onewind Solo Skyshade Tartent

I picked up the OneWind Solo Skyshade Tartent this summer to try something lighter on bushcraft overnighters, for the nights when mosquitoes turn every camp into a test of patience. It is a one-person shelter that pairs a tarp outer with an inner tent of bug netting. Three aluminium poles, reflective guy lines and Y-stakes get it standing in a few minutes.

Material and Build

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The outer is silnylon rated to 3000 mm, the floor is 40D ripstop at 5000 mm. The built-in bug net is a dense polyester mesh with 1600 holes per square inch, fine enough to keep out even the smallest midges. The inside is roomier than I expected for a solo shelter. At 230 by 90 centimetres and around a metre of height I can sit up, change clothes and keep my pack next to me instead of out in the open. Two doors and the rain-protected vents keep the morning condensation down.

Specifications

• Outer: Silnylon, 3000 mm water column

• Floor: 40D ripstop nylon, 5000 mm water column

• Mesh: Polyester, 1600 holes per square inch

• Size: 230 x 90 cm, about 100 cm high

• Poles: 3 aluminium poles, reflective guy lines

A Night Outdoors

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In summer the Tartent earns its place. The bug net closes all the way round, so I lie there without a whine at my ear and without spray on my skin. In good weather I pitch the outer as a full tarp for air and a clear view, with the netting still protecting me underneath.

My main bivy is and stays the Carinthia Observer, tougher built and my first choice when the weather turns. It also costs around five times as much. The Solo Skyshade is the budget alternative for easy summer nights outdoors, and it gives me more room inside.

I made one mistake and only once. Leave the entrance open at night and you wake up damp from dew or drizzle. Close it properly and that is the end of it.