Tarptent

[uintafly]

http://www.tarptent.com/notch.html

Anyone have any experience with these guys' products? The group over at backpackinglight.com speaks very highly of them, but honestly the ultra-lightweight guys are a little insane. But in all seriousness now that I am over 30 I have started really trying to cut back my weight and swapping this with my half dome will drop 3.5 lbs. But I do worry how it will hold up to high winds but I think I may give it a shot. The ironic thing is that before I buy it I need to sell my 10 lb. Mountain Hardware Trango 2.

 

[Nick]

lostlandscapes has a tarptent, I think his is the Scarp 2 or something like it. It's a pretty damn sweet tent from what I've observed. For a while there I was pretty hell bent on getting one myself.

The only thing bad is that sometimes it can be a real pain in the ass to pitch a tent that is not freestanding. Rocky terrain, especially areas of solid rock are particularly tricky, same for soft sand. I do have something pretty similar to the tarptents, the MSR Missing Link (like the current MSR Fast Stash). It also sets up on trekking poles and relies on some good staking. I typically only use it in alpine environments where pitching it is a little more forgiving. It's particularly nice because it has an awning so you can usually leave the door wide open during heavy thunderstorms.

 

[uintafly]

The only thing bad is that sometimes it can be a real pain in the ass to pitch a tent that is not freestanding. Rocky terrain, especially areas of solid rock are particularly tricky, same for soft sand. .

That's true, which is why I am kind of considering their Rainbow model, which comes with a pole and can be freestanding. I am just trying to decide if it is worth the extra space and weight.

 

[Nick]

That's true, which is why I am kind of considering their Rainbow model, which comes with a pole and can be freestanding. I am just trying to decide if it is worth the extra space and weight.

I'm guessing it's still lighter than 99% of the tents out there, right? in that case I think it's worth the extra weight to have the option to go either way. Otherwise you still kind of need two tents. My friend with the tarptent often borrows one of my freestanding tents when we go to the desert.

 

[DOSS]

I had a tarptent and decided that I would rather just pitch a Tarp than deal with the pain of a tarptent.. That said I also have a nice freestanding Mt Hardwear tent (OLD) that I take when I need freestanding, otherwise I have the Tarp, a Bivy bag and a hammock depending on the terrain I am going to be in. 95% of the time I have no use for a tent anymore.... In short grab a cheap backpackers tarp at wally world $7 and play around with setting it up in the backyard and sleeping under it and you will find that you can be pretty comfy with just something over your head.

 

[uintafly]

I had a tarptent and decided that I would rather just pitch a Tarp than deal with the pain of a tarptent.. That said I also have a nice freestanding Mt Hardwear tent (OLD) that I take when I need freestanding, otherwise I have the Tarp, a Bivy bag and a hammock depending on the terrain I am going to be in. 95% of the time I have no use for a tent anymore.... In short grab a cheap backpackers tarp at wally world $7 and play around with setting it up in the backyard and sleeping under it and you will find that you can be pretty comfy with just something over your head.

My problem with a hammock setup is that I am a very active sleeper, and spend part of the night on my back, front and both sides. IT just seems like it would be a pain in a hammock, but honestly I have never tried it.

And Nick you make a good point about upping the versatility, though I will keep the halfdome.

 

[DOSS]

My problem with a hammock setup is that I am a very active sleeper, and spend part of the night on my back, front and both sides. IT just seems like it would be a pain in a hammock, but honestly I have never tried it.

And Nick you make a good point about upping the versatility, though I will keep the halfdome.

I toss and turn a lot at night as well.. a "good" hammock makes a huge difference.

 

[Mike K]

My brand spankin new Tarptent Rainshadow 2

@Opi, will you tell me what you think of the Rainshadow 2? I'm still loving the idea of it as I talked about in this thread. I feel a little crammed in the Copper Spur 2 (but it gets the job done). Thanks!

 

[Opi]

@Opi, will you tell me what you think of the Rainshadow 2? I'm still loving the idea of it as I talked about in this thread. I feel a little crammed in the Copper Spur 2 (but it gets the job done). Thanks!

Mike, I only have 2 nights in it and with my 12 yo daughter. I like it so far. It was a little windy one night and it held up just fine. No rain yet. I bought it for our up coming Virginia AT trip. For the wife and my 2 kids to stay in. The wife and daughter are skinny little things and I may put them in my Solong 6 and me and the son stay in Rainshadow. Got to do some more backyard testing before we go.

Pros: Real easy set up 5 minutes tops. Tons of room for 2 people. The shape is good to maximize space (no angled areas where mattresses can't fit). Can fit 3 no problem (20" wide mats). Looks cool! Weight, cost not bad either.

Cons: Poles in front of door (took me a little bit to get used to) Vestibule could be about 12" longer (more weight then though)
It did stretch out through the night like most tents.

We'll have six nights in it coming up in June. I'm sure I'll have a better opinion of it after that.

 

[Mike K]

Mike, I only have 2 nights in it and with my 12 yo daughter. I like it so far. It was a little windy one night and it held up just fine. No rain yet. I bought it for our up coming Virginia AT trip. For the wife and my 2 kids to stay in. The wife and daughter are skinny little things and I may put them in my Solong 6 and me and the son stay in Rainshadow. Got to do some more backyard testing before we go.

