Tarptent from Henry Shires. It sits
squarely in the middle of his Tarptent line-up.

The main covering or "tarp" part of the tent is made of "High
tenacity 1.1-ounce/yd^2 yd^2
(m^2) ripstop nylon, impregnated with silicone. Final fabric weight
is approximately 1.3 ounces/yd^2." (All quotes from manufacturer.) It
is very slick and slippery feeling. The body sits 4-6 in (10-15 cm)
above the ground when set-up to allow for ventilation. The front of
it is split to create an opening that utilizes two strips of Velcro
to join them together closing the shelter to the elements. Depending
on the pole height this beak/vestibule ends up being a foot (30 cm)
or so off the ground.


The optional floor, which I have, is made of the same material but is
black in color. The floor has little 3 in (7 cm) walls at the edges
to create a tub effect to stop running water from flowing over the
floor. They clip to the corners to help support them. Unclipping will
let the floor stretch out further to give more room. As I bought this
to use as a solo shelter I just leave the corners clipped up.

The floor is attached to the tarp with No-see-um netting along the
bottom at the back and sides. At the front of the shelter it goes
across the face from floor to peak to make it bug-proof. A small
gauge zipper runs down the center of this panel and each side has its
own at the bottom. Velcro keepers attached to the tarp allow the
netting to be gathered out of the way when not needed.

At the top front of the shelter are the "Dual catenary curves with
strut support". The strut mentioned is made of aluminum and sits in a
pocket centered over the opening. When one (centered) or two (at each
end of the strut) poles, trekking poles in my case, are inserted into
the grommets in front of the strut they become the support for the
front of the shelter. The catenary curves add strength and help to
create more head room for the Squall. Here is a shot of the front and
looking inside.


The rear of the Squall is supported by an Easton aluminum 7075-
T9 .344 in (8.74 mm) diameter tubing pole that runs through a sleeve
at the back and plugs into grommets at the corners. A single stake is
used with the attached triple-guyline to pull the top of the
resulting arch away from the front of the tent, keeping the whole
thing standing upright.

The front of the Squall uses a guy line also to support the shelter
and to hold the beak/vestibule when closed up. A small clip tied to
the guy-line with a prussic knot (allowing it to slide for
adjustment) holds tension against the beak. All of the guy-lines have
cool line-tensioners on them, maybe the strongest and easiest
adjusting tensioners I have ever used.

Inside of the tent is a small gear pocket.

Field Conditions

I first used the Squall 2 on a five (supposed to be eight) day trip
to the western Sierra Nevada, leaving from Edison Lake and going over
three major passes. I started with a 37.5 lb (17 kg) pack. This trip
saw temps down to 29 F (-2 C) with rain and snow. This area is very
rocky especially above tree-line. At lower elevations it is packed
dirt with a good helping of rock mixed in. A tough area to get stakes
into the ground.

I also used it on two trips to the San Bernardino Mountains. The
temps got down to 27 F (-3 C). I was set up at 9250' elevation (2820
m).

Observations

I bought the Squall 2 in May of 2006 but could not use it because of
testing duties. I decided to give it a thorough first use by taking
it on a 95 mile (153 km) hike from Edison Lake in the Sierra Nevada
west side to Roads End in Kings Canyon National Park at the beginning
of October. The weather had been forecast to be great.  Sunny all
week with a 30% chance of rain one day in the middle.

Alas the weather forecast changed dramatically the morning we hit the
trail. By 1:30 PM our first day we were in rain gear. We found a good
spot to camp and since it had dropped to a sprinkle decided to take
it and hurry getting our Tarptents up. (Dave had the new Contrail.) I
had only set the Squall 2 up twice in the front yard before this
trip, yet I had it up fast. The following evenings went even faster.

I set it on a piece of Tyvek I had cut as a ground-cloth. As the rain
came down in earnest after getting it up I climbed inside to make
dinner. I was a little nervous about firing the stove up inside of
the little vestibule. Was it going to disappear into a few smoking
shreds from the slightest bit of escaping heat? No. I boiled water
for mine and later Dave's dinners with no mishap.

I went to bed after dinner as there is not much else to do when it is
pouring out and the temps is steadily dropping. While lying on my
back it was interesting to watch the play of the rain drops that I
could see very clearly through the sil-nylon of the tarptent. I guess
I did a good job seam sealing it as I had no leaks. The rain grew in
intensity as the night went on. I was concerned as to it coming
through the side mesh and over the little walls of the floor. But it
never did. I was very impressed by the way the Squall 2 handled the
precip. I noticed no build up of condensation even though it was
raining so hard. (I felt the walls each time I woke in during the
night.)

At 3:00 AM I woke up and noticed that the sound of the rain had
changed. It was pitch-black and even though I could not see something
felt funny. I turned on my head lamp to find the walls of the Squall
almost touching me everywhere. The rain had turned to snow and was
stretching the sil-nylon out quite severely. Henry Shires had told me
to expect this and to be prepared to know the snow off and tighten
the line to keep the tarp taut. I started banging off the snow and
was treated to a rain shower inside my tent! The walls that were so
dry earlier were heavily covered in condensation. I got water all
over the place. I had to beat snow off the rest of the morning until
I got up at 5:45 AM.

I had to break camp in heavy snow fall. I packed as much as I could
inside of the Squall 2 and then had to get it put away. I had wiped
it down inside with my washcloth, having to wring it out three times
in the process. I shook as much water as I could from the outside
then folded/rolled it up as quick as possible, shoving it inside of
the stuff sack. When I took it out the next evening I found that I
should have seam sealed the stuff sack. A lot of water ran out of the
sil-nylon and through the sack right onto my sleeping bag.

As we both had a lot of wet gear (Dave slept right through the snow
and when I could not wake him up I finally got up to check on him. He
was asleep with his Tarptent collapsed over him. Everything was
soaked.) we decided to stop early at a nice location to spread things
out to dry. I set the Squall up and strapped the vestibule back.
Within a couple of hours it was dry inside. As the weather was not
bad I kept the vestibule open that night. I had no condensation, and
in fact did not have any bad problems as long as it was not snowing.
It may help that I use the two-person Squall as a solo shelter
though. Here is a picture at this camp on the San Joaquin River in
Kings Canyon national Park.


The next day we went 24 miles (38 km) and found a suitable space for
the Tarptents with only about 45 minutes of daylight left. I whipped
out the Squall 2 expecting to have it up in a couple of minutes.
Aaah! I lost my stakes! I must have dropped them at our last camp
site. I used a combination of rocks and sticks. It was not very
secure and I had a hard time keeping everything taut.

