I RECEIVED A BRAND NEW APEXUS Parawing Canopy Sheet in October 2012 as part of my compensation from the Mountain Climbers Association of the Philippines for sharing and teaching their members about bushcraft and survival which was then held in Mount Balagbag. That time, I sorely needed a decent shelter to replace a cheap laminated nylon sheet which I had been using for more than a year.
Little did I know that I was to
embark on my greatest adventures with this simple shelter after that. The sheet
just weighs 800 grams despite having measurements of 10 feet and 9.8 feet. It
is in light gray color with eight black web loops bar-tacked to the four sides
and corners of the sheet. It has a seam running down the middle which stitched two
separate sheets of imported lightweight material. It comes with a stow bag.
This is most perfect with hammocks. Initially, I rigged it with a flat rope as a strengthening ridge and made it appear box-like but, as time goes by, the sheet is rigid enough to be stretched taut without use of a ridge. On equal footing, I set this simple shelter on the ground when I feel the need, utilizing the flat rope in tandem with two sticks and pegs or with just a stick if I could tie to a tree trunk.
What I liked about simple shelters is
it is very flexible. I could keep the angles of the sheets tight if wind becomes
so annoying, driving rain into my hammock or just so cold for comfort. Sometimes,
I just raise one side to let breeze in if it is stuffy warm. If trees are close
enough giving me tight spaces to rig this regularly, I could improvise and
squeeze it to what livable space available.
The APEXUS Parawing Canopy Sheet has been with me through so many bushcraft camps I hosted like the Philippine Independence Bushcraft Camp of 2013-2018; the Bonifacio Day Bushcraft Camp of 2015 and 2018; several wilderness survival training I did as a journeyman outdoors educator between 2013-2019 at many places in Cebu, Capiz, Bukidnon, Rizal, Sumilon Island, Iloilo and Benguet.
Then I carried this lightweight sheet
in my many route reconnaissance and explorations of the Cebu Highlands Trail, a
400-kilometer route which I started in February 2011 and finished in November
2016. This same long trail, I walked through for 29 days in January 2017, with
the APEXUS Parawing Canopy Sheet carried on my back and be ready for deployment
whenever there is a need.
What I learned about sleeping with simple shelters is you got to adapt and improvise; most importantly when it rained. It does not matter if the waterproofing seals are new or becoming brittle or there are tiny pinholes on the canopy, water, when it finds a way, it would surely drip from the middle of your shelter. Driplines attached at each web loop tied by cords to the trunk solved this dilemma.
This classic shelter had served me for more than six years and would have served me until now were it not for another manufacturer who wanted to test me their own sheet brand. The wear-and-tear of use in my rugged lifestyle made tiny pinholes upon the sheet caused by creases yet, amazingly, drips did not start from there. I used this sheet on some other times as a ground sheet.
Should I rate the APEXUS Parawing Canopy Sheet on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 as Poor and 5 as Excellent; I would rate it by its different characteristics like Comfort, Construction, Function, Weight, Design, Material, Cost and User Friendly; before I could give the final satisfaction rating average. Here is how I do it and please follow me down:
• The APEXUS Parawing Canopy Sheet is of conventional pattern used for low-altitude camping and other outdoor-related activities which need an overhead canopy. Finding comfort with this shelter can only be achieved if you are used to living a hard life. Comfort is nonexistent on a cold night or a rainy day but I can still rate it at 2.5;
• The APEXUS Parawing Canopy Sheet had been a steady and reliable shelter when it was with me and had lasted more than six years of extreme use and overstretching when I had to. Construction is superb at 5;
• Did the APEXUS Parawing Canopy Sheet failed me in more than six years of use? Never. The seams are solid. The web loops had held their ground while I or the wind kept it taut many times over. Function is max at 5;
• Weight is the most obtrusive feature why people think twice of carrying a tent. Try a simple shelter. Compared with other brands, I found the APEXUS Parawing Canopy Sheet the lightest even though it has the largest surface area. Weight is just about right which I rated at 4.5;
• This is a very common shape or design sold by most makers but the manufacturer used good materials and workmanship to keep me dry and warm as possible as it allows and it has the widest canopy and lightest weight. Design is a notch above average at 3.5;
• The choice of lightweight imported-material for the sheet made it ideal for my own brand of outdoors activity. The best choice. That goes too to the threads used to stitch it all together. Material is fine at 4.5;
• Do we need to wrangle about the price? Come on. It is just P900. Show your support for local products and business. Cost is best at 5;
• If you cannot set this up properly then there must be something wrong with your eyesight? User Friendly is absolute at 5.
Overall, the APEXUS Parawing Canopy
Sheet has a Satisfaction Rating Average of 4.375, which does not surprise me, even
though that is a local product. Personally, this is an excellent shelter to
acquire and to camp ruggedly with or on an ultralight backpacking. It is also a
good complement for your tents to add more layer and protection from rain and
cold. Likewise, as a canopy to shield your cooking.
No comments:
Post a Comment