New Tarptents. It’s official !

"My wife will probably make me sell about 3 tents first."

Well theres your problem. How did your wife ever find out you had three tents!!???

This is interesting. While I admire the new design, I am intrigued that the weight of the scarp 2 with optional poles is within half an ounce of my GoLite Hex 3 with inner nest:

Scarp 2 + mesh inner + cross poles = 67 oz (Shires' estimate)
Hex 3 + mesh inner = 66.7 oz (on my digital postal scale)

Granted, the cross poles won't always be used on the Scarp 2, but on the other hand, using the cross poles with fabric inner would weigh more than the Hex 3.

Looks like we need a wind and snow load comparison of the Scarp 2 with the Hex 3!

Does she have an un-attached sister?

Denis,
May I suggest you pursue the Unattached?

Or are things getting boring these days?

Edited – Denis you did say Attached…I saw it!

Nope!

I really wish the Mpls-area folks could have met her last night – she's a blast.

Maybe the Hogback would work better.

Next on my tic list is a 9×9 flat tarp made of cuben fiber – I guess I'll be getting that microwave after all.

Not a very good deal for the GF, you really have to work to spend $100 on a microwave.

Franco's tips :
N 37
Always buy another Tarptent. They all come inside a nondescript grey stuff sack and look the same to the uninitiated.
Remember tip 17?
New tent ? , you mean that old thing ….
This is so Matt does not have to sabotage his appliances next time.
Tip 38 :
Finance minister :Why the new parcel then ?
He, who used to wear trousers : it had to go in for servicing. Wives like the idea of "maintenance"
Franco

I do believe that Franco told me that he saw two new TTs in my future. He may be right.

As winter is done here (in CA, but I don’t get to do much 4-season in MN) I will probably wait to get a Scarp 2 until next fall. It is a very intriguing tent at the weight. (And I have been so happy with my String Ridge this winter.)

The Hogback looks to be a Mutha Hubba killer to me. (That is what I use for trips with my two children. It has more room than the Copper Spur or Seedhouse 3s.) I see a tent sell-off in my future. I know, I won’t bother trying here. Much too heavy…

It sounds like several guys on this site have similar characteristics(overloaded gear-lovers), like bulemics hiding their disability.

I know that my wife and family will appreciate all the gear I have (that they don't know about) if some calamity happens, and we all need to use it.

>Granted, the cross poles won't always be used on the Scarp 2, but on the other hand, using the cross poles with fabric inner would weigh more than the Hex 3.

Two very different designs that have different strengths and weaknesses. I could draw up some general design comparisons, including shelter use in a variety of conditions, but I'll leave that as an "exercise for the reader."

-H

Henry, when do you think you'll be ready to start shipping our orders on the Scarp 2? A couple of weeks, or longer?

I've always worried that if something ever happened to me, my SO would sell my gear for what I told her I paid for it.

Hi Henry,

I'd personally be interested in hearing some of your thoughts on pyramid style shelters vs the scarp.

She'd lose, the buyer would gain, and you'd be on the "Long Trail", with the sun at your back.

The main advantages I see for the Scarp 2 vs hex 3 is that the scarp is double walled (no condensation problems), it has 2 doorways which do not expose the inner tent when opened, it can have excellent flow through ventilation in warmer conditions when both doors are left open. The scarp with crossing poles is very stable under snow loading (see Chris Townsend's pic of the Scarp 1 under a foot of snow). Obviously the walls aren't as steep as a pyramid, so you should really be knocking snow off the roof during the night under heavy snowfall.

In short, I think it will be better in warmer situations, better in the rain, and just as good in the snow. With the two different inners available, and the fact that it can be used with or without crossing poles, it is a very flexible setup. You can even use it without an inner.

It's hard for me to come up with anything I would like done differently on the Scarp 2. Lighter would great, but for the features you get it is amazing. Maybe I will find some things I don't like once I get one and start using it, but I usually have a whole list of things I don't like about a new piece of gear before I even buy it!

I highly recommend practicing this line:

That old thing? I've had it for ages.

This works well on Mr. B. Do not define old or ages. Those words are relative, anyway. Compared to the lifespan of a gnat, I've had my gear for generations.

