Gatewood Cape

Love the weight

The cape performed well as a poncho. As a shelter, it did okay, but could use an additional attachment point to pull the back out and away from the serenity tent. Condensation really builds up where the two touch, even with the front open, and it's hard to set it up so that there's room between them. I like the overall lightness of the paired cape and serenity tent. I loved the serenity tent as a bug shelter without the cape.

Cool idea. Not for me.

Pros: 1.This design grabbed my attention with multi-use function. 2.Only needs one trekking pole. 3. Has the ability to attach a bug netting system to it. 4. lightweight. 5. A great conversation piece to talk with others. LOL 6. Thought to myself could be a cool alternative instead of using a bivy sack. Cons: 1. I’m 5’3’’ the poncho is a PITA to use efficiently/smoothly. 2. After using this design I stubbornly realized I’m too ingrained with cheap/fast high mileage day traveling on a tight schedule—so I realized stealth camping is actually more important to me. And I do that very easily with a bivy sack. 3. I’ve spent many nights not having to overthink were to put my bivy sack and don’t have to deal with finding the “sweet spot of a pitch”. 4. Windy, bad weather etc, it’s easier to just use a bivy sack, the gatewood design is not perfect it still has issues with the weather seeping through and condensation.5. I really am not convinced that the sewing lines will hold past a couple years without blowing out. I wish I could have just rented some designs from Six Moons and practiced with them. I would have quickly realized that tents or tarp tents are not for me. It sucks because overall this was an expensive mistake. Hopefully I can sell it to someone. Cool idea, real world use...not for me.

Great minimalist or emergency shelter

Small learning curve on figuring out how to pitch. Once you have that down it is a nice shelter for one. Great value for the price. This will never leave my pack.