The WRT has moved. If you're looking for info, entries or anything else bikepacking related try Bear Bones Bikepacking, the Bear Bones blog or the Bear Bones forum - ta.

Yea, yea, yea, but what is it?

The WRT is a 3 day and perhaps more importantly 2 night ride through and around mid Wales. You'll be expected to be self sufficient, carrying everything you need and sleeping out in or under whatever you think best. It's not elitist, entry is open to anyone who wants to try it. All the money raised by the WRT goes to the Wales Air Ambulance charity ... an organisation I hope you'll never need.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

T, T, S and S Part 3 ... Force Ten Helium.

If anyone can be bothered to search back through the posts you'll find that sometime last year I wrote something about Gelert Solo tents. The Solo is about the cheapest 'useable' one man tent on the market, if you search around on-line you can pick them up for under £30. As much as it's a 'useable' tent there are a few compromises you have to be willing to accept. It isn't the lightest of tents, pack size isn't the smallest and it's not unknown for the fiberglass poles to break in rough conditions or with rough treatment. The solo also pitches inner first so if it's raining trying to keep the inner dry can be a struggle. Something else I don't like is the fact I can't sit up in it ... and if I can't, there won't be much chance of you doing.

If you've decided that tents are for you and you can't accept the compromises of the Solo then perhaps this is for you ... a Force Ten Helium.



Pitching nose into the wind is a good idea

It still shares the basic concept of the Solo but differs dramatically in most areas. The first thing is the weight and pack size, the Helium weighs just over a Kilo and packs down to the size of a 2/3 man tarp, so you shouldn't have much trouble carrying it. Pitching is either 'as one' inner and outer together or you can just pitch the outer if you wanted to ... even in poor conditions it can be erected in under 5 minutes. Head height at the centre is just under a metre so sitting up is much less of a problem.



It's like a little palace in there

The porch isn't massive but there is enough room to store your gear and shield you while cooking ... I wouldn't recommend cooking in the porch with the door shut, it really is just too small. Now the worst bit, you can buy at least 6 Gelert Solos for the same price as one of these ... perhaps those compromises aren't too bad after all.

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