Because of weather issues we had to backtrack a long way the same way
we came to get out of the Sierra ahead of a two-day storm that the
Forest Service told us was bearing down on us. (We had a satellite
phone.) I told Dave I would carry some of his gear to help him go
farther/faster if we could make it back to our previous campsite. He
asked why and I told that I would feel a lot better about getting
caught by the storm if I could have the Squall securely set up with
stakes. I did not like the way it was the night before. We made it
back almost at dark again. The stakes were there, thank God, so I was
able to set the Squall 2 up right.

On the two trips in southern California the Squall worked out
wonderfully. As I was on a peak bagging trip for one of them I set up
the Squall and put most of my gear inside of it. Then I took the
trekking poles back out and let the tent collapse over everything. I
put a rock on the collapsed beak area and left for the day to climb
two peaks. When I got back I just popped my poles under it again and
I was ready to go. Here is a picture of it at High Creek, south of
Mount San Gorgonio.



I have come to a few conclusions about my Tarptent. I am not
concerned about using it in wet weather. It handled the rain with
aplomb. I will not take it on any trip that I even think will get
snow. I could tell by the build-up of snow collecting around the
sides of the tent as I knocked it from the body that it would be easy
to get enough snow to block the venting capabilities of the design.
(Remember that this is NOT positioned as a winter tent. I am not
knocking it.) When I would pack it up I would look back and see a 3-
sided rectangle of snow where it was sitting.

I will also use this just in my lower altitude trips. One site that
we skipped on was because it was exposed and solid rock. There was no
place to get a stake in and the wind was blowing hard enough to think
we may have had a problem to try just gathering rocks to hold it. I
have placed free-standing tents in locations like this many times.
Maybe I am wrong about this, but I went with my gut feeling.

I would also like to mention that Henry Shires, the owner of
Tarptent, is the most helpful and approachable person I have ever
dealt with. I have purchased a Rainshadow and Contrail from him too.

Dear Editors,

Sorry for the repost--I see from my last entry that Yahoo Groups
didn't like the formatting of my text file, making it quite difficult
to read. It's my hope that this will work better--it's taken from the
HTML version of my review, which presently resides at

http://www.holliseaster.com/BGT/LLBeanDeluxeBookPack/review.htm

Thank you for your time, and happy new year!

Yours,
Hollis

-----

L.L. Bean Deluxe Book Pack — Daypack
Owner Review
December 28, 2006

(include photograph of my pack, stuffed to show full size)
Reviewer Information:

Name: Hollis Easter
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Height: 6'0" (1.8 m)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Email address: backpackgeartestATholliseasterDOTcom
City, State, Country: Potsdam, New York, USA
Date: December 27, 2006
Backpacking Background: I started hiking as a child in the Adirondack
Mountains of New York. As a teenager, I hiked my way to an Eagle Scout
award. These days, I'm mostly doing day hikes in the mountains. I hope
to get back into doing longer trips soon. I'm also learning rock climbing.

I am a midweight backpacker: I don't carry unnecessary gear, but
neither do I cut the edges from my maps. I hike in all seasons, at
altitudes from sea level to 5,300 ft (1,600 m), and in temperatures
from -30 F (-34 C) to 100 F (38 C).
Product Information:

Manufacturer: L.L. Bean (made in Korea)
Year of manufacture: circa 1996 (still in production)
URL: www.llbean.com
Listed dimensions: 17"H x 13"W x 7.5"D (43 cm x 33 cm x 19 cm)
Actual dimensions: 17"H x 13.5"W x 10"D (43 cm x 34 cm x 25 cm) see below
Listed weight: 1 lb 8 oz (680 g)
Actual weight: 1 lb 10 oz (737 g)
Listed volume: 2,250 in^3 (36.8 l)
MSRP: $39 US ($18.95 US on sale)

Listed dimensions are for a new (2006) pack; the differences in
measurement may be due to stretching in use. Changed specifications
could also account for it, although L.L. Bean's website gives no
indication of major changes to the design.

Product features:

     * Strong and abrasion-resistant nylon material
     * Padded shoulder straps
     * Water-resistant coating and taped seams
     * Strong haul loop
     * Four compartments: two large, one medium, one small
     * Padded back panel
     * Organizer panel with pen holders, zippered mesh pocket, key ring
     * Scotchlite reflective panel on outside for visibility
     * Pre-installed zipper pulls on all zippers
     * Lifetime warranty

(might include photograph of pack with compartments annotated for the
review)

The L.L. Bean Deluxe Book Pack (hereafter "the pack") features four
pockets. The biggest are a pair of main pockets accessed from the top
of the pack. Although one is larger than the other, both can carry
oversized books, camping cookware, or winter coats. A panel-loading
pocket with an organizer panel inside will hold a raincoat, camera and
accessories, or similar amounts of gear. There is also a front slash
pocket for small things, guide books, etc.

The shoulder straps are padded and 2.25" (5.7 cm) wide; the waist
strap is 1" (2.5 cm) wide nylon webbing. Zippers are nylon with metal
sliders and knotted webbing pulls. Buckles and tensioners are black
plastic or nylon.

Later versions are available fitted with Illuminex, a battery-powered
light system for the back of the pack that increases visibility to
motorists. For a hiking pack, this seems like a waste of weight; for a
student's bookbag, it may not be.

My pack is a dark blue color, although many other choices of solid
colors and prints are available.

Compartment measurements:
Biggest: 16"H x 13"W x 6"D (40 cm x 33 cm x 15 cm)
Next-biggest: 16"H x 13"W x 3.5"D (40 cm x 33 cm x 9 cm)
Organizer: 10.5"H x 9"W x 2.5"D (27 cm x 23 cm x 6 cm)
Slash: 10.5"H x 9"W (27 cm x 23 cm) no depth
Field information:

Locations used: I have used this pack over the last ten years in many
different conditions. In high school and university, I carried it to
and from classes without regard for the weather, and used it for
grocery shopping since I had no car. I have used it as a day pack
while hiking and bicycling in the Adirondack Mountains of New York in
spring through late autumn. I have also used it as a gig bag for music
performance, where the atmospheric conditions are less important than
the handling ones: this bag has ridden in vans and buses and trains
and aircraft holds, often stuffed with instruments, music, and
performance attire. University was probably the hardest test in terms
of weight, when I regularly carried more than 25 lbs (11 kg) of books
in it.

Description of locations: Suburban sidewalks, trails and forest
bushwhacks, mountains up to 5,100 ft (1500 m), aircraft holds, etc.
Highly varied.

Weather conditions: Again, highly varied. This pack has experienced
everything from winter snow at temperatures below 0 F (-17 C) to
driving spring and autumn rain at 40 F (4 C) to burning summer sun
above 100 F (38 C).
Comments:

On the whole, this pack has been nothing short of wonderful. It's
marketed as a school backpack for teenagers—I got mine at the age of
15. Although its feature set leans toward the academic (pen holders,
key ring, organizer panel), it serves admirably for day hikes. This
backpack carried my books to every class of high school and
university, but it also served as my kit bag for years of bagpipe
music competitions, saw me through hikes in the USA and Scotland, and
served as my luggage for performance tours of Spain and the Pacific
Northwest, USA.

The pack is very easy to work with. The compartments seem sensibly
designed and placed, and they seem to "just work" for different kinds
of objects, and the packing usually ends up comfortable even if I
don't do it carefully. It's hard to quantify, but what I mean is this:
it usually works fine if I just put items in the pack wherever they
seem to fit. With other packs I've used, I've always ended up
repacking things to make the load comfortable, or to allow more gear
to fit. With this pack, I never seem to need all that packing and
unpacking.

Most of the pockets are very useful sizes. My water bottles usually go
in the biggest compartment, along with my camera in its hard plastic
case. The padded back keeps them from poking me, even with a heavy
load. Books fit nicely in the second-largest compartment, and its
shape and dimensions keep them squarely in place and protected. I find
the second-largest compartment also holds my lunch and trail snacks
well, and it's easy to access while walking: just slip one shoulder
strap off, swing the pack around, and the zipper's in just the right
place. Again, a nice touch.

The pocket with the organizer panel usually carries my guide book, map
and compass, sunscreen, sunglasses, and other essentials. The document
pocket in the organizer isn't quite big enough to hold a USGS (United
States Geological Survey) topographical map, but the maps fit nicely
outside the organizer, inside the pocket. This pocket also works well
for carrying rolls of 35 mm film, as the double-headed zipper means I
can open the pocket from the top—this keeps them from falling out of
the bag.

The one pocket that disappoints me is the front slash pocket, which is
really only useful for larger things if the organizer pocket is
underfilled. Otherwise it's good for holding papers and small items
like lip balm.

(include photo of organizer panel, possibly showing a map in place for
size reference)

Almost all of the seams on the pack body are taped and sealed, which
does a nice job of keeping the rain and snowmelt out of the pack and
also keeps fabric from catching in the zippers. The seam attaching the
organizer pocket to the main pack body is not taped, and consequently
leaks occasionally. However, this is nothing too serious, and I could
probably treat it with seam sealant if I really cared. One complaint
is that the zippers will leak if they're out in a heavy rainstorm for
a long time. I see that in later versions of the pack, L.L. Bean has
added sewn zipper covers to protect against this.

My few complaints mostly stem from the fact that this is a daypack,
not a more advanced technical pack. I include them for reference and
completeness, not to deter others from buying this pack.

I feel ambivalent about the hip belt on this pack. It's made of plain
nylon webbing, which makes it less comfortable than a padded hip belt
would be. However, I don't really notice the issue unless I'm carrying
a lot of weight. A benefit of the simple strap is that it allows
people who don't like hip belts to cinch it out of the way. When I was
younger, I hated hip belts, and I did precisely that. One small
complaint is that the plastic hip belt buckle fractured years ago. It
still functions, which is why I haven't replaced it, but it would be
nice if it hadn't broken.

A few other things might affect the choice of this pack. The pack's
back panel, although padded, is not rigid. This makes it difficult to
transfer much weight from my shoulders to my hips, which can be
uncomfortable with heavier weights. The back's design is quite simple,
without any of the air channels or mesh contraptions often found on
newer packs. This can sometimes lead to a sweaty back after a long
hike. The lack of compression straps also means that loads can
sometimes shift if the pack isn't full.

I think the brightness of the Scotchlite strip is overstated in the
pack's advertising. While it is certainly reflective, it hardly sets
the night ablaze. It's a nice safety feature for the bookbag use, though.

The pack expands away from the wearer like a bellows, which may pose a
problem for those who carry loads that are both bulky and heavy. When
fully loaded, it also means that the wearer's turning radius is quite
a bit larger than normal, which can be an exciting discovery in tight
quarters! With careful packing, the balance issues of a heavy and
bulky load can be mitigated, leaving only the turning issue.

(include photo of fully loaded pack in side view on the wearer)

As I wrote earlier, I include these issues for completeness. In most
cases when I've run into them, it's been my own fault: I really should
have been using a larger or more technical pack. That the Deluxe Book
Pack came through so well in circumstances beyond its original design
is a testament to its versatility.

The pack is comfortable to carry, easy to load, and extremely durable.
After ten years of almost daily use, the pack shows very few signs of
wear: the bottom has a little bit of fuzz from abrasion; there's one
spot where the fabric has begun to fray from rubbing at a seam, though
it will be a long time before it wears through; and the webbing on one
shoulder strap has a bit of fuzz. The haul loop and shoulder straps
are still firmly attached and in great condition, which surprises me.
I've had other daypacks whose straps have torn off in the first couple
of years, and with lighter loads than the ones I carry with the Deluxe
Book Pack. The pack looks used but not worn, and it looks startlingly
clean for ten years without a wash.

(possibly include photo of wear points, though this is getting to be a
lot of photos)
Summary:

My pack is still going strong after ten years, and it has served hard
as well as long. L.L. Bean built a heck of a daypack with this. It
does a very good job of carrying books, and works equally well as a
hiking daypack or travel bag. The current sale price, $18.95 for the
Deluxe model, makes it seem a bit like getting away with murder. I
would definitely buy this pack again.

pluses:

     * unusually durable construction throughout the pack
     * organizer panel
     * good water resistance
     * easy to pack effectively, with good pocket sizes
     * comfortably padded back
     * keeps a clean appearance even after use

minuses:

     * slash pocket isn't very useful with a full load
     * zippers can leak in heavy rain (fixed in current retail model)
     * hip belt is unpadded and pack has no frame
     * arrangement of pockets can make the pack quite bulky

OR MEGA LIGHT TENT
BY JAMES WARBERG
OR
January 03, 2007

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: James Warberg
EMAIL: jimwarberg@...
AGE: 46
LOCATION: Memphis, TN
GENDER: m
HEIGHT: 5' 11" (1.80 m)
WEIGHT: 210 lb (95.30 kg)

I have 11 years of backpacking experience. I typically make 3-5 trips
per year. I like to hike the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in
early spring and late fall. For summer hikes I like to find cooler
(temperature-wise) destinations, mainly the North Cascades in
Washington State. I have branched out this year by taking trips to
Great Basin National Park in Nevada and Rocky Mountains National Park
in Colorado. I carry a moderately heavy pack when hiking with my sons.
When hiking with adults, though, I try and pack lightweight. I have
hiked portions of the AT and PCT and I like to peak bag.


