Shelter predicament

Even the Double Rainbow looks like a great option by TarpTent.

The Double Rainbow (by Tarptent) and the Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo are probably the two most popular 2-person tarp-tent style shelters amongst BPLers.

The Lunar Duo is more spacious than the Double Rainbow, but arguably not as resistant to high winds (assuming you are using trekking poles to add additional support the Double Rainbow). There are heaps of threads about these two tents on this site, so have a search and you will find plenty of info and opinions.

I ended up going with TT's Double Rainbow. My gf (now wife) was fine with something lightweight so long as it functioned like a tent, and the Double Rainbow fit the bill. You can add long guylines to the center ridge (ala Hilleberg tents) to make it more wind resistant.

edit.

I don't have a double rainbow but when I saw that there is a door on each side I was sold. My boyfriend tried to buy one last year but they were sold out and he hasn't tried again. The thought that I can go pee in the middle of the night without asking him to move is the thing I like.

This thread has a good discussion of the pros and cons of the Lunar Duo vs Double Rainbow.

As far as I can tell the Lunar Duo requires trekking poles. This is a definite turn-off for me. I believe the Double Rainbow is everything I'm looking for in a shelter. Thanks for the replies.

I have a Cloudburst 2 that is avaiable for $130 shipped…just in case your interested.

I have the Cloudburst 2 and I love it. I have also been in the Double Rainbow, and the Cloudburst provides much more room. Even though the Cloudburst only has 1 door, the entry/exit is much larger and easier to manuever because there are no poles in the way. The Cloudburst comes with all the poles you need and does not require trekking poles. It has plenty of space for 2 adults with some gear. Since it is almost 8 foot long, you can store gear by your feet. I have also been in the Big Agnes Seedhouse tents, and I prefer the Cloudburst hands down.

If you want even more room for almost no extra weight, you should also investigate the Rainshadow – it is absolutely cavernous. It is designed to use trekking poles, but you can buy tent poles from Tarptent for $10 and only add a few ounces.

Hope this helps.

I have the opposite point of view re: DR versus CloudBurst. I used a Cloudburst for many years, and it's a great tent except for the condensation. With two people it becomes a) Alomost inevitable that you will have condensations and; b) Almost inevitable that you will brush up against the sides. We find the Double Rainbow to have much more useable space as we don't worry about getting too close to the mesh sides, and the two vestibules become caves if you stake out the rain porch (with poles or sticks). The DR can also be made nearly bombproof in the wind by employing two poles/sticks under the centre strut.

They are both great tents, but with rainporches deployed, the DR feels like a real home-away-from-home to us.

If interior space is high on your list, consider Henry's Rainshadow 2. It's in the same weight class as the cloudburst and DR

I had the double rainbow and the original cloudburst.
In the end, I prefer the Cloudburst because:
1. It did not need seem sealing (though recommended). It handled harsh thunderstorms very well.
2. Less leaks in harsh thunderstorms vs. the DR.

Some problems I had with the DR:
1. It took several attempts to get it seam sealed correctly. It takes hours and it’s an art.
2. In equal 8 hour thunderstorms (2” rain overnight), my DR ended up getting way more wet (i.e., gallon of water on the floor vs. 0 in Cloudburst and 0 in the GG Classic Squall and 0 in the Rainshadow). However, I might not have the art of pitching the DR correctly yet.

My wife did not like the Cloudburst because she likes the hight point in the center of the tent. Thus I thought the DR was the ticket. She didn’t like it after trying it because she said she felt more cramped.

They both handle high winds fine.

In the end I sold the Cloudburst to pay for the DR. Now I miss the Cloudburst :(.

When I’m on a trip w/o my wife on trips, I love my GG Squall Classic. My 12 year old daughter and I share that one together when she goes and my wife doesn’t. And when all 3 of us go, we take the Rainshadow.

Bottom line; my wife’s favorite tent: she doesn’t have one.
My favorite tent: GG Classic Squall.

Good luck!

-Barry

Seam sealing the DR is indeed a PITA. However it's a once off job if done thoroughly (I did three coats over the most leak prone areas).

Barry, did you have the 'original' DR, or the new one with the loops to close off the high vents in heavy rain. Once we've close off those vents we have no leakage at all.

I suppose the cramp thing might also depend on how it's pitched. I've added short tie-outs to the sides of the floor which allows me to stretch the floor (and attached mesh) the whole 54" width. It's not like there's any chance of water bouncing in along that perimeter, so this is a safe and spacious configuration (for us) unless we were actually camping IN water. Of course, it was a self modification, but I'll bet Henry would consider adding this feature if you asked nicely :) I made the tie-outs just long enough that the handles of the sticks/poles holding up the rain porch can anchor them. Or maybe the feeling of cramp/spaciousness is just a very personal thing. I also like how the DR can be converted to a virtual double-skin tent by adding the optional liner.

