Page 42 - 2018 AMA Summer

KITREVIEW
TERRA NOVA EQUIPMENT
By Al Topping
Terra Nova have been making shelters, of all kinds since 1980 when they were known under their original company name Wintergear. Their experience really shows in their complete line of tents, bothys and bivi bags that cater for all budgets and requirements. AMA members are afforded significant discounts on their entire catalogue giving reductions from 20% upwards. Below is a selection of their product range giving an overview of what’s available.
As far as shelters go, a tarp is as simple as it gets. As most will have experience with the issued basha, I’ll be using this as a benchmark in which to make a comparison.
Smaller than the issue-tissue, the Adventure Tarp 1 is a single person lightweight nylon sheet. It doesn’t come with pegs or any poles but the positive here is that it gives you the freedom to customise these parts to your own tastes. There are ring eyelets at the corners as you find on the issued basha and one additional eyelet along each edge in the centre for attachment with string, bungees or to peg straight into the ground.
Weighing in at only, 367g it’s the second lightest option in our reviews this edition, coming second to the moonlight sleeping bag cover. The advantage to this additional weight is that it gives you a modest amount of room for covering your kit and providing somewhere to cook or change out of wet clothes. It’s not a huge amount of space and you’d need to be quite selective over when and where you choose to use it. But, for emergency stop outs or for lightweight multi night trips, this is the ideal companion to your kit locker. There is a larger option, the Adventure Tarp 2, and for an extra £10 gets you 2.9m x 2.48m of material.
If you’re looking to buy something that stops you from standing out by being the one person with a camouflage basha then the Terra Nova Adventure Tarp is a good place to start.
The Moonlite is Terra Nova’s top end bivi bag retailing at £160 but is available to AMA members for £84. It’s a waterproof and breathable bivi bag with taped seams and has an integrated hood that has a mesh net to cover the face.
Bivi bags usually sit in two categories, those with lots of space, and those which are more fitted; the Moonlite sits firmly in the latter category and has weight saving
‘AMA members are afforded significant discounts on their entire catalogue giving reductions from 20% upwards’
at the forefront of the mind. It’s achieved this by coming in at only 180g and packs down to 21 x 6 cm (If you squash it, it will compress to less than this). This then makes it ideal for lightweight expeditions and for those situations where the unexpected happens. However, if
you’re taller than average or have broad shoulders this particular bag may be a bit too snug for comfort.
The Moonlite is a mummy shaped bag with fitted area at the bottom for your feet. It’s got a hood that can be zipped up and this includes a midge net. Upon testing I found it difficult to use this zip as I found it a bit tight to move about inside and would prefer more space. You certainly wouldn’t want to put your boots inside overnight if out in winter conditions and operating the zip in the morning might be more challenging than your QMD ahead.
In summary, if you’re below average height and have less broad shoulders than me then this is a worthy option to add to your kit locker. If not or are looking for something to give you space for you and your kit you may wish to look at other options.
Most emergency shelters I’ve used before are very similar in design and comprise of a large sheet of waterproofed nylon with
42 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER