ProTrail vs. Notch

I'm 6'1" 220 lbs and use a 6'6" bag. I found the notch to be very comfortable with a size reg NeoAir…might be a little tight for a large pad as the one "odd" thing about the Notch design is that the head and foot are narrower (20") than the middle (34"). This wasn't a problem (for me) but the restricted head and foot room took a little getting used to. Loved everything about it for a 1 person shelter. Only sold it to move to a 2 person Duplex…just decided that I prefer the spread-everything-out room of a 2 person. If you are good with the narrow ends, you will love it.

Forgot to answer all your questions… The Notch is still "single wall" along the top so any condensation issues will still exist there. Side being mesh means it's very easy to avoid brushing a wet wall. Pitch does not have to be perfect, but getting one is pretty easy. For me imperfect pitches were the exception. Edit: Dave and Todd (below) are correct … full inner net tent … my mistake. It's been a couple years since I had the Notch and just spaced out :)

My Notch is completely double walled.

I'm 6'5" and use a 6'6" bag on a 2.5" inflatable pad. The Notch is *barely* long enough. I'm a side sleeper, so I'm rarely jammed in at full length, but I'd say you have to lie pretty still to keep from touching the netting at one end or the other. The good news is that it doesn't much matter–the netting never seems to get pushed into the fly. There's enough space between the mesh and fly to accommodate some touching. The Notch is definitely narrow; there's barely any room in there for any of your stuff. The good news is that it has two very generous vestibules where I can keep some of the stuff I used to keep in the tent (I also have a palatial Rainbow). I love the dual side doors, the dripless entry, and the pitching options to open the whole thing up if I want to. Speaking of pitch, there are no sloppy pitches. It took some experimenting and some advice from others to figure out how to do it, but now that I know, it's a taut pitch every time. I even find myself backing off on the guylines now and then because it's easy to get the thing too drum tight. The only part that's ever loose is the high ridge between the poles (i.e., nowhere near head or feet), but that only happens if you pull the ends too far apart before tightening the sides. Finally, the Notch is most definitely a fully double-walled tent…not sure where John H is coming from. EDIT: John H, re your edit, I'm just glad I'm not the only one who spaces out now and then!

Just on a side question: The Notch looks like a narrower version of the Stratospire 1. Henry says the Notch will take tall hikers up to 7' but states the Stratospire is for hikers up to 6'3". Is this is due only to the different orientation of the inner, or is the Stratospire 1 shorter corner to corner across the diagonal with the 16" A frames at the ends? I ask because Henry offers a flysheet only Stratospire 1, and it looks pretty good, but I'm 6'8". I'm guessing the diagonal is a little shorter due to the wider angle to the vestibule apexes, but it won't be by much if he's using the same material width on both tents.

Rog – Tarptent publishes some of the best dimension schematics I have seen. In each product page, just select [ Specifications | Show dimensions]. On the [Videos] tab, there are usually 3D animated looks at the tent with a 6' humanoid figure inside. Good stuff. I think the difference in hiker size for the Notch is due to the way the netting at the head and foot actually pull out beyond the bathtub. I found that this mitigated the narrow head and foot floor dimension…I could actually raise my arms above my head and stretch out quite a bit.

Hey thanks John, I'd visited the specs tab but never noticed the 'show dimensions' link. It looks like the notch is just a few inches longer 'corner to corner'. The reason for the 8" difference in hiker accom Henry quotes is mostly due to the different inner tent orientation. Corner to corner in the Notch – side to side in the Stratospire. I wouldn't fit in the Stratospire inner net , but I reckon I would fit in a Notch length inner slung corner to corner under the Stratospire 1 fly.

Rog, If you hack a Notch inner under a SS1 tarp I'm sure there are others beside me that would love to see pics and hear about how it works out.

"I ask because Henry offers a flysheet only Stratospire 1, and it looks pretty good, but I'm 6'8"." You would most likely fit in the Protrail. You won't fit in the Notch. I have both.

Rog wrote, "Henry says the Notch will take tall hikers up to 7' but states the Stratospire is for hikers up to 6'3". In one video I think he said 6'9" instead of 7'. Regardless, being 6'5" myself and a proud owner of a Notch, I have a hard time believing either number. I barely fit in my Notch. Unless mine is somehow an anomaly, I would not recommend a Notch for someone 6'8". Maybe if you use a CCF pad instead of an air pad, but it would still be tight.

Todd, the more I thought about it – without the inner, he might fit. Thoughts?

I'd say pretty much any size human will fit under the Notch tarp…it's the inner that might be restrictive.

Indeed, but the ends are very narrow so there is no usable space there for something like a head.

Respectfully, I'm not sure I agree. While the ends of the tarp are narrower that the end of the inner…about 18" if I remember correctly…they also add 12" to each end. The total tarp length is 9'…are we sizing a shelter for Andre the Giant? :) And…it's really easy to pitch the tarp all the way to the ground so even at the narrowest points it's likely possible to mitigate splash back to a large degree.

"Andre the Giant?" I don't know but I am assuming that at 6'8", Rog is proportionately huge… ;) But you are likely correct that there will be enough room even to mitigate rain splash. No question that the strutted ends help.

Unfortunately I'm not in a position to buy a notch and a Stratospire fly-only to test out the theory. I like the look of the Stratospire shape though. I'm struggling to design a tarptent of my own that I can finish with the limited quantity of Cuben I have (54" x 164"). I think it may end up as a pretty tight fit when nailed down in storm mode and a bit airier pitched up in fair weather mode in a Notch kind of shape, but I may have to settle for a Cuben version of a Golite Hut 1. Which is OK of course, I've used my Hut 1 extensively in all conditions and it's a fine shelter.

MLD DUO PATROL?

Not even enough to make a patrol solo. It'll be a slightly shortened Hut 1 (82" instead of 89" ridgeline), using both trekking poles at the front A frame so I can lay out partly into the vestibule with some foot room to the tail triangle. That yardage vanishes real quick once you start drawing lines on it…

Craig, Your 6'6" sb may end up touching the mesh but that is not a problem if the shelter is set up taut because there is a good gap between the inner and the fly at each end. You can see that here : (the other end is the same ) With the Pro Trail ,because of the distance between your head and the fly when lying down ,there is less of a problem with condensation than with tents with low ends. (caused by warm breath condensing on the cold fly) The Pro Trail also has a large bottom vent so air flow is pretty good inside there if you open up that vent. However you will need to wipe the roof area down once or twice in condensation prone areas , so if you find that a problem the Notch could be better. Rog, I am posting some comments for you in a separate thread.