Review of the ultra-light two-person tent MLD Trailstar (1.3 kg)

Are there tents in nature that are light, reliable, spacious and versatile at the same time? I think I have just this one. This is a two-person tent with a weight of 1300 grams and a price tag of $320. It was sewn to order for me (and it’s not difficult, they will sew it for you too), based on the MLD Trailstar awning, widely known to light travelers, and the 2Oookstar inner tent from OookWorks. It is simply huge, a real palace, extremely wind-resistant and weighs less than one and a half kilograms. I liked the tent so much that I am ready to recommend it not only to light-hiking maniacs, but also to quite ordinary tourists.

The tent does not have the usual frame made of aluminum poles - it is mounted on two trekking poles. One stick stands inside, in the very center of the tent and is the central pole of our mini-tent. The second stick stands outside and raises the “tambour” above the ground. Instead of track sticks, you can use any straight branch 110-140 centimeters long, the main thing is to avoid sharp edges so as not to pierce the fabric of the bottom or roof. To protect the bottom of the tent from the tip of a trekking pole, you can put a standard rubber tip on it.

Awning

The Trailstar Pentagonal Awning is truly the brainchild of Mountain Laurel Designs. This is a small American company producing ultra-light equipment. Trailstar was shown to the world back in 2005, but for some reason I only noticed it a couple of years ago. Why did he attract my attention so much?

First of all, he's handsome. In all seriousness, I love this tent visually. The Trailstar looks great in photos - exotic and exuding power. To me, its crest reminds me of the curved back of a diving whale or a bionic alien ship.

Secondly, it is reliable. Trailstar has no zippers, Velcro, ventilation windows or other potential weak links. It is simple and solid.

Thirdly, the Trailstar is wind-resistant. Over the past season, I got into real storms a couple of times, where ordinary arc tents sagged to the ground. I wanted stability. So far the Trailstar has handled all the winds I've thrown at it perfectly. Let's see how the tests go in Iceland and Norway.

But enough about the lofty stuff, let's get back to setting up the tent. As I already said, the tent awning in plan is a regular pentagon. 10 standard guy lines are sewn onto it (in all corners and in the middle of each side), or rather, not the guys themselves are sewn, but LineLoc tensioners, which allow you to easily adjust the length of the guy line. Another 5 additional guys can be tied into the loops on the upper edges. Additionally, there is a loop at the "top" of the tent.

The awning is made of silicone (siliconized nylon) with ripstop weaving. This is a very thin, lightweight and water-resistant fabric. In the places where the guy ropes are attached, triangles of denser fabric are sewn for strengthening. The central part of the awning (where the central rod is attached) is also generously reinforced with a cone of “backpack” Dyneema fabric.

A fabric “cup” for the handle of a trekking pole (the central pole of the tent) is sewn to the inner surface of this reinforcement cone. This helps to lock the rod even more securely in the correct position. At the end of installation, when the awning is perfectly stretched, this no longer matters - the rod is tightly pressed into the ground and cannot fall out anywhere. But at the initial stages, when the panel is still dangling, a fabric cup may be useful.

Before use, all seams on the awning must be sealed. Seams on silicone are not taped, as on polyurethane-coated fabrics, but coated with diluted construction silicone. This is a very simple procedure and, if desired, you can renew the sealant at least every year. But in reality this is not necessary - properly applied silicone has lasted 8 years on one of my awnings.

After getting wet, the silicone stretches a little, the tension of the awning may weaken slightly and then a tightening may be needed. If you are too lazy to go outside, you can try to reach the linelocks from the inside. At least 3 out of 10 guy lines are easily accessible from the inside, because... are located near the entrance.

The total weight of the awning, together with guys and its own cover, is 550 grams. Of course, you can use it without an inner tent, and take a small individual mosquito net to protect against mosquitoes.

Inner tent

The sample for sewing this inner tent was 2Oookstar inner from the British company Oookworks. The original 2Oookstar costs $325 (£220). This is only the interior, without the awning. In our case, the entire tent cost 320 bucks.

The bottom area of ​​the inner tent is 4 square meters. That's a lot. For comparison, ordinary two-room apartments have an area of ​​about 2.6 square meters. In addition to two sleeping places, all the residents' belongings can easily fit inside the tent - backpacks of any size, shoes, etc.

In the photo below you can see that the two rugs only take up a small portion of the floor surface. On the sides and at the head there are huge triangles of unoccupied space that can be filled with your things.

The bottom of the inner tent is made of the same silicone as the awning. This fabric is thinner and more delicate than that used in conventional non-lightweight tents. If you want to further protect the bottom, you can order a footprint made from Tyvek. It will weigh about 250 grams.

