New Tarptent ;this is the Moment !!!

Great tent with LOTS of details that shows how much thought and refining the design went into this tent.

I'll take pics tomorrow and post. As for the crossing pole making it more wind-worthy than the hiking pole setup, I dunno but I doubt it. I'll stick with the hiking poles on extra stakes and added guy lines off the hoop for high winds. The crossing pole is mainly for making it freestanding, which I can say it sure does that job well. Also the crossing pole gives some more headroom when the taped attatchments are cinched taut. Nice bonus. Put your hiking pole setup a bit higher and it will also make more headroom.

The vestibule is larger than I thought it would be. Packs can easily fit in, off to the left side of the door.

Eric
BTW, what on earth are the plastic ladder buckle attatchments on the ridgeline, 3 inches on either side of the hoop for? No mention of them in the instructions.
Photos,L to R. Happy owner & tent, roof vent hold- open, end detail W/ceossing pole, rear floor wall hold-up, mysterious buckle

I went hiking for 4 days in the Japanese Alps. The first night I camped with my mate at 2500meters. He had a super expensive gorelight tent. Winds were strong and the ground was not level. I worried constantly about the points at head and feet where the floor of the moment was only centimetres from the ground. If it was to rain I doubt it would stop water.I would add 2 points at the head and toes where the floor could be hitched up higher like a hammock. Suffice to say, my friend bent both his tent poles badly in the wind but the moment was fine (but really noisy ). The tent was pitched side into the wind (I changed it later in the night to nose to wind but there was no real difference). I used both poles provided. The longer pole is kind of poxy to fit into the end points so I just left it hanging off the ground.
I also added pull cords to all the tiny little zips.

The 2nd morning I awoke to discover the interior walls of the tent holding lots of water. I seam sealed the moment so I assume it was a result of the extreme conditions. After my fear went away (I guess many converts to ultra light get this) I calmly exited the tent (without getting wet) and everything was fine.
The third night I pitched the tent in the dark without use of a torch ( camping slightly illegally). So I guess I would say that it's simple to pitch on level ground ( a wooden deck) but not on a slope.

The tent packs away easily and also drys out quickly. The 2 pegs provided are amazing.

There is a learning curve to the moment and a few things you need to add before using it(cords on the zips, seam seal and take an extra tarp for sure(worst case you can wrap yourself in the extra tarp to stop drips hitting you) but once you get over that you realise it"s very flexible. It was my first experience mountaineering and I probably should have bought a goretex tent but I survived ok in the moment and had a generally good time. Feel free to offer me your own wisdom on the issues I mentioned I realise I am new to this.

Hi Ashton

> I probably should have bought a goretex tent but I survived ok in the moment
> and had a generally good time

Which suggests that you didn't need to buy a 'super expensive gorelight tent' after all?

Cheers

( camping slightly illegally)

I doubt that there are many, if any, places in the Japan Alps that would be illegal to camp in. The Japanese tend to be very tolerant of such things… it's called "nojuku", wild camping, and you can even do it in public parks in the cities. Only some national parks, like those in Niigata, Yamagata, and Fukushima, encourage you to stay at the mountain huts rather than camping (to ensure that the alpine habitats are not disturbed in any way… erosion is really terrible in many areas, but also to fill the pockets of the hut owners, I'm sure. Some under the table bribing going on, no doubt).

I've climbed all over Japan and am very aware of the conditions of most of the major mountain areas. If pitched right the Moment should have no problems. You might want to bring extra guylines for the powerful winds of the high mountains here, though, especially during late August and September.

I'm assuming that your friend bought one of the Japanese Gore-tex dome tents that are similar to the ID MK1-XL? With Gore-lite, probably an ICI Sports tent, no? These tents are designed for high mountains and in all my years walking the mountains of Japan (30+ years) I've never seen one have its poles break. Are you sure your friend pitched it the right way? Those tents are much stronger and more appropriately designed for high mountain camping than the Moment. So I'm a little surprised.

Just one thing to always remember in the mountains of Japan… it rains a lot more and a lot harder than what most people on BPL are used to, even those who live in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Every year entire mountainsides are washed away due to torrential rains. (think "New Orleans at 10,000 feet") Earlier this week famous cartoonist Yosh-i-to (Jeez, a Japanese name is considered profanity???) Usui (of the children's manga and animation series, "Crayon Shin-chan) died when one of the rain-weakened cliffs gave way under him after he stepped off trail to take a photograph. So do make sure your shelter is properly pitched (practice at home!!!), seams sealed, and your understanding of site selection is sound. One of the reasons the authorities recommend certain sites and discourage camping freely is because a lot of people don't know about flooding, flash floods, "dosha kuzure" (mud slides), and "gake kuzure" (rock slides).

Also, your Moment is the right size for the very steep mountains of Japan where it is very often hard to find any level ground at all (I've often had to walk hours to find a suitable level spot… using a bivy has its advantages here, though it's no fun in the heavy rain). Having a small footprint is wise.

