Golite’s Shangri-La range opens up a whole new world of camping.
Separated into 3 component parts (shelter, floor and inner nest) the Shangri-La allows you to take only what you require for your intended journey. Leaving the floor at home enables you to incorporate landscape features in your camping allowing you pitch over tree stumps or rocks or use tree branches to erect a bivouac-style shelter: what was once an obstruction, with the Shangri-La becomes an opportunity. Sleeping in a bivvy bag on the naked ground might take a bit of getting used to for those accustomed to more traditional tents but it does offer a fuller experience of nature that many quickly warm to.
If, through fear of rain, creepy crawlies or bivvy bags, you decide on using the groundsheet ‘floor’, the Shangri-La still offers a more ‘natural’ camping experience than the average tent. A walled outer edge gives the groundsheet a ‘bathtub’ feel and provides excellent protection from water seepage. Even in stormy conditions, with just the floor and the shelter you have everything you need for a dry night’s sleep for just 1.4Kg (Shangri-La 3) of backpack burden. The fresh air that separates the two component parts gives excellent ventilation and also allows you to keep an eye on the weather as it rolls freely of the shelter’s water-repellent fabric. Open the front zip and you’ll have sufficient ventilation to cook inside your tent without fear of fire or excessive condensation build-up.
Should flying insects be a concern, the Shangri-La nest turns your tent into a fortified sanctuary impenetrable to all insect life. The nest has its own in built groundsheet in line with Golite’s weight efficient approach meaning that you’ll never be lumbered with more than two stuff bags: shelter and floor or shelter and nest/floor. Even with the nest/floor the maximum pack weight of the Shangri-La is little over 1.8Kg which can be further reduced by using your walking pole in place of the supplied aluminium pole.
The Shangri-La’s weight efficiency isn’t solely due to its component make-up but is in a large part down the wonder fabric of its construction. The silicon coated Ripstop nylon is incredibly light and taped seams ensure its water resistant integrity. Sure, there are lighter fabrics out there but for our money, the Shangri-La strikes a perfect balance between weight efficiency and durability.
Build quality makes the Shangri-La a dream to pitch. Precision construction makes it easy to get a good taught pitch every time whether you’re using the supplied aluminium tent pole or your own hiking pole. Considered clip and fastener positioning guides you through the pitching process helping you avoid errors and achieve a solid watertight pitch that’ll stand strong where other tents are reduced to rags and sticks.
In summary, the Shangri-La has everything the serious backpacker needs: it’s light, it’s strong and its versatility allows you to set up camp in areas off limits to most campers. With the complete Shangri-La 3 now retailing at £260 (Shangri-La 5 £300) the inaccessible just got that bit more accessible….
Website:
http://www.lovingoutdoors.co.uk/golite-shangri-la-review-comparison