Pros: Real easy set up 5 minutes tops. Tons of room for 2 people. The shape is good to maximize space (no angled areas where mattresses can't fit). Can fit 3 no problem (20" wide mats). Looks cool! Weight, cost not bad either.

Cons: Poles in front of door (took me a little bit to get used to) Vestibule could be about 12" longer (more weight then though)
It did stretch out through the night like most tents.

We'll have six nights in it coming up in June. I'm sure I'll have a better opinion of it after that.

Awesome. Thanks for the info. I love the idea of the extra room it would provide. I already have a hard time sleeping when backpacking and it makes it worse when I'm shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip with my wife. Good to hear it held up fine in the wind.

Did you use the one or two pole setup on the front (assuming I'm remembering correctly)?

As far as you wanting the vestibule a little longer...do you think you'll find yourself putting your packs and gear on the inside of the tent when sleeping with 2?

Thanks again!

 

[Wyatt Carson]

We have a Squall II with floor. It is make well, strong and roomy for two. It does not do real well in wind that is shifting (acts like a sail) and it has mesh all around the bottom. The mesh is great for ventilation but when it is windy enough sand and silt will utterly fill the tent and cover all the gear with a 1/4" or more at times.

 

[WasatchWill]

I already have a hard time sleeping when backpacking and it makes it worse when I'm shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip with my wife.

Wait! When did you get married? I couldn't remember if you were even engaged yet or not, but congrats to you and Jessica!

Sorry for the tangent there @uintafly.

I had a tarptent and decided that I would rather just pitch a Tarp than deal with the pain of a tarptent.. That said I also have a nice freestanding Mt Hardwear tent (OLD) that I take when I need freestanding, otherwise I have the Tarp, a Bivy bag and a hammock depending on the terrain I am going to be in. 95% of the time I have no use for a tent anymore.... In short grab a cheap backpackers tarp at wally world $7 and play around with setting it up in the backyard and sleeping under it and you will find that you can be pretty comfy with just something over your head.

I had been intrigued by the Notch by Tarptent too, but I'd have to agree with much of this. I'm an active sleeper too twisting and turning from my back to my sides and often my stomach throughout the night but I've gotten myself to adapt to hammocks where I can now make it through most of a night on my back with an occasional adjustment to my side at about a 45 degree angle. I made a DIY Switchback hammock that I really enjoy but I now have my eyes on a Warbonnet XLC which is 11 feet long and has a footbox to help with a really nice flat lay. However, to shave as much weight as possible, taking along just a tarp, and maybe a bug net of some kind is the way to go. I have a 5x8 and an 8x10 tarp (which is now used over my hammock but can also be used a a two-man tarp on the ground) both weighing in at less than a pound each. If I could afford a cuben fiber tarp right now, I'd consider one of those to shave even more weight. I also recently got one of these Equinox Mantis bug screens that weigh in at only 4 oz to keep the creepy crawlies off my face at night. Others will just use a simple bug net you wear over your head for bug protection.

For terrain where it makes sense to take a free-standing tent, I too have a Half-dome which is still often the go-to when my wife (we'll split the fly and tent body between us to split the weight) or one of my kids are with me, but for when I'm solo, I picked up one of these. Still a bit weighty at 3.5 lbs for a solo semi-free standing tent, but that's largely due to the poles being fiber glass. I plan to swap them out to aluminum at some point which should take about a pound off. Can't beat the cost either and it really is a very durable, well made tent, large enough for anyone up to about 6 feet or so and has a side gear pocket and gear loop in the roof to hang a light or other item from. The nice thing about double-wall free standing tents is the versatility of terrain they can be set up on and how you can rip off the fly on clear nights where you may want to have a view of the stars or even leave it at home for short trips where you know you'll have clear skies.

Edit: Looks like the second half of my post is less relevant as I just now realized the OP was a number of years ago. Oh well.

 

[Aldaron]

I had been intrigued by the Notch by Tarptent too

I just bought the Notch last week. I hope to like it.

 

[Mike K]

Wait! When did you get married? I couldn't remember if you were even engaged yet or not, but congrats to you and Jessica!

April 11th! =)

 

[Chuck the Mauler]

"The pain of a tarptent" ? Really? I can set my rainbow up in less than 2 minutes.

I have owned 6 different Henry Shires TarpTents. I currently like the Rainbow model the best. I like that it's free standing for when I'm above tree line. I have been through some pretty serious storms and have always stayed dry. A friend of mine uses his contrail in the winter (in Michigan) without issue. Henry stands behind his products too. A friend of mine just used one of my TT's to hike the CDT (and now a triple crowner) and had an issue with a zipper. He was able to exchange it in Pinedale for a new one free of charge with a little help from me and his coordinator.

In my opinion you can't go wrong with a TT. but make sure to find one that fit's your needs.

 

[Opi]

Did you use the one or two pole setup on the front (assuming I'm remembering correctly)?

I like the 2 pole set up. You just get a little more stability.

As far as you wanting the vestibule a little longer...do you think you'll find yourself putting your packs and gear on the inside of the tent when sleeping with 2?

With the 2 of us we kept our gear inside but the mostly empty packs outside. At least for that trip. They are covered but not much room.