Trailstar pitch

Sameer

Backpacker
Need some help with pitching my trailstar. No matter what I try the side panels are floppy. I tried different pole heights from 120 - 135cm, and various peg positions (always in line with the corresponding seam) but it always ends up like this 👇🏽

IMG_20210926_143223.jpgIMG_20210926_143235.jpg

Any tips on getting a taut pitch?
 

Munro277

Thru Hiker
Need some help with pitching my trailstar. No matter what I try the side panels are floppy. I tried different pole heights from 120 - 135cm, and various peg positions (always in line with the corresponding seam) but it always ends up like this 👇🏽

View attachment 35034View attachment 35035

Any tips on getting a taut pitch?
Not sure if it’s you who’s messaged me on FB but let’s use the top pic as reference
The peg point on the left,nearest camera that’s our start point
Pull the peg point to the left of it till bottom edge is tight ,forget about the mid panel pegging points , do the same on the next peg point and repeat on the other side
All this “slack “ material will now be at the door pull it up and all should be good
 

Norrland

Thru Hiker
Ignore the mid panel tie outs until your done. From the pics it looks like you've gone around and pegged everything in chronological fashion.
 

Padstowe

Thru Hiker
Ron Bell told me this way to get used to the shape, so using your above picture with points numbered 1 - 6.
Peg out no.1 - 4 pulling the fabric taut with each peg, after no.1 move to no.3 & pull the hem tight against no.1, then no.2 puling the hem tight against no.1 & 3 and the same at no.4. You should have enough space to fit a pole at 115cm in the inside, then peg down no.5 & 6.
This will give you a very low shelter but may help you understand the process of getting the shape by doing it a few times before moving onto a higher pole setting.
 

Shewie

Chief Slackpacker
Staff member
It's been a while since I used mine but this is how I do it ..

Loosely peg it out, put the pole inside, find the rear centre tieout and cinch down, then move to the side tieouts moving any slack towards the door, repeat on the other side then put your door pole in with all that slack fabric at the front.

There used to be a nice visual guide on Steven Horners blog but I think that site is dead now
 

Sameer

Backpacker
Ron Bell told me this way to get used to the shape, so using your above picture with points numbered 1 - 6.
Peg out no.1 - 4 pulling the fabric taut with each peg, after no.1 move to no.3 & pull the hem tight against no.1, then no.2 puling the hem tight against no.1 & 3 and the same at no.4. You should have enough space to fit a pole at 115cm in the inside, then peg down no.5 & 6.
This will give you a very low shelter but may help you understand the process of getting the shape by doing it a few times before moving onto a higher pole setting.
I'll give that a try, thanks
 

Sameer

Backpacker
It's been a while since I used mine but this is how I do it ..

Loosely peg it out, put the pole inside, find the rear centre tieout and cinch down, then move to the side tieouts moving any slack towards the door, repeat on the other side then put your door pole in with all that slack fabric at the front.

There used to be a nice visual guide on Steven Horners blog but I think that site is dead now
I did something similar, but ended up with a really narrow and tall door 😅 I'll just keep trying
 

Bopdude

Thru Hiker
Wow, I'm doing it completely 'wrong' then, I pitch mine so as if looking at the drawing 4 5 and 6 are my back and 1 the entrance, I'll have to try this way. Of course this is fair weather, haven't tried in bad weather, probably been lucky.
 

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Whiteburn

Thru Hiker
HERE's the way I did it. IME the easiest way to start on the learning process is to start with a lower height pitch, as @Padstowe says give 115cm a go. For a snug pitch shorten the guys to around 10cm as you place the stakes & only shorten once the pitch is taut e.g. initially only move the stakes keeping the hem taught & the stakes in line with the seam.
 

Bopdude

Thru Hiker
Thanks @Whiteburn I just had a quick look off of the phone I'll take a better look tonight on the PC, question though please, do you then pitch your inner to the back or offset to one side?
 

Whiteburn

Thru Hiker
Thanks @Whiteburn I just had a quick look off of the phone I'll take a better look tonight on the PC, question though please, do you then pitch your inner to the back or offset to one side?
My preference for the Bearpaw nest was back/ righthand side so that I when I normally slept head towards the door I could lay on my left side for messing with the stove easily while in bed.
 

Robin

Moderator
Staff member
I preferred my Oookstar on one side too

img_0898-2.jpg


img_0899-2.jpg
 

Patrick

Ultralighter
I don't use a Trailstar, which has the added complication of the entrance, but I do have plenty of experience pitching hexagonal and octagonal pyramid tents. I'd say the key is pegging out the corners so the base seam is taut between each pegging point first (except for the entrance panel, where I'd have thought you just need to guess the amount of slack to leave. Only then should you crawl in, and raise the central pole to whatever height brings it all tight. And finally I'd lift the entrance panel, which will still be floppy, with the second pole. As I say, I'm not actually a Trailstar user, but I don't see that that approach can fail to give taut panels...
 

