Pitching my Trailstar in a different configuration

I have not slept under my Trailstar with it pitched differently to my/the ‘normal’ way that I have seen it pitched most of the time – that is with one corner into the wind and the door made out of one side to form an ‘A’ shape. I have see pictures of the Trailstar pitched a bit like a tarp with a very wide opening so thought I would give it a go in the local park before trying it out in the wild some time.

The following photos show the configuration. Basically, you put a whole side into the wind and the door (loosely speaking that is) is made at the opposite corner rather that in the middle of a side. It’s really easy to do and you end up with what can be described as a very large tarp.

Laying inside it looks great, even more headroom and an even better view. Also, it will be great to sleep across the Trailstar (as indicated in the photos by my Oookstar inner net) with my gear at the back, the other side of the pole. I can then just lay there gazing at the stars. I think this configuration will be great for when the weather is not too blowy but I still think it will shed a lot of wind. I can’t wait to try it out.

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Quick one night wild camp, Snowdonia foothills

It had been a very long time since I had been out for a wild camp so with a trip planned to the north coast of North Wales to visit family I decided to take the opportunity to get out on the hills for a night under my Trailstar.

The Snowdonia National Park extends almost to the North Wales coast and I call the hills there, just before they drop to the sea (literally), the Snowdonia foothills. It’s a quick hop up the hill from Penmaenmawr to the foothills to the south so it’s not about the walk, it’s just great to get onto the hills. The views are great there too because you can see all along the coast and across to Anglesey, where the sun sets at this time of year, plus you have the mountains to the south and there are no roads until you get over the Carnedds to Llyn Ogwen.

My eldest daughter joined me on this trip and used my Akto. It was nice to have some company to share the experience and views. It was also great to see two of my shelters pitched together at the same location! The Trailstar is so large inside, as you know, that we were both able to sit comfortably inside to keep out of the cool wind and enjoy the views.

Here are a few photos. There is also a video showing 2 minutes of uninterrupted Trailstar view which is what you get as soon as you open your eyes :)

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