Topic

New Brooks Range Rocket Tent


Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) New Brooks Range Rocket Tent

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1238012
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    From the Outdoor Retailer Show:

    http://www.trailspace.com/blog/2009/07/23/outdoor-retailer-brooks-range-rocket-tent.html

    Price notwithstanding, it is interesting as a winter shelter. Anyone know what this fabric is and how durable it is, given this is where the cost is coming from?

    #1516120
    Dan @ Durston Gear
    BPL Member

    @dandydan

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    Hmm…..that one person laying in it appears to take up the whole tent.

    #1516154
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    Yeah – we are not talking about card playing room here, but as a winter bomber assault tent, who can argue with the weight? The price maybe….;)

    #1516156
    Raymond Estrella
    Member

    @rayestrella

    Locale: Northern Minnesota

    I bet it won't work for tall folks. Since it is called a two-person tent I will assume that two pads can fit in it. At 21.5 sq ft that means that it can only be 40 in wide by 77 in long.

    Maybe they plan on people sharing one pad. Then it could be longer.

    Interesting fabric though. Sails are made to take a lot of UV and abuse.

    #1516169
    scott burgeson
    Member

    @drdystopia

    Locale: Upstate NY

    Wouldn't this turn into an ice cave with two people breathing in it all night?

    #1516171
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    You mean like every other winter specific tent in really cold conditions? Yes, probably unless the fabric is some eVent knock-off.

    #1516172
    Steven Evans
    BPL Member

    @steve_evans

    Locale: Canada

    It looks promising, and the weight is defnitely right. The blue fabric on the vestibule looks as though the it is Cuben Fiber (does CT^3 = Cubic Tech 3?). Glad to see they are making use of it if it is.

    I'd be willing to try one out…but funds wouldn't allow for that right now. :(

    #1516184
    Brad Groves
    BPL Member

    @4quietwoods

    Locale: Michigan

    Hey- Pretty much guarantee that the fabric is Cubic Tech, they do an aluminized version, a little heavier than we might care for, but IIRC it's 1.5-2 osy.

    #1516300
    nicolas frazee
    Member

    @nicolas

    an article on trailspace confirms it is the CTF3. my question is, why not make this a one person tent, then make a bigger version using 2 sets of poles and 2 probes for a 2 person tent? …

    #1592293
    Andrew Browne
    BPL Member

    @andrew_browne

    Locale: Mornington Peninsula AUSTRALIA

    It's been nearly 12 months since a post on this tent. Has anyone out there got some first hand experience. On the surface it looks good, if you're not a big person, but does it live up to the mauufacturers expectations?

    #1616286
    Kai Larson
    BPL Member

    @kailarson

    I just bought one of these.

    It seems well constructed. For one thing, I didn't have to seam seal it myself. All the seams are taped. Tent body weighs 1 pound 7.8 ounces, after adding several feet of trip-tease guylines, so weight without the guylines is very close to the 1 pound 6 ounces that it is advertised at. Space is reasonable for two people, particularly because it has a vestibule. It's not spacious, but it does seem livable. The tent came packaged with the set of poles (ridgepole is 5.7 ounces; pair of side poles is 5.4 ounces,) and a groundsheet (weighs 2.9 ounces)

    There is a probe extender that is used in the event that you want to use an avalanche probe in place of the ridge pole, and the probe is too small. It weighs 2.4 ounces. My Camp carbon fiber probe was a little bit too short, even with this extender, but my Komperdell carbon probe (6.2 ounces) is long enough (with the extender.)

    I haven't done anything other than set it up on my back yard, but it looks more sturdy than you'd expect from such a light weight tent. The fabric seems a lot like cuben fiber.

    #1626272
    Kai Larson
    BPL Member

    @kailarson

    An update after getting some actual field use of the Rocket Tent.

    http://www.larsonweb.com/shelter/id9.html

    #1626289
    Steven Evans
    BPL Member

    @steve_evans

    Locale: Canada

    Thanks for the info!

    #1626296
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    I like the design of this shelter. I wonder what it would weigh in Silnylon?

    #1626307
    Rakesh Malik
    Member

    @tamerlin

    Locale: Cascadia

    "I wonder what it would weigh in Silnylon?"

