2012 Mountain Hardwear 4 person shelter – 26 oz

[Richard Webster]

My Hoopla 4 did not come with any seam sealing instructions but my Hoopster did! See attached diagram — looks a lot like a Hoopla 4! So I inspected the Hoopla 4 and found that the seam next to the glossy side of the shelf was not factory taped. All other seams were. Look closely at the seams, if there is a transparent strip about 1/2" wide covering it, it is taped, if not it isn't. I know from making home-made dry bags that some fabric coatings can't be taped so that could be the issue.

So I put the hoop in and instead of flipping the tent over, I staked it out upside-down and pitched it like that with the offending seam on the outside, easily accessible. I brushed seam sealer into the seam,removing the stakes one at a time as I worked around the tent to get closer to the job. Then I made two dumb mistakes. In my eagerness to be done I took it down 12 hours later, and without talc. The seam started sticking to itself when the fabric folded over onto itself. I immediately re-pitched the tent, upside down as before, pulled the sticking bits apart, waited another 24 hours for it to get good and dry, then applied talc.Now I'm good to go.

Incidentally the instructions say "make sure the pole is not in place when applying the sealer", but I ignored that, did it my way :)

[C Nugget]

Thank-you soooo much!!

After contacting Mountain Hardwear a second time I was able get more information.. Yes the Hoopla needs to be seam sealed at the hoop seam! I am just glad that they agree on that because if some regular joe/jane buys this tent and thinks for one second it will hold up without seam sealing in the Pacific Northwest they will be sorely mistaken. I have no probs seam sealing I would like need to know when to do it. My first experience needing to seam seal was with a double rainbow which says all over the site and info sheets that the tent MUST be seam sealed.. Mountain Hardwear just needs to get on board with doing that for their products that need it.. They are now aware of the missing info for the Hoopla's and sending it upstream for future reference. Hopefully another noob like me won't get confused when the tent leaks. Good customer service even after all the back and forth.

Taking your advisement on seam sealing. Wonder why they suggest doing it without the hoop in place? I will be singing "I Did it My Way" all day :P

thanks for all the help,
~c

[Richard Webster]

Thought I was good to go, did a good job sealing the seam as outlined above, still got some water in during a heavy rain; the tension shelf itself was saturated and dripping. My conclusion was that, even with the inner seams above and below the shelf totally sealed, water was coming in via a wicking action, the tension in the other canopy was pulling open (invisibly) the exterior stitching where the hoop lies and water was entering at that point and wicking through the nylon shelf. So I seam-sealed the shelf-attachment seams on the outside of the tent where the hoop rests, spent the night in a total downpour and …..bone dry in the morning! I wish I had just sealed the exterior hoop shelf seams in the first place, its a lot easier to do and far more effective though a tad unsightly.

[C Nugget]

After another camping trip I've decided I am not ready for a 6 sided floor-less shelter. Getting into camp late seems to be pretty regular thing for me and this shelter isn't the easiest to set-up in the dark. I think it has something to do with it's shape. 4 sides easy in dark 6, becoming more awkward. Just became too time consuming when all I could think about was sleep. It does setup great in the backyard where there is soft ground and light but that is hardly a typical campsite for me.

I can't say it's the best in the rain due to the door opening wide and dragging on the ground. It also does seem to be more appealing for 2 persons rather than 3. I guess I have been spoiled by the Henry Shires Tarptent setup, bathtub floor and netting from bugs. All this extra security(be it in my mind or not) helps me sleep.

I'm not sure if it's the green color but it heats up like a greenhouse fast. You'd have to have it pitched quite hi to get air underneath… The "vent" really does not function as a vent IMO. A low to ground setup would be stifling. Can't imagine it would be great for humid conditions. Not great to provide relief from the sun.

Hit a seriously windy day and blew the tent down (+50miles an hour). Partially fault due to poor setup by user :) but also would require lots and lots of guylines and fidgeting to get a solid setup. 6 equal sides is a pain.

This tarp needs serious square footage to setup and because it's not really longer one way or the other, it's sort of like trying to find a space for the blob or jellyfish(as it became nicknamed).

The hoop shelf also shrinks in heat. Big time! It does relax back some after being wet. It can make the hoop insertion more frustrating at times. Also noticed that the ring does not like to sit in the hoop shelf but rather wanders onto the nylon material and user sealed seam. I had to check that it's sitting right after each insertion which was tedious. I can't see that being easy on the seam(possibly causing regular leaks & more user maintenance)or the lighter nylon material over a period of time.

I really wanted to like this shelter. Perhaps I am not advanced enough to use it. It did NOT protect me well enough from the things a shelter would protect from. Bugs, creepy crawlies, wind, sun, rain & heat. It went back and I have a new found respect for my Double Rainbow and Mr. Henry Shires.

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