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Outer Limits Hiker Fly Review
Submitted by Jason Rice, Australia.
Tarps,
tarps,
tarps.
We just can't get away from them at Outdoor Idiots.com.
Which is nice, because we don't want to. We've already suggested that
we should use them more here in Britain. And brilliantly, they even seem to work
upside down, in gravity-defying Australia. Here's a review of a tarp submitted by
a sporting chap from the other side of the planet...
The Outer Limits Hiker Fly: A Review
I recently picked up a 'Hiker Fly' marketed by Outer Limits. It is a 12 foot by 6 foot rectangular sheet and comes complete with eight guy ropes with toggles, the same number of pegs, and its own little stuff sack (Figure 1). It packs down to a compact little bundle about 27cm x 10cm x 5cm, and weighs (on an admittedly dodgy kitchen scales) about 800 grams. I've so far used it once and decided to jot down a quick review.
Why a fly? My fiancé gave me one of those looks with subtly raised eyebrows and with a questioning tone said something like: "but don't you already have a lightweight tent?" Yes I do. But as I explained to my better half, when you're rambling through sub-tropical vine forests on moss covered slopes, a tent strapped to a small, overnight pack is relatively bulky and catches on all manner of objects (Figure 2). And in steep, overgrown and humid terrain, any reduction in weight is really, really welcome. I would even say reducing weight is a safety issue.
You can't really see the vines and brambles in this pic. Trust me, though, they're there.
I originally visited the surplus stores and camping shops looking for the Australian Army hootchie, having memories of being issued with this device on various youth and scout outings years ago. But to my dismay, the present day hootchie is priced at $Aus60.00. By the time I purchased the necessary accessories, such as a ground sheet, guy lines and pegs, the total cost would exceed $100.00; which is more than what I paid for my two-person lightweight tent. I had visions of more raised eyebrows.
That's when I noticed the hiker fly for $25.00, accessories included. The only drawback being that because it is made from the same material as the average tent fly, rather than heavy-duty tarp, it is far less robust than the hootchie. But seeing as it only has to keep the rain off, I don't consider this a big drawback.
Set up as a traditional A-frame, it fit my mate and me comfortably side-by-side, me with sleeping bag and groundsheet, my mate with canvas swag (Figure 3). It was spacious enough to keep us dry during an overnight rain shower. Because of its length, there was plenty of room for our gear too. In fact, I find the dimensions slightly awkward and would prefer a foot shaved of the length and added to the width. Another less than optimal attribute of the fly is that there are only two eyelets, one on either side, midway down the length of the sheet. It won't affect my use of the fly (see below, next paragraph) but it is something others should keep in mind if you're thinking about a tarp with poles set up.
The fly sheet can fit two side by side if need be (sleeping bag on the left, swag on the right). There's plenty of room at the ends, too, although this doesn't come across well from this angle. Note idiotic gorilla nest of palm fronds for mattressing under ground sheet. Still a moot point whether this is better or worse than cobble stones.
We didn't use any pegs, guying out all eight points to trees; and because I intend to use the fly in similar terrain in the future, I think I will probably only take a few pegs along and so might be able to nearly halve the overall weight of the set up. (I was reminded the hard way that when fly camping you are generally dependent on the availability of tie off points and so have limited choice in the ground you pitch on. For this reason, a light mattress might be a good addition to a fly. (In fact we were lost and had to pitch our fly where we could in failing light. The only flat ground was cobbled with fist-sized pebbles so we collected as many fallen palm fronds as we could and laid them down as makeshift cushioning (Figure 3). So if you are rambling in sub-tropical eastern Australia and see something that looks like a gorilla's nest, don't worry - it's just my mate and me being idiots. Btw, palm fronds are prickly and the central rib is excruciatingly hard.))
In summary, I really like the fly. I'll still take a tent on more pleasant treks when I'm usually accompanied by my partner who prefers the relative luxury of a tent. And in cooler weather I'd probably opt for a tent more often. But for me, the hiker fly provides me with pretty much exactly what I want when weight and space are at maximum premium. The fly is also compact enough to take along on day trips as an emergency shelter, or during wet weather as a makeshift meals and rest area. For $25.00, accessories included, the price is really reasonable, and very competitive given the alternatives.
You can discuss this item in our forums, here.
If you can't be bothered to enter the forums, then shame on you! But you can still leave a comment below. Please try to avoid the profane ramblings of a madman. That's our job.
If you can't be bothered to enter the forums, then shame on you! But you can still leave a comment below. Please try to avoid the profane ramblings of a madman. That's our job.
Your Comments
On 23 April 2007, Mikey P said:I think your fly's undone.
But, seriously, where's the rest of it?
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