Tarptent Notch

[Larry M]

I hemmed and hawed for the last few months over a new tent and had finally decided to order a Moment when this came out.

I'm glad I took as long to decide as I did because this is the perfect shelter for me.

Hopefully I'll get one of the December batch!

[Thomas Budge]

Henry,

What's the chance of producing a scout edition of the Notch or Moment made with polyester to bring the cost down like SMD did with their new Trekker/Scout tent? For scouts the Moment would be better since few of them have or use trekking poles. What would be best is a Moment that is completely double-wall like the Notch, even if the inner isn't removable.

[drowning in spam]

I doubt the price difference would be that great unless it's made overseas like the Trekker.

[Ty Ty]

I just got a notification that a package has been scanned for shipment from TarpTent! Can't wait to get it!

Henry…when are you going to post a setup video? I am very curious to see that.

[Franco Darioli]

"when are you going to post a setup video?"
it's up now

Notch video

Franco

[Bob Bankhead]

That damned mp4 foremat refuses to run with IE9 !

[Franco Darioli]

Is that before or after Lion ?
(just kidding . I am on 8.0 )
Have you tried FireFox?
Franco

[Bob Bankhead]

No. I'm just not willing to add another browser to be able to watch Henry's videos.

I'm sure I'm not the only person using IE9 with Windows. Henry says there is something about IE9 that "breaks" the video; apparently IE8 and earlier work fine with .mp4

Oh well…….

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

Bob,

Try "compatibility view" in ie9. It should work that way. Or just install Chrome or Firefox — either one is better than ie9.

-H

[Bob Bankhead]

+1000 COMPATIBILITY VIEW

That did it. Now the .mp4 videos run perfectly under IE9.

Thanks, Henry.

Tell your "cheap actor" not to quit his day job!

[kevperro .]

I'd think a version with a Tyvek inner might be an interesting option.

Overall though…. this is my favorite 1 person design (Notch). I'm tempted to sell my Sublite and a couple other items and buy one.

[Nigel Healy]

The 4oz pole set for the Notch, how big folded are they, any video/photos of this?

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

Same folded length (16") as the rest of the Notch.

-H

[Nigel Healy]

I see its only got 4 attachment points and 2 of them are quite a steep angle so any strong wind would have a fair chance to pull pegs out of the ground.
Are there other attachment points, for guy lines, to pitch further out for additional pegs and shallower angles at the peg-ground?

[Nigel Healy]

Thanks Henry. How do you do that trick of adjusting the height of the folding poles to get a lower-to-ground pitch like you showed in the video using the hiking poles? Its not ram them into the ground deeper is it? :)

[Miguel Arboleda]

The Notch (especially after having watched the setup in the video) is a thing of beauty!

[Bob Bankhead]

One way is to dig a shallow hole under each pole and set the butts in the holes, thereby lowering the canopy while still maintaining its tension.

[Nigel Healy]

Bob, yes digging some holes will lower the poles obviously but that will slacken the tension unless you get outside of the tent to then retension surely? Did I miss from the setup video how you lower the poles and not move the pegs to compensate?

I'm impressed with the weight and simplicity of the design.

[Nigel Healy]

Bump.

I scrowled up and seen basically the same question asked and answered

" > Are there guy loops on top of the poles? Might be worthwhile.

Not directly but it's easy to tie off to the interior apex loops that connect the interior or just a loop over the top of your poles. Easy mod if you want us to add more direct loops."

So I'm not totally sure I understand but basically there are loops on the inside for holding around the top of the poles, these are inside but could be a basis for adding some guys. Yes, external loops would be a good idea to add some guys. I'm speaking from real experience there, 4 pegs with 2 of them at such a steep angle will not survive the windiest conditions. All my last tents had 6 attachments including two long guys to get shallow angles. The pegs at the foot/head end are steep angle already. For a quick pitch in rain or when its not windy, 4 pegs is perfectly ok but for when pitching to survive windier, you'd have to add guys.

I know there have been posting over in outdoorsmagic of a Moment not surviving whilst a Scarp did survice due to the guys.

