ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS ALWAYS BURDENED LONG CLIMBING TRIPS IS THE WEIGHT OF THE BASECAMP SHELTERS. NO OTHER TENT WILL YOU SEE THE INSIDE OF AS MUCH AS WHAT YOU LIVE IN IN BASECAMP, SO BY NECESSITY THEY NEED TO BE LARGE, LIVABLE, DURABLE & SOLID AS HELL. UNTIL NOW THAT HAS ALWAYS MEANT ALSO BEING HEAVY.
HEAVY BASECAMP TENTS ARE WHAT HAVE COME TO DEFINE THE 8000m BASECAMP LOOK; AT +5kg EACH THEY CAN ONLY BE CARRIED SO FAR AND SET UP IN CERTAIN WAYS, AND THAT HAS BECOME THE ACCEPTED BLUEPRINT THE ENTIRE 8000m SCENE IS BUILT AROUND. BUT THE SAMAYA 2.5 TENT CAN CHANGE THAT. WHEN FACTORED INTO SOMEWHERE AS UNTOUCHED AS THE NORTHERN KARAKORAM OR TIBET, EXPEDITIONS CAN NOW BE THOUGHT ABOUT DIFFERENTLY.
TO SAY THIS IS A BIG DEAL IS NOT HYPERBOLE.
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WEIGHT
THE SAMAYA 2.5 TENT WEIGHS 1500g – THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED LIGHT FOR A 1-2 PERSON MINIMALIST ALPINE TENT – FOR A 2-3 PERSON BASECAMP TENT THAT’S UNHEARD OF, WITH ALMOST ALL BASECAMP TENTS COMING IN AT ABOUT 5kg. THIS MEANS THAT A CLIMBERS LARGE, LIVABLE BASECAMP TENT CAN MOVED INTO WHAT WAS ONCE THE ADVANCED BASECAMP REALM, SOMETHING PREVIOUSLY LIMITED TO SPARTAN, LIGHTWEIGHT TENTS THAT MADE ABC’s NOTORIOUSLY TRYING TO LIVE IN.
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LAY OUT
THE SAMAYA 2.5 IS ABOUT 200cm ACROSS ALL DIMENSIONS OF A HEXAGONAL FOOTPRINT GIVING IT 3.2m2 OF FLOOR SPACE. THE ADDITION OF THE VESTIBULE BUMPS THIS UP ANOTHER 2m2 TO MAKE A FLOOR AREA COMPARABLE TO ANY OTHER COMMON BASECAMP TENT FESTOONING THE GLACIERS OF THE HIMALAYA. WHERE THE SAMAYA 2.5 DOES IT BETTER IS IN THE STEEPNESS OF THE TENTS WALLS, ELIMINATING THE LOWER ANGLED SIDES FOUND IN MOST OTHER SUCH TENTS WHICH WHEN PAIRED WITH THE SAME CEILING HEIGHT GIVE A COMPARABLE AMOUNT HEADSPACE BUT MORE OF IT IS USABLE.
SOME OF THE SAMAYA 2.5’s EXTRAORDINARILY LEAN WEIGHT COMES FROM HAVING ONLY A SINGLE DOOR, ALBEIT ONE THAT OPENS HUGE, SO NO MORE SQUEEZING THROUGH LITTLE PORTALS. WITH THE VETIBULE ATTACHED – IT ALSO HAVING A HUGE, STEEP DOOR – ACCESS TO THE SAMAYA 2.5 IS LIKELY THE EASIEST OF ANY SUCH TENT.
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FUNCTION
WHAT DEFINES THE SAMAYA 2.5 IS IT BEING SINGLE SKIN, MAKING IT EFFECTIVELY UNIQUE IN THE EXPEDITION CLIMBING WORLD. THE EVENT LAMINATE ON A SAMAYA’S PROPRIETRY DYNEEMA AND FABRIC BREATHES EASILY WELL ENOUGH WHEN USED OVER A TENT OF THIS SIZE, MASSIVELY ASSISTED BY THE WELL THOUGHT OUT MULTI-SIDED VENT IN THE ROOF THAT KEEPS MOISTURE AND FROST HIGH IN THE SPACE.
IT’S TRUE THAT BY BEING SINGLE-WALLED THE SAMAYA 2.5 DOESN’T RETAIN HEAT LIKE A DOUBLE-WALLED TENT WILL, SOMETHING WITH A MIXED RESULT OUT ON GLACIERS THAT BAKE AT 35c DURING THE DAY BEFORE DROPPING TO SUB-ZERO AT NIGHT. THIS ASPECT IS MADE UP FOR BY THE TENTS’ SINGLE SKIN MAKING IT FAR MORE STREAMLINED IN STRONG WINDS, NOT REQUIRING SNOW FLAPS TO SEAL IT TO THE GROUND EXCEPT AROUND THE VESTIBULE WHERE THERE IS NO FLOOR.
STRENGTH-WISE THE FACT THAT THE POLES ONLY INTERSECT AT THE APEX IS MOSTLY MADE UP FOR WITH FULL LENGTH POLE SLEEVES AND DOUBLE GUY POINTS ALONG EACH SIDE. THE ALL-ROUND STEEP SIDES SHEDS SNOW BETTER THAN ANYTHING WITH LOWER ANGLE SIDES AND THE SELF-EQUALIZING GUYS HELP WITH ADDRESSING THE STEEP PROFILE IN HIGH WINDS.
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BIG PICTURE
THE SAMAYA 2.5 SHIFTS UP THE WAY UNSUPPORTED TRIPS TO HIGH ALTITUDE CAN WORK. SUSTAINABLE BASECAMPS ON 6000m TRIPS AND ADVANCED BASECAMPS ON 8000m TRIPS CAN NOW BE SO MUCH MORE LIVABLE AS TO EFFECT THE WAY ROUTES ARE CLIMBED. GONE ARE THE DAYS OF WINDY BIVY’S AND CRAMMING INTO TENTS, LEAVING GEAR OUTSIDE AND INDUCING CABIN FEVER. FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE SAME TENTS USED UP HIGH THERE’S NOW A LARGE ENOUGH SHELTER FOR EXTENDED LIVING IN AND SITTING OUT BAD WEATHER.
LIKE SAMAYA’S OTHER TENTS, THE 2.5 ENHANCES OUR SORT OF TRIPS BY RESOLVING SOME OF THE PRIMARY FACTORS THAT LIMIT HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING, NAMELY THE SORTS OF SHELTERS NEEDED AND HOW TO MOVE THEM. COMBINED WITH THE OTHER SAMAYA TENT WE USE – THE ASSAUT2 ULTRA – WE CAN NOW DROP A GAME-CHANGING 4-5kg FROM A CLIMBERS PERSONAL ‘FIGHTING’ WEIGHT, MAKING A 15-20% DIFFERENCE.
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