PRODUCT INFORMATION


<<IMAGE GOES HERE. ALT TEXT = "IMAGE 1">>

Product Tested:...................Mega Light TENT
COLOR..............................Sangria & Silver
DIMENSIONS.....................L x W x H      86 x 86 x 57 inches (218
x 218 x 145 centimeters)
MATERIALS......................SilNylon
WEIGHTS .........................TENT (W/Pole):  1.05 kilograms (2
pounds 5 ounces)
Manufacturer......................Black Diamond Equipment, LTD
Year of Manufacture..........2005
Manufacturer web site:  <<HYPERLINK GOES HERE - "http://www.bdel.com">>
MSRP..................................$229.50 (US)

Note: Product was returned to manufacturer for refund without
recording actual weight and dimensions.

BASIC OVERVIEW

I bought this tent because I needed something that would hold 3-4
people and yet be lightweight. The Mega Light Tent sleeps 3 adults
fairly comfortably. I had need of a tent big enough for me and my
sons, yet not overly heavy. After much internet searching, I decided
on the Mega Light & optional floor combination offered by Black
Diamond.  I have logged six trips (15 nights) with this tent in all
weather conditions and have found it to be a rugged performer in all
but the last of the field tests.

FIELD INFORMATION

Test 1 (Smoky Mountains National Park -Tennessee/USA, Campsite 26,
3/17/05 –– 3/19/05)
I pitched the tent for two nights at campsite 26. Temperatures were in
the 20's F (-6 C) and 30's F (4 C)  with intermittent snow and strong
winds at night (elevation 4,400 ft / 1341m). The tent slept me and MY
two sons (ages 10 & 12) comfortably. For my first set-up; it went
smoothly; about 20 minutes to get it ready. The tent utilizes eight
stakes to anchor it and four to anchor the optional floor, which made
it very stable when the winds picked up at night. I utilized the
fiberglass center pole that installs in the center of the tent; there
was enough room for me on one side of the tent and my two sons on the
other. The pole option is a bit inconvenient, rather than the no-pole
option I employed on Test 2. That said, the tent was roomy enough that
we could play cards inside before going to sleep at night. The
optional bathtub floor is nice to convert this shelter from a tarp to
a tent; the floor snugs up nicely to the top to make a comfortable
abode. The tent stayed reasonabley warm and had plenty of room. All in
all an excellent light-weight tent for three. I did not have any
problems with the zippers or tightening straps and the setup was
obvious without instructions. We did not have rain this trip.

Test 2 (Horseshoe Basin / Pasayten Wilderness / Washington State / USA
, 7/18/05 –– 7/21/05)
This was the "something different" test for this tent. Horseshoe Basin
is at about 7000 ft (2134 m) elevation and in a semi-arid part of
Washington State. The nights were warm and calm with no adverse
weather. The tent slept me and my two sons nicely again side-by-side.
We utilized a rope to hold the top up tight, rather than the center
pole; the apex of the tent has a loop to attach a rope that holds the
tent up, rather than the fiberglass pole inside the tent. This really
opened up the sleeping area inside the tent. It was this trip that I
tested the "what to do about the insects" feature of this tent. I did
not buy the insect net with it, because I didn't want to carry the
extra weight. I used insect repellent and a face net to protect
against the mosquitoes and flies that got into the tent. What was
interesting was that most of the insects stayed on the walls several
feet above where we slept, so they weren't that big of a problem. The
bug population was also kept at bay by just zipping the door up and
tightening the floor up to the walls.

Test 3 (Enchantment Lakes / Alpine Lakes Wilderness / Washington
State/USA, 9/8/05 –– 9/10/05)
I pitched the tent for two nights and gave this tent a good workout.
Temperatures were, like the Smokies, in the 20's and 30's F (-6 to 4
C) with intermittent snow and strong winds at night; the winds were
stronger,I estimate 50+ mph (81 kph), and the snow was intense on the
second night. I pitched the tent at Snow Lake the first night at
elevation 5414 ft (1650 m). Instead of using the single tent pole, I
used the rope loop on the top to pull it up tight to the trees at the
campsite. Taking the pole out of the middle of the tent made it easy
to sleep three adult men the first night. Lots of wind on night 1, but
no precipitation. Once again the stake down design (and roped up top)
did a great job of holding this tent securely in place and the inside
was comfortable. The tent has no windows, but does have an air vent at
the top. Temperatures were good in the tent and the night's sleep was
good. Setup time was about 20 minutes. The second night was the real
test for this tent; there was steady the steady estimated windspeed of
40 to 50 mph (64 to 81 kph)  with gusts that must have been 70-80 mph;
the gust were so strong that some of the free standing tents around
were trying to tip over with people in them! It was the worst storm
that I have encountered since I have started hiking.The Megamid stood
firm on the plot of ground we found near Perfection Lake in the Lower
Enchantment Basin. It was this trip that I found a short-coming of
this tent...you have to have soil to drive stakes into to set it up.
The Enchantment Lakes Basin has a lot of places where you would have
to set-up on solid rock; only a free-standing tent works in that
circumstance. With a lack of trees at 7100 ft elevation (2134 m), I
once again utilized the center pole to support the teepee design. We
couldn't sleep three men side-by-side this time, because the pole in
the middle of the tent hits where one of us had slept the night
before.  We were able to sleep two men side by side and one man
crossways at the feet of the first two men.  The second night brought
four inches of snow along with the strong winds. The tent stood firm
even with snow piling up on the outside. This tent has no rainfly; the
tent walls were saturated with moisture but they did not dripping much
water into the tent regardless. I was concerned that the no rainfly
design would mean a lot of wetness inside, if it rained. My fear
proved unfounded, as we stayed quite comfortable and dry until the
storm broke. I do think that if one of us had to sleep in contact with
the tent wall that the walls would have given up some water and gotten
us wet. When packing up the tent during the break in the snow storm, I
could not squeeze out much excess water from the saturated wall
material and ended up carrying a couple extra pounds of water that was
still in the tent material. I had to dry it out once I was back to
civilization.

Test 4 (Great Basin National Park, Nevada - Baker Lake Johnson Lake
Loop/  6/30/06 to 7/2/06)
  Conditions were dry and dusty; temperatures ranged from 35 to 75 F (2
to 24 C). Elevations ranged from 8000 to 11295 ft (2438 to 3443 m). I
Setup the tent in with the inside pole both nights. Trip was
comfortable with results not differing from the first three tests.

