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TEHCC Rental
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HT-18 is a lightweight (2 lb, 4 oz) minimalist shelter. The bivy will fit you (if less than six feet tall), your sleeping bag, and a pad…and not much more. It is intended to keep you out of the rain and away from bugs. Don't try this one if you're claustrophobic, since with the fly attached, it will feel like a cocoon. The door zips down from the top of the front and all along one side, thus is easy to get into and arrange your sleeping gear. You can't sit up when closed, but you can if it is unzipped. The tent is rapidly set up. The head and foot poles slide into sleeves, then into grommets. The four corners and two ends are staked out to hold it in place. The fly hooks at three places, and then buckles on an end for tensioning. Make sure the fly is fully spread out over the bivy netting for wet weather protection. Otherwise, leave it off for more air flow. Once done, the whole tent packs down to the size of a family size loaf of bread (roughly 20” long by 6” diameter). The new tent poles stick out of the bag slightly.
The original fiberglass poles, which had broken in multiple places, have now been replaced with sturdy aluminum on snap elastic. After receiving two sets from Slumberjack that were too long, a hacksaw was used cut them down to the lengths of the prior poles. The breaking fiberglass poles had kept this tent option out of circulation for awhile, but it's now ready for use. Caution - a problem with solo tents is condensation. The bivy is essentially a coated nylon bag with some mesh vents. Keep the fly tensioned above the netting to allow good air flow. Condensation can happen with any tent that is not allowed to breathe. |
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