Gossamer Gear Whisper Review

[@johnpeterson3386]

You have the best gear reviews, hands down. You have a better understanding of whether and how gear works or doesn't, and a far deeper and more nuanced understanding of *why* gear is the way it is than any other gear reviewer. And it's not close. Great work, I deeply appreciate it!

[@OnceWasHopper]

What John said. 💯 100%

[@dirtbagoutside]

As usual, you make great video and review of gear! Though this is not a shelter I would use, I did enjoy watching your review of it. Thanks for taking the time to post!

[@jeffreycarman2185]

Seems like a very niche tent shelter at the end of the day. Thanks for the review.

[@ulbushcrafting6592]

I appreciate your channel/blog/website. Your approach is scientific, how I would do it. Awesome

[@arielzlatkovski8636]

Thank you for the informative deep-dive into the tent and taking time to talk about the nuances! I really enjoyed the video!

[@CrowMagnumMan2024]

Appreciate your intro on fair comparisons....I have heard so many ridiculous reviews that employ dishonest misrepresentations ...feel like they are competitors attempts to discredit a good product.......thanks for honesty.....

[@KrizAkoni]

This is weirdly interesting. Excellent review.

[@JardineiroRaizes]

Awesome review! You could use a pair of mini voile ski straps to make one long pole from your 2 BD poles. This is what I do with my MLD duomid.

[@wolfeadventures]

Fantastic review! Very detailed. I think I will take my Plex Solo for a few ounces more.

[@backcountryagenda5507]

You are better off. This is not a good design

[@CallumJohnston-u3g]

great review! I also use fixed length running poles (120cm) and recently purchased this tent. I'm actually able to set it up just fine without needing a carbon strut for the rear. By just using the one segment of the shortened pole but the handle, I have a secure section of pole that is longer than 23 cm, but at an angle will fit just fine and support the rear. Instead of an aftermarket pole jack to extend the height of the main pole, I sawed off the end of an old CMT carbon pole to make a nice extender that only weighs 0.3 oz and still fits in the grommet.

[@stonedapeadventures]

great review. The most comparable shelter I have is the split wing, and I feel this would be a nogo for me. pretty much a one trick pony , and feel the best case use senerios you outlined there are much better options. I'd imagine this will appeal to folks whom love gossamer gear.

[@tomnoyb8301]

Great to see GG innovating. Looks wind-durable. Thing about bugs is they don't like wind. If this shelter is as wind-protective as it appears, then it solves both use-cases, Wind and Bugs. Mesh overhang is a nice touch. Otoh: Poles should always be designed handle-up, lest rodents chew salty handles. 2) If one is to use two poles, interior space should be maximally enhanced by those poles, not relegating one to an almost useless 23". 3) A tarp-shelter like this should be much more height-flexible for various weather conditions (wind and rain). 4) The difference between a good shelter and a great shelter is fewest-stakes. (more...) Still using 5yr-old GG LT-4's. They were worth every penny. Too bad GG doesn't sell replacement handles anymore, especially the one's with 1/4-20 camera-mount.

[@moxtr]

Looks like a great piece of kit. Unfortunately I couldn't use it because I'm so paranoid of ticks and Lyme disease. I would think of this tent more as a bivy.

[@gadblatz4841]

I think I'm the person this is built for. I'm a year round tarp user, though I rarely hike in snowy conditions. I live in the PNW so very used to site selection in rainy weather with small tarps. I use a 7x9 or more often an 8x5 dyneema tarp and a head net for bug protection. Gnarly weather, cold, wet, windy, you name it, tarps do work. My one complaint in summer time in the cascade range is brutal mosquitos, brutal. This seems down right super luxury, for me. Ymmv hyoh and all that. I dig it.

[@zakafx]

(coming from your Hexamid short) thanks for this video as well. i enjoyed your full analysis and review of this, something i am now going to consider. I use the Lanshan 1 pro currently and am looking to save some grams. cheers. edit: damn it was a limited release item!

[@jpriddle]

Just became available again. I’m watching this video again before purchasing.

[@SGGPatrickJ]

One thing to note is that the Fizan Compact 3 and 4 trekking poles are almost a perfect fit for the tent at a much lower price. The compact 3's collapsed are 22.8 inches and can extend to 132cm. The compact 4's collapse to 19.3, and extend to 125cm. The 3's wouldn't be able to storm pitch properly at the foot end, and the 4's could but would be a bit short for a normal pitch, but either set could definitely be used here, and they are fairly light at 5.6 and 6 oz each respectively.