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

Hi Nigel,

Sorry for the delay. This thread is in a strange location and I don't see it without explicitly checking a forum I would not otherwise check. Anyway, with regard to Notch vs Moment/Scarp tensioning I think the thing to understand is that any arch pole supported shelter has no explicit transverse support other than inherent pole stiffness. A Moment or Scarp will certainly handle strong winds parallel to the arch plane if you use the arch sleeve pullouts to stabilize the arch and prevent deflection. I haven't read the report you reference on OutdoorsMagic to the Moment vs Scarp but I'm guessing that the Moment problem was due to not using the arch sleeve pullouts.

A Notch (or comparable vertical pole support design) is inherently side stabilized. The side stakes are all in the same plane as the vertical trekking poles. There is always the worry that your stakes will pull out so, yes, more stakes is better than fewer stakes. Easy for us–just ask–to add additional pullouts near the apex or anywhere along the door zipper edge. It's also pretty easy to attach more cording and stakes to the end carbon fiber supports.

Re: pole height, the Notch is pretty flexible with regard to settings for pole height. Adjustable poles are best. Taller settings (~115cm) bring your fly edge up off the ground whereas lower poles (~110 cm) bring the fly edge down closer to ground. In my experience, a standard trekking pole handle sinks very little (and it it does just boost the pole from inside to compensate). A skinny pole (such as the aluminum substitute pole we offer) will sink in loose soil so the solution is to spread the load via a flat piece of plastic or rock you find at your campsite. You can also dig a hole if you want to lower a fixed length pole.

-H

[Nigel Healy]

Thanks Henry for replying.

So I'm not a tent designer, I think I get it, the pole is pretty much pointing up and you got triangles in 3 directions and the mirror on the opposite for stability in all directions.

The issue is hence the steepness of the angles, of the cords to the ground at the peg, the only answer there is some guys, much further out, to shallow the angle.

I'd prefer it if a standard feature for such loops on the outside, partly so any future owners can be giving feedback back to you the designer.

The other issue, I think for all/most of the Tarptents is the insulation effect of mesh inner. My immediate need is to solve a "too warm" issue and condensation issue of a tent which has only mesh on one side and half-way up so its hard to get a thru-breeze and in sun its too warm, the Tarptents won't suffer that problem! The opposite however, all-mesh in cold conditions is going to let any breeze through to the sleeping bag. What is the solution there, a conversion for winter, some clippable or pull-down more solid material. Personal customization or some option from the designer? Mesh, if anything, is heavier than a thin windproof material?

Based on what I've seen now I'm giving serious consideration to purchase, to complement an existing shelter, many of my questions are related to stretching to become my only shelter.

[Miguel Arboleda]

Sorry for the delay. This thread is in a strange location and I don't see it without explicitly checking a forum I would not otherwise check.

Henry, if you want to keep up with a certain thread's successive comments, just go to the top of the page, next to the title of the thread, and click, "Watch This Thread" and you will get email updates on whatever follows.

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

> The other issue, I think for all/most of the Tarptents is the insulation effect of mesh inner. My immediate need is to solve a "too warm" issue and condensation issue of a tent which has only mesh on one side and half-way up so its hard to get a thru-breeze and in sun its too warm, the Tarptents won't suffer that problem! The opposite however, all-mesh in cold conditions is going to let any breeze through to the sleeping bag. What is the solution there, a conversion for winter, some clippable or pull-down more solid material. Personal customization or some option from the designer? Mesh, if anything, is heavier than a thin windproof material?

It's likely we're going to offer a partially solid fabric interior option that stops any direct wind coming under the fly at sleeping level but leaves the upper mesh as is for venting and views, especially when used without the fly. That's a likely latter part of Feb thing. You would certainly gain warmth at some cost to cooling in hot weather but it's a better option for shoulder season/wet weather/general "UK" type of weather.

-H

[kevperro .]

Make it as an option Henry and you use the same outer. A customer could own both and extend the usability of the tent deep into fall/early spring and you would cover the people who hike in dry areas worried about blowing dust too. You could sell two different inners and have another profit item without having to do too much extra design work or inventory carrying cost.

Seems like a smart move.

[Nigel Healy]

so how will that partially solid fabric work? Panels that snap up or down from the inside to tune from the inside for warmer/cooler, or a different inner option altogether? My suggestion is the former, its more flexible, if its not adding much weight. Because its not having to meet fully the mesh, it only needs a few attachment points to have the desired effect, so about 100g overall?

A more creative approach is to attach such from beneath the bathtub on the outside and be a fully removable skirt, then its something the owner can leave home and have no weight penalty when not used, need to think about how it gets along with the doors.

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