DEC 93


A TARP FOR TENT LOVERS

Plus a wind-fighting jacket and a small pack that handles big loads 


Moss Heptawing Tarp/Tent

The clouds looked ugly, billowing into thundertowers with low undersides the color of bad bruises. In 15 minutes or less I was going to get thrashed in true North-Slope-Alaska fashion. My campsite had been selected for scenery, not shelter, of course, and the aesthetic but wide-open gravel bar on the Colville River was rapidly turning into a wind tunnel.

My four-season tent was pitched taut and would shelter me just fine, but there was no room for my two months' worth of equipment and supplies. This was a job for the Moss Heptawing tarp, one of Backpacker's "Editors' Choice '93" selections (see April 93 issue).

I dug out the 18- by 4-inch package and dumped the contents unceremoniously onto the gravel bar. What emerged was a sculpted tarp with seven guy-line attachment points, roughly the shape of a road-killed starfish with an extra pair of arms. This unique heptoid shape was suspended by two straight, unusually thick (.490-inch) Easton aluminum poles.

I snugged the two rear tie-outs over the vestibule of my dome tent, set the two upright poles to create an aesthetic, front-porch effect, and anchored the guy lines to the heaviest rocks I could find, which weren't very heavy. By the time I started throwing gear under the Heptawing, fat drops were smacking the back of my head. I expected to spend the night listening to percussive tarp-flap and reanchoring guy lines.

Even though the rain poured buckets for several hours and the wind gusted at a good 30 mph, the Heptawing's swooping catenary-cut ridgeline rode out the blow with scarcely a wrinkle. And since the low, arched edges scooped little wind, the guy-out rocks stayed where I'd put them. After that initial shakedown, I used the Heptawing frequently for both shade and equipment shelter.

When I left the summer tundra and returned to my hot but thankfully bugless Southwest desert home turf, the Heptawing effortlessly served as a featherweight floorless tent. At 2 lbs. 12 oz. complete with guy lines, tensioners, and seven stout pegs, it offers solid shelter roughly 9 feet long by 5 or 6 feet wide, depending on how steeply you pitch the roof. That is fine for two in a pinch, but it means the packs have to stay more or less outside.

My only grumbles involve the poles. They're well-made and durable, all right, but a bit short. One is 4 feet 10 inches and the other only 3 feet 8 inches; tall enough for stand-alone tent use, but sufficiently short to turn the base-camp-porch concept into a limbo contest.

Construction is top drawer: 1.9-oz. ripstop nylon coated with thick urethane. The stuffsack is even realistically sized for packing the whole mess away wet.

If you're into tarp tents, the Heptawing is an excellent answer to flap-free living. With its innovative pattern, solid poles, and quality construction, it overshadows most other tarps on the market.

---Steve Howe

The Moss Heptawing tarp/tent,$158. Contact: Moss, Inc., P.O. Box 309, Mt. Battie St., Camden, ME 04843; (207) 236-8368. 


Sierra Designs Gust Buster Jacket

Last winter, icy 40-mph winds ripped through my normally balmy eastern Oregon hometown, dumping mountains of snow and freezing pipes solid. While my neighbors headed for cover and locked their doors, I went out for long walks in the wild weather.

The blustery, bone-chilling winds were a great initial trial for my new Sierra Designs Gust Buster windproof fleece jacket. The Gust Buster typifies a number of new garments made from Polartec 1000 windproof fleece, which sandwiches a windproof/breathable laminate between two layers of polyester fleece.

Windproof fleece has become, literally and figuratively, one of the hot new fabrics on the outdoor scene. Its backers tout it as an all-purpose outerwear material that combines the comfort of fleece with the windproofness of a shell.

Later in the winter, I wore the Gust Buster backcountry skiing in the Cascades and cycling along Oregon's wind-ripped coastline. The windproof fleece did bust the gusts most of the time, but beyond about 35 mph (enough velocity to make walking difficult), wind managed to sneak through. Even so, the Gust Buster is an excellent, multifunctional piece of outerwear. "Wind-resistant" would be a more accurate name for the material. And you lose the sense of fleece as a cozy layering piece because the laminate makes Polartec 1000 feel a little "boardy" and less packable.

Malden Mills, maker of the Polartec 1000 fabric, says tests showed no wind coming through the fabric up to 25 mph. The company says gusts stronger than that don't go through the fabric itself but rather through chinks in the garment, such as zippers or the neck opening. Given the Gust Buster front zipper's ample draft flap and overflap, these statements leave me wondering if there needs to be a uniform definition of just what constitutes "windproof."

Although the Gust Buster kept me warm when I walked around town, I found it sometimes too toasty for more high-energy activities. But over a single light underlayer it worked great for cross-country skiing, and the pit zips helped ventilation quite a bit. The fabric exhibited impressive water-repellency by shedding drizzle and wet snow even after several trips through the washing machine.

