Ten Years of the Trailstar

Quinag, September 2015

On my walk with Tony Hobbs last month (see here) I realised that my Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar is ten years old and this deserved an acknowledgement. So here it is. In those years I've reviewed many tents and tarps but none has supplanted the Trailstar as my favourite for long walks. Indeed, I've used it on every walk of more than a few nights (and quite a few shorter ones) since 2012. It's travelled well over 2000 miles and been used on hundreds of nights and in some big storms and has never let me down.

Below Fuar Tholl in the NW Highlands on the TGO Challenge, May, 2012

Why do I like the Trailstar so much? Because, it's very light, roomy, and amazingly stable in stormy weather. I also like - no, enjoy, - the versatility. As it's a tarp rather than a tent it can be pitched in different ways. In particular it can be raised or lowered according to the weather - high for airflow, low too for wind resistance and to keep rain from blowing under the edges. 

A low pitch in very wet and windy weather above Loch a' Bhealaich on my Scottish Watershed walk, July 2013.

 

 

The Trailstar does have a big footprint but I don't find this a problem as it's easy to pitch over rocks and bushes. I've even pitched on small sites with one side halfway up a bank. Working out how to pitch on awkward terrain is much more interesting than pitching a tent with a fixed shape.

On the TGO Challenge, May 2014. A wet and windy site in the Cairngorms.

I love the feeling of contact with nature and the landscape the Trailstar gives.It's airy and open. I usually sleep with my head at the door so I can look out at the night sky. If wind and rain disturb me I can quickly shift to the back, out of their reach. I do have a mesh inner which I use in midge season though. There are limits to how close I want to be with some of nature!

TGO Challenge, May 2016. Beside Loch Morar.

At 3500 metres below Mount Whitney on my Yosemite Valley to Death Valley walk, October 2016

On the GR5 Through the Alps, September 2018.

TGO Challenge, May 2019. Below the Mamores.

High in the Colorado Rockies, August 2019

After all this use the Trailstar is still in good condition. Only the little MLD label has faded and frayed. I smeared sealant over the seams when it was new - straight out of the tube, no messing with thinning or multiple layers - and it has never leaked. I'm hoping to be using it for many years yet.

On the Moine Mhor, Cairngorms, May 2022

Camping in the Colorado Rockies

Below the Divide by an unnamed pool with a view to Mount Aetna

On my recent walk on the Continental Divide Trail in Southern Colorado I had twenty-five wild camps. As always these were an integral part of the walk. Staying in one place and watching the landscape is important to me and I find the routines of camping relaxing and satisfying.

Near beaver ponds on Middle Mineral Creek after a day of thunderstorms

Many of my camps were peaceful ones deep in the forest. At first this was because the trail stayed in the trees, later it was often due to thunderstorms that made camping out in the open seem unwise or for shelter from strong winds. Even so I had a dozen or more camps in spectacular situations.

Below the Divide in the Collegiate Peaks region

One of the best sites was chosen by Andrew Terrill. He'd kindly agreed to bring me supplies half way through a twelve day section so I didn't have to descend to a town. Rather than meet me at a high road pass he decided he'd hike into the mountains and meet me at a remote unnamed pool not far below the Divide. He thought this was would be a great place to camp. He was right. It was wonderful. The weather was perfect too so we could sit outside. The picture at the top of the post shows the view across the pool.

Camp with Andrew Terrill

The last section of the walk, nine days in the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains, provided several superb camps, once the thunderstorms had abated. I was happy not to be camping in the forest here anyway as vast numbers of the trees are dead, killed by bark beetles. Many had blown down and I was concerned one could come down on my shelter (a real risk - sadly a hiker was killed when a tree fell on her tent this summer). Camps near trees were chosen carefully.

On the saddle where the Collegiate East and Collegiate West alternatives of the Colorado Trail come together. This was a dry camp. I carried water five miles to it.

I camped on a variety of sites. Some were well-used, with bare ground to pitch on and at least one fire ring (I never lit a fire). Andrew Terrill pointed out to me that many hikers here felt a fire was essential even when camping above the tree line. Other than these unsightly scars the mountains were clean though with virtually no litter.

However many of my sites were pristine ones where there was no sign anyone had camped before. I made sure I left them like that. Here this is called 'dispersed camping'. Some of these were waterless and several times I carried a couple of litres the last part of the day so I had the freedom to camp where I liked.

Another dry camp. In the Cochetopa Hills.

Mostly I didn't treat water. However in the Cochetopa Hills there were few water sources and the little trickles I found were polluted by cows so here I filtered or boiled water. And tried not to notice the yellow colour.

A brief clearance brings a rainbow before the heavy rain and strong winds closed in again. I didn't feel too safe out in the meadow with thunder ringing out but I also didn't want to camp near all those dead trees.

For six days there were several thunderstorms every day. These were frightening at times but when they cleared the light was often superb.

Early morning light in the Lost Trail Creek valley

Mostly I camped on my own but in areas where water sources were far apart there were sometimes others camped not far away, though always out of sight. The only time I camped with anyone were with Andrew and Igloo Ed at the start and then with Andrew when he brought my supplies.

The highest camp at 12,461 feet (3798 metres)

Most of the walk was above 11,000 feet (3353 metres) and so were nineteen of my camps. Only two were below 10,000 feet (3048 metres). Three were above 12,000 feet (3658 metres). Whilst I did notice the altitude the first week, especially when walking uphill, I wasn't aware of it in the landscape. The treeline is around 11,000 -11,500 feet (3353 - 3500 metres) and the summits rise some 2,500 - 3,000 feet (760 - 915 metres) above the forest, which is much the same as in the Scottish Highlands.

In the Weminuche Wilderness looking to Rio Grande Pyramid

For those interested the shelter is my very well-used Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstars. In the last seven years it's been on many long walks and has been out hundreds of nights. It's never let me down.

Wild Camps on TGO Challenge 2019

Dawn at Loch Beoraid after a frosty night

At the big celebration dinner in Montrose Hamish Brown, who came up with the idea of the TGO Challenge, spoke about memories of the event being as much about the camps as the walking. That's certainly the case for me. The succession of camps in wild places is one of the big attractions and I usually spend several hours at each site.

Glen Finnan.

This year on the Challenge I had ten camps, with one night in a B&B in Fort William. Here I'm posting pictures of eight of them, with two each for four that were really special. Missing is the one in Dalwhinnie next to the hotel - it wasn't a wild or attractive site and that was the night the weather broke and it rained constantly - and the one the day after Dalwhinnie somewhere above the headwaters of the River Feshie as again it rained all night and this time I was in the mist too.

Coire a'Chaorainn, Gulvain.

My camping gear for this trip consisted of my Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar, which has now seen over 150 nights use, and a Luxe Outdoor Tyvek groundsheet. The Trailstar is still in excellent condition, the groundsheet, which has been used on sixty plus nights, isn't as waterproof as it was so this was its last trip.

Loch Beoraid.

Glen Finnan.

Coire a'Chaorainn, Gulvain.

By the Abhainn Rath below Binnein Mor and Binnein Beag in the Mamores.

In the Uisge Labhair glen between Loch Ossian and the Bealach Dubh.

White Bridge, River Dee. Another Challenger camped on the far bank, the only time I camped near anyone else.

Looking down river at the White Bridge camp. The start of a very wet day.

Camp in Glen Callater after a very wet night when I wondered if the river would burst its banks.

Last and coldest camp. The wet Trailstar froze inside and out. By the Muckle Falloch, a tributary of the Water of Saughs.