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Super Speedy Summary Verdict

At less than 1lb and packing up to the size of 2 cans of soda the MSR Thru Hiker 100 Wing Shelter should be the essential piece of kit for any fastpacker , thru hiker or adventure racer. The canopy is surprisingly huge for its weight, giving you a large variety of tarp configurations including using a third of it as a floor and still have room for 2 people.

There are some very thoughtful features, including the pre attached cord at various corners, the inclusion of 6 lightweight alu pegs and the ability to use your trekking poles as supports when there are no trees about. Its is compatible with almost every mesh tent or hammock tent too making it a superb piece of kit for various conditions and adventures. This is the swiss army knife of shelter systems.

PURCHASE $189.95

Full Review

When lightness of pack is key it may be that the conventional tent as we know it is dead. More and more I’m seeing fastpackers, Thru hikers and adventure racers switching to simple, quicker solutions and I’ve really come to favour carrying either a bivvy bag or tarp rather than a tent. My FKTs involved the ‘stealthy quick and dirty crash’ approach to sleep and this tarp meets all those needs. I cover some of the other elements of Stealth and Wild Camping in my Article on this site here.

This review will give you a detailed walk through of the MSR Thru Hike 100 Wing Shelter including hints and tips on configurations as well as the lowest place to buy online.

The Rain Keepy Out Bit

So the great thing about tarps is they don’t have to be high tec breathable fabrics because they aren’t a sealed tent. They naturally have some airflow due to the nature of how they are set up. This means all they have to do is keep the wind and rain out so you can make some serious weight savings. The material is made from a 20 Denier rip stop nylon that feels very heavy duty. Its waterproof and treated to repel water too so it beads with droplets. This makes it easier to shake the bulk of the rain away when packing up.

The material is light enough to keep weight down and water off, but also thick enough to be able to provide an adequate shade from direct sunlight if you are putting a tarp up to keep cool rather than keep warm.

I was pretty brutal when first setting this up. Often tarps are put up in a rush in the rain at night when hikers or runners are tired and just need shelter fast so we can be clumsy. The material is strong and even using my trekking poles to support it the material took a lot of abuse without ripping.

When rolled out of the stuff sack you find a smaller mini pouch that contains some spare paracord, and at first I thought it actually only came with one and this was it. Actually its the spare and the tarp itself comes with 6 paracords that are auto adjustable already attached AND 6 red alu mini pegs too.

Setting up

Its all great when its daytime and you are rested and have a beer in your hand, but the true test of a tarp is how easy it is to get up fast when the wind is blowing, its dark, raining and you are so tired you cant remember a single knot from scout camp.

This tarps best feature may be how easy it is to set up. Some serious thought has gone into helping me when my IQ is at it lowest from tiredness and my need for shelter adds pressure to my task.

Adjustable cords on all corners

So the reason this tarp is so easy to set up is that the cords attached to the corners and ends are adjustable without the need to tie knots. You simply lay the tarp out in a square and peg the cords down about 3 to 4 ft diagonally out from the tarp corners. They are also red so they are easy to see and find in poor light.

The red alu pegs fit neatly through a small grey loop of nylon next to the corner and can be bashed into the ground if you don’t even want to use the diagonal cords .

If you are using the cords in diagonals to keep the shape all you have to do now is either tie the ends to two nearby trees to hold the shape up or use two trekking poles set up upside down at either end ( if there are no trees) there is a small circular red alu metal hole to hold them at the ends of the tarp

Easily Adjustable

Once the tarp is up you can then tighten the whole thing down by simply using the little grey holders up near the corners. They automatically lock off under pressure so effectively you can tighten or loosen as you need without having to tie any knots. Its awesome. It meant even on my own I could put this up in the wind in about 3 minutes.

I tend to run a tarp to the ground so that I get full shelter from the wind as well as the rain so I tend to peg my corners in direct to the ground without using the cords. The guide loops and cords mean you get the option to either tie off to trees or put cord in the ground.

Size and Shape

There is enough room for 3 people if you use this tarp in the conventional ‘tent shape’ but you can opt for more complex shapes depending on the weather. If you want more shelter from the wind you can keep one end closer to the ground or put a trekking pole in the centre at one end to create a Tee Pee shape instead.

I would also use this in a ‘quick and dirty’ configuration if I was on an long distance race and simply roll myself inside this on the floor with no preparation using my weight to keep it down. This would give me a roomy ‘bivvy bag’ for me and my gear with the minimum of fuss. Id also say this is large enough to nearly cover the front of an Appalachian Trail shelter too.

Compatible with mesh tents and hammocks

This wing is simple enough to be configured for mesh tents or hammock tents too giving any user the option of taking this tarp on its own in relatively benign weather or the option to pair with a mesh tent or hammock tent in more challenging weather. When I’m buying something I tend to think about its uses for all my outdoor adventures not just the one I’m buying it for. I do a separate review of the MSR Mesh House here .

Gripes

The color is a nice touch. I often stealth camp so want the minimum of visibility. My largest gripe is actually the size. I actually think this is too big as a tarp for just one person. MSR also do a 70 wing that’s smaller, but frankly I’d like to see a 50 variant that’s about half the size for just me on my own.

Verdict

Its the little features on this that make it an utterly superb tarp. It’s really a multi shelter option system for a thru-hiker or adventure racer where every single ounce counts. At 1lb this gives you and up to 2 other people plenty of options and configurations for a comfortable shelter in a variety of conditions and options to use trees or the ground to secure the shelter.

PURCHASE $189.95

Want to Buy it ?

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Wings Setup video from MSR

Key Features

• Ultralight: Ample rain protection with minimal impact on total pack weight.
• Adaptable: Set up with trekking or accessory poles, or suspend from a tree.
• Compact: Both wings pack down tiny and fit in the smallest of backpacks.
• Compatible: Either wing can be paired with Thru-Hiker Mesh House 1, 2 or 3.
• Weather Protection: Featuring durable Xtreme Shield™ waterproof coating.

Technical Specs

Color		Green
Weight (Standard)		1 lbs 4 oz
Weight (Metric)	0.46 kg	0.57 kg
Length (Standard)	114 in	126 in
Capacity	43499	43499
Minimum Weight (Standard)	12 oz	1 lbs 1 oz
Minimum Weight (Metric)	0.38 kg	0.49 kg
Packaged Weight (Standard)	1 lb	1 lbs 4 oz
Packaged Weight (Metric)	0.46 kg	0.57 kg
Interior Peak Height (Standard)	Variable in	Variable in
Interior Peak Height (Metric)	Variable cm	Variable cm
Packed Size (Standard)	9 x 4.5 in	9 x 4.5 in
Packed Size (Metric)	23 x 10 cm	23 x 10 cm
Rainfly Fabric	20D ripstop nylon 1200mm Xtreme Shield	20D ripstop nylon 1200mm Xtreme Shield