It's wonderful that you had a great time. Welcome to the "unjomampo" (rambling above the clouds) world of the mountains in Japan, which I feel is the best part of Japan.

I said bent not break. mate is a 60 year veteran. so I think he knows what he's doing…

It's fairly hard to pitch the moment correctly on non level ground imo. I like the tent, it's good value and shows that some people have imagination when designing things. It's quirky and points more towards the survivalist than the gourmet hiker.

thanks for your input.

Thanks for the pics ,Eric.
That "mysterious buckle" is there to tie the vent to it to reduce the size of the opening. Once you do that, you can then insert a sock in it to eliminate the gap… (see my Scarp version)
Franco

Hi Ashton

Where in the Alps were you and why was the weather so foul? Oddly, although I've been back here for two years I still think in terms of Japanese seasons …

Relly looking forward to recieving this!
It has taken a little longer than usual, but I had Henry make a few modifications to make it a little more durable in snow conditions, so it is worth the wait. It is good to hear all the positive feedback so far and I hope to add my own once I recieve it. I plan on taking this on a thru-hike starting early next year, so I will have the upcoming winter to test it out in the snow and high winds.

There was a lot of buzz about this new tent and Henry has listed it for months as Sold Out. However, only one very brief post so far. Anyone out there who can quench my thirst for more info? With pictures?

These guys are about to be back in stock according to Henry's website. I'm still debating between this and a rainbow and was hoping I could get some info from those who've owned and field tested one in the previous months. I dont mind the weight penalty of a rainbow, as its a huge living space for 1 hiker. But more important to me is a tents wind resistance. I don't like the moment's wind resistance, and was hoping that the Moment would prove sturdier. Did your Moment rattle relentlessly in moderate winds? Also, it looks like you can pull the sides down more than a Rainbow…did this prove to eliminate splash and misting coming through the sides during heavy rain?

I've used my Moment several now under fairly nasty conditions — high winds and pretty wet weather. If you angle the shelter into the wind, its classic teardrop shape is so aerodynamic that it hold up against high winds rather nicely.

The morning pictured in the images was nasty: cold and foggy with high humidity followed by steady rain. The Moment held up like a champ without splash-ins or even condensation, which surprised me since I had the thing battened down close to the ground and the top and end vents closed. I'm sure it would hold up nicely against snow as long as it wasn't blowing horizontally.

Great tent for the fairly moderate winter weather we get here in Ohio.

Stargazer

One addendum to my previous post:

I do suggest getting extra long or even snow stakes for the Moment. With only one stakedown point at either end, you're putting all your eggs in one basket, as it were.

As Mark Twain once wrote, "If you're going to put all your eggs in one basket, you'd better watch that basket."

Stargazer

Still not enough going on here :-)

Is it true HS still uses Silnylon which allows "misting" ?
Why ? I cant imagine it with a better/slightly thicker coating beeing significantly heavier…, so whats the reason ? I didnt like the Contrail so much, now I am thinking how it might be with the Moment…
And I realy didnt like the "misting" thing !

I took the Moment out for two nights this past weekend in the Sierras near Lake Tahoe, at about 7500'. The first night we had about 12" + of fairly wet, heavy snow. Setup went quickly despite the falling snow, and the interior of the tent stayed completely dry. Temperatures during the night dropped into the low 20's. A thin layer of frost/rime formed on the inner walls during the night, but disappeared as the sun came up, without dripping, even though most of the perimeter venting was by that time blocked by accumulating snow, and the end vents had lost some of their open cross-section.

Occasional gusts, and accumulating snow, which I banged off from inside the tent, never seriously affected the tent geometry or threatened its stability. (I was using an improvised crossing pole which didn't completely stretch from end to end of the tent.) At the worst, there was occasionally a kind of inward bulge in some areas where snow collected against the tent perimeter, but I was usually able to push that away, again without going outside. (It would have taken a lot to get me to go outside.) The end vents were sufficient–they had to be, as the perimeter vents were clogged with snow–to keep air flowing through the tent, even though I didn't have the peak vents optimally arranged. (To do which I would have had to go outside, and …)

The following night, temperatures dropped into the low teens, with no snow, but there was less condensation as none of the perimeter venting was blocked. Large double wall tents nearby had much more condensation.

Cooking in the tent, and general gear management, was fine, and there was plenty of room for a down air mat and sleeping bag. There was always enough vertical space above head and feet, and in general it was easy to stay away from the walls of the tent. I hadn't sealed the seams, but there was never any apparent leakage or misting. This might be different in a heavy rain, so I will seam-seal.

While I was lying down, everything was quite stable, but if I tried moving around, the mat squirmed around a bit on the tent floor, a problem I'll try to correct by painting some stripes of seamsealer/silicon there.

For a single person, I'd continue to use this tent in winter, (it's not sold as a 4-season tent) unless I was in an area with dry, invasive snow in the form of spindrift. For the western Sierras, where I do most of my camping, this isn't a problem. I'd rather spend the extra weight a double wall tent would require on a warmer sleeping bag and clothes. I could probably carry a -25 degree bag–gross overkill, but tempting–and still have a lighter total load.

