A nest in the Pennines

       

I recently completed a favourite section of the Pennine Way, with a brand new nest I designed especially for Pennine trail walking in the inclement weather we often experience here. The nest is called 'Jetstream' and will soon by available from Wrath Outdoor. To give the shelter a proper soaking I waited for a nasty spell of weather with some heavy rain expected and thunderstorm or two in the mix.

To give the shelter a thorough testing I also decided to pitch the shelter under the smallest tarp I own, at 2.7m by 1.5m (a bit on the small side really to go over the generous proportions of the nest ). By way of experiment I purposely left a little slack in  the guylines in readiness for the windiest conditions ( 40mph gusts expected) just to see what would happen. The Jetstream in its current form is to be classed as a 1.5 person size and weighs 495g, the tarp weighs 278g. I took 10 titanium pegs 70g and my walking poles to support the set up. 

As I nested down that night with my faithful miniature schnauzer on Fieldhead camp-site in Edale I prepared myself for a rough night, at the very least a re-adjustment of guy lines during the night. As it turned out everything stood up well, all my equipment, including my down sleeping bag stayed dry without having to adjust anything! The gusts came from the East which was head on to the front quarter. 

The sides of the nest are made from breathable but water resistant coated nylon fabric which shed all of the spray without wetting out anywhere. The zip dripped a little here and there as I had not left any overhang from the tarp at the front, easily rectified with pitch. Some minor condensation formed inside which was understandable in the heavy down pours, but no more than I have experienced in any other smaller tent. 

Once the sun came up the following day, after the rain had stopped, the whole set up dried out in minutes, whilst I ate breakfast. I then set off for Crowden along the Pennine Way. More rain on the way.  

The solid nest walls allied to the end ventilation panel provided a micro climate which was a little warmer than I am used to in my usual noseeum mesh net tent, so a real treat in the weather experienced. My miniature Schnauzer 'Hettie' seemed especially happy with herself the next morning also. For the Great British hill climate this large solo nest offers more than I could have wished for, a lightweight carry, a simple and tolerant pitch, sitting headroom, and most importantly for use along the Pennine way, complete privacy on the camp sites. 

I have changed the design slightly for the product going live, increasing the height by 5% for added headroom, as at 6 feet tall I could have sat at the entrance but my head would just touch the apex. I also recommend a more suitable tarp size to go over the Jetstream of say 2.0m by 2.7m, a Wrath Outdoor Kite 1.5 would be ideal. I only used the smaller tarp to put added pressure on the nest. I am also looking at 2 side pull outs to provide maximum elbow room. Looking forward to using this as my go to choice for colder weather trail walking this autumn in the West Highlands. If offered a place next year for the 2015 TGO Challenge this will almost certainly be my shelter of choice, teamed with a Kite 1.5. Really looking forward to The West Highlands in October :).