Testing: Stone Glacier Skyscraper 2P tent

[Matt W.]

Wonder when the 3P version will come out? : )

 

[robby denning]

Just spent my 13th night in my third camp this year in mine. Other than no really tough weather to test it in, I’m comfortable recommending this tent for durability, function, and space. Most nights were with vestibule and cooking under it , but last few have been warm with no precip so ran it with no fly.

Now that I’ve left the webtruss attached, it sets up in just a few minutes.

I’ve really like the double doors with bug screens for the warm weather, you can get a nice breeze going through.

The zippers are really lightweight and I was a little concerned but they’re working fine.

I did put a dime size hole through the floor as the protective foam roll slipped of my cot and cut through to a rock. I’ll fix it easily enough. Doubtful that would happen if sleeping on foam, air

Here are pics of the webtruss with center pole set correctly. Earlier I had it backwards but functioned fine

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[Sverimerica]

Thanks Robby! Looks like it has alot of head room. Looking forward to reading reports from hard weather conditions

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[MT_Wyatt]

Robby are you leaving the web truss fully clipped to the inner tent all of the time? Or just the corners? After some use, I think leaving it all clipped on is WAY easier.

I’ve been struggling with how “twisty” that system is, but have been only leaving the 4 corners of the truss attached. It does help getting the poles up before the body is clipped in the wind, but it’s been a pain keeping the web truss from getting all tangled up.

I would agree on ventilation, I was worried with the size of the doors, but haven’t had much condensation yet. Dual zipper heads to create upper vents on the doors is a nice feature.

 

[robby denning]

MT_Wyatt
I’ve not tried leaving the twist hooks attached to webtruss, only the corners. I’d guess they might unhook themselves after takedown, but I’ll give it a shot. Tangling has been minimal and it’s a breeze to get the poles through the sleeves with just corners attached. I’ll let you know


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[robby denning]

OK Wyatt, I just broke camp and I attempted to leave the twist hooks attached. But by the time I had the poles out and the tent laid flat, almost all of them had come undone. So I’m pretty sure it’s designed to just leave the corners attached.


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[MT_Wyatt]

OK Wyatt, I just broke camp and I attempted to leave the twist hooks attached. But by the time I had the poles out and the tent laid flat, almost all of them had come undone. So I’m pretty sure it’s designed to just leave the corners attached.


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Right on, thanks for trying and letting me know Robby. I was going to give it a shot here tonight when I pack in, but I can see why those twist hooks would pop off. Wet week ahead with some snow so will be a good test of condensation resistance and space with 2 guys in this tent.

For those looking, I’ve been leaving those outer “wing” clips on the crossbow pole part of the webtruss attached which really helps that part keep from getting twisted. The inner tent is so taught with this design that it really makes for a nice living interior.

 

[robby denning]

MT_Wyatt, well good deal if you’re gonna get some weather to run it in. That’ll really help this thread so be sure and post up. Good luck out there this week


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[MT_Wyatt]

Missed a young bull with the recurve, shot right under him. Still licking that wound, there will be snow on the ground when I head back out this week.

I’ve run this tent a total of 11 nights, mixed warm, sunny, rain, snow between 5000 and 8000 feet. My last tent was a hilleberg Anjan 2, which was close to perfect. Until a bear wrecked it. I’ve carried this solo as well as used with a partner, and with parter + dog. Couple things I’ll note from my perspective to add to the review:

Weight/size: it’s large inside, really large to run solo. I’d like to run something/lighter when alone and trying to go in with less bulk, although the security of the tent strength is significant peace of mind.

Condensation Resistance - some voiced concern with this tent being rated 4 season but not having the fly extend the the ground. Count me in that camp. Having that extra couple inches does allow the fly to breath quite well though, and the cross flow you can get from leaving the vestibule partly or fully open really keeps it down. I think a small buckle at the zipper midpoint would be beneficial to help porch the door - more manufacturers should do this. As for an entire night of rain and two guys - condensation is inevitable and happened. The fly has large storm flaps at the tops of the vestibule zippers with double heads so you can zip down high vents in the fly. Those help, but they aren’t large. Overall the tent is better with condensation than I would have suspected. Photos show results
After rain all night with two people.

