Hey, all.
New UltaMid2 user here; looking forward to putting it through its paces this year!
Currently planning to use the lashed-together trekking pole set-up for the UM2 (I've also got the full-insert I'll use as needed). My question is this:
I do a lot of mountain climbing and lighter mountaineering; sometimes I use trekking poles for the ascent/descent of the peak(s) while I'm out in the backcountry. If I've got the UM2 set up as a base camp so that I have a ready-to-go tent as soon as I get back from a long day of climbing, what's the best way to keep the tent set up as much as possible while I'm away using one or more trekking poles for the climb (and, therefore, not for the UM2 set-up)?
I know I could get a dedicated center pole and carry that along with a 0.5 lb (or so) weight penalty, but I'm trying to see if there's a way around that alternative.
I imagine I could just remove the two trekking poles from the UM2 (with it all staked down and in place) and go hiking and then just put the trekking poles back together and raise the tent when I got back (though I wonder if it rained while I was out and about away from camp if my tent would be in a bad way when I got back.
Alternately, if I left one trekking pole in the tent and took the other one with me, could I leave the UM2 "sort of" set up with it pitched just a bit shorter than normal? I imagine in this scenario I'd have to tighten the guy lines up and then readjust them later when raising the shelter to its full height.
Some trips won't require trekking poles along the way, and sometimes I'll be carrying my tent with me from camp to camp as opposed to leaving a steady basecamp I return to between climbs - but for those adventures that need both a basecamp set up in place and the use of a trekking pole or two while I'm out hiking what's the best way to wrangle that logistical complication?
Thanks!
Hello, @PeakWalker - Mark here - per your comment -
"I imagine I could just remove the two trekking poles from the UM2 (with it all staked down and in place) and go hiking and then just put the trekking poles back together and raise the tent when I got back (though I wonder if it rained while I was out and about away from camp if my tent would be in a bad way when I got back."
You are spot on here. To pitch your 'Mid, you'll lay it out square - (zipper closed!), and with each of the four corner guylines extended out from the corners around, say six to eight inches, you'll put in your stakes with the guylines following the same angles and line of the seams that go all the way to the peak. Get the stakes set, then unzip your door, insert one end of your 64" centerpole into the cone of the peak, and get the bottom situated in a vertical position. Get back out, zip the door closed again, and go around the 'Mid tightening or loosening the guylines until you have the pitch nice and taut. Once that's all set, unzip the door, remove your poles, and when you return, just reinstall them and BAM! Ready-to-go home for the night.
If you're using an insert, you would have to do all of this anyways, as pitching the outer shell is done first just like the steps above, then you'd remove the centerpole to reinstall it in the peak of the insert which will then have its bottom corners clipped into the bottom corners of the 'Mid.
If it did rain, Dyneema is hydrophobic, so once the walls are up again, the beads of water will just roll right off. If there was a lot of water, just make sure it doesn't get inside through at the bottom of the walls on any of your gear! If it's windy, you could put some rocks or weight on the flattened out fabric to keep it from blowing around, potentially messing up your perfect pitch!
Hope that helps! The 'Mid life is a great life! ENJOY! (And share some pics from your trips, eh!)
