Eureka! Gossamer

For the price the gossamer is a wonderful hot-weather bivy if regarded as a bug shelter with provisions for occasional bad weather, but it is a poor choice if one expects a lot of cold or wet weather.

Because of the small volume there's a lot of condensation on the inside of the fly, and because the lightweight fabric is so thin the tent tends to sag a lot through the night. In foul weather you have to position about a dozen stakes very, very carefully and tension everything just right or the fly will rub against the mesh roof and drop its load of condensation on you.

12 stakes is an absurd number for a one-man bivy and it can be difficult to get that many placed just-so in rocky terrain. In milder weather you can get by with just 4 stakes provided you leave the fly off.

All these stakes add so significantly to the weight that for very little additional weight (as little as 4 ounces) you can get a larger, roomier solo tent that will be easier to set up and will provide better protection from the weather.

Or just get a true bivy sack, which will weigh a pound less but won't offer much less in the comfort department.

I am a 17-year-old boy who live in Louisiana and backpacks solo as often as he can. This is the second tent that I have owned and I love it.

At first the setup is very difficult but with a little practice one can get used to it. Also you have to learn how to stake everything out so the fly isn't touching the mesh or else it will get you and your stuff wet. Although the tent is small. There is just enough room for you and your stuff. On my fist trip I was stuck in it for 20 hours because of HEAVY rain and it was a little cramped but it didn't leak!

So overall I love this tent and would recommend it to the solo backpacker. If you have any questions or would be interested in hiking with me e-mail me at: carkidd22@yahoo.com

I love this tent! It's like sleeping without a tent and without bugs! The entire tent is no-seeum netting with an attached rainfly that rolls back when not in use. You can see stars, feel the breeze and catch a glimpse of whatever other forest dwellers pass by your tent during the night (which I think is great!).

This tent does have its limitations - only good for places where rain is unlikely (pretty claustrophobic with the rainfly on), only good for a smaller person, no room for gear inside and the biggest flaw in my opinion is that you can't sit up in it.

This tent is very lightweight and fun to use - I highly recommend it for short outings in good weather.

dear folks, this tent is very hard to live in the rain. All it needs is a roof vent in the peak sewn in on a home sewing machine or with needle and thread. Otherwise an excellent choice for paddling qajaq all around will fit on tight tent sites that other tents will not fit on. Also the colors grey and green mean much stealth camping capabilities in tight and inconvenient situations. It is impossible to sit up this is true. sincerely jeffwilde