Web truss - it can be “twisty” to the point it’s super annoying. But I’ve found with more use, the less issues I have. Leaving corners attached works okay - I also leave the top “wings” the bow pole connected to either side of the body, which really helps keep it straight. The strength it adds outweighs the difficulty in my mind.

Materials - I haven’t been able to get a spec on the fly’s tear strength. It does have stretch to it with temp changes and moisture. The attention to detail with construction/build is truly first rate.

Setting up/down in the rain - now that I’ve dealt with it and tried a couple different things, I’ll just say it’s better than a traditional external fly tent, but I think an external pole is going to be easier to keep the inner dry on a wet setup. But a suspended inner tent won’t be as taught as what the skyscraper offers. I took the tent down in light rain and managed to keep the inner dry/protected aside from rolling the inner up, photo shows water I got on the inner. Rain also sits right on top of the skyscraper dome peak because of how flat it is. With my Anjan, I could literally disconnect my entire inner and pack my whole backpack under the fly, then get out and take the poles/fly down. Which is better? I don’t know, each system has its strengths, just depends on what you value more.
Dropped inner with fly over in rain.

Water on inner

 

[robby denning]

MT_Wyatt
Excellent review. Great to see it out is some weather. Was the condensation enough to drip or just get you wet if you brushed against it?

Also, sorry you missed that bull, those haunt a guy for years


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[MT_Wyatt]

MT_Wyatt
Excellent review. Great to see it out is some weather. Was the condensation enough to drip or just get you wet if you brushed against it?

Also, sorry you missed that bull, those haunt a guy for years


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No it wasn’t, good point to clarify - the ripstop inner really beads water, that last photo shows the bottom at the head end where I got some water on it peeling the fly off. I didn’t have any issues with water within the tent.

If I get it in some good snow will post more, it’ll be interesting to see how it slides off the top of the dome.

 

[robby denning]

Thanks Wyatt


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[Ten Bears]

Wyatt-

Thanks for posting this, great pics also.

I am going back to a tent next year after running floorless for a while. Looking at the Stone Glacier and the Anjan 2. If you had to pick just one which one would it be ?

Thanks-
John

 

[MT_Wyatt]

Wyatt-

Thanks for posting this, great pics also.

I am going back to a tent next year after running floorless for a while. Looking at the Stone Glacier and the Anjan 2. If you had to pick just one which one would it be ?

Thanks-
John

I feel like I honestly need some more time in the SG tent to make that opinion, but leaning towards the skyscraper if I had to pick one, although I prefer the burly hilleberg floor and much prefer their fly fabric. Right now I totally prefer the Anjan for solo, and the skyscraper for 2 people if that helps. Rather than focus on which one id personally pick, I’ll list some stuff I would weigh between them.

- the SG tent is modular so you can convert down to a 3 season.
- Anjan feels way shorter inside because the foot end wall is quite sloped, especially on an inflatable pad. I’m 5’8” and it felt short to me. On the contrary, the interior of the SG tent is amazing for a tent.
- Anjan can’t seal the inner against high wind/drafts. But that full size door on the end is great, I miss the size of that. The skyscraper doors are small.
- if you want to push into winter, I would use the SG tent. The dome strength is quite impressive.
- weight and pack size favor the Anjan, although I don’t know the weight of a skyscraper 3 seasons setup off hand.
- I found the yellow inner tent of the hilleberg nice - the skyscraper is even brighter as it’s white.
- the skyscraper is burly where it counts, and quite efficient where it can be with zippers, pulls, toggles, stake points, and guy lines. Hilleberg is just bombproof everywhere. I much prefer the SG in that regard.
- both have great vestibule space, and both roll back doors, etc quite well to ventilate. I haven’t seen enough Foul weather ventilation to render opinion there.
- I trust the SG fly fabric is tough enough for really severe weather - I rode out hail storms in my Anjan and the thing looked brand new still after.
- Anjan is much easier to just whip up quick, for me. I do like the linked inner tent system a ton.

