SplitWing UL Tarp

I'm 70 and going lighter and smaller is the only way I can still get out and enjoy backpacking, albeit on shorter 1-2 nights only. This shelter looks fantastic! I've only set it up once and won't be taking it on a trip until next month and I'm looking forward to going! I'm probably going to order the groundsheet as well.

Outstanding backpacking tarp system

I purchased this tarp/footprint/vestibule system for a recent 7-day High Sierra hiking trip out of Taboose Pass and into Lake Basin. It was my first trip using a tarp instead of my usual tent, and I was amazed by the performance of this tarp system. I was leery of using a tarp system but I’m sold after using this over 7 days. The tarp and vestibule kept me dry the one evening it rained and the tarp by itself provided good wind protection on the nights where it was needed. The only complaint I have is the footprint is too short for a tall (6’5”) person like myself. I had to sleep diagonally in order to ensure that my entire sleeping bag was on the footprint and not on the bare ground. Along those same lines, I was pleased that the front of the tarp could be pitched to 130 cm to give me more headroom. Because of the quality and performance of this tarp system, I’m already thinking about which SlingFin tent I’m going to buy next.

Bombproof Tarp!

This shaped tarp was awesome on my 2024 thru hike of the CDT! It is bombproof, outperforming most trekking pole shelters in the wind. One night, I camped near the summit of the 13er Mt Edwards in CO. The other guy's shelter ripped. Mine didn't. There's plenty of space for one person and all your gear. And it is SOOO much more packable than my two-person dyneema tent. At first, I used a polycro groundsheet and my umbrella as a door. Worked fine, but the accessory groundsheet is amazing with the ability to stake it out, both with the tarp and on its own when cowboying. And the door provided true 360 protection, some extra warmth, and a dry vestibule for gear. Being able to adjust the height and width of the tarp was cool, giving you more headroom or bombproofness. But after breaking my poles in WY, I could only set it up at 115cm and didn't miss the adjustability. Some advice: 1) You really should use the side guyouts to give yourself more space, especially in the rain. 2) If you are used to mid-style shelters, you have to relearn where you can sit up (towards the head, rather than middle). 3) It does take a little longer to set up than other shelters, so just be aware of that. 4) If you can afford a second shelter, do not bother with the bug net inner accessory. Better fully enclosed shelters exist. 5) For bug protection, I just used a headnet. The rest of me was in either my quilt or rain jacket and pants. 6) Even with the nonslip dots, the groundsheet accessory was slippery with my sleeping pad. You can reduce this by putting your sitpad under your sleeping pad or getting the dots a little wet. Critical feedback: 1) The door attachment system is candidly a terrible design. It's a pain to set up, especially if you want to add/remove it after the tarp is already up. It should come with a second clip option that uses the o-ring that is already installed (used for the bug net inner). This would have the added benefit of being able to leave it attached between setups. 2) The groundsheet guyouts should have clips that can connect to the corners of the tarp like the bug net inner does. This would simplify set up, especially in the wind and rain. 3) I wish there was a silpoly or dyneema version to better combat sagging and save even more weight (though I do admit that using all the guyout options helps reduce sag). 4) This might have been updated since I purchased the tarp (2021), but the red guylines are not high viz and created trip hazards for other hikers. I would prefer the neon orange ones that Hyperlite uses (plus the accents on the tarp are orange not red... so it better matches anyway). It would also be cool if the tensioning clips were glow in the dark (or if you sold the glow in the dark version as an accessory).