"For several years now, the Golite Trig 2 has been a long distance and thru-hiker's standard tent. It's light, at 3-1/4 pounds and includes a roof, a floor, and insect protection in a comparitively easy to set up package.
This is a pole-less silicone impregnated tent, and it requires you to use both of your trekking poles to get a tight pitch. You can set it up with one in the front and simply guy it out in the rear, but it doesn't provide enough support to keep the bathtub floor raised, if so.
This tent requires at least seven stakes for the basic pitch [four corners, front vestibule, and front and rear guylines], but in order to guy out the side panels, and thus assure optimum ventilation in the rain, add six more stakes to this total. I also found that five additional guy-out points were required, and modified my tent accordingly -- forward vestibule panel near the snap fitting for the zipper [allows you to stake the door partially open in moderate weather for additional ventilation], and on the other side of the zippers on the forward and rear corner fittings [holds the side panels away from the tent body for maximun ventilation along the sides of the tent].
While this system isn't the lightest one on the market, I have found that it strikes the best balance between price [MSRP=$179.00, but these may be found used on Ebay for around $110.00]; package weight; protection from weather; condensation control (with a few strategies and minor modifications); bathtub floor; and insect barriers.
Since this tapers from the front peak at trekking pole height to the rear, and generally to your second trekking pole (external to the tent), you can only sit up near the front door -- and space for your feet becomes rather restricted toward the rear of the tent.
Although this is rated for two people, because of the low rear clearance; restricted foot area; and steeply sloped side walls, I use it as a solo tent and enjoy the additional space to sort my gear and perform planning and other chores. In any case, this is not the tent for two football players to share on a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
The Bathtub floor seams were factory sealed, but all other external seams required a coating of McNett's SilNet [note: Seam Grip will not hold on silicone treated surfaces].
There are three panels or awnings [one on each side and one in the rear]. These may be rolled and toggled up in good weather to provide additional ventilation. The problem comes in the rain. Golite truly needs to add more stakeout points to these awnings [or you can add them yourseld like I did], in order to allow the most ventilation in all but the most violent and wind-driven storms.
These awnings can only be adjusted from the outside, so make your best guess about future weather, or you might find yourseld outside in the rain trying to fool with wet fittings to drop and to stake out the awnings in the down position.
FYI, Golite has chosen not to place a vent at or near the peak of this tent. Nor have they used a double zipper on the vestibule door, which could then be zipped down from the top to provied a measure of low to high circulation. I added an additional zipper pull [requires you to split about 1/2" of one sewn seam at the end of the zipper and then to re-sew it], and this now allows me to prop this high "vent" open with a tent stake or other handy stick -- greatly improving ventilation and air circulation. This zipper has a two-inch cover over it, and so I can leave this field expedient vent open unless the wind is driving the rain directly onto the front of the tent, almost sideways...
I like this system and I have used it on long sections of the Appalachain Trail, where speed of erection and take-down; simplicity of design; durability of materials; and weight are all issues. I have found Golite Customer Service to be one of the most responsive and supportive out there.
POSITIVE ASPECTS:
- Roof; floor; vestibule; and insect barriers all in one unit
- Reasonably priced for a lightweight tent
- Once practiced, set-up is very fast compared to other tents in its class
- Ventilation in fair weather [when all three panels can be clipped open and up] is outstanding
- Ventilation is possible with well developed strategies and minor modifications [additional guylines and guy-out points as well as provision of a peak vent]
- The colors blend well with the woods [Stone and Lignite or Lignite and Night]
NEGATIVE ASPECTS:
- This tent requires practice to set-up in order to vent it well and to deploy the bathtub floor off of ground level
- As currently configured, this is an airy fair-weather tent, but is highly prone to extreme condensation in rainy or cold weather with two occupants who have not made my recommended modifications
- Absolute minimum stakes to set-up is seven, but in order to adequately stake out the side awnings in foul weather, the minimum is 13 (and one additional to prop open your field expedient peak vent).
Do I use it? YES, for long distance solo hiking [I find that it actually compares well weight-wise to a tarp with added insect net and TYVEK ground sheet, and it's much easier to deploy].
Would I recommend it as a two person shelter? Only for couples who don't mind very close quarters and limited foot room.
One additional observation: Because of the sil-nylon material, I have found that in bright sunlight I can limit some of the greenhouse effect in this tent by rigging my mylar emergency blanket over the top as a sun shade. I have one that has press-on nylon repair fabric on all corners, with holes made with a paper punch and guylines affixed and then secured to the four outside corner stakes. Try it -- it works..."
create account login