I guess I'll hang on to my Rainshadow 2 also. For my grandson "Bear's" first year of backpacking, the four of us should be able to squeeze into the Rainshadow, putting my dog in the vestibule (and tripping over him during middle-of-the-night exits). By the time we can no longer squeeze into the Rainshadow, the older two grandkids will be 11 and 9 and can use my GG Squall Classic (which I'll hopefully be able to get this April). Better yet, the oldest grandkid will be big enough to carry it!

With the 3-person Rainshadow being 8 oz. more than the 2-person Squall 2, I was hoping that a 4-person tent would be no more than 3 to 3 1/4 lbs. That's about the maximum weight I can carry, even for just an overnighter and with the oldest grandkid carrying part of the food.

>With the 3-person Rainshadow being 8 oz. more than the 2-person Squall 2, I was hoping that a 4-person tent would be no more than 3 to 3 1/4 lbs.

Everything is a tradeoff and certainly it would be possible to get it down into that range but you have to give up something to get it. I opted for maximum situp space, bug protection, ventilation, and flexibility. For trips where bugs aren't a problem, you can unclip and leave home the Hogback "inner"–mesh enclosure with floor. That weighs a little over 1 1/4 pounds. Of course you'll want some sort of groundsheet to sleep on but light plastic or equivalent would suffice and weigh about 1/2 lb. So..the Hogback fly with groundsheet would come in pretty close to 3 1/4 lbs. Or, better, just give the grandkid the inner compartment–any kid can carry something that light–and you carry the rest of the Hogback for less than 3 lbs.

-H

I see a lot of tent problems on various forums that could be easily solved by leaving the dog home.

Leaving the dog home is not an option. First of all, he's an integral part of my sleep system, acting as the perfect footwarmer. Second, kennel fees (close to $30/day) are way out of my budget! Third, he is a rejected assistance dog, the product of generations of dogs bred to be with their owners 24/7. The last time he was in a kennel (for a week), it took a month for him to recover from the doggy equivalent of depression. Fourth, he is extremely well-trained and I make sure he doesn't bother others, keeping him either on leash or on the trail behind me 95% of the time. The other 5% is when we're out in the open and I can see far enough ahead or behind to know that there are no other hikers, horsepeople or wild animals close by. Fifth, I treat his waste the same as I do my own (i.e. bury it in a cathole), so that's not an issue.

"highly recommend practicing this line:

That old thing? I've had it for ages.

This works well on Mr. B. Do not define old or ages. Those words are relative, anyway. Compared to the lifespan of a gnat, I've had my gear for generations."

LOL – that's a good one. Problem is when you work from home there's no where else to ship it. Kinda hard to use that line when they see you get the package.

Thanks, Henry! Having the netting part detachable on the Hogback does make a lot of difference. I'm not too sure whether it would be better to load that 1 1/4 lbs. onto 9 year old JP or 7 year old Sissy–she's stronger and a better athlete than big brother! However, right now JP is on a growth streak, which could make a difference. 4-year-old "Bear" won't actually go with us until next year. Right now he is not yet potty-trained at night yet refuses to wear a pullup (equivalent of a night diaper), so this makes overnight trips quite impractical for the time being. That gives me a year to save up for the Hogback, or maybe their dad (my son) will be willing to buy one sooner. It certainly is a palatial tent!

On an extraneous topic, is there any chance of a 2-person Sublite Sil in the near (or far) future? I realize that there is a problem with trekking pole support for a wider Sublite, and it might be that extensions for the trekking poles would make a 2-person Sublite just too heavy. But if it came in at 26-27 oz, it would be just perfect for what I want for me plus my dog! I'm planning to get a GG Squall Classic, but if a 2-person Sublite Sil is in the near future, I'll wait. I'd frankly rather have silnylon than spinnaker.

Henry,

The new models look like great designs!

Q: Will the production 4-season fly of the Scarp 2 have lower side-walls around the perimeter of the tent, or will the mini-pole/struts allow for some adjustment of this for tightening up under strong wind conditions and in order to seal out spindrift?

I suppose that with a bit of existing snowpack or softer soils, perhaps one could bury the extensions of the poles into the snow or dirt, but I end up on pretty solid glacial Ice, or harder surfaces, at times where this wouldn't be an option. It would likely end up wearing out the bottom portions of their sleeves rather prematurely as well.

If you get a chance, could you post a photo of the single pole/trekking pole set-up with the fly & inner, so that we could see more clearly how this works? I think I see the reinforcement point on the interior photo at the bottom left on the website.

Thanks!