You are here

Traveler's Gear Box: Wind Warrior

Share

The Wind Warrior not only blocks wind, but can provide privacy for your next campground stay/Patrick Cone

Have you ever pitched your tent in a national park campground only to desire a little more privacy, or perhaps some help with calming breezes so your stove flame won't go out? There's a solution: Wind Warrior.

Created from a panel of tight-weave 420 denier nylon fabric with water-resistant urethane coating, the Wind Warrior (MSRP: $180) erects in minutes and provides you some privacy from nearby campsites, or serves as a wind barrier that allows you to cook without constantly relighting your stove.

Now, this is not a backcountry piece of gear, unless you're traveling via a large canoe or a boat with lots of room. Stowed in its bag, the Wind Warrior measures not quite 4 feet long and about 7 inches across. But take it with you on a car-camping trek, and this piece of gear can quickly be erected to provide a 10-foot by 6-foot wall. Buy two or more and the wall expands as much as you desire.

The fabric is designed to be stretch resistant, so no obnoxious flapping, and it's fade-resistant, as well. How much of a gust can it handle? The company claims it survived a truck-top ride that peaked at 35 mph.

While the model provided the Traveler for testing came in bright orange, there are somewhat more subtle colors available: Yellow, tan, camo, blue, and black. But, if you like to stand out, the Wind Warrior also comes in red.

All the pieces stow nicely in a bag/Patrick Cone

While one person can set the Wind Warrior up, two would be better. Heavy-duty steel stakes go into the ground, and then telescoping rods are used to support the fabric barrier via Velcro tabs. Three rods are inserted onto the steel stakes, and then cross-rods tie into them and hold the fabric.

The one drawback we came upon was placing the steel stakes into the bag. If you're not careful, you could poke holes in it. Otherwise, this is a wonderful way to bring a little privacy to campgrounds that squeeze sites together or lack natural barriers.

This warrior also just might come in handy for Traveler's river trip through Canyonlands National Park later this year; some riverside campsites are pretty sandy, and gusting breezes kick up the sand. The Wind Warrior, placed strategically, just might limit the amount of sand that blows into my tent.

Telescoping rods and Velcro tabs hold the Wind Warrior in place/Patrick Cone

Comments

Thank you Kurt, for the great review. I just want to let your readers know we have addressed the stake going into the bag issue. We now round the corners of the square part of the stake and the pointed tip comes with a protective tip on it for when it's stored in the bag.


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.