I-Shadow Tent

The detail of transverse-ridge tent design is something Wilderness Equipment nailed over 40 years ago. The many imitations of this 4-season, single-pole WE original still don’t compare. The i-Shadow’s long history coupled with recent consultative development to meet detailed, specific requirements of outdoor educators and our insistence on the highest quality materials and fittings confirm this fact. It is easy to erect, has space for up to 3 persons and a large vestibule for gear. The heavy-duty zips, original easy-maintenance features and superior fabric coatings set this tent up for the longest possible service life.

This transverse, single-pole design is so simple, convenient and useful, the question could be asked as to why make any other design of lightweight, general backpacking tent? The transverse pole provides headroom exactly where it is needed, in the sitting up position. It also means that, with such a simple, minimal support structure, effort can be put into design details to combat the effects of group use, while maintaining a surprisingly low weight.

The outer tent entrance opens to a large vestibule where packs or panniers, wet gear, cooking equipment, and so on can be stored. With the pole pitched along the wind direction and all four stabilising guys in place the i-SHADOW tent will handle a stiff wind with little distortion. The inner tent now extends into the far side of the outer tent (a second vestibule in previous Shadows). This extra floor area creates more possibilities for the use of the inner. There is now space to accommodate three youths, two adults and a child or two adults with room to lay out gear.

The i-Shadow outer has a low maintenance, single door using a #10 heavy-duty pu-coated zip. The top end of this zip is finished with a Hypalon gate so that in the unlikely event that the zip slider needs to be replaced it is a simple operation. Two vents are provided on the outer tent, one at the top of the door zip, the other on the diagonally opposite side. The vent design minimises the possibility of water being blown up through the touchtape closure in storm conditions. The large single vestibule provides useful space for storing wet packs and gear.

The outer tent can be used by itself. It is provided with extra pegging loops so it can be pegged with the ends flat to the ground should wind-blown dust or spray need to be excluded. (We have heard of eight (8!) people spending several nights under a Shadow outer tent!) A very useful accessory for outer-tent-only use is the Shadow Hex Floor. Attaching to the outer tent perimeter in six places, with edges raised above ground level it serves as a very effective, custom fitted ground sheet.

Four pegs are required to get the outer tent up. Four additional aluminium pin pegs with hooked safety tops are provided for the roof pull-outs and arch guys.

The i-Shadow inner is constructed with lightweight 40d ripstop nylon. The nylon panel on the single ‘L-zipped’ door can be rolled up to expose the mesh for ventilation. We have used heavier than usual zips and mesh for this door to resist accidental damage. Zip ends here have also been finished with Hypalon gates so that slider replacement is a simple operation. The inner tent roof panels connect to the outer under the roof guy points. This system creates good space above the face when lying down within the inner tent and stabilises the clearance between the inner and outer skins when the wind picks up.

The floor fabric is a tough, 100 denier nylon fabric with an 8,000 mm waterproof coating. Like all our ‘outer-pitch-first’ tents the floor is a hanging, stress-free tub design. Corners are folded, not stitched and the one floor seam dictated by fabric width limitations is seam sealed. The floor fabric has a light grey PU coating. The colour makes it easier to find lost items in the tent, improves light levels on dull days and, importantly, against the black fabric background, makes it easy to spot accidental coating damage for easy liquid sealant application.

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