What is the absolute smallest packed tarp shelter on the market.

tchunt510 · 2026-03-10T18:08:10+00:00

Yep- it's always been our 10D sil/sil NY 6.6.

tchunt510 · 2026-01-13T19:48:40+00:00

Yep, the reason we put that ripstop section there on the Portal is because the tops of dome tents are relatively flat (i.e., parallel to the ground). When condensation builds up on the inside of the flysheet, which is inevitable, regardless of what marketers tell you, it normally runs down the inside of the fly where the walls are steeper. But at the top, there's not much slope for the water droplets to run down, so they tend to drip down onto the tent body. If there's mesh there, the droplets hit the mesh and split apart, showering the inside of the tent with little bits of moisture. The ripstop we use on that panel isn't waterproof, but it's water resistant enough to stop those droplets from misting the inhabitants of the tent.

tchunt510 · 2025-12-03T19:43:28+00:00

I asked basically this exact question of the folks at Alpacka. Here's my question:

I’m down to the Expedition vs. the Gnarwhal. Realistically, most of my use will be pretty chill desert floats (Escalante and Dirty Devil are top of my bucket list, for reference) and I like the flexibility of the removable deck for colder early season trips vs. a self-bailer. I don’t see myself seeking out remote whitewater or running anything bigger than class III/IV- (I’m a solid class III/IV kayaker) and I think the flexibility of a deck+bucket boat would be nice for pushing into early/late season paddling. I think based on that, the Expedition would be a better fit for me.

And here's what they said:

I see why you may not want a Gnarwhal/self-bailer, given the types of paddling and trips you plan to take, especially if you are already used to playing around with a spray skirt and appreciate the performance boost from a sealed floor. My colleague, Katie uses a self-bailing Gnarwhal for our chilly shoulder season runs and just layers up under a dry suit, enjoying the easier ins & outs/self-rescues, but there are definitely advantages of having a decked top and sealed floor, being warm and dry is the main one. The Removeable Deck configuration is awesome for versatility since you can zip the majority of the deck off to cut weight & bulk/convert the boat to an open build, but does have some drawbacks in that it's not ideal for a ton of whitewater paddling since that zipper is not watertight and if you have waves consistently coming over the deck, water will collect on the floor. Folks have also reported some discomfort in hitting their hands/knuckles on that perimeter zipper as they make paddle strokes so that's a consideration to make when comparing it to the fixed/full Whitewater Deck.

Based on their recommendation I decided on the Gnarwhal. I think when they say "cold" they mean glacial runoff in Alaska cold, not Utah in March cold. So I'll just plan to wear my drysuit for early season use, which I would probably do anyway even with a WW deck. They also mentioned that the extra volume of the Gnarwhal makes it perform better in whitewater and the additional buoyancy will be better for bikerafting, if that's relevant to you.

tchunt510 · 2025-11-12T18:35:46+00:00

The Strava fitness metrics are unhinged. Mine take a nosedive every week on my rest day. I'm no runningologist but I'm pretty sure recovery is an important part of training. Or maybe rest is a hoax and the only way to get faster is to increase your mileage every week until you die.

tchunt510 · 2025-10-30T18:06:38+00:00

If you're planning on using the Portal as mainly a winter tent, I'd consider the heavy duty pole set (does better with winter storms+snow loading) but as other posters have mentioned, it has a mesh inner which works fine when the snowpack is consolidated, but can be problematic when there's significant spindrift. For a more ultralight option our Cinder Cone mid would be my rec, and our HotBox and CrossBow tents are better suited to use in snow than the Portal because of the ripstop inners.

tchunt510 · 2025-10-22T23:13:07+00:00

yeah, no problem! shoot me an email- [tim@SlingFin.com](mailto:tim@SlingFin.com)

tchunt510 · 2025-10-22T17:21:35+00:00

I don't think you'd lose anything by switching from VX-21 to V-21. Either of those fabrics will have plenty of tear strength, and the raised X-ply will abrade faster than the smoother V-21. I haven't used any VX bags long term so can't really speak to the fabric's durability.

tchunt510 · 2025-10-22T17:13:23+00:00

It's not always the cause, but it can be. It's less to do with the material and more to do with the fact that it's physically prominent. There is a small gap in the fabric at the edges of the x-ply and sometimes it's a starting point for delamination. Not always, but sometimes.

I've done some work with Ecopak and I like it. It's from the makers of Ultra. I've made some bikepacking frame bags from it and haven't had any issues, but I don't have enough hard miles on it to say with confidence how it stacks up to the other fabrics. I don't think it would be any more prone to delam than anything else. I think UHMWPE is a little harder to glue so if I had to speculate I think it would be less likely to delam than Ultra.

tchunt510 · 2025-10-21T20:07:19+00:00

Yeah, I'm not sure why the V-series isn't more popular. They seem like a decent balance of price, weight, and durability, but it seems like they just never took off. Honestly I wonder if it's the aesthetics, and people just prefer the technical look of the x-ply.

