Topic

Tarptent Notch vs Lightheart solo vs SMD skyscape trekker


Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) Tarptent Notch vs Lightheart solo vs SMD skyscape trekker

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 25 posts - 26 through 50 (of 103 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1875397
    Brett Ayer
    Spectator

    @bfayer

    Locale: Virginia

    Mike,

    what specifically do you not like about the Notch? I understand your opinion of the traditional Tarp Tent, but what is your view on the Notch?

    #1875401
    Eric Blumensaadt
    BPL Member

    @danepacker

    Locale: Mojave Desert

    As Bugs Bunny said Mike, "unlax". Franco has his biases toward Tarptent (as do I) but since he sells soley in Australia I think is comments are not made out of crass commercial interest but merely out of the fact that he favors Tarptents, as he did long before he began selling them in Oz.

    That said I have a TT Moment and the liner. Never had to use the liner yet but I can see it would give me a "double wall" where I needed it. So that complaint against the Moment is put to rest.

    My only complaint about the Moment is that the floor tub perimeter netting (and the screened door/wall) will admit a lot of dust in a windy situation, like southern Utah's Escalante area or spin drift snow if you're caught out in snow, where the Moment is clearly not supposed to be. But to get it's good ventilation ya have to have that perimeter netting on the Moment and the Contrail as well.

    P. S. A double wall Cuben fabric Moment with a carbon fiber pole is my wet dream but Henry will never make something that pricey.

    #1875415
    Brad Abrahams
    Spectator

    @frigger

    I also recommend the Lightheart Solo. I just love it. I've been using it here in hot and humid south florida and because of the hybrid design, condensation has not been an issues. I also find it very sturdy for a trekking pole supported tent. I like the pole device used to connect the two trekking poles, and that they are on the inside of the tent for easy adjustment in inclement weather. I had mine modified with a wedge for extra ventilation and views in bad weather. It does take a lot of stakes and has a very long footprint, but it's incredibly roomy inside.

    Let me know if you have any more q's

    Brad

    #1875429
    Henry Shires / Tarptent
    BPL Member

    @07100

    Locale: Upper Sierra Foothills - Gold Rush Country

    Mike,

    You are perfectly free to give your opinion but, honestly, some of the stuff you say is just out the wrong orifice. At least familiarize yourself with the Tarptent product lineup before launching into the single wall diatribe. Of the 13 models we offer, here's the breakdown: 4 are strictly single wall (including your Contrail from 5 years ago), 3 are hybrid double wall with liner option, and 6 are full double wall. Hardly the monoculture you keep ascribing to the product line. I'm sorry your Contrail didn't work out for you and I'm glad your new shelter does. There are a few thousand Tarptent owners out there for whom their shelter choice is working just fine. No doubt some get resold as do all shelters on the market–no shelter is perfect for everyone–but if you knew our sales you would also know that it's a tiny percentage.

    -H

    #1875446
    Mary D
    BPL Member

    @hikinggranny

    Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

    Mike, Franco wasn't even giving advice, just clarifying what types of tent are the three in the header plus the one mentioned in later posts. I'm truly puzzled as to why his post should have occasioned such a diatribe.

    I own three Tarptents and am quite happy with them, even though I'm currently using a ZPacks Hexamid when out solo (two of the Tarptents are larger models for going out with the grandkids). The switch is only because of the lighter weight, not because I'm dissatisfied in any other way. My only connection with the firm is as a satisfied customer since late 2005. i live on the wet side of the Pacific NW, and I haven't found any of my three Tarptents to be "porous." Just one person's opinion here.

    Do you consider that Franco's recent posts about snakes and stoves were also commercial advertisements for Tarptent?

    #1875461
    Nigel Healy
    Member

    @nigelhealy

    Locale: San Francisco bay area

    Hi, Mark Beaumont, famed Scottish cyclist who biked around the world. Now I can't be 100% sure but his tent looks VERY like the Laser Comp and the timing would be about right in 2007/8 as the Laser Comp was THE tent to have for a wide range of conditions back then.

    I watched the videos last week and his tent blew down twice, now that's only twice in a 7 month trip, that he reported, but it blew down all the same.

    Video sequence starts here
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd3gU0zuSqY
    one of the times his tent blew down on a cliff in Australia
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=eHV324WLcis#t=652s
    and another somewhere in southwest USA
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IlN4XJHDi-4#t=408s

    Now I own and have used the Laser Comp, I have it well pegged into the ground via 4 guys with long strong pegs at max distance out, I don't know if Mark did that or not on the occasions above.

    The two gripes I have are really its a condensation hog and it flaps a fair bit. Neither are reasons to call it a bad tent but simple facts.

    Mark also only had a 1-season sleeping bag, and suffered a few nights because of that.

    #1875480
    Paul Hatfield
    BPL Member

    @clear_blue_skies

    Well if you'd like to consider another similar design, the LightHeart SoLong 6 has much more room than a SkyScape Trekker (I'd say about 50% more room). The SoLong 6 is heavier though (by about 5 ounces I think.)

