This shaped tarp has been my most-used shelter in recent years, having been on my Scottish Watershed walk, two TGO Challenges and numerous shorter trips. The simple design, a five-sided tarp, belies the performance. The Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar stands up well to storms – far better than most lightweight tents in fact – as the curved shape sheds wind well and the profile can be lowered or raised according to the conditions. Weighing just 482 gram,s the Trailstar is very light (with pegs and a mesh inner or groundsheet the total weight is more like a kilo). It’s extremely roomy too, especially for one.