Test 5  (Upper Lena Lake / Olympic National Park / Washington State /
USA, 7/31/06 - 8/2/06)
Conditions were cool and damp (no rain, just fog, mist, and morning
dew). Temperatures ranged from 30 to 55 F (-1 to 13 C). Elevations
ranged from 900 to 4100 ft (274 to 1250 m). I setup the tent in with
the pole both nights for my two sons and me. Trip was comfortable.

Test 6 (North Inlet -Tonahutu Creek Loop / Rocky Mountains National
Park / Colorado / USA, 8/27/06 - 9/1/06)
Conditions varied from hot and dusty, to cold and rainy, to hot with a
thunderstorm. Night-time temperatures were consistently around 30
degrees F (-1 C), while day time temperatures ranged from 45 to 80
degrees F (7 to 27 C). Elevations ranged from 8000 to 12300 ft (2438
to 3749 m). This trip the tent (using the inside pole option) slept
two adults comfortably; when sleeping two people there is a nice
amount of space to store some things in the tent with you. It was this
trip that the leak developed. The tent wall material began to separate
near the seam at the apex of the tent. My hiking partner noticed that
we were getting some water in the tent during the two periods of rain
we had on this trip; just drips, but enough that it made me curious.
On closer inspection, I could see the nylon fibers separating and that
water could leak into the tent. I remedied the leak by strapping a
plastic bag over the apex of the tent to divert the water below the hole.

Test 6 Update (12/4/06)   I have contacted both Black Diamond and REI
(Recreational Equipment Inc.) by email about the leak. REI has a 100%
lifetime guarantee on all items they sell and they responded within an
hour of the email and told me that I could bring the tent back in
without the original packaging, which I had thrown away, for a full
refund or exchange; additionally, they offered to take back the
undamaged floor and refund my purchase price on it. Black Diamond
responded within two hours of my email and said that they would
evaluate the damage to the tent and then decide either to repair it or
send me a new tent, even though the tent was 6 months past its
warrantee period. I decided to return the tent tand floor to REI for a
refund; as they claimed, they refunded my money no questions asked. In
the correspondence from Black Diamond, they assured me that customer
satisfaction was their first concern and that they would resolve my
problem, if REI did not take the tent back.


THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE TENT

The positives of this tent are floor space, head room, and
wind/weather durability. I love utilizing the no-pole option (holding
the top up by rope); it offers an incredible amount of floor space.
The tent did extremely well in the snowstorm I encountered; the steep
pitch of the pyramid design let the thick wet snow slide off the tent
with just a few taps on the material from the inside; we never had to
get out of the tent to clear off the snow.

The floor is a super option to purchase with this tent; it is
completely waterproof, yet only weights ~1.5 lbs (680 g). When
considering buying this tent, I emailed the manufacturer about how
waterproof the floor was. Black Diamond responded within hours to my
email and claimed that the floor is essentially impervious to water
and mud. I believe it after the wet snow I got caught in on my trips
to the Smoky Mountains and the Enchantment Lakes Basin areas. We were
comfortably dry even with all the snow melting on and around the tent.
I highly recommend buying the floor, if you purchase this tent.

I also liked the breakdown time for the tent. Drop the pole and pull
the stakes and stuff it in a bag in under 2 minutes. It is great with
the optional floor, because once you pull the top off you have ready
access to all of your gear, still on the floor, without the tent
getting in the way.



THINGS I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE TENT

The setup time of 20 minutes for the tent is too long, in my opinion.
Part of the problem on setup is adjusting and readjusting the tent
stakes. I had to keep setting and resetting them until the tent walls
were taut.

The tent material saturates with water when it encounters a good rain
or snow and it is hard to squeeze all the water out while in the
field. The tent needs time to air out in order to properly dry. This
added several pounds to my pack weight when packing the tent after the
snow storm on the Enchantment Lakes trip.

The fiberglass pole option is not good when sleeping 3 or four adults;
by being right in the middle of the floor you lose valuable space in
the center of your tent; When setting up sleeping bags, I noticed that
the pole forced the bags closer to the walls and the caused me to lose
space in the middle of the tent that I wanted to use to store gear.

I reluctantly add the bit about the material wearing out. I was
disappointed, because I wanted to write an outstanding review of this
tent. Instead, I am reluctantly noting a premature failure of the
material.

Lastly, I think my actions will speak louder than words. After
returning the Mega Light tent, I purchased a Mountain Hardware Haven 3
tent from REI. The Haven 3 has a bug net and weighs 5 lbs 8 oz (2.5
kg). I would say that keeping the bugs out and a fear of premature
material failure kept me from purchasing another Black Diamond tent.


SIGNATURE

James B Warberg, Jr.
jimwarberg@...



This report was created with the BGT Report Generator.
Copyright 2007.  All rights reserved.

Hollis,

I just have to mention that your OR made me laugh. I've used the same LL Bean
Deluxe
backpack as my sole luggage carrier, book bag, rock sample holder, and day hiker
for
forever. I originally got it so I could carry my flute while riding my bike to
6th grade. (I'm in
21st grade now).

