Tarp Tents vs. Other solo tents, questions

One option is to use your hammock tarp on the ground and add a bivy for snow and wind protection in the winter. But then, you'll probably have condensation inside the bivy.

1. The condensation will be worse or more likely than with your hammock due to less airflow and being closer to the ground. It will vary based on humidity and wind, which will vary based on campsite selection.

2. Double wall tents can have either a mostly solid or mostly mesh inner tent. The mesh keeps some condensation from dripping on you, but allows for better ventilation. It also keeps you from accidentally touching the condensation on the outer fly. Solid inner tents protect from condensation better, but they can sometimes get condensation on the inside of them themselves, especially in warmer or very humid conditions. Solid inners are for winter or very windy conditions where there might be blowing sand or dust.

3. The liner will add a little warmth and keep condensation from dripping on you. I'm still experimenting with mine, but will probably only use it in winter due to increased weight and decreased headroom.

4. Increased condensation has been liked with sasquatch attacks. ;) Just keep your tent as ventilated as possible given the wind and precipitation. The Moment has a number of ways to do this.

5. The Moment is more stable in the wind. With all of the extra guyouts staked out, I think it would hold up to snow better than the Rainbow too. I think using guyouts is a better option than the extra crossing pole. There are photos around somewhere of the Moment holding up while essentially buried in the snow. I also have a Scarp 2, but I intend to mostly use my Moment for winter camping here in Ohio and heavier snows in the Appalachians.

For moderate snow loading , the extra pole does help.

As for wind , I think that the pole guylines are very important , more so than the extra pole but a mate of mine prefers to use that pole as well.

To help the Rainbow in high winds and or under some snow , you can add trekking poles , this way :

Grommets are provided to slot the tip of the poles under the vents.
Franco
franco@tarptent.com

Hi Franco,

On the Moment, what advantage does using the extra crossing pole have over trekking pole-supported guylines attached to the same mid-panel support points normally used by the crossing pole?

Hi Andy,
Henry probably has his preference, but I see one working pretty much the same way as the other.
So it will depend on if you use the trekking poles or if you prefer the speed of installing the external pole.
(one of the reasons why I did not comment on the other thread. I thought that you addressed the point well there)
Franco

Franco, thanks–wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. :)

As Franco has shown, the Rainbow in that configuration does really well in wet snow.

I did not find the Moment any more 'stable' than the Rainbow in the wind, but it may do better under extreme conditions as it has a lower profile. It also has less usable volume, however. Both good choices.

Not to add to the potential paralysis by analysis syndrome but you may want to look into the Lightheart tents which are very lightweight double-walled shelters and may be a good compromise for transitioning over to the dark side of alternative tents. Only caveat is that it is not free-standing but that mental stumbling block may be similar to the single vs. double walled one that some overcome and others can't- hence the plethora of single-walled tents for sale in the classified section. I have been known to go back and forth to the darkside also and after playing with a Lightheart Solo may be converted back to a double-walled tent for certain situations since I am often in very humid climes and have had serious condensation issues with S/W tents before and hope the D/W Lightheart will address those issues so the search for nirvanah continues.

Im no expert. But Im facing the same situation as you. There is no tent that suits all conditions, or all terrain. Everything is a compromise, and you must decide what is most important to you for the trips and terrain you have in mind. Given how easily the tarp tent swayed you, I would wager that at this point you have only started to tent-shop. Until you exhaustively evaluate what most of the cottage manufacturers can offer, and the plusses and minuses of each, you probably wont really know WHAT you want.
When you can name the positives and negatives about the tent you are considering, then and only then are you probably really ready to buy. The alternative is an expensive path of trial and error.

Robert,

I have the Rainbow, like you I was looking at the lighter offerings from REI when I found the Tarp Tent line. The Rainbow is well constructed and thought out, I choose it over the Contrail for its versatility. It works for bug season, when the dog comes, the one night a year my girlfriend comes along, car camping, and in moderate winter conditions. I have not had it in any decent snowfall yet but have used the trekking pole and extra guy out set up (above photo) in windy conditions, it works great. There are several pitching options if you work with it, without trying it really goes up in 2-3 minutes, the porch set up is nice as well. I remove the top strut so it packs better in my pack.

I have not used or seen a Moment, it is a popular tent, but I can't really comment on it.

You'll be glad you went this route over the other brands you mentioned.

Good Luck

Sorry, had to go offline for a while. Thanks so much for all of your great responses, I really appreciate the feedback. I'm leaning very heavily towards the rainbow, but am still looking in to things.

"Ton" is a bad word around here.

We deal mostly in ounces and grams.

–B.G.–

Franco,

where are the guy lines tied in your photo? Into the grommets?

I have a rainbow and had been using the grossgrain loops on the top pole for side tie outs, not like you have shown?

Mark
The guylines are attached to the tip of the pole, above the small basket.
The tips of the pole sit inside the grommet.
Franco

what about the Moment vs Rainbow?

+1 Rainbow