[@BookwormSkates]

I don’t know if I’d take this for a big thru, but for moving fast in what *should be* good weather, looks great.

[@wiltonlewis5369]

I know, why not sew the "ground cloth" to the side netting, and call it a floor? Or would that be spoiling the Emperor's New Clothes thing that is going on with this "floorless (but you need a ground cloth)" shelter/tent?

[@natea1042]

It was a design decision to reduce a little weight, eliminate the highest wear point of the shelter, and allow it to be cleaned/dried separately. Its target audience is for those looking for something minimalist but with more protection than a tarp. GG knows this is a niche product which is why they only did a run of 100. I think its a nice design but my only complaint is that its priced a little too high given the lack of a floor and separate inner. For $100 more (less during a sale) you can get a Plex Solo. For myself this would of been intriguing closer to $400.

[@wiltonlewis5369]

@@natea1042 still makes no sense to me. Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should (or needs) to be done. As you said, there are more pragmatic options out there.

[@dcaudwell]

Having a separate floor (and thus a "modular shelter") allows you to use just the floor and cowboy camp - you can't do that with a sewn-in floor. This style of shelter is ideal for long-distance, fast-paced, summer thru-hikes (especially in the US West) where you are hiking 10-12 hours per day and where on many nights you don't even need the shelter. On those nights you cowboy camp and on the buggy nights or rare rainy nights you have an enclosed shelter that you don't resent carrying the 85% of the time you don't actually need it, because it is so light and small.

[@wiltonlewis5369]

​@@dcaudwell well good luck with that. It would last 5 seconds in the UK, and I still think it is so niche that it defies common sense. It must appeal to people with more money than the aforementioned common sense.

[@dcaudwell]

@@wiltonlewis5369 Well, I am indeed from the UK and still hike there a lot, although these days I live in Canada. Nobody in their right mind would recommend the Whisper for UK conditions!! However, there are plenty of environments world-wide where this would be the ideal shelter for several months of the year. The UK absolutely nottt being one of those environments! Horses for courses and all that!

[@toddwooten7002]

Its a great concept but SMD did it better. Even in storm mode one side is still very exposed to splash back. its easy to say, pitch the tent so the storm is coming from the lower side of the tent but that i snt always possible. SMD Deschutes plus and Wild Oasis DCF can be pitch with all of the bottom of the tent touching the ground which would give you much better storm protection

[@backcountryagenda5507]

I agree

[@BookwormSkates]

Couldn’t you lower the main pole to get most of it a lot closer to the ground?

[@GregSkisBC]

Exceptional review as always. You might've thought of this already, but what about the BD carbon FLZ (adjustable version, can get ones that adjust from 110-130cm) to solve the pole dilemma?

[@briandoolittle3422]

10 ounces? WAY TO HEAVY. I sleep in a 60 liter dyneema dry bag. I had to saw my own legs off to fit in, but its worth the weight savings.

[@jackcrackerman]

To be clear here, you only use this setup into your wife's boyfriend's living room right? None of us actually take out our equipment... that'd get it dirty.

[@bihlygoat]

I know you’re kidding, but honestly that’s how I have felt in every waterproof “breathable” bivy sack I’ve ever tried! So much condensation right against my sleeping bag I may as well just use a large trash bag.

[@briandoolittle3422]

@@bihlygoat Ha, yeah. I'm not a fan of my bivy sack, despite it being one of the 'more breathable' options (its a OR Helium). I pretty much just use a tent. I own a tarptent rainbow lithium. Its 1.5 lbs, and does well in wind. Ive used a ~1 lb trekking pole tent, and found it to be less comfortable, less spacious, and more trouble setting up. 1.5 lbs is light enough, I don't see much reason to use anything lighter.

[@jackcrackerman]

@@briandoolittle3422 I've got the tarp tent aeon li, it comes in at 17oz. While I could do with a bit more headroom, I've been using it for the last 3 years and it's been great.

[@jakeva9802]

I’d like to use this on the Arizona trail

[@bjbeck11]

Best reviews! Not so interested in the Whisper but how are you liking that early release Nemo Tensor Extreme sleeping pad?

