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Gatewood Cape
Six Moon Designs is a cottage manufacturer, known for it's SUL packs and shelter systems.
- 2008 Gatewood Cape
- Six Moon Designs
- $135
- 11 ounces claimed
- 30D Silnylon
- 35 square feet
This item is a popular choice with the lunatic fringe among ultralight backpackers, designed similar to many other ponchos that can be rigged as a solo tarp-like shelter. Thus it is multi-use, providing both rain protection and shelter.
The cape has several tiny female buckles on the inside around the neckline into which a lightweight nylon harness snaps. It is then pitched as a shelter by staking out the six corners and using your trek pole as a center tent pole- tucked into the center of the harness- and finally flopping the hood over so that rain cannot enter, or perhaps tying the hood off.
Unlike almost every other poncho-tarp on the market, the Gatewood is not cut square. It has a more hexagonal-pyramidal footprint and shape when pitched as a shelter, and can be pitched with all six walls relatively close to the ground to allow much less drift snow and rain spray to enter the shelter as compared to a square tarp. Thus it is generally felt that the use of a bivy sack is much less essential compared to other more open tarps and ponchos, thus saving several ounces, which is important because the Gatewood is a few ounces heavier than other more minimalist poncho-tarps. In practice it is more similar to a small floorless single-walled solo tent than a tarp. In fact Six Moon Designs sells a solo shelter called the Wild Oasis that is essentially a Gatewood without the hood or arm holes. The Gatewood is made of 30D silnylon, and has a pocket sewn into it that can be used in rain cape mode, but also in shelter mode, and doubles as an integrated stuff sack. It requires seam-sealing by the purchaser. Floor coverage is 35 square feet. It requires 6 tent stakes to pitch, which are not included in the price or weight listed above. For those who may occasionally need a floor or better bug protection Six Moon Designs makes a pyramidal bug netting with a bathtub floor called the Serenity NetTent, which can be pitched inside the Gatewood. Disadvantages are those common to all ponchos.
One is that they leave your lower legs exposed when used as raingear. This can be solved by either wearing rain pants or, better yet, a set of lightweight rain chaps. The chaps are essentially legs of waterproof material that only come as high as your upper thingh. Mountain Laurel Designs- another specialty ultralight equipment manufacturer- makes a set that weighs 1.4-oz. and costs $50.
Thus for a weight of 12.5-oz. or so you have both a shelter and raingear. A full suit of DriDucks raingear weighs about 12-oz., or alternately a GoLite Virga jacket and Reed pants comes to about 13.3-oz., so with the Gatewood and rain chaps you effectively can carry a solo shelter "for free." (I have excluded the weight of the stakes because this is common practice when discussing this subject, and would be a weight penalty with a separate tarp, too.) Finally, a poncho covers your pack, eliminating the need for a pack liner or heavy waterproof stuff sacks.
Another problem with ponchos in general is that they don't breathe very well, but this is mitigated somewhat by their loose fit and the fact that rain chaps don't cover the pelvis. Another problem common to ponchos is poor forearm coverage, for which there is no truly excellent solution beyond pulling your arms inside the poncho. The Gatewood, specifically, is a bit larger than most other poncho-tarps and thus particularly small users find it too long to use as a poncho.
