Greetings Adventurers!
It is not very often that we get a new tent on the market that is worth talking about.
Rumors have been floating around for a few weeks that Gossamer Gear was bring back ‘The One”, which I think most folks that have been in the hiking world for any length of time should remember… it was one of the original ultra light solo shelters from a cottage maker that really had a major market impact – it was highly loved by many, and there are a fair number of shelters on the market right now that are based on The One design!
I had my doubts about the rumors, and I am so very glad to hear that I was wrong.
The One is back!
It is not just back, but it is back in style. In true form. And, with some serious kick to it.
Without a doubt, the highlight of the new version is the fabric is it made from. This fabric not only gives it a bit of a sticker/price shock, but it is a fabric worth watching, and keeping a very close eye on. I know many people are going to see the price tag and think DCF (*cough* cuben fiber *cough*) and such as it is. From my perspective, my thinking, I welcome a new non-DCF-fabric onto the market that potentially has a higher performance factor than all we have had to deal with over the last few years. If it means a slightly higher price tag, so be it. Anybody remember when (D)CF was still a new thing and everybody saw the price tag and said to themselves “no way in hell am I paying that“, yet, how many of us have ended up buying a DCF shelter… or three, or four… oh hell, ok, over a dozen at this point for me. Anyway, yes, I really am looking forward to how this new fabric performs. To say I want to get one of these and put it to the test here in the Redwood rainforest of Northern California, is to put it lightly… this tent is going on my to-buy list!
Specs & Such:
I just know everybody is going to be comparing The One to the ZPacks Solplex, so I will just use specs from it in doing any comparison comments below – and really, these are the two shelters probably the closest in comparison to each other. You could maybe throw in the TarpTent Rainbow into a type of three-way-comparison, but I am just not sure the Rainbow falls into the same design aspects, ok, really, it does not at all /shrugs/
The livable space of the tent is pretty good for the fully enclosed solo single side-door shelter market.
The inner specs out at 83″ in length (7 inches shorter than the Solpex)
And the inner width is 30″ in width (identical to the Solplex)
The inner max height is 48″ (identical to the Solplex)
The total pack weight of The One is 572 grams (20.17 ounces), which places it only 133 grams (4.69 ounces) heavier than the Solplex at 439 grams (15.5 ounces) – which is not bad considering it is $100 dollars less expensive than the Solplex.
When I put the numbers into my ‘Lightest Fully Enclosed Shelters‘ list it works out to a Cost per Gram of $0.79 and a Cost per Ounce of $22.31 for The One, and compare that to a CpG of $1.29 and CpO of $36.64 for the Solplex.
So even with the price point of this new fabric Gossamer Gear is using, it seems to me that the numbers here are pretty impressive for The One – from livable space, weight, and the cpg/o price points!
Final Thoughts:
There are currently some huge mileage hikers using the Solplex, I have used it myself, and I expect that within the next year we are going to see this new The One start working its way into the packs of some of these big mileage hikers. Not only because a number of them are Gossamer Gear ambassadors, but because there is some real love within the long distance community for Gossamer Gear – not to mention the lure of getting a chance to use The One again is going to have a huge driving force.
Anyway, to wrap this up… yes, I am very much looking forward to seeing how The One is accepted within the long distance community, as well as the weekender community. The aspects of having a new fabric within the cottage shelter market is also something that warrants some excitement. While I think the price point might push it out of the weekenders and tour bikers, that is not to say it does not, nor cannot. I fret that it faces this same challenge that the Solplex faces… it is a rather expensive “solo” shelter.
But do I want one… uhh, heck yeah!
Where To Buy:
You can purchase the new 2016 The One directly from the Gossamer Gear website:
http://gossamergear.com/the-one-shelter.html
Thanks,
+John Abela
HikeLighter.Com
Disclaimer: I use to be an ambassador with Gossamer Gear, in fact they were my first one, but when I hit a lower base pack weight limit I departed from them (my choice) as I was no longer using any of their products.