Sheila

--- In BackpackGearTest@yahoogroups.com, "Hollis" <backpackgeartest@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Editors,
>
> Sorry for the repost--I see from my last entry that Yahoo Groups
> didn't like the formatting of my text file, making it quite difficult
> to read. It's my hope that this will work better--it's taken from the
> HTML version of my review, which presently resides at
>
> http://www.holliseaster.com/BGT/LLBeanDeluxeBookPack/review.htm
>
> Thank you for your time, and happy new year!
>
> Yours,
> Hollis
>
> -----
>
> L.L. Bean Deluxe Book Pack — Daypack
> Owner Review
> December 28, 2006
>
> (include photograph of my pack, stuffed to show full size)
> Reviewer Information:
>
> Name: Hollis Easter
> Age: 25
> Gender: Male
> Height: 6'0" (1.8 m)
> Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
> Email address: backpackgeartestATholliseasterDOTcom
> City, State, Country: Potsdam, New York, USA
> Date: December 27, 2006
> Backpacking Background: I started hiking as a child in the Adirondack
> Mountains of New York. As a teenager, I hiked my way to an Eagle Scout
> award. These days, I'm mostly doing day hikes in the mountains. I hope
> to get back into doing longer trips soon. I'm also learning rock climbing.
>
> I am a midweight backpacker: I don't carry unnecessary gear, but
> neither do I cut the edges from my maps. I hike in all seasons, at
> altitudes from sea level to 5,300 ft (1,600 m), and in temperatures
> from -30 F (-34 C) to 100 F (38 C).
> Product Information:
>
> Manufacturer: L.L. Bean (made in Korea)
> Year of manufacture: circa 1996 (still in production)
> URL: www.llbean.com
> Listed dimensions: 17"H x 13"W x 7.5"D (43 cm x 33 cm x 19 cm)
> Actual dimensions: 17"H x 13.5"W x 10"D (43 cm x 34 cm x 25 cm) see below
> Listed weight: 1 lb 8 oz (680 g)
> Actual weight: 1 lb 10 oz (737 g)
> Listed volume: 2,250 in^3 (36.8 l)
> MSRP: $39 US ($18.95 US on sale)
>
> Listed dimensions are for a new (2006) pack; the differences in
> measurement may be due to stretching in use. Changed specifications
> could also account for it, although L.L. Bean's website gives no
> indication of major changes to the design.
>
> Product features:
>
>     * Strong and abrasion-resistant nylon material
>     * Padded shoulder straps
>     * Water-resistant coating and taped seams
>     * Strong haul loop
>     * Four compartments: two large, one medium, one small
>     * Padded back panel
>     * Organizer panel with pen holders, zippered mesh pocket, key ring
>     * Scotchlite reflective panel on outside for visibility
>     * Pre-installed zipper pulls on all zippers
>     * Lifetime warranty
>
> (might include photograph of pack with compartments annotated for the
> review)
>
> The L.L. Bean Deluxe Book Pack (hereafter "the pack") features four
> pockets. The biggest are a pair of main pockets accessed from the top
> of the pack. Although one is larger than the other, both can carry
> oversized books, camping cookware, or winter coats. A panel-loading
> pocket with an organizer panel inside will hold a raincoat, camera and
> accessories, or similar amounts of gear. There is also a front slash
> pocket for small things, guide books, etc.
>
> The shoulder straps are padded and 2.25" (5.7 cm) wide; the waist
> strap is 1" (2.5 cm) wide nylon webbing. Zippers are nylon with metal
> sliders and knotted webbing pulls. Buckles and tensioners are black
> plastic or nylon.
>
> Later versions are available fitted with Illuminex, a battery-powered
> light system for the back of the pack that increases visibility to
> motorists. For a hiking pack, this seems like a waste of weight; for a
> student's bookbag, it may not be.
>
> My pack is a dark blue color, although many other choices of solid
> colors and prints are available.
>
> Compartment measurements:
> Biggest: 16"H x 13"W x 6"D (40 cm x 33 cm x 15 cm)
> Next-biggest: 16"H x 13"W x 3.5"D (40 cm x 33 cm x 9 cm)
> Organizer: 10.5"H x 9"W x 2.5"D (27 cm x 23 cm x 6 cm)
> Slash: 10.5"H x 9"W (27 cm x 23 cm) no depth
> Field information:
>
> Locations used: I have used this pack over the last ten years in many
> different conditions. In high school and university, I carried it to
> and from classes without regard for the weather, and used it for
> grocery shopping since I had no car. I have used it as a day pack
> while hiking and bicycling in the Adirondack Mountains of New York in
> spring through late autumn. I have also used it as a gig bag for music
> performance, where the atmospheric conditions are less important than
> the handling ones: this bag has ridden in vans and buses and trains
> and aircraft holds, often stuffed with instruments, music, and
> performance attire. University was probably the hardest test in terms
> of weight, when I regularly carried more than 25 lbs (11 kg) of books
> in it.
>
> Description of locations: Suburban sidewalks, trails and forest
> bushwhacks, mountains up to 5,100 ft (1500 m), aircraft holds, etc.
> Highly varied.
>
> Weather conditions: Again, highly varied. This pack has experienced
> everything from winter snow at temperatures below 0 F (-17 C) to
> driving spring and autumn rain at 40 F (4 C) to burning summer sun
> above 100 F (38 C).
> Comments:
>
> On the whole, this pack has been nothing short of wonderful. It's
> marketed as a school backpack for teenagers—I got mine at the age of
> 15. Although its feature set leans toward the academic (pen holders,
> key ring, organizer panel), it serves admirably for day hikes. This
> backpack carried my books to every class of high school and
> university, but it also served as my kit bag for years of bagpipe
> music competitions, saw me through hikes in the USA and Scotland, and
> served as my luggage for performance tours of Spain and the Pacific
> Northwest, USA.
>
> The pack is very easy to work with. The compartments seem sensibly
> designed and placed, and they seem to "just work" for different kinds
> of objects, and the packing usually ends up comfortable even if I
> don't do it carefully. It's hard to quantify, but what I mean is this:
> it usually works fine if I just put items in the pack wherever they
> seem to fit. With other packs I've used, I've always ended up
> repacking things to make the load comfortable, or to allow more gear
> to fit. With this pack, I never seem to need all that packing and
> unpacking.
>
> Most of the pockets are very useful sizes. My water bottles usually go
> in the biggest compartment, along with my camera in its hard plastic
> case. The padded back keeps them from poking me, even with a heavy
> load. Books fit nicely in the second-largest compartment, and its
> shape and dimensions keep them squarely in place and protected. I find
> the second-largest compartment also holds my lunch and trail snacks
> well, and it's easy to access while walking: just slip one shoulder
> strap off, swing the pack around, and the zipper's in just the right
> place. Again, a nice touch.
>
> The pocket with the organizer panel usually carries my guide book, map
> and compass, sunscreen, sunglasses, and other essentials. The document
> pocket in the organizer isn't quite big enough to hold a USGS (United
> States Geological Survey) topographical map, but the maps fit nicely
> outside the organizer, inside the pocket. This pocket also works well
> for carrying rolls of 35 mm film, as the double-headed zipper means I
> can open the pocket from the top—this keeps them from falling out of
> the bag.
>
> The one pocket that disappoints me is the front slash pocket, which is
> really only useful for larger things if the organizer pocket is
> underfilled. Otherwise it's good for holding papers and small items
> like lip balm.
>
> (include photo of organizer panel, possibly showing a map in place for
> size reference)
>
> Almost all of the seams on the pack body are taped and sealed, which
> does a nice job of keeping the rain and snowmelt out of the pack and
> also keeps fabric from catching in the zippers. The seam attaching the
> organizer pocket to the main pack body is not taped, and consequently
> leaks occasionally. However, this is nothing too serious, and I could
> probably treat it with seam sealant if I really cared. One complaint
> is that the zippers will leak if they're out in a heavy rainstorm for
> a long time. I see that in later versions of the pack, L.L. Bean has
> added sewn zipper covers to protect against this.
>
> My few complaints mostly stem from the fact that this is a daypack,
> not a more advanced technical pack. I include them for reference and
> completeness, not to deter others from buying this pack.
>
> I feel ambivalent about the hip belt on this pack. It's made of plain
> nylon webbing, which makes it less comfortable than a padded hip belt
> would be. However, I don't really notice the issue unless I'm carrying
> a lot of weight. A benefit of the simple strap is that it allows
> people who don't like hip belts to cinch it out of the way. When I was
> younger, I hated hip belts, and I did precisely that. One small
> complaint is that the plastic hip belt buckle fractured years ago. It
> still functions, which is why I haven't replaced it, but it would be
> nice if it hadn't broken.
>
> A few other things might affect the choice of this pack. The pack's
> back panel, although padded, is not rigid. This makes it difficult to
> transfer much weight from my shoulders to my hips, which can be
> uncomfortable with heavier weights. The back's design is quite simple,
> without any of the air channels or mesh contraptions often found on
> newer packs. This can sometimes lead to a sweaty back after a long
> hike. The lack of compression straps also means that loads can
> sometimes shift if the pack isn't full.
>
> I think the brightness of the Scotchlite strip is overstated in the
> pack's advertising. While it is certainly reflective, it hardly sets
> the night ablaze. It's a nice safety feature for the bookbag use, though.
>
> The pack expands away from the wearer like a bellows, which may pose a
> problem for those who carry loads that are both bulky and heavy. When
> fully loaded, it also means that the wearer's turning radius is quite
> a bit larger than normal, which can be an exciting discovery in tight
> quarters! With careful packing, the balance issues of a heavy and
> bulky load can be mitigated, leaving only the turning issue.
>
> (include photo of fully loaded pack in side view on the wearer)
>
> As I wrote earlier, I include these issues for completeness. In most
> cases when I've run into them, it's been my own fault: I really should
> have been using a larger or more technical pack. That the Deluxe Book
> Pack came through so well in circumstances beyond its original design
> is a testament to its versatility.
>
> The pack is comfortable to carry, easy to load, and extremely durable.
> After ten years of almost daily use, the pack shows very few signs of
> wear: the bottom has a little bit of fuzz from abrasion; there's one
> spot where the fabric has begun to fray from rubbing at a seam, though
> it will be a long time before it wears through; and the webbing on one
> shoulder strap has a bit of fuzz. The haul loop and shoulder straps
> are still firmly attached and in great condition, which surprises me.
> I've had other daypacks whose straps have torn off in the first couple
> of years, and with lighter loads than the ones I carry with the Deluxe
> Book Pack. The pack looks used but not worn, and it looks startlingly
> clean for ten years without a wash.
>
> (possibly include photo of wear points, though this is getting to be a
> lot of photos)
> Summary:
>
> My pack is still going strong after ten years, and it has served hard
> as well as long. L.L. Bean built a heck of a daypack with this. It
> does a very good job of carrying books, and works equally well as a
> hiking daypack or travel bag. The current sale price, $18.95 for the
> Deluxe model, makes it seem a bit like getting away with murder. I
> would definitely buy this pack again.
>
> pluses:
>
>     * unusually durable construction throughout the pack
>     * organizer panel
>     * good water resistance
>     * easy to pack effectively, with good pocket sizes
>     * comfortably padded back
>     * keeps a clean appearance even after use
>
> minuses:
>
>     * slash pocket isn't very useful with a full load
>     * zippers can leak in heavy rain (fixed in current retail model)
>     * hip belt is unpadded and pack has no frame
>     * arrangement of pockets can make the pack quite bulky
>

