Tarptent Double Rainbow modifications

[Lynn Tramper]

I've commented many times on ways to make the DR more robust and more functional, and a lot of folks have asked if I have photos. I haven't, until now, so for those of you who asked:

Extended rain porch (black fabric at top). We've used this porch as an emergency fly for a third person. The foot of the bivy bag sticks out a little, but works quite well otherwise. The extension makes the whole tent feel more roomy and is great for cooking under.

Here shows the cross-staking of the windward vestibule. This both lowers the fly and takes up some of the slack of the leading edge of the vestibule. It also take the stress off the zipper in high winds. Of course, if you choose to do this you can't use that entrance.

Also note the addition of extra guy lines and tie-out points. We only add these to the windward side when things get serious…

Here we're using trekking poles to support the strut. This makes the long arched pole impossible to buckle in even the worst of winds.

We replaced all the velcro tabs with toggles. Aside from being fiddly, the velcro tabs were shredding the netting.

Here we've added some more tie-outs that allow us to use the rainporch trekking poles to keep the floor stretched to full width. Sorry about the fuzzy photo. It also keeps the trekking poles in place.

Or you can directly stake the floor to the tie-outs. Although not shown here, those tiny little TI sheppard hook stakes are ideal for this.

We added zipper pulls.

And if the ground permits and the weather is nasty, we dig holes to lower the pole ends, thus lowering the fly. This photo doesn't have the holes dug, but you can see how it would work. Notice the lack of attachments for free-standing mode. These got chopped off early on, so all the mods we made still mean the tent weighs no more than when we first got it.

The DR is not intended to be a 4 season tent, but with a few mods it can withstand a lot more than many other "3-season" tents. Other mods are for comfort and convenience. To be prepared and use the mods involves carrying extra pegs and guylines, but where I hike the weather is so unpredictable that we always carry these extras. Many of you will never need this level of security.

[Ethan A.]

Thanks so much Lynn you know I've been eagerly awaiting these.

1) The only part of the fly you extended was the rain porch, correct? By about how many inches of fabric?

2) Does anything hold your inside trekking pole, which braces the strut in bad weather, in place besides just tension?

3) Which brand/size/weight of plastic toggles did you use? Did you get them locally or mail order them?

4) Do you have a photo of the extended rain porch fastened down to the ground to get a sense of how extra much room it offers? About how many sq ft would you say it adds to the vestibule?

[Frank Steele]

I have the new 2010 DR and my vestibule go low to the ground (touching really) and they have plenty of Velcro to take any strain off of the zipper. Plus my velcro ties for rolling up the screens seem to be less "catchy" because they aren't tearing up the screen at all.

[Travis Leanna]

Thanks Lynn!

[EndoftheTrail]

Lynn:

Cross staking makes the DR look all buttoned up and secure… but I recall Henry Shires cautioning against doing that. Can't remember exactly why, but maybe pulling the flaps down to the ground puts undue pressure on the pole??

[Travis Leanna]

Ha, Benjamin…I mentioned that exact same thing to Lynn yesterday in another thread.

[EndoftheTrail]

Hey, great minds think alike… :)

[Travis Leanna]

Just so we're clear, I DID say it first! :)

[Lynn Tramper]

Hey guys, as I mentioned in that other thread, Henry may advise against cross-staking (don't know why), but in reality, at least with our version of the DR, it really is necessary when the wind is howling. Maybe Henry will come along and comment as this may have changed with the 2010, but the leading edge of the fly is just too floppy when pitched as recommended, plus the fly doesn't come down close enough to the ground without cross-staking it. If this has been modified in the 2010 model then all the better!

Keep in mind that we first started cross-staking the vestibule when we got the original DR which had no zippers on it. The velcro that closed the vestibule didn't stand up to gales (nor was it designed to), but we found ourselves in an accidental gale the first time we took it out. Although Henry post-modified our vestibules to add zippers, the fact tat we had seam sealed the area means the zippers were sewn through thick silicone glue and the stitching is not as robust as it probably is on new ones.

Franco, maybe I'm just a clutz, but aside from the Velcro doing bad things to our mesh, I find them really difficult to operate. A toggle is just sooo much easier. I salvaged my toggles off an old tent.

EJ, the extended rainporch merely goes all the way to the edge of the vestibule instead of stopping halfway on the off-the-shelf version. When buttoned down in storm mode it doesn't add any more space as the rainporch is only designed to work when propped up with poles or sticks. It's main intention is to make it easier to get in and out of the tent without getting wet, and also improves ventilation in the rain. Because the added rainporch is black silnylon, it's also offers some shade on really sunny days. What would be really sweet is a DR made from aluminized silnylon! hint hint…Though we do find the optional liner reflects some heat on hot days.

