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Why did'n you sleep in a tent?

Great review - you're good at this! I'm on the lookout for interesting ideas for my next DIY shelter project, and this design caught my eye. There's a lot to admire - light, packable, small footprint, quite stealthy, but acceptably livable for a hike-and-sleep project. I particularly like the pole arrangement - very clever! But as you say, condensation is the #1 problem with a small single skin shelter. My immediate thoughts are it should have larger vents and a mirror door and vestibule on the other side. This would add a touch to the weight and cost, and would trade off vestibule space for internal space. But crucially, it would allow a through-draft in all but the worst weather. And in my many decades of wild camping, I've come to believe that through-draft is the single most important factor for condensation control. It would also allow for the pole to be duplicated on the other side in an inverted V, which would add a LOT to the stability in weather. I'd also be adding many more guying points to the seams, mid-panels and apex. There's nothing lost in good weather, but venturing out into exposed and windy terrain they give you the option to really lock things down. Finally, there are ways of tensioning a single skin inner which they don't seem to have incorporated. Not a big deal, but it's easy to do so why not? Ash - you've covered 1500 miles in the beastie - based on all that experience, what would you suggest for improving the design?

Fantastic video Ash! Thanks for sharing.

Such a great review, thank you. I may get one.

Hello again, quick question ref the PCT. Did you start out your hike with micro-spikes and ice axe, or did you pick those up further along the trail. Thanks in advnace. Tony / Smooth

Personally, the loss of ice axe loops is the biggest drawback I see. I used them on my Atmos to secure both trekking poles and an ice axe. Not much, but enough. The bottom straps, that is how I already use the straps on my Atmos and I don't use the front shoulder loops. I wouldn't say dealbreaker territory though. The others changes, not so much. I wonder if it is truly lighter to use a ladder system on the Exos instead of a sliding pole system on my Atmos. Because that is one of the sticking points for me about these packs even though I likely know I'd never touch it after setting it the first time. I'm seeing people say that the overall weight difference is not worth the loss in padding and other stuff but I'm personally excited at the prospect of a sub 2lb pack with the trampoline back without stripping virtually everything else (only other pack on the market is the arc haul w/the dealbreaker of no hip belt pockets).

I think the ability to pitch the tent in the rain without it getting wet must be essential to having a dry comfortable sleep

Boom!! Congrats on the 2025 AT hike attempt. I did the AT in 2021 - amazing adventure for sure. Different from the PCT from what I can see ....... but I'm just now gearing up for the PCT, I enter the permit lottery tomorrow afternoon, not optimal in terms of timing, but we'll see. Good luck witht the AT prep - happy to help out if I can answer questions etc. Smooth (aka Tony)

Great video, thanks for sharing your information. I'm entering the PCT permit lottery tomorrow afternoon ....... we'll see. I hiked the AT. A lot of the info you shared was very consistent with my AT hike in terms of staying healthy, eating right, getting calories on board, taking zeros etc etc. Very well done and keep on hammering out there. Smooth (aka Tony)

I've been looking at the same 2 bags and noticed on the Osprey website that the load limits are different for metric and imperial for the pro. 30lbs isn't 18kg. Maybe thats why the weight feels better in the 58.

I don't have even half as many nights on mine (maybe 30 or 40?) but I also love it (same colour too, and I agree: olive is best 😂) I have one of the first ones that doesn't have the cords that pull the bathtub out at the 4 corners, and I keep thinking of adding them myself. The baggy floor gets better if pitched higher. I'm 6'2" and slightly broad, and I'd say I was at the limit I'd recommend to someone who's not used to one man tents if they're my height. Condensation, technically the only thing an inner tent does for condensation really is keep it away from you. It still happens if it can happen, only with a double wall you have to drop the inner (if you can) to wipe it down. And yeah, door: biggest vent you can get. Mines open if it ain't raining. Re pitching, I just set the 4 corner peg outs to how high I want the fly and then bung the pole in (if there's no wind and I want ventilation, it goes higher. If it's very windy, it goes lower). Keep thinking of getting the duo, but there's a strict one-in, one-out policy re tents in the house now.

Thanks for uploading your trip! Can I ask what time of year this was? Thinking about doing it early November

Great tips

Thanks for your video !

Pitching instructions could not be worse. You need to identify the corners, guys and whatnot on a pitched tent and use the identifiers as you demo the pitch.

Thanks for the review. I have the Liteway pyraom duo with separate half inner from then. With 10 stakes it still weights under 1kg which is amazing. Quite similar setup but more room and you get separate innner. I haven't had too bad condensation with that either.