[@robgrubb420]

this dude gets it.

[@geekarchery]

Thanks a lot or this review!!

[@mateobeans3787]

Tarptent Protrail LI for me!

[@jeffreycarman2185]

38:12 Carbon monoxide (at 28 g/mol) is heavier than nitrogen gas (at 14 g/mol) or Oxygen gas (16 g/mol). So carbon monoxide will probably quickly settle at the bottom air strata of the tent interior once the waste gases from cooking cools. But in any case it is always good to exercise caution with carbon monoxide.

[@topi1091]

This might be a bit silly question but do you have any idea how much the netting weighs overall? I'm just trying to compare it to the sea to summit pyramid net.

[@JSWilliamssr]

A tent with no floor is not a tent. It is a tarp.

[@mikeriehm1242]

The only way I see this working is if there is no rain or snow in the forecast, and in non-buggy conditions. This would allow sleeping on the ground. If I'm taking a ground cloth, why not just have a tent with a lightweight DCF bathtub floor. It would weigh about the same as the ground cloth and be much more protective against bugs and precipitation.

[@ropersix]

Very interesting the GG is giving Dyneema a try. This is the first I've heard of it, amid all my other backpacking social media recommendations and sponsored posts! This one isn't for me (I like my Zpacks pocket tarp for very fast and light), but I hope it sells out, and gives them a reason to try Dyneema with other designs.

[@annao.2884]

Gossamer gear has put out other Dyneema shelters in the past it made the One and The Two in DCF.

[@petercornetet8267]

why not choosing the protrail li over this? anyone could clarify?

[@richcoburn9471]

I want it to work… at first my hesitation was the thought of no floor vs bugs. I think I’ve crossed that bridge. I think it’s bug ok. Now my hesitation is rain. Man, it looks like it’s really exposed to the rain. What am I missing?

[@pgreenx]

Why are they only making 100 of these?

[@jackcrackerman]

I'm struggling with this one. The proprietary poles, the lack of a floor and excessive stakes just dont do it for me.

[@natea1042]

There is nothing proprietary about the poles my guy. A lot of options will work including the $25 Cascade Mountain Tech. Pretty much every trekking pole supported shelter has an optimal height range requirement. I also dont know how you can call 7 stakes excessive. Very few tents fully pitch out with less than 6 (4 corners and 2 vestibule doors). An additional stake isnt going to break you.

[@markcummings6856]

@@natea1042 did you not watch the video. You have to use a rock, and a found stick.

[@natea1042]

@@markcummings6856 I didnt watch the video? He blatantly stated that was only the case with fixed length 115cm BD foldable poles that he prefers. You can use ANY 3 piece pole that extends to 130cm and collapses or sections to 23-24", of which there are many. This includes a wide range of prices from the $25 cascade mountain tech poles to black diamond carbon cork to GG LT5s. Have you ever used a trekking pole supported shelter? Because you dont seem to be grasping the basics of setup.

[@E_Clampus_Vitus]

If it doesn’t have a floor, it’s not a tent. It’s a shelter. So much about ultra lite is selling people very little for very much money.

[@Alaski]

It weighs nothing and looks great for it's intended purpose. For me big rain storms and ticks make it a no go, but great product for some of you.

[@moonliteX]

hm .. so it's almost like a tarp 🤔

[@markcummings6856]

Great overview! Why wouldn’t GG market and design this for the more standard poles?? Whole it then be considered a little too small? Seems ridiculous otherwise if they think people are going to buy their $200+ poles. I really think this is a genius concept, but not when limited to their poles only.

[@dcaudwell]

There are plenty of other poles that work. I have $60 Fizans that work at this length.

[@natea1042]

You must never use trekking poles. There are tons of options to satisfy the needs of this tent from Black Diamond, Leki, REI, Komperdell, Fizan etc... not to mention the cheap China stuff.

[@markcummings6856]

@@natea1042 and you must not have watched the whole video.

[@backpackingcapebreton]

So it’s a tarp with a net skirting? Kind of neat, but no thanks.

[@jeffreyfriedmann4490]

I own fifteen GG Whispers. 😊

[@BigDoeJ424]

#ultra

[@nawwk79]

I won't buy this tent because of 1 word. BUGS