The side walls are made of calendered nylon. It breathes well and is not blown by the wind. For better ventilation, the upper third of the walls is made of dense mosquito net. At the top of the pyramid there is a hole for a trekking pole. To prevent insects from penetrating through it, there is a fabric cuff sewn in with a drawstring. It also serves to fix the inner liner on the track stick while assembling the tent. At the end, the inner lining is fastened to the awning with fastex.

The ceiling height in the central part of the tent is about 1 meter. This height and space under the ceiling are enough for two people to sit simultaneously near the central support without resting their heads too much on the roof slope. For reference, my height is 180 cm, and in a sitting position I am approximately 90 cm.

When you lie on the floor with your feet facing the door, and the inner tent is not stretched enough, its slope may slightly touch your head. This problem can be solved in two ways: go outside and stretch everything as expected, or simply throw a backpack at the head of the head. Then the canopy will lie on him, and not on his head.

If you know that there will be no rain and you just need to protect yourself from mosquitoes, then you can install an inner tent without an awning.

Pegs

To set up a TrailStar tent you need at least 6 pegs - 5 for the main guys on the star beams and 1 for the guys supporting the vestibule. In this minimal version, the corners of the inner tent will need to be stretched by extending their guy lines to the five pegs of the main guys... Did you understand something?

Well, if you don’t limit yourself, then the complete set will be as many as 16 pegs: 5 for the interior, 5 for the main awning guy lines, 5 for guy lines in the middle of the sides, 1 for the vestibule. A standard aluminum peg weighs 15 grams. Then the entire set (16 pegs + cover) will weigh 250-270 grams. This is quite a lot, so I'm thinking about buying lightweight titanium pegs. They weigh from 5 to 15 grams, depending on thickness and length. You can, for example, take 6 “powerful” (15 grams each) pegs for the main guys and vestibule, and 10 “lightweight” (5 grams each) for the inner and middle guys. You get 100 grams of weight savings.

What to do if the pegs cannot be driven in? You need to attach guys to the stones. For the main guy ropes, it is better to choose cobblestones weighing at least 15-20 kg. All the stones that you see in the photo above are lying around for a reason, but are held up by numerous guy ropes of the tent.

Installation options

With a central rod length of 100 to 112 centimeters, the lower edge of the MLD Trailstar awning practically touches the ground. This is the so-called storm installation option - the most wind-resistant and protected. The gap between the awning and the interior is 10-15 centimeters. And the height of the entrance vestibule is only 70-80 centimeters. This is quite small - you will have to crawl into the tent on all fours, but it will also be difficult for bad weather to penetrate here:)

In the summer, when it’s hot, I prefer a high installation option with a maximum length of the central rod (about 140 cm). In this case, the gap between the awning and the interior is close to 50cm. As a result, we have a great view, 100% ventilation and a comfortable, high entrance. At the same time, you are still not afraid of rain.

When I want even more air, I take two additional track poles from my neighbor in the tent and lift the two front edges higher, forming a vestibule.

The MLD TrailStar can also be used as a group awning to provide weather protection for 5-8 people, for example during lunch. Using a simple extension cord, I connect two trekking poles - I get a central pole 2 meters high. Under such a tent you can not only sit, but also stand.

Flaws

The only noticeable drawback of this tent is the long and relatively complex installation process. At first I fucked with her for 20 minutes. Now the installation technology has already been more or less debugged, the skills have been acquired, but the process is still slow. A regular arc tent is easier to assemble.

I made a video showing how to set up the Trailstar with an inner tent. Perhaps it will help you understand whether the installation is really that complicated.

And here is a more detailed story about installing TrailStar on the snow. This is a storm option - first I put up an awning, and then I spread the footprint and liner under it.

Where to buy? How to order?

At the moment, such tents are not sold ready-made. You need to order their tailoring, make an advance payment and wait for them to be ready. But you can personalize your order - ask for mother-of-pearl buttons or some other important nonsense. For example, ask not for a T-shaped zipper, but for a curved one. Or order an inner tent entirely made of mosquito netting. Of course, the price is recalculated in this case. I ordered the tailoring of my tent (as well as two backpacks) from KVN, a well-known craftsman among light hikers. If you want similar equipment, write to me at [email protected], I will share contacts.

P.S. Important point

Many, having read all this, ask something like: “Well, what kind of tent do you use in bad weather?” So with this same one! The Trailstar is not a beach toy. On the contrary, this tent was specially designed for harsh conditions, for hurricane winds, rain and snow. Light vehicles travel with it all year round. And in order not to freeze, buy yourself a normal one, i.e. down sleeping bag.