My overall impression is that this tent is immensely likeable. The interior space is very well laid out, there are many very clever small adjustments possible, getting a taut pitch is a complete no-brainer (important at altitude, in a snow-storm, with fingers freezing, when I was starting to feel like a no-brainer). With the proper crossing pole–in non-snow situations, without it–the tent seems extremely stable, and sheds wind nicely.

3 thumbs up.

James, you have 3 thumbs also?

BTW, one trick I learned from another camper, but imperfectly executed, is to dig a trench around your tent. That way, as snow accumulates on your tent, and you bang it off from inside during the night, it has somewhere to go, and doesn't pile up against the side of the tent.

Another thing I forgot to mention in favor of the Moment is that its cross-section is everywhere arc-like, with no flat spots to accumulate snow.

"James, you have 3 thumbs also?"
Now thats funny.

I'm 6'1" and I can sit up and move around inside the Moment with no problems at all. The tub floor is very slippery, but easy fix. Work of art in my opinion.

and after reading the instructions a million times over the last few weeks I could have put it up in my sleep. Anyone could really. It is so easy.I am over 6'2 and I fit in there just fine. Plenty of room vertically too. I know everyone has read about all of the great little features of this tent so I wont repeat all of them, but the headroom, ease of pitching, ventilation, and the line tightener configuration on the ends are my favorite points so far.
I am a little unsure of how Im going to pack this thing in my new smaller pack. How are you guys carrying this thing? Vertically in your pack or strapped to the outside?

I want to state this up front- I love mine, too.

The only bummer- 30 ounces seam sealed, for a 1P single walled tent. Though admittedly I'm an, ahem, extreme seam sealer.

Heck, my base weight is pushing 10 pounds, now! Henry has done better on weight, though in fairness I think He was going toward more ease of use, usable space, and feature set with a still not unreasonable weight on this design- it isn't as fanatical as some of His others. He could advertise this one in Backpacker and it'd sell well.

I'll probably stick with my Gatewood Cape for balmy conditions (and psycho-light episodes). Even with my bivy it's less than half the weight of the Moment.

True, but add some bug protection to the Gatewood, and a bivy, and the weight starts creeping up. I spent a couple of days in my Gatewood, in an unexpected snow storm, and it wasn't pretty. But I agree, if you're going where a bivy is basically all you expect to need, the Gatewood is great for backup.

No, the Serenity Net Tent and Gatewood together STILL only weigh 18 oz or so. And, in all honesty, in most conditions you don't need a bivy with a Gatewood (especially if you have the bathtub floor fron the Serenity). See the BPL review of it. I'm just paranoid, being a new down convert… :o)

Still love my Moment, but . . .

Speaking of the Gatewood:

Something I've been meaning to try instead of spending the $120 for the Serenity Bug net:

Wear by BPL headnet with a brimmed buff to keep the net off my face. The rest of me is protected from bugs by my sleeping quilt, and the headnet will keep the flying bugs off my head

"It has taken a little longer than usual, but I had Henry make a few modifications to make it a little more durable in snow conditions,"

Would you please elaborate? I want to order a Moment, and I have to cope with frequent snow in spring, summer, and fall. Heck, I got 2" of snow along with freezing rain earlier this week.

Update: (With information directly from Henry Shires via e-mail and telephone) I had Henry put an additional tent peg tie-down onto the middle of each long section of the exterior of the tent, four more tie-downs in total. I can use the four extra tie-down points to stake the exterior of the tent down so the wind won't get under it and try to lift up the tent.

Henry also supplied 8" tent stakes at my request instead of the normally-supplied 6" tent stakes. I have added two more 8" tent stakes for the lateral tie-out points on the standard crossing pole.

I received my Tarptent Moment today, 59 days after placing my order. Huzzah! I have it set up in the back yard undergoing rain testing.

So far the only real difficulty I have encountered is trying to get the two top vents to stay open. No matter what I do, they seem to want to collapse vertically and seal themselves shut with their own Velcro. This happens mo matter how I adjust the elastic bands inside the peak of the tent between the vents.

Hints for how to keep the top vents open, please?

Hi Marc
Thanks for asking.
Those vents are self sealing by design. The idea is that when you store it they automatically shut so that if you happen to set it up in the rain the next time , water will not get in there.
Or maybe it just happens that way….
To better understand on how to have the best pitch, have a look at the schematic diagrams on this page :
http://www.tarptent.com/moment_2.html
note in particular the angle of the ends .
So in reality it will look something like this :

Once you have the canopy as taught and as smooth as that, the vents will remain open,
Some generic tips :
Pitch the tent zipped up.
Make sure that the pole is spread out and that the pole and ridge line cross each other at 90 degree.
Set it up with all of the guylines fully extended. (then pull in for better tension if needed)
Look at the floor, if it is not flat something is out of alignment.

Franco