JimH

Section Hiker
Wow, I'm doing it completely 'wrong' then, I pitch mine so as if looking at the drawing 4 5 and 6 are my back and 1 the entrance, I'll have to try this way. Of course this is fair weather, haven't tried in bad weather, probably been lucky.

I pitch like that using a corner for the doorway in fair weather (think I've heard it called porch-mode). That's the nice thing about the Trailstar, different options for different weather, snug to the ground with a small doorway when it's grim out, or high and airy for fine weather.
 

fqjiopjq28fq

Ultralighter
This is great. I just got my
Trailstar and figuring this stuff out yesterday.

It's a tricky one. Mainly I'm having issues getting the 'low door' like I've seen on many pictures. My door height is about the same as my main pole. Anyway, will keep playing.
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
View attachment 35096
View attachment 35097

Thank you everyone for all the good tips & suggestions. Working with a lower pitch to start with at 110cm. I still have some slack in the side panels, finding it difficult to pitch the hems really low without increasing the slack.

But we're getting there 😊
You still aren't pulling the hems tight enough horizontally between corners?
These hems need to be taut.

And your corners are narrower than those on the diagram you posted above?
( I use the same sequence)

From your first pitch it looks like corner angles are too small (almost square? 90°).

Remember, the shelter is based on a Pentagon ( with one slightly shorter side - the door). If it was a regular pentagon(no door), the inside corners would be 108°. To get the slack on one side for a door, it needs to be slightly less than 108° on each corner. But still a lot more than 90°.

Obviously you don't use a protractor to precisely measure but you can "eye" the approximate angles. You only really need to really think about the first rear corner. Anyone can tell if it's too near square (90°). The rest is pulling hems tight from corner to corner as you peg it.

This is mine and a friend's pitched at home before I sold one for him last year.

IMG20201106141843.jpg
 
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Sameer

Backpacker
You still aren't pulling the hems tight enough horizontally between corners?
These hems need to be taut.

And your corners are narrower than those on the diagram you posted above?
( I use the same sequence)

From your first pitch it looks like corner angles are too small (almost square? 90°).

Remember, the shelter is based on a Pentagon ( with one slightly shorter side - the door). If it was a regular pentagon(no door), the inside corners would be 108°. To get the slack on one side for a door, it needs to be slightly less than 108° on each corner. But still a lot more than 90°.

Obviously you don't use a protractor to precisely measure but you can "eye" the approximate angles. You only really need to really think about the first rear corner. Anyone can tell if it's too near square (90°). The rest is pulling hems tight from corner to corner as you peg it.

This is mine and a friend's pitched at home before I sold one for him last year.

View attachment 35156
Very good point, I'll try spreading it out a bit more. What I noticed was by doing that I would end up with longer guylines and hems higher off the ground. But I'll give it another go today.
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
Very good point, I'll try spreading it out a bit more. What I noticed was by doing that I would end up with longer guylines and hems higher off the ground. But I'll give it another go today.

Try and keep them all the same length and only adjust them to tighten once the pole is in and the general pitch sorted.

You should be able to keep at least the first 3 all the same length.
 

Sameer

Backpacker
Try and keep them all the same length and only adjust them to tighten once the pole is in and the general pitch sorted.

You should be able to keep at least the first 3 all the same length.
What pole height have you got in those pictures? I'll work towards getting a taut pitch like yours
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
What pole height have you got in those pictures? I'll work towards getting a taut pitch like yours
In those pitches, by the look of the door width, probably somewhere around 120-125? I don't know because I tend to put the pole to how I've pegged it.

If I wanted a 130 ish pole, I'd start with a slightly narrower angle at peg 1,2 and 3 and end up with a slightly smaller footprint, and more slack for the doorway, enabling a taller pole and narrower/taller doorway.
 

fqjiopjq28fq

Ultralighter
You still aren't pulling the hems tight enough horizontally between corners?
These hems need to be taut.

And your corners are narrower than those on the diagram you posted above?
( I use the same sequence)

From your first pitch it looks like corner angles are too small (almost square? 90°).

Remember, the shelter is based on a Pentagon ( with one slightly shorter side - the door). If it was a regular pentagon(no door), the inside corners would be 108°. To get the slack on one side for a door, it needs to be slightly less than 108° on each corner. But still a lot more than 90°.

Obviously you don't use a protractor to precisely measure but you can "eye" the approximate angles. You only really need to really think about the first rear corner. Anyone can tell if it's too near square (90°). The rest is pulling hems tight from corner to corner as you peg it.

This is mine and a friend's pitched at home before I sold one for him last year.

View attachment 35156

Half the reason I got one, they look so cool.
 

Jamess

Section Hiker
I'm 'late to the party' on this one but when I had a TS I used to pin out the rear peg and then one peg either side of that at the natural angle for a pentagon. Then I'd pop in my centre pole, front pole and guy, tighten everything down, and then form the door with the last two corners.

I found that having that straight line between the back peg and the front peg and ensuring those two rear panels are 'proper tight' are the keys to getting a really tight pitch.
 
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