I have two tents I use for backpacking trips. One, a tiny Eureka Zephyr, has been with me for nearly 15 years. Aside from a few dozen locations in the Cascade Mountians of Washington State, it has been pitched on St Kilda; seven sites on Lewis (Crola, Ben Isobhal, Aird Bheg, Aird Mhor, Ardroil, Upper Fidigidh, Loch an Ath Ruadh, and Gleann Shanndaig); two sites on South Uist (Glen Corodale and Creag Spuir); Sgail-Saile on the east side of North Uist; and near Dun Ban on the west side of Barra.
Aside from being tiny, the Zephyr has one major flaw; its rain fly acts as a sail, and if the wind hits it side-on it tends to lean over. On one occasion, gale force winds hit in the middle of the night. I'd done a poor job of staking it down and the tent blew over. Then the tent, with me in it, rolled about 15 feet. I had to sit out the rest of the stormy night rolled up in the tent; for if I'd gotten out it would have blown away. That said, it's still a great tent - light and easy to set up - and I now pay extra attention when I stake it down. Here are some photos of the Zephyr in action.
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The Zephyr in the moorland above Ardroil (Lewis) - Loch Stacsabhat in the distance |
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The Zephyr at Crola in 2010 (Lewis)
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The Zephyr at Crola in 2018 (Lewis) |
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The Zephyr at Corodale (S. Uist) |
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The Zephyr at Corodale Behind it is the site of the cottage where Prince Charlie stayed for three weeks |
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The Zephyr atop Ben Isobhal - Kinlochresort below, the hills of Harris in the distance |
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The Zephyr at St Kilda |
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The Zephyr at Ardveg (2001)
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The Zephyr at Ardveg again (2016) |
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The Zephyr (and a friend) at Aird Mhor (Lewis) - the scant remains of the 12-chambered beehive are in the beach rocks to the right) ) |
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The Zephyr at Aird Mhor (just visible at the lower left) - the hill of Taran Mor in the distance |
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The Zephyr at Sgal-Saile (N. Uist) |
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The Zephyr near Upper Fidigidh (Lewis) |
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The Zephyr on the west coast of Barra |
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The Zephyr at Creag Spuir (S. Uist) - Maol na h-Ordaig in the distance |
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The Zephyr at Loch an Ath Ruadh |
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The Zephyr in Gleann Shanndaig |
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The Zephyr on the western shore of Blake Island State Park |
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The Zephyr on the eastern shore of Blake Island State Park |
My second tent is an REI Quarter Dome. It is more spacious than the Zepher, but has only seen two Scottish islands: Inchtavannach of Loch Lomond, and Jura. I bought it because, as I got older, I decided the extra weight was worth the added comfort. I now take the Quarter Dome on all my US backpacking trips, but I only took it to Scotland twice, as the smaller Zephyr is easier when I'm flying and luggage space is at a premium. Here are some photos of the Quarter Dome in action.
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The Quarter Dome at Jura's Na Rubhachan Dona (the evil headland) - overlooking Corryvreakan |
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The Quarter Dome at Jura's-Bagh Gleann nam Muc (Scarba in distance) |
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The Quarter Dome on the north shore of Inchtavannach (Loch Lomond)
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The Quarter Dome pitched atop Tom na Clag (the hill of the bell) - Inchtavannach
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Sorry you're not selling it😂 I've been having a closer look at your blogs to pinpoint where ghe twelve chambered Bee Hive shieling is on Aird Mhor. Man, you are a prolific writer, I will explore some more.
ReplyDeleteSee the latest issue of Scottish Islands Explorer magazine for an article about a book that will allow you to pinpoint the location.
ReplyDelete