Looks like a great little tent! It reminds me a lot of my 6 Moon Designs Lunar Solo. It would be great to see them both side by side and have the features compared one day. Funny enough in my Lunar Solo I didn't have any condensation issues while backpacking the West Highland Way and Great Glen Way which I thought would be my biggest issue.

I would think a bit of looseness to the floor would make it less likely to be punctured.

Such a lovely review, this tent looks really nice! Definitely worth a checking out!

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Great video i plan to do this as a first timer in the next few weeks

Good effort. Hiking with weight is a real levelling! It destroys most people. And in tough terrain and hills, and you're talking a real mental challenge. Good effort, lassies. See you in the hills, maybe 😊

Dear Ash O'Brien, I am currently cycling across europe to turkey and this video was a huge inspiration to me in my attempts to document it for my small audience. I have been shooting footage and editing it on Kinemaster just as you describe and its been so rewarding to get decent results out in the field using just my phone. Many thanks for this video and for making the effort to put it out there.

I use this little adjustment to transfer load from shoulders to hips for framed backpacks ... always worked for me. First, I raise the hip belt by 1cm and tighten. Then I loosen each shoulder strap by 1-2cm. It transfers the weight from shoulders to hips. Try and see if it works for you. 🙏

I went along this route on my trip this summer from Stockholm to Travemunde (via Göteborg and Copenhagen). You can string the swedish bike paths pretty well, Malarsleden, Vänernleden and Kattegattleden, with only a couple transitions that you have to path for yourself. Thanks for the video! It was fun to relive some of the trip.

Nice review Ash. In the UK and Ireland I have to say I never really saw the point of free-standing tents. However.. after experiencing more 'rocky' terrain in Spain and Majorca I can 100% see the attraction in being able to move a tent around. Fighting with rocky soil for 30min to get a trekking pole tent pitched is not much fun.

Awesome to see the Red Arrows❤😂 And the tent review wasn’t bad either 😉 I love my Hubba too and with budget and what I’m used to this one will be coming with me on the PCT and I’ll just have to save weight elsewhere or suck it up 🙂 As you said the option to sleep under the stars without being outside is just amazing, although rarely experienced in Dartmoor 🙄 Great review Ash. 👍

A great review Ash. Thanks.

Great video. Thanks!

Thanks for great review. I've had MSR NX 1 for around 10yrs and love it. Has stood up in wind, storms and foul weather in Tasmania.Love the nylon roof on the inner and high bathtub floor, so no splashback when raining. Always choose it for gnarly weather. Going lighter weight now in good weather though.

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thanks mate😁

Look forward to your tent reviews and cheery presentation.

Great to see you back on the videos, Ash. Look forward to the new content as I also love a good gear review 😊 Thanks again for posting here your PCT resupply xls, I’ve been using it to plan mine and it’s been invaluable. ❤

Nice to see you again.

So good to see you’ll be doing some more videos! I thought about you last week when doing some backpacking in the eastern Sierra; memories of following your epic PCT adventure last year! I’m looking forward to your tent reviews. Hopefully you’ll take a look at the Durston X-Mid Pro 1 tent. I’ve really enjoyed mine. So nice to see that your adventures are continuing!

Hi, you may not reply but may I ask at what part of the trail those steps to the hidden sea cave were at. Me and my girlfriend are going to do the whole trail in 2 weeks and we have been watching your videos in preperation 😂

There's a lot of emphasis on base weights but I'm curious about a typical overall weight of a thru hike on any typical day. I'm assembling a kit and I can't break the 29lbs barrier including 3 liters of water, fuel and 3 days of food. Is that unusual for most days you carried or most people you encountered?

thanks guys 😁

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Hi Ash. Really enjoyed watching this series of walks around Menorca. Inspiring and informative. Thank you for sharing your adventure and your personal journey. All the best 👍

Thanks it really heped. I think comfort in wearing is more important than weight.

I think comfort in wearing is more important than weight.

Beautiful. So professionally filmed and edited.

Absolutely beautiful Ash!

Beautiful scenery. Thanks!

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So cool getting to watch someone from Belfast doing something like the PCT, after having watched soooo many videos, following people's amazing journeys. Thank you for sharing yours. It all adds to the inspiration, and knowledge that may have me on the trail someday 🙏 I was actually welling up at the end of all that 🙈

Doing it this month 😮

Looking forward to the AT! Thanks for sharing!