We've had the DR in gale force downdrafts that would have snapped the poles on a Cloudburst. Although these are rare occurrences, in our case the ability to shore up the tent with the trekking poles is invaluable to us (in the often unexpectedly hostile climate we live in).

“Barry, did you have the 'original' DR, or the new one with the loops to close off the high vents in heavy rain. Once we've close off those vents we have no leakage at all.”

I have the original (July 2006). I never had rain come through the vents.
Last July, somehow unbeknownst to me, the mesh, on the short side of the tent, stuck out a little in full view of the rainstorm. While sleeping, this mesh wicked the water in. After the problem was seen, the mesh was pulled in. In so doing, a stake came out of the extremely soggy ground thus collapsing one corner of the tent. That let in more water. So through the door and underneath the vestibule (nice vestibules!) the stake was put back. The pack towel came in handy in dispensing the water. Thus I have come to believe I do not have the perfect knack of pitching the tent yet. It appears, you have the knack :)

Practice makes perfect, but most of my time has been spent in the GG squall classic.

“We've had the DR in gale force downdrafts that would have snapped the poles on a Cloudburst.”

I don’t know. I took my Cloudburst in some mountains of spain, in the open. I estimate about 50mph constant wind with a lot of bursts through the night based on the radio report. The Cloudburst did do some bending but came no where near close to snapping or even deforming. A lot of time the roof would be inches from my face but would snap back. That was one tough tent.

-Barry

We have the original DR, and after our first down-draft episode we sent it back to have the grommets put in and the vents toggles added (and vestibule zippers added). That night the tent actually DID completely flatten once. After that we crawled in and spent the night with our feet braced against the ridgeline pole to prevent it happening again. The same could be done in the CloudBurst in a pinch, but it wasn't a pleasant experience! We have been in a couple of horizontal gales in the CB, and it survived (same as you, roof almost touching your face at times), but never had the straight down gusts like in the DR before. That's just bad luck when it happens. Both good tents. Never had a problem with the mesh wicking water.

I've used a Cloudburst and a Double Rainbow. Both are great and don't require trekking poles. I preferred the DR due to head room and ventilation, but sold it for a Lunar Duo (more space and I use poles anyway). I think the Cloudburst has more shoulder room, but the DR has more usable headroom.

The DR (and Lunar Duo) is really wonderful when you can open both sides all the way on clear nights. It's like you aren't even in a tent.

Own a Rainbow and a Double Rainbow. The reason I chose it over the traditional tarp tents is that it can be free standing if you need it to be. Out in Yosemite where there is a lot of granite, that can be important.

Hey Barry
" While sleeping, this mesh wicked the water in. After the problem was seen, the mesh was pulled in. In so doing, a stake came out of the extremely soggy ground thus collapsing one corner of the tent"
To be fair that could have happened with any Tarptent or tents with mesh around the floor.
If the mesh touches the ground that is a good indication of an incorrect set up. Obviously uneven ground helps with that. In this case use something to prop up the corners.
I have seen many comments about tents collapsing because of stakes coming loose, for some reason the tent usually gets the blame.
Franco

Yea, that’s why I say I don’t feel I have the tent set up right yet. My inadequacies are revealed in thunderstorms. I do great with other Tarptents. However, sometimes I do erect the DR very nice (IMHO), and then other times I didn’t know until late into the night. I take full blame w/ my struggles w/ this tent.

-Barry

Barry
As a suggestion, and this is applies to all tents, once you have set up the tent, take a good look at the floor. If it has major wrinkles (IE, it isn't flat) the set up is wrong, Usually one of the corners is not symmetrical to the others due to uneven ground, wrong angle/tension on one of the guyout points.
Note that it isn't unusual for me to erect one of them in my backyard, to fiddle/test something , to find that my "perfect" set up isn't so once I have a look inside.
Franco

I usually get a horse trough rather than bathtub floor on the first try.

I find that if I use the same steps, in order, every time I can get a better pitch.

On the Rainbow, I fist stake out all 4 corners BEFORE inserting the 12' pole. In effect I am staking out the floor first, then shaping the tent around it. This way I get a nice, taut rectangle floor that acts as a guide for erecting the rest of the tent.

It's also better in high winds, so that as the rises up while inserting the 12' pole, it doesn't get blown all over the place.

I do the same as John, making absolutely sure that the corners are all square with eachother, and make sure the stakes are all pulling diagonally out from the tent, kinda like this:

________/
| |
|_______ |
/

and not this:

___________
| |
_|____ ___|_

or this:

|_______ |
| |
|____ ___|
| |

Ooops. That didn't work so well :(

Nice binary code.