Sawtooth or Lil' Bug Out??

[Jcberg]

I can't speak to the quality of the SO but my Sawtooth has been phenomenal in all conditions (snow, rain, wind, etc) and I couldn't be happier!

 

[Jcberg]

 

[SHTF]

Size reference for the sawtooth this is a standard and xl cot in a sawtooth with room for stove

 

[stevenm2]

I just went through this.
I wanted a smaller shelter for solo or 2 guys with a stove. I also looked at the LBO as I had been really happy with my 6 man SO.
My 6 man was the heavier 70 d fabric and put the shelter/pole/stakes over 8 lbs but the quality was great. It was not bad if you we going with someone to split the load but I wanted to be able to go solo comfortably. I sold the six man but kept my Large Ti stove. I pondered the sawtooth and the BCS as well.
These are all great shelters.
I called Angie at SO and she had a brand new 30d 4 man they used in a video for close to the same price as the LBO (with vestibule and added stove jack) and nearly half the price of a sawtooth. All in it is 4lbs 6oz with stove Jack. Very close in weight to the sawtooth and the BCS but more sq. footage. The trade off is not all of the square footage is as usable. My hopes are with the tie outs SO provides the unusable space will be minimized.
With these light weight stove capable shelters It seems like there is always a trade off. Price ,room, weight and quality are all to be considered. I did my homework and once I decided there were several options and none were perfect it got easier to decide.
Under the circumstances I feel really good about my choice for a shelter.
The 4 man arrived yesterday and I cannot wait to put it up this weekend to seam seal the tie outs.
I packed it into my pack and it is much smaller than the six man in the pack.
The 4 man and large stove weigh less together than the heavy fabric six man did alone.
I will post some pics this weekend.

 

[Highcountry_Hellrazor]

I have used both of these shelters, but spent more nights in the LBO. Sawtooth is owned by a friend, and I can't say enough good things about it. Let me explain what led to the eventual sale of my LBO. It was a great shelter design, but didn't quite suite my needs.

LBO with 3 piece vestibule Pros:
Double Doors were rad for getting in and out.
Zippered Doors.
Simple Pitch with Single Pole.
Fairly bomb proof shelter.
Stove jack with Flap to cover hole great design.
Sod Skirt
Lightweight
One man with stove, and two without stove.

Cons:
Fabric was heavier duty then Kifaru, and expanded contracted with cold moisture, and heat. I was constantly raising and lowering the center pole for tautness.
Fabric didn't have the sense of stretch as the Rino Skin from Kifaru. Which I really liked.
No where to hang my bug-net on my bivy to hold above my face.
Not enough room for two guys and a stove.
Bulky when compressed compared to my old Megatarp.
Condensation was a bitch more then I've experienced others tarp setups.

 

[Shrek]

I suspect that the sod skirt has a lot to do with the condensation in the LBO. I know that the more I suck down my Sawtooth the more condensation I get. I leave mine up off the ground if there isn't much wind and if it's windy and I've sucked the tent down more the wind forces some ventilation.

 

[Highcountry_Hellrazor]

I suspect that the sod skirt has a lot to do with the condensation in the LBO. I know that the more I suck down my Sawtooth the more condensation I get. I leave mine up off the ground if there isn't much wind and if it's windy and I've sucked the tent down more the wind forces some ventilation.

No doubt on that. There isn't much ventilations options on LBO. Short of opening the zippers to the doors. When you have two air breathers and no stove with wet weather you're gonna have a bad time.

 

[Wasatchbuck]

From what I have seen atleast the LBO has vents at the top where as the sawtooth looks is if it has none at all, less leaving one of the doors open.

 

[Kevin_t]

The first year the LBO did not have any dedicated vents. Venting was done by unzipping the dual slider that was under the beak. You also had dual doors, so lots of venting was possible. This worked very well, but in a Base / Base setup there was not any venting, thus we added the dedicated vents in year two.