TarpTent Sale

Henry has had holiday sales but I don't believe they've been all years. Seems like IF and WHAT depends somewhat on his inventory.

I've owned the original squall and share ownership in a RainShadow 2. Both will suffer somewhat in strong winds unless they come from the foot ends. There are things you can do to help that but it requires sewing and/or glueing. Here's a photo of a thoroughly tricked out RainShadow 2. Not obvious in the pic are small loops and stakes where the arched pole meets the ground, guy lines attached to the middle of the side edges and velcro cable ties attaching the edge of the side to the trekking pole. Same setup on the other side.

Henry had a sale in late 2005 (when I bought my Squall 2) and 2006, but not in 2007 when I was hoping to get the Rainshadow on sale. He did have a sale in late 2008 but not on all models, and only on excessive inventory. For some models the sale ended early, while on others it went through December. If you're in no hurry, you could wait until mid-November and see if anything happens.

I always use the side guylines (not too tight or they'll pull the ridgeline down) on the Squall 2 and Rainshadow (and on my current GG Squall Classic). I have used rocks in front of the ends of the rear hoop to keep the ends from sliding forward, but the idea of adding loops for stakes has possibilities, although it adds to the weigh–I don't have to carry the rocks :-). Using two front poles with the Squall 2 or the Rainshadow makes either far more stable and gives you more room to get in and out. Of course without a center pole in front, you're more apt to trip over the front guyline! The big thing is to have the rear end facing the wind if at all possible. A sheltered location helps, too. Pitching under a tree makes loads of difference in preventing condensation. Make sure the tree is alive and has no big dead branches to descend on you in the middle of the night!

Timothy,

Don't rule out the Cloudburst. I felt this tent was a good compromise between the Squall and the Rainshadow. It give you much more head room than the Squall, smaller footprint than the Rainshadow (not a small consideration sometimes), and sets up quicker than both.

I think you were posting on another thread about how you disliked the MSR Carbon Reflex because you and your significant other found it too cramped. I owned an REI tent of similar dimensions to the MSR (an old REI Quater Dome) and also wanted more space when hiking with my wife. The Cloudburst has treated us well over the past few years.

The simple tunnel design does better under gusting winds than the Squall or Rainshadow will. The Rainshadow has huge side panels, so it could really catch the wind. I also own a Tarptent Contrail, which is essentially a smaller version of the Squall and I can tell you that the Cloudburst is less affected by wind than even the small Contrail.

As for living space, the Cloudburst is not as tall as the Rainshadow but it give you much more elbow room than the Squall. My wife and I can get into sleeping bags, change clothes, etc, without constantly colliding with each other. Check out the cross sections here- http://www.tarptent.com/crossections.html

In short, if you're coming from the MSR tent, any of the three will seem palatial. But I'd lean towards the Rainshadow or the Cloudburst for lots of elbow room.

If this tent is for two adults, don't neglect the Double Rainbow! There have been a number of posts on here on how well it holds up to high winds. For a couple, it's great for each to have their own door and vestibule. Weight is the same as the Cloudburst.

I'll second Russell on the Cloudburst. It's a great tent! And plenty of room. One thing he doesn't mention that I really like about the tent is the unobstructed front entry (which you don't get with the Rainshadow or Squall), no trekking poles up the middle, no guyline in the middle. Very easy entry/exit because of that.

A super tent all around!