    42. The units are left as an exercise for the reader.

    :)

    #1628519
    peter tooke
    Spectator

    @petersont

    Locale: NYC

    Hi –
    How tall are you? What is the total inner length? Useable length?
    I am nearly 6'3" & quite broad shouldered… might work nicely as a solo if specs pan out.

    thanks-
    pete

    #1628531
    Don Roth
    Member

    @alpineambitions

    Locale: Based in Boulder - Working All Over

    I've used this tent for two expeditions in Chile last September. It seems that everyone has picked up on all the sexy features of this tent. It weighs nothing, is fully waterproof…

    Has anyone ever been in a tent that can prevent this in winter conditions? The shape of the Rocket Tent allows you to point the "tail" directly into the wind, and therefore keep the door open just a bit. I found that I was able to keep it dry enough most of the time. CT3 is not the most breathable fabric in the world. If you completely close yourself up in this tent, condensation will form.

    I know that a friend of mine that is 6'3" can lay in it completely flat. I wouldn't recommend it for a base camp shelter. It is definitely small. It's an assault tent for sure.

    This tent would not be the same if it was made of silnylon. Ct3 has a really cool "bulletproof" feeling. It also has great thermal properties. It retains heat well. It also reflects sun, so the tent stays a touch cooler on those scorcher, glacier days.

    It is very resistant to wind and does not stretch. However, it is not puncture proof. You have to be careful with sharp objects and rocks underneath. This includes the probe that serves as the center support pole.

    It seems like this group of people is interested in a serious mountain tent. The Rocket Tent is exactly this. Yes, at 600 bones, it is a bit pricy, but if you've spent thousands of dollars to get to a big peak, the little extra could make a difference. The weight difference is really incredible.

    I hope this helps. I'll keep following this thread.

    #1637503
    Matthias Schnapka
    Member

    @polarpics

    A few nice images about this tent in use would be fine.

    Many Thanks

    P.S. I`m thinking pretty hard to buy one of this tents…….but I`ll use it for Solo long distance trekking and hikking in the highlands of Iceland or Scotland.

    #1637509
    nanook ofthenorth
    BPL Member

    @nanookofthenorth

    Thanks Don, big help there. Seems to me that the Firstlight Tents are just about the perfict winter tent for snow. Windproof, mostly snowproof, they are light and breath. I see the Rocket as more a summer mountaineering tent capable of being used in the high alpine but delicate for use on rocks/bivy correls/ect.
    Am I wrong? Very curious but the cost, delicacy and 'nichness' make me think otherwise.
    Usually if I'm climbing in the winter I dont have a probe or poles, seems more of a ski tour thing is anything.
    Cheers, Rob

    #1637682
    Kai Larson
    BPL Member

    @kailarson

    One of the big advantages of the Rocket Tent over the Firstlight is the vestibule. In harsh weather, I really like the convenience of a vestibule, for cooking and gear storage.

    #1638162
    Don Roth
    Member

    @alpineambitions

    Locale: Based in Boulder - Working All Over

    I have been able to use the Rocket Tent and the BD HiLight in similar conditions. For my present trip to Chile, I have only brought the Rocket Tent. Granted, all of my "projects" for the season are ski mountaineering based.

    The Rocket Tent is much more stabile in the wind, and sheds snow much better. It is much lighter. And it is easier to set up in a storm!

    For all that is said of breathable fabrics, I have always been wetter in the BD than the Rocket Tent. The vestibule not only protects my gear, it allows the door to stay open at the top, acting as a huge vent.

    I learned the hard way about the puncture-ability of cuben fabrics. My first proto of this tent came back looking like swiss cheese. But, now there is a ground cloth cut for the footprint, and made of the same material. This adds durability, and can be used for repairs as well. I have also learned to be more careful and had no issues.

    There is no doubt, this tent excels when set up on snow! It is kind of a niche tent – but it's a popular niche. It's perfect for the objective that has a long approach, and at least begins in the snow – whether a ski or climb. It's a mountaineer's tent.

    Cheers,
    Donny

    #1638199
    nanook ofthenorth
    BPL Member

    @nanookofthenorth

    Thanks – sounds like a great tent , its the $600 price tag that gets me! Sounds like it might be a good Tent year round for weekend climbing/ski trips in the rockies

Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Get the Newsletter

Get our free Handbook and Receive our weekly newsletter to see what's new at Backpacking Light!

Gear Research & Discovery Tools


Loading...