Hi Sheila,

Thanks for the comment! As a 20th-grader, I thought it worth getting
back to our collective roots. Since I've only recently been employed
to the point where I could afford to buy new gear, most of the other
gear about which I could write ORs has been off the market for a long
time. I also figured that it might be a useful review, seeing as it's
seen a lot more use (in terms of days carried--many thousands, surely)
than any of my other gear.

Mine's carried my practice chanters and Scottish flute around several
countries, too... not to mention a few rocks as well! Ooh, I forgot
that I'd taken it to France in high school. I'll stick that in the
review later. I'm glad it made you laugh, and even happier that it was
the content and not the quality of the writing that did it.

Cheers,
Hollis

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

Thanks for your Owner's Review.  It has been added to the Owner
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To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
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If you are new to BackpackGearTest.org, welcome to the community!
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You may receive edits or comments from other members of the group.
These edits and comments, while not official, should be considered
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Additionally, it is important for you to monitor the Yahoo Groups
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If you'd like to keep track of the progress of your OR, the entire
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If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask via
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Regards
Jamie DeBenedetto
Edit Administration Manager

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

Thanks for your Owner's Review.  It has been added to the Owner
Review Queue and will be picked up by an Edit Moderator soon.  Do
not worry if nothing happens with it for several days.  All our
Editors are volunteers and your report will be subject to an
official edit within fourteen days. If you have not had a response
from an Edit Moderator via the Yahoo Groups list within this
timeframe, please let me know directly at jdeben@....

To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
that you post only ONE Owner Review for edit at a time. Our
experience is that it is more efficient for both the Editors and
yourself, if you post your first review, have it edited, approved
and uploaded before you post your second and subsequent reviews.
This way we can work with you on addressing any standard BGT policy
edits which you can incorporate into your second and subsequent
reviews before submission.

If you are new to BackpackGearTest.org, welcome to the community!
The Editors will work with you, within their own time constraints,
to get your first two Owner Reviews approved and upload in a timely
manner.  Once these first two Owner Reviews have been approved and
you have submitted your Tester Agreement you will be eligible to
start applying for Tests. If you'd like more assistance or guidance
with the process you can request a mentor by sending an email to
Jennifer P, the mentor coordinator, at (jennifer.pope@...).

You may receive edits or comments from other members of the group.
These edits and comments, while not official, should be considered
carefully, and if you find them substantial, revise and re-post your
review. Incorporating member edits and re-submitting to the list
will usually result in a better review, as well as making things
easier for the official Editor. Please put REVISED in the subject
line of your re-submitted review, if you take this route or make any
changes to your review BEFORE the review has been taken by an Edit
Moderator.

Additionally, it is important for you to monitor the Yahoo Groups
list to keep track of the progress of your Owner Review.  Once an
Editor has taken your OR and made the necessary edits they will post
their comments to the list with EDIT in the subject line.  Once you
have incorporated these edits into your review please use REPOST in
the subject line. When your OR has been approved by the Editor they
will use APPROVED in the subject line.