Overall, I'd say that Polartec 1000 fleece in general, and the Gust Buster in particular, perform well. The material is warm and reasonably wind-resistant, and the free-moving, toasty Gust Buster makes a welcome addition to my clothing lineup. But when I head for serious backcountry, I'll still be taking my regular fully weatherproof shell.

---John Knowlton

The Gust Buster, about $180. Comes in unisex sizes XS to XL. Contact: Sierra Designs, 2039 Fourth St., Berkeley, CA 94710; (510) 843-0923.


Lowe Contour Mountain 40 pack

The Mountain 40 is a multifeatured technical daypack that was obviously conceived by people who are out there using and abusing gear. What's more, its streamlined pear shape represents the most significant departure in small-pack design I've seen of late.
At first glance, the Mountain 40 doesn't look much different from sturdy panel-loaders like the Gregory Day-and-A-Half and its legions of copycats. 

Carrying the Lowe didn't feel all that different, either---at first. Then I found myself loping through snowy woods to keep pace with my long-legged friend Jerry, who was raring to show me some obscure ice climb. Instead of bouncing, the Lowe clung to me, nestling the bulk of its volume into the small of my back. The sloping bottom (the pack's, not mine) kept the load aimed tight into this lumbar curve. The artfully angled shoulder straps and web waistbelt wrapped smoothly around my torso, and the back panel's hinge helped it maintain steady contact all along my backside. In short, the pack stayed put while we floundered and post-holed through the drifts. 

As a bonus, this low-profile Lowe squeezed neatly through tight spots. It slid easily under blowdowns bent low by wet snow. I could lean way off to the side without the pack swinging me off balance. It didn't even get hung up inside the dripping, ice-choked chimney Jerry had dragged me out to climb.

Since that initial trial last winter, I've worn the Mountain 40 almost daily. It suits all sorts of light hauling jobs, from toting sweaters and lunch on dayhikes to bringing home groceries from the corner store.

But befitting its name, the Mountain 40 really shines in alpine pursuits. A broad flap on the back cinches tight over an avalanche shovel or a rope or raingear, yet opens in a flash with two side-release buckles. Crampons and ice axes attach outside the flap and don't interfere with what's underneath. Deep wand pockets at the sides cradle water bottles, holster ice axes, or hold a folded umbrella.

Thanks to its wedgy side profile and bountiful strappage, the Mountain 40 carries skis better than any other small pack I've tried. The bindings nest securely between side compressor straps, and the tails slip through angled slots in the wand pockets. This keeps ski tips together for easier bushwhacking and the tails tilted out so they won't gore the back of your legs while you're hiking down from spring snowfields.

The Mountain 40 also boasts a rarity among panel-loading packs: a useful top pocket big enough for a minimal first-aid kit, sunscreen, bug juice, a few energy bars, wallet, and headlamp. The pack's bottom will hold a light sleeping bag but leaves little room to spare.

Gripes? I'm not convinced that the puny #7 main access zipper will last as long as the rest of this well-built pack. To be fair, though, the zip's storm flap has protected it so far and I haven't been able to yank the sliders off while hurriedly overstuffing the bag. At times, the Mountain 40 seems too big for its own good; it can swallow 2,400 cubic inches, and if most of that is heavy-metal climbing gear, the simple suspension will sorely tax your shoulders. 

If you're not in the habit of lugging telemark skis or avalanche shovels or double ropes or triple ice tools, consider the Mountain 40's trimmed-down cousin. The Contour Basic 25 is essentially the same pear-shaped sack (though at 1,500 cubic inches, it's significantly smaller) stripped of the top pocket, side slots, and shovel flap. Built of feathery packcloth, the Basic 25 weighs less than a pound---ideal for longer trips as a combination daypack/sleeping-bag sack.

---Dave Getchell

The Contour Mountain 40, $82.50; the Contour Basic 25, $22.50. Contact: Lowe Alpine Systems, P.O. Box 1449, Broomfield, CO 80038; (303) 465-3706..


GEAR CORNER

-- Save Your Hide is the apt name of a new leather-dressing company located in Vermont. Its new Boot Guard waterproofer relies on good old lanolin and beeswax, instead of animal byproducts. The stuff works as good as it smells (sweet) and even softens chapped hands while you're applying it. Price: 2 oz., $3.49; 5.5 oz., $5.95. Contact: (800) 327-7537. Reader service #111.

-- Cyclists know Overland Equipment as makers of tough panniers, but it's time its neatly detailed BrokeOff top-loader pack gets equal attention from hikers. It's sized for weekend adventures (3,054 cu. in.) with a resilient Evazote foam back, center framestay, and breezy mesh-covered back panel. After carrying a BrokeOff, a Backpacker  field editor labeled it one of the best $155 rucksacks available. Contact: (916) 894-5605.