New Tent Tarptent Moment DW or Rainbow

I personally like the design and flexibility of the Moment DW. Additionally, with the optional crossing pole and breathable fabric inner-tent, it should do well in winter conditions.

I would second that emotion. Unless I wanted more interior space, and then the Rainbow would be my choice.

In your experience has the inside of the Moment DW ever been too small? I'm 6'2" and 165lbs, so pretty tall, but also on the skinny side.

If you go to the Moment on the Tarptent website hit the video menu and it will provide 3D imaging using a 6ft model. The ends of the inner tent point out so you should have more than enough room….and you'd only be brushing the inner anyways so wouldn't need to worry about condensation.

In either of your opinions are there any other tents I should take a look at while I'm shopping around?

You will have no problem fitting comfortably in the Moment if on a 2" pad with a 'long' bag. However, the Rainbow does have more interior space. You can place two sleeping pads side by side without issue.

I'm tall (6'5") and have used a Rainbow for about 6 years. Wonderful tent; I only have a few minor gripes: 1) Can't leave the door open in a calm rain–water falls right on the floor. 2) Marginal in high wind. There are things you can do to help–extra tie-outs and trekking poles at the top strut, but if you didn't do those before going to bed, the geometry of the tent makes it do some weird things in the wind. 3) Only one door. This is a bigger deal than I ever thought now that I've got a new tent with double doors–they're WONDERDFUL. This year I started using a Notch, which solves all those problems beautifully but is a LOT smaller. I've never been in a Moment, so I can't really say anything about it, but if I had to choose between the Moment and Rainbow, I'd be real tempted to try the Moment. But if you like to spread out…the Rainbow is simply palatial for one and will continue to be my go-to option if I'm base camping somewhere for multiple days.

Look at the Stratospire 1 too. Very roomy

There are always other tents to consider (especially if you are going to have multiple shelters)….but as a do it all 3 season/now and then 4 season shelter it's hard to beat its performance and versatility if it will be your only shelter.

The SS1 looks interesting as well, however I never use hiking poles so it seems like the Moment DW is the right choice. I am still heavily leaning in its direction vs the Rainbow. The only real plus to the Rainbow I can see is that its more spacious and is slightly cheaper.

Whenever I am seduced by price I do this simple exercise: divide the difference in price by the number of nights of service I expect to get out of the shelter. It quickly highlights that price is irrelevant when comparing shelters (or most anything for that matter) provided you can, and are willing to, afford either. Good luck in your search, and I hope you buy and discard far fewer shelters than I did :) PS: the Moment looks pretty awesome.

I had an older single wall Moment with a solid fabric liner. I currently use a BA Copper Spur UL1 when I use a tent. I'm fairly happy with it. The solid fabric near the bottom is great for helping to block snow, splashes, and wind. I need to add a patch of solid fabric to the head area though to block condensation drips on the face during humid nights. If you camp in cool, humid areas such as the Eastern US or Northwest, you'll probably want the Rainbow solid liner or Moment solid inner. The DW Moment seems a little more well-suited to winter. I actually own a Scarp 2 with both inners, but I usually use my Copper Spur on winter trips because it's lighter, and I'm not sharing a tent.

Andy, I didn't really think about getting a solid inner. I haven't done that much winter camping in the past and believe I may only go for a couple of days this year so I was thinking I would go for the mesh. I am indeed East Coast based, so its cool and humid. Would you recommend the solid over the mesh for general 3 season use as well, or does it get too hot?

The Moment DW is my choice for solo 4 season camping (with the ripstop inner). I'll be using it in October for hunting in northern Nevada. Look at my photos in "Tarptent Thread" in the 1st post to see how I ran a slightly shortened X-ing pole inside the fly for more support.

"Would you recommend the solid over the mesh for general 3 season use as well, or does it get too hot?" For 3 season use, no way would I get the solid inner. The vast majority of the time the view is far more important to me. Unless you hike where blowing sand is an issue, I'd go with mesh. That said, for my new Notch, I got both because one of my reasons for getting it was to have something a little more appropriate if/when I start winter packing. I had to swallow real hard, but was able to click "Buy."

Isaac, I think it's a tough call on the inner. In my Scarp 2, the solid inner seems a bit too stuffy at anything above around 60F or so unless there's a good breeze. I'd say if you usually camp when it's not below 55F for most of the night, go for the mesh. Some condensation dripping can be managed with a rain jacket if needed. Otherwise, try the solid inner first. I just purchased both with the Scarp 2 because I knew I'd be using it in winter. Edit: One thing with the solid inner is that you'll likely be able to keep the outer fly more open and ventilated than you would with the mesh since it will block some of the wind, spray, and splashing.

I have both for my Notch. The solid inner does seem to afford more resistance from convective heat loss, yet is far from stuffy as there is mesh about 2/3rd's up the walls. If I could only have one inner it would be the partial solid one but that is because of where and when I mostly trek.

Yeah, I think I'm probably going to go with the mesh inner… Seems like I'd get better use out of it since I most likely won't be doing a ton of winter camping. If I do end up out in the winter I guess I'll just bring more layers to add to my sleeping system. Thanks for the help everyone! Now I just need to finally press that order button… I've got a trip coming up in a few weeks so it would be really nice to have it for that. Just one more question to help me finalize my decision. Would it ever make sense for me to have a 2 person tent such as the double rainbow or even the rainshade if it will mostly be just me? I will probably have company at some point, but I suppose if that becomes a regular thing I should just get an additional tent at that point.

Buy for yourself and the now. That's what Gearswap is for, the later.

^ I agree. I take my Scarp 2 along once in a while on solo trips when I want or need a bigger, sturdier, or more weather-resistant tent, but that's rare. Usually, I can't bring myself to carry the extra weight.

Can the Stratospire 1 be set up with poles which aren't trekking poles? If so, where might I be able to pick some up?

On the TT website ,under EXTRAS, there are two types of poles listed. 1) substitute front pole :SS1 , 48", 2.5 oz $8 (x2) 8.5mm 2) vertical support poles : SS1 48",4.2 oz $16 (x2) 12.4mm (much stronger/stiffer…)

Franco, I can't seem to find the EXTRAS area anywhere on the site. Could you post a link? Thanks!

"Franco, I can't seem to find the EXTRAS area anywhere on the site. Could you post a link? Thanks!" At the top right of the tarptent.com homepage, click "Ordering," then "here to place an order," and you'll see the Extras link. Disclaimer: I'm not Franco.