New Tarptents

He passed or is he in Taiwan?

He is on holidays overseas I believe.But I miss him
Franco
Passed…
Now that nobody is going to read this I find that I missed the opportunity because Ben had indeed passed… through the Panama Canal at that point

LOL. He has gone on a loooong round-the-world trip, overland all the way… across europe and central asia to china then back to US. Very cool.

Passed away ?
I never made the connection. (this one is for the Family Guy)

Apparently he has left the Rainbow at home, not a new Tarptent but a good one.
Franco

You know right away Ben2 in not near a computer with internet access. Here we are talking tents and not a whisper from Ben.

You haven't heard from him because Henry's next 2 person model is not called Ben's Beloved Seedhouse SL2.

I haven't seen him in the Backpacker.com Ultralight Forums either.

I hope all is well with him.

BA is missing a marketing coup. I can see it in lights: The all new BA "Ben's Beloved" SUL tent.

NO, I am not married. I don't even have a girlfriend. I thought for a long time that I was the only one with New Gear Disorder or NGD if you please. I am constantly looking for the lightest, best backpacking gear I can find. It seems from the context of the discussions on this site that I am not alone.
In addition to the myriad of Tarptents and SMD shelters, I have a strong tendancy toward tarps as well.

Now, if I only had enough time to use them.

Man, I hear THAT! My gear collection is massive and super nice…but the time is much less available than my gear. Oh well- more toddler backpacks coming this summer!

Back to the topic- I cannot WAIT to see the new family-sized Tarptent!

I've been emailing Henry back and forth for suggestions on a suitable 2-person for a bike trip (still thinking about the Double Rainbow, but not having trek poles makes it more of a pain).

Here's some info I got from him on a new tent:

"If free-standing is important for your needs, in about 2 weeks we'll announce a new 2-person shelter that would be worth considering as it will have free-standing capability and space for you and your gear."

"It will be easier to describe/show specs when we make the announcement but the floor space is very similar to the Double Rainbow (31 sq ft)–all fully useable, no cutoff ends–but with better headroom and sit up space for two. Excellent privacy and adjustability to suit conditions."

Hope Henry's ok with me posting this here.

Two weeks! Well, that is going to seem like a life time. Not that I need another tent, but oh well. Maybe after I see it, I will need another tent.

Maybe that will be THE tent , not another tent
Franco

Exactly Franco. This might well be the tent that will stop the obsession.

Probably not. But, if it was where would the fun be in looking at new gear.

Don't worry Robert. As good as it is , there will always be a better one. You should see the 2011 line up !
( nobody has seen that one, not even HS)
Franco

Maybe that will be THE tent , not another tent

I'm pretty sure it's going to be THE tent for me. It addresses many (all!) of the things I wasn't too keen on with the double rainbow… ie. I wanted something wider, with vertical rather than sloping walls, and more storm/wind worthy. The weight penalty for the extra space and storm worthiness is quite a bit less than I was expecting. No doubt there will be a bit of a price penalty too, but I think it will be well worth it. I think there's a good chance it will out-sell the double rainbow and the lunar duo.

This sounds very intriguing – exactly the small differences I've been hoping for (more vertical walls, headroom, storm-worthiness). Ashley, how did you find out about this? Can you reveal if there's a weight penalty vs. the DR?

(Edit: oops, I just read your above post more carefully and there IS a bit of a weight penalty, apparently)

I can't wait to see it.

I'm also looking forward to the 4-person tent! My littlest grandson is only 4, but he's already asking to go backpacking! 4 of us plus 80-lb. dog would be just a little too cozy in the Rainshadow.

I was hoping that the 2-person tent would be a 2-person version of the Sublite Sil. Oh, well, that means I'll definitely be getting the GG Squall Classic, if they ever get it back in stock. At least it's still a Henry Shires design!

Pics of the new 4 person Tarptent are on the website. It looks great. Selling in spring, no price yet. Says: a bit over 4 lbs…

Mary, 4 people plus an 80# dog will be too cozy in a Hogback. You need to start thinking of your 80# dog as a person and a half when it comes to tents.

A couple pictures of the Scarp 2 are up on the website. Looks promising, though a bit of a tease how little info is there at the moment. I'm pretty new to BPL, but for those weathered veterans who know how to get the latest info on such things, I (and I'm sure many others) would appreciate anything you could pass along. I'll be watching…

If two people plus the dog have plenty of room in a Squall 2, there's no reason why 4 plus dog can't fit in the Hogback (although Henry has yet to publish the specs). The dog, like most dogs, sleeps curled up in a ball, not spread out flat. And three of the four in the Hogback will be kids.

However, it turns out that the Hogback at over 4 lbs. is too heavy for me. I don't know why Henry didn't make it a single wall tent with attached screening like his earlier tents (Squall, Rainshadow, Rainbow), instead of making a separate inner screen tent (totally unnecessary, IMHO). I could, of course, have one of the grandkids carry the inner tent. But by the time I'm taking 3 grandkids along at a time, the older 2 will probably prefer to sleep in (and will be able to carry) their own 2-person tent anyway. At least I'll save money!

And no sight of a 2-person Sublite Sil, which is what I'd really like to have!

>If two people plus the dog have plenty of room in a Squall 2, there's no reason why 4 plus dog can't fit in the Hogback (although Henry has yet to publish the specs). The dog, like most dogs, sleeps curled up in a ball, not spread out flat. And three of the four in the Hogback will be kids.

The published floor spec of 51 sq ft is 86" x 86". If the kids are still younger kids, I do think there will be room for the 80-lb dog at their head or feet.

> I don't know why Henry didn't make it a single wall tent with attached screening like his earlier tents (Squall, Rainshadow, Rainbow), instead of making a separate inner screen tent (totally unnecessary, IMHO).

Because the weight penalty for the extra screening is less than 5 ounces–a little over an ounce/person–and makes the shelter much more flexible for situations where you don't care about bugs. The screening over your head also serves to separate you from any condensation.

>If two people plus the dog have plenty of room in a Squall 2, there's no reason why 4 plus dog can't fit in the Hogback

I'm just saying be careful. I've read your Lunar Solo report on several forums, and this looks like the same logic on a grander scale. Maybe not. I'll MYOB though.