But really, the extended rainporch is just a luxury, hardly essential to the function of the tent. Think of it as more of an add-on tarp than part of the vestibule.

[Ethan A.]

Thanks Lynn, comparing your photo to the stock photos at Tarptent I see exactly where the piece of black fabric goes – on my screen the black fabric looks gray, just a tad darker than the original fly gray.

Frank or anyone else who has the 2010 – does the fly actually touch the ground without digging a hole for the struts and ridge pole, or is the fly a few inches off the ground? The photos of the 2010 on the site show the fly several inches off the ground.

[EndoftheTrail]

"Hey guys, as I mentioned in that other thread, Henry may advise against cross-staking (don't know why), but in reality, at least with our version of the DR, it really is necessary when the wind is howling."

Well then, let the record show that Travis was the first to get this wrong! :)

Kidding aside, considering the flaps only come about 2/3rd of the way down toward the ground, pulling them closer to stake will put continuous downward stress on the pole! As for that being "necessary" to keep out the draft — that actually points to the inherent limitation of tarptents — they really are optimal for temperate climes with low to moderate humidity.

A freak storm, who cares, the Rainbow is plenty tough. But if I know that I will be camping at places with cold, strong winds and I don't like the constant draft, then I would take a different tent.

[Lynn Tramper]

"pulling them closer to stake will put continuous downward stress on the pole!"

Not really, as we only cross-stake when using trekking poles to support the arch pole (ie really bad weather), so the stress is transferred to the trekking poles and NOT the arch pole. Perhaps Henry's original advice referred to the DR before he added the grommets to accept trekking pole support? Those grommets were also added after purchase to our tents as they were not part of the original DR. We complained about our arch pole collapsing in a serious downdraft situation and henry came up with the trekking pole patch. Anyway, it's a moot point, as we have proven to ourselves at least that cross-staking DOES increase the stability and wind-shedding abilities of our DR model.

EJ, best to shoot Henry your questions, unless Franco is willing to set up a 2010 model and take some photos for us???

[Ethan A.]

Lynn that makes perfect sense.

I'm pretty sure that the DR fly doesn't reach the ground, but that's ok for how we thought about using it. Any DR 2010 users please correct me if I'm wrong.

[EndoftheTrail]

Lynn:

Good point about the trekking poles assist.

[Ethan A.]

Lynn, re your tarp tent wish, aluminized silnylon, here's something I came across recently regarding adding IR emissivity controlling coatings to the outside of a single wall tent or tarp fabric to reduce condensation.

http://windowoutdoors.com/WindowOutdoors/Dew%20Frost%20Condensation%20and%20Radiation.htm

[Lynn Tramper]

"I came across recently regarding adding IR emissivity controlling coatings to the outside of a single wall tent or tarp fabric to reduce condensation."

Yeah, and Stephenson's WarmLite tents have been using this for a long time now (aluminized silnylon on the inside) for that reason. They also offer it as an outer material (for extra $$$) to reduce UV damage, and it makes the tent a lot cooler and darker, which is good for us oldies who sometimes like to stop for an insect-free nap during the day :)

RE: keeping the trekking poles in place. There are at least two options we've tried successfully: One is to make a small hollow or hole for the handle of the pole to sit in. The other is to run the pole handle to the inside of the tent, closing the zipper around the shaft. This keeps the pole in place and also
makes the pole more upright.

[John Nausieda]

I bought a dome tent over ten years ago by a Canadian company called Outdoors which had a reversible nylon fly deep purple on one side and silver on the other. In hot weather the silver side was out to cool the tent . In cool weather it was reversed to refect heat back in. A great idea that really worked . We had it in Canyonlands and it really stayed cooler. That fly never UV degraded either.

[Franco Darioli]

Hi
I will post a quick video of the 2010 version in a few hours.
Franco

[EndoftheTrail]

A few hours? I don't get it. Aren't tarptents supposed to set up fairly quick?

[Travis Leanna]

Franco's gettin' a little rusty with the setup times…

[George Matthews]

Don't need no stinkin video – mine arrived today!

Heading out with it this weekend : )

Will post pics

[Lynn Tramper]

"I bought a dome tent over ten years ago by a Canadian company called Outdoors which had a reversible nylon fly deep purple on one side and silver on the other. In hot weather the silver side was out to cool the tent . In cool weather it was reversed to relfect heat back in. A great idea that really worked ."

That's a great idea alright, and would be ideal on something like the Haven, or any of the silnylon tarps around. Maybe even good on a reversible poncho???

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