11 oz - 310 g Solo Tarp
The Gatewood Cape is the super ultralight backpacker’s dream – shave ounces by combining your rain gear and tarp into one.
The Gatewood Cape is the ONLY poncho-style Tarp to provide complete 360° protection. Since its introduction in 2006, it has been carried over hundreds of thousands of trail miles. It’s provided shelter in everything from high mountain snow-choked ridges to lush forest trails.
*To completely repel water, shelters need to have sealer applied to the seams before use.
*Shelters including a seam sealing service may not ship immediately.
Description
The Gatewood Cape's unique 360-Degree Protection provides full coverage either when worn as a cape or used as a shelter. Unlike ponchos, capes don't have long slits along the sides. While the poncho may allow for more ventilation, it does little to keep out windblown rain. Dual zipper pulls on the front of the Gatewood Cape allow you to regulate ventilation while still providing full protection. Plus, the open skirted design allows fresh air to enter the bottom.
As a shelter, the Gatewood Cape provides significantly enhanced protection when compared to your typical poncho/tarp. Its sturdy pyramid design easily sheds rain or snow and wind simply flows around it. Any sudden change in wind direction in the middle of the night won't leave you scrambling to re-orient your shelter or force you deeper into your bivy. Unlike a traditional tarp, the Gatewood Cape is shaped to eliminate all exposed sides -- leaving you safe and secure.
With 35 square feet of coverage under the shelter's canopy, you've got plenty of room for you and your gear. Depending upon conditions, you can even adjust the vestibule to different heights to increase ventilation. A long zipper on the vestibule makes opening and closing the shelter a snap.
For the adventuresome day hiker, the Gatewood Cape makes the perfect addition to your 10 essentials survival kit. It packs down incredibly small and provides peace of mind knowing you've got excellent protection close at hand.
For added bug protection, the Gatewood Cape mates with the Serenity NetTent. Together they keep both the rain and bugs at bay. Providing you with secure and comfortable space.
After spending several years coming up with the design. The Gatewood Cape became my primary shelter for years. My good friend Billy Goat has racked up over 10,000 miles with his Gatewood Cape and Serenity NetTent.
-Ron
Features
- Micro Buckles connect the harness to cape for easy installation and removal.
- Full 360-Degree protection when set up as a shelter or worn as rain gear.
- Full Zippered Entrance makes entering and exiting the shelter a snap.
- Adjustable Vestibule Height allows increased ventilation while maintaining adequate rain protection.
- Side Snaps for shortening the long sides when worn as a cape.
- Floating Canopy allows the canopy to be set to different heights depending upon conditions.
- Integrated Map / Night Stash Pocket with zipper closure to keep stuff contained. Pocket also doubles as the stuff sack.
- Center Pole Support significantly improves the ability of the shelter to handle wind and snow loads.
- Ultralight Waterproof Canopy is made from high strength Silicone Nylon.
- Extremely Easy Setup requires only six stakes.
User Videos
Gatewood Cape & Serenity NetTentBy: André ÖstergårdPublished: 6/22/15 |
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Perfect Pitch: How to Pitch the Gatewood Cape PerfectlyBy: GygagoPublished: 7/9/15 |
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Gatewood CapeBy: ChuAdventureOnlinePublished: 7/9/15 |
Awards
Backpackers.com Classic Pick 2019
Specifications
SPECIFICATIONS
Seasons: 3
Sleeps: 1
Ships With: Tarp, Stuff Sacks, Guy lines
Pack Size: 10" X 8 X 1.5"
Weight1: 11 oz - 310 g
Stakes: 6 (sold separately)
Colors: Gray, Forrest Green
DESIGN
Type: Tarp
Frame: Single 49" or 45" Pole (sold separately)
Entry: Side Entry
Coverage: 35 ft2 - 3.2 m2
MATERIALS
Canopy: 15D Silicone Coated Nylon - 1800mm Rating
Zipper: #3 YKK
NOTES:
1Weight does not include stakes or pole.
Lost your set-up instructions? Additional instructions can be downloaded here.
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Customer Reviews
4.7
Based on 31 Reviews
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D
08/28/2021
David
United StatesWorked on Colorado Trail
Good gear. This is a light duty shelter, remember that. I protected mine from wind and had no problems. That said, it did fine even in thunderstorms and withstood small hail and torrential rains. Don't let it flap too much and it'll be fine. I'm happy with mine and will use it again.
RJ
08/17/2021
Roger J.
United StatesGood so far
I haven't had this out backpacking yet, or in bad weather so I can't comment on that. It is fairly straight forward to setup and use. I think it will hold up well as long as I pitch it properly. My only concern is snagging on something while using it as a poncho and tearing it. So far, so good.
GT
08/12/2021
Gavin T.
United StatesNice as a UL tent
Spent 5 days in the Weminuche wilderness with my son and two Gatewood capes as our shelters. It took a few try’s to get the pitch right, but they worked great after that. We didn’t have any rain (very odd, but nice) so I didn’t test the poncho or the durability of the rain protection. It was windy at 12,500’ and they held up well in the wind. The condensation was a challenge. It definitely helped to use the loop to pull out the head end of the tarp, I’ll be doing that every time I use it as a tent. I changed the tie outs to be taut-line hitch knots, which should be standard on the guy lines (IMO), seems obvious. I also removed the pull line from the upper zipper, which I kept grabbing by mistake. In all they worked great as an ultralight shelter and helped keep our overall weight really low.
J
07/06/2021
Josh
United StatesI love it
I’m 5’7” and there was lot of room to lay down. Had a suuper windy night one night and everything heldup. Guying out the extra two spots would have helped I’m sure . Got a small wear and tear hole without doing much more than setting it up as a tarp though. Still 10/10 since it’s a 360 coverage poncho tarp.
DO
04/30/2021
Dirtbag O.
United StatesI LOVE my Gatewood Cape
This is perfect!! I have nothing bad to say about my Gatewood Cape. Everything has remained bone dry underneath it after several days of consistent heavy rains and winds. There is plenty of room under there for myself and my gear. It pitches very fast and easily and with just 1 pole. Pair it with a bug bivy, a regular bivy the Serenity Net tent or use it alone, depending on the season or what you like, you will not find a better shelter!