If you'd like to keep track of the progress of your OR, the entire
Owner Review Queue is posted to this yahoo group list on Fridays.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask via
the list or contact me directly.

Regards
Jamie DeBenedetto
Edit Administration Manager

PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN FULL. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT!

Thanks for your Owner's Review.  It has been added to the Owner
Review Queue and will be picked up by an Edit Moderator soon.  Do
not worry if nothing happens with it for several days.  All our
Editors are volunteers and your report will be subject to an
official edit within fourteen days. If you have not had a response
from an Edit Moderator via the Yahoo Groups list within this
timeframe, please let me know directly at jdeben@....

To assist in this process, if this is your first Owner Review we ask
that you post only ONE Owner Review for edit at a time. Our
experience is that it is more efficient for both the Editors and
yourself, if you post your first review, have it edited, approved
and uploaded before you post your second and subsequent reviews.
This way we can work with you on addressing any standard BGT policy
edits which you can incorporate into your second and subsequent
reviews before submission.

If you are new to BackpackGearTest.org, welcome to the community!
The Editors will work with you, within their own time constraints,
to get your first two Owner Reviews approved and upload in a timely
manner.  Once these first two Owner Reviews have been approved and
you have submitted your Tester Agreement you will be eligible to
start applying for Tests. If you'd like more assistance or guidance
with the process you can request a mentor by sending an email to
Jennifer P, the mentor coordinator, at (jennifer.pope@...).

You may receive edits or comments from other members of the group.
These edits and comments, while not official, should be considered
carefully, and if you find them substantial, revise and re-post your
review. Incorporating member edits and re-submitting to the list
will usually result in a better review, as well as making things
easier for the official Editor. Please put REVISED in the subject
line of your re-submitted review, if you take this route or make any
changes to your review BEFORE the review has been taken by an Edit
Moderator.

Additionally, it is important for you to monitor the Yahoo Groups
list to keep track of the progress of your Owner Review.  Once an
Editor has taken your OR and made the necessary edits they will post
their comments to the list with EDIT in the subject line.  Once you
have incorporated these edits into your review please use REPOST in
the subject line. When your OR has been approved by the Editor they
will use APPROVED in the subject line.

If you'd like to keep track of the progress of your OR, the entire
Owner Review Queue is posted to this yahoo group list on Fridays.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask via
the list or contact me directly.

Regards
Jamie DeBenedetto
Edit Administration Manager

Hi Garrett,

Really nice job on this one. It looks as if you have it in HTML
already. You can go ahead and post it to the Owner Review Test
Folder, and let me know when it is there. In the mean time here are
the edits so far.

Ray


***Height: 5'10" (1.78 m)

EDIT: need a space between your numbers (5' 10")


***Backpacking Background:

EDIT: can you try to tighten this up to 100 words or less please.

***Southbound on the Appalachian Trail

EDIT: southbound (no cap)

*Product Information <href>


***Manufacturer: Montbell

Edit: according to the site it is MontBell America, Inc.


***Weight after approximately 120 uses: 1 lb 3.8 oz (561 g)

Edit: this is not really a product spec. The listed and actual are
helpful to people reading the review. The weight of it a year later
could go in your observations if you think it important.


***Stuff size: 4.8" x 9.5" (12.2 cm x 24.1 cm)

EDIT: What size is it actually stuffed?


***I have used this sleeping bag during four months hiking on the

EDIT: during four months "of" hiking, or drop "during"




***One feature unique to Montbell sleeping bags is the use of
horizontal elastic stitching creating a flexible mummy bag that is
able to stretch around individual body types.

EDIT: can you reword this to not say that they are unique? Sierra
Designs had the Flex series in the early 2000's


***I made one critical mistake by covering my sleeping bag with a
tarp

Comment: been there, done that. Wet foot-box anyone?


***Using the same digital scale before and after the 120 uses, the SS
#5 lost one
tenth of an ounce (3 g), and I speculate this loss in weight to be
down fill loss.

Comment: after 120 uses and the fact that you say the bag smells of
sweat, I would think that the bag would be retaining body oils which
would add to offset weight loss.

I would like to write a review of my Kelty Vortex 2 tent for the review call. I
think that they
have been discontinued since I bought it in 2001, but I don't know how long they
have been
out of production. Perhaps someone else knows...? Please let me know if this
would be an
appropriate OR to write.

Thank you,

Sheila Morrissey

Yes.
-Rae


--- In BackpackGearTest@yahoogroups.com, "chcoa" <jdeben@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Rae,
>
> Is this a revised version of your original posting sent here Nov 24th?
>
>
> --- In BackpackGearTest@yahoogroups.com, "raefrog47" <raefrog@>
> wrote:
> >
> > Name: Rae Goodman
> > Age: 24
> > Gender: Female
> > Height: 5' 2" (157 cm)
> > Weight: 155 lbs  (71 kg)
> > Email: raefrog at hotmail dot com
> > Location: San Francisco
>

At 04:13 PM 4/01/2007, you wrote:
>Yes.
>-Rae

Dear Rae

Can you please in future, when re-submitting an Owner Review please
put  REVISED in the subject line of your re-submitted review, if you
take this route or make any changes to your review BEFORE the review
has been taken by an Edit Moderator and REPOST if you are reposting
an edited copy of your Owner Review.

This makes it much easier for the Editors and Jamie who has to manage
the process.

Thanks
Andrew Priest
Senior Edit Moderator

At 04:22 AM 4/01/2007, you wrote:
>I would like to write a review of my Kelty Vortex 2 tent for the
>review call. I think that they
>have been discontinued since I bought it in 2001, but I don't know
>how long they have been
>out of production. Perhaps someone else knows...? Please let me know
>if this would be an
>appropriate OR to write.

Dear Sheila

If a piece of gear has been out of production for two years or more
the answer is no.

If you do a Froogle search does it still come up?

Andrew, Sir

Hello Joel,

I started to edit your submission, but there are some substantial
problems with the review. Big chunks of information, including a
description of the physical appearance and functionality of the Miox,
as well as the field conditions under which you have used it, are
lacking. Conversions are few and far between. We do have a certain
form that we expect to see in reviews--for this see the information at

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/lesson.php?lesson=BecomeTester&page=1

For a unit that's still quite novel, a good physical description is
needed. There are various other defects to the review, in addition.

I would like to suggest that you seek assistance from the BGT Mentor
Program before proceeding further, and resubmit this review after
working on it with a mentor. Please contact Jennifer Pope at

jennifer.pope@...

for mentor assistance. I hope this is not too discouraging, but in its
present form this OR is too far from the mark for simple editing to
correct.

Best wishes,


Ted

BGT OR Editor