I hope all that helps a bit - it would be expensive for two weeks or so, but might not be bad to order both and return 1, or see if a reasonably close shop at least has 1 to check out. No matter what I have read, things most important to me jump out so much more with things in hand.

Also, found this photo - after full night of rain. Not really posting as an issue, just illustrates the top of the dome shape better. I think there’s a real solid point to be made about a slick outer fly to have snow slide off, which is a pro- even the 4 season hilleberg domes have a little roof to cover the exterior pole intersection.

 

[Ten Bears]

Wyatt-

Thank you for maybe the most informative breakdown of tents in a forum post I have read. You seriously have a skill explaining the real guts of a tent to someone. I don't know if you do gear reviews for a living but companies should send you stuff if they want the straight dope on how it performs.

That being said I am leaning towards the Anjan 2 after reading this, the key is ease of setup, and the extra weight saving. I mostly hunt early archery elk/mule always solo and like to keep moving with little hassle. I used a floorless this year with a stove and felt like I was camping a little too much.

Again. Thanks Wyatt.

 

[Sverimerica]

Ten Bears is right Wyatt, you really explain it very well. Alot of guys write alot without being descriptive, not the case with you.

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[Sverimerica]

Ten Bears,
I have an Anjan 2, and I will vouch for setup ease. Its stupid easy. Also, at least in my stomping grounds, it is easier to find a long, narrow place to set up rather than a more round footprint. Dont know if that applies to you. Just like Wyatt said, an Anjan is a great solo tent, would be tight for 2 dudes though (no thanks). I am interested in the skyscraper for using more with my kids or wife, but for solo, I do appreciate my Anjan.

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[Yellowknife]

Had this one out on a recent coastal goat hunt. It was a short trip, in part because I got sick and spent most of the trip holed up in the tent wondering if I was going to make it off the mountain.

It did take some extended heavy rain just fine. I was camped on damp ground which became full saturated after a night of rain. No leaks and no significant condensation on the inner, which appeared to breath quite well. Favorite feature is the ability to sit up inside with plenty of headroom. Nice when you are tent bound.

Not sure if the "truss" is worth the complication yet. It does make for a very stiff structure, but it also adds fabric and set-up time compared regular pole sleeves. Haven't had it in wind or snow yet to see what the payoff is.

Compared to the Hille's I've used, the set up is certainly more involved. Those linked inner hoop designs are hard to beat that way, and one of my favorite things about Hille's. However, I much prefer the dual vestibules and headroom of the SG if you are living in it for extended periods and/or need to put two people in it. I also strongly suspect that the SG will be less noisy in the wind. Just depends on the end goals of the user.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

As promised, post-snow follow-up. Ten Bears I don’t do reviews for a living, I’m an engineer.

Wet snow. Way wet, an I basically camped in a cloud. The tent took a day of rain prior to the snow, no leaks. The dome sheds pretty well except for the very top. I actually had a pretty significant condensation problem, because all the snow slid and stacked overnight to block the gap between fly and tent body. Woke up and my inner tent was totally coated on the inside, as well as the shell to my down bag. I’m not sure if higher dedicated vents would alleviate the issue, a blocked fly really traps that moisture. I had the ripstop doors about half closed, opened them all the way later when the wind died down.

I don’t have enough tent time in the snow to make an educated/experienced comment on effectiveness of upper vents in those conditions, but it would be interesting to hear from folks that had. I think my results are indicative of extreme moisture conditions coupled with wet snow blocking all of my ventilation - not really a poor reflection on the product. Robby let us know how it goes for you in the snow!

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[Sverimerica]

Yeah, condensation gets talked about alot, but the reality is that even with some ventilation, in the right conditions you will get condensation. It is funny to me when people complain about it (not you, Wyatt) as it is just unrealistic to expect none, ever, which I see on these forums alot. Thanks for the pics Wyatt!

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