Mountain Safety Research has launched a spacious pyramid-style floorless backpacking shelter with an optional inner.
MSR All-Season Front Range Tarp Shelter
- RRP: £270
- Minimum weight: 0.74kg
- Floor area: 7.52 sq m
- Interior peak height: 1.62m
- Fabrics: Rainfly – 20D ripstop nylon 1200mm Xtreme Shield™ polyurethane & silicone
MSR has introduced the ultralight Front Range Tarp Shelter, a versatile, spacious and all-season tarp shelter designed for parties of up to four and intended for objectives such as alpine missions and spring ski traverses. The Front Range Tarp Shelter packs down small, is ultra-simple to set up, and is remarkably light.
At a minimum weight of 740g, the frameless and floorless Front Range Tarp Shelter is light enough to carry as a solo shelter, dining hall or emergency shelter, which makes it quite versatile. The steep canopy easily sheds snow and water, and the 1.62m peak height allows four to comfortably sleep and then easily gear up the next morning. Finally, the floorless tarp lends itself to a very quick setup using ski or trekking poles, helping save on overall weight (ski straps included for easy assembly; accessory pole sold separately).
The Front Range also features MSR’s Xtreme Shield™ waterproof coating, an ultra-durable coating that MSR claims “lasts up to 3x longer than standard waterproof coatings preventing the premature stickiness the competition experiences”.
Floorless pyramid shelters are a popular choice for lightweight backpacking due to their simplicity, wind resistance, and low weight. It’s good to see a competitive option from MSR.
Front Range Insert
©Earl Harper
- RRP: £220
- Minimum weight: 0.88kg
- Floor area: 4.97 sq m
- Interior peak height: 1.42m
- Canopy: 15D nylon micro-mesh
- Floor: 30D ripstop nylon 3000mm Xtreme Shield™ polyurethane and DWR
The Front Range Bug/Floor Insert, sold separately, turns the Front Range tarp into a full-protection shelter in wet and buggy terrain. The Bug/Floor Insert features a micromesh canopy with a durable bathtub floor, a zippered door, and is easily set up with ski or trekking poles (accessory pole available for purchase). The shelter’s peak cone design keeps the fly off the mesh insert for reduced condensation.