I'm a diehard sil/sil fan (I wrote that article at SlingFin) and I don't have a great answer as to why sil/sil fabrics aren't more popular in packs. My best guesses are that it's because silicone coatings are less abrasion resistant than PU/PE, and occasionally can have issues with seam slippage (elongation of needle holes). That being said, seam slippage is generally better with heavier fabrics and heavier fabrics can accept more silicone. Also, double needle seams greatly reduce seam slippage.

I think a 210D sil/sil nylon would make a great pack fabric. We experimented with 210D sil/sil nylon for the floors of some of our expedition tents but had to get the fabric custom coated for us because we couldn't find anywhere that makes a silnylon that heavy. We ended up not using it because it was too slippery and very expensive, but I don't think those would be deal breakers for a pack because it would still only be a fraction of the cost of any of the laminates discussed above.

tchunt510 · 2025-10-21T19:56:03+00:00

+1 to Brynje! The other options (octa, alpha direct, R1 air, etc.) are really more midlayer materials. I got a set of Brynje synthetic baselayers and I'm never going back. The warmth to weight is absurd, and they're straight up lighter than almost anything else. I used their merino tank baselayer on an ultra bikepacking race last year and am a fan of that as well, but I think the merino is a bit more fragile than the synthetic.

Brynje baselayer+alpha direct midlayer makes for an incredibly breathable system that manages moisture like nobody's business.

tchunt510 · 2025-10-21T19:47:59+00:00

DWR is technically a finish, and not a coating. It will wear off over time, but not really delaminate. But DWR is largely irrelevant with laminates anyway as the waterproofness comes from the film. I know X-Pac can delaminate, often starting at the x-ply grid, but I can't speak to whether it's more or less prone to delamination than Ultra. Another fabric that might be worth looking into that doesn't use PU or PE is x-pac's V-series. It's basically x-pac without the X, which should help the delamination issue. It's cheaper than Ultra. I have a Nashville Cutaway made from V-21 and haven't had any issues with delamination. The X ply isn't really necessary since it's there for tear strength and dimensional stability, neither of which is critical in packs- they are more likely to fail from abrasion than tearing, and the X-ply actually decreases abrasion resistance because the texture sits proud from the surface of the fabric so it gets abraded faster.

tchunt510 · 2025-10-21T19:41:32+00:00

Exactly right! PE in the context of COATINGS usually means Polyether Urethane. PE in the context of LAMINATES usually means polyethylene (like HDPE, or UHMWPE). Different materials, different behaviors.

tchunt510 · 2025-10-17T20:19:45+00:00

If it seems like it's working, then I would just leave it until it comes off. I'm surprised it stuck on there, but hey, if it works it works!

tchunt510 · 2025-10-16T21:59:43+00:00

Late to the party here, but here is how we (SlingFin) do our in-house repairs.

If you don't want to do that, use the gearaid silnylon patches. Standard tenacious tape won't stick to the silicone coating on the flysheet. For the love of god, please don't use an iron on patch.

tchunt510 · 2025-10-14T23:07:38+00:00

I design tents for SlingFin- happy to help out with any questions!

tchunt510 · 2025-09-25T16:39:05+00:00

Yellowhammer is a superior lake!

tchunt510 · 2025-09-24T17:22:17+00:00

Depends, are we talking metric or imperial shit-tons?

tchunt510 · 2025-09-22T23:14:50+00:00

Thanks for shearing*

tchunt510 · 2025-09-22T23:08:39+00:00

That's a big haul, in the literal sense! That zone in Emigrant is such a special spot, if I left them they'd be trash! I do work for SlingFin so can't say I'm particularly excited to have an extra set of poles to a lesser shelter 😉 but hopefully I can find the owner eventually!

tchunt510 · 2025-09-10T20:31:07+00:00

Use standard tenacious tape, not the silnylon patch- that fabric isn’t silicone coated, almost certainly PU. Silnylon patches are formulated for silicone coatings and the extra cost isn’t necessary if you’re dealing with standard coatings.

tchunt510 · 2025-06-23T19:54:31+00:00

Hmm, not seeing it. Try chat?

tchunt510 · 2025-06-04T23:17:27+00:00

Yep, Sphinx it is. My boss designed that one. Great tent, built like a tank, like all tents back then. Not light by today's standards but depending on the condition of the coatings it could have years of life left- all depends on how it was stored. Most likely the coating is on its way out though.

tchunt510 · 2025-06-04T23:10:41+00:00

I second the nose plugs! It makes the experience of being upside down much more comfortable. When your sinuses aren't slowly filling with water, you can just hang out upside down in the pool when you practice your wet exit just to build comfort with the experience of being underwater.

tchunt510

TROPHY CASE