    #1875526
    David Ure
    Member

    @familyguy

    #1875528
    Mike Sobr
    Member

    @breeze

    Locale: Southeaster

    I am familiar with 6 different Tarptents being a long-time owner and user and so the owner of Tarptents can pretend that I am not familiar with their products but as others already know it's totally fabricated to discredit me. They went through my old posts and re-listed them on another thread just recently so H.S. fully knows better and I politely ask you in case of memory lapse from last week to go back and do a little research to get your facts straight instead of continually telling folks I am not familiar with your tents and I actually have more experience with them than most of the posters on the forum…. the posts you guys dug up about me clearly show that I own, use and reccomend TT's over a long time period so stop the fabrications for $$$ gain.

    #1875543
    BER —
    BPL Member

    @ber

    Locale: Wisconsin

    nm. not worth the effort.

    #1875546
    Michael L
    BPL Member

    @mpl_35

    Locale: NoCo

    Sobr can you stop trashing up every thread?

    Let's look at this logically. Either numerous other posters love TT profit somehow from pimping shires tents and are out to attack you. Or you alone are in the wrong.

    Hmmm. Which seems more likely?

    #1875600
    Franco Darioli
    Spectator

    @franco

    Locale: Gauche, CU.

    Here is a gem of a paragraph :
    "I have been in your shoes with the usual condensation problems associated with single-walled tents that you mention made out of porous sil nylon especially when used in certain conditions and have found that the Lightheart Solo design eliminates all the problems and compromises that many of the traditional s.walled Tarptents and similar have by virtue of separating you from the wetness. "

    So silnylon is no good except for when it is used by Lightheart, double wall shelters eliminate condensation problems except when done by Tarptent.
    Brilliant.
    Franco

    #1875618
    Brett Ayer
    Spectator

    @bfayer

    Locale: Virginia

    Mike, again, what specifically do not like about the Notch? Your complaints about Tarp Tent do not answer questions about the Notch.

    I love my Rain Shadow 2, but if I don't need the room, I take a smaller tent (BA FC2) but when I do, I really miss the ventilation the TT provides. I like the looks of the Notch but I like what I see from Lightheart too.

    As for who posts what about which product, I think most of us can figure out which advice and opinions we will listen to and which we will take with a grain of salt.

    #1875687
    Mike Sobr
    Member

    @breeze

    Locale: Southeaster

    Franco can belittle my bad communication skills but the original poster has at least hopefully gained useful inf0.

    #1875707
    Randy Nelson
    BPL Member

    @rlnunix

    Locale: Rockies

    "If you look at all the posts the owner is clearly looking through $green$ glasses "

    Funny, my dog chewed on my Rainshadow 2 and I sent it in to TT to get fixed. I told Henry that I was in no hurry whatsoever since I didn't need it for 5 months and to let me know what it cost when he was done. Not only would he not take money for repairing something that was clearly my fault, he wouldn't even take money for shipping it back to me because "they had it so long". Even though I got it back months before I told him I needed it. And I insisted multiple times to pay for both and he would not take a dime. So defining him as a greedy business owner just doesn't fly with me. Or as my friends in the south like to say: That dog won't hunt.

    #1875721
    Dale Whitton
    BPL Member

    @dwhitton

    Locale: Sydney

    Evan – hope the Laser Comp works out for you !

    I received my Notch last week and though it hasn't been used in anger (just set up for seam sealing), I was very happy with the ease of set up, roominess and vestibule size. I went with the semi solid inner which I'll use to extend its life into winter. I'm planning a walk in central Australia in a couple of months where it may well be dusty so the inner should also work well with these conditions.

    Disclaimer: I'm not employed by Tarptent, owns shares or have any other financial interest. I also don't think I'm a member of the Tarptent Police, although if there's a cool Silnylon uniform – maybe I could be tempted :-)

    #1875729
    Mike Sobr
    Member

    @breeze

    Locale: Southeaster

    Randy,

    Just read all the negative posts they have made recently in the last few TT tent discussions and you will change your mind- guaranteed. Nobody can deny they use this forum as a springboard for their tent business to the detriment of the folks asking for honest advice as it's here in black and white for many years just do a search.
    Re-read this thread and it will be clear what I said and what they said in retaliation.

    They recently removed the TT affiliation from their signatures again to better hide behind the "average joe camper" internet personas after being embarrassed into it just a couple weeks ago and it didn't last long.

    Recently they said that he shouldn't have to identify himself as a business entity on the forum because everybody should know who he is cough cough but most folks coming to the forum with questions are not born with TT tattoos on their knuckles and have no earthly idea who he is or who is posting and this is the ugly side of the business model I think should be brought public for obvious reasons and they resent me and attack me for that specific reason as you can see on many recent threads.

    #1875761
    Aaron
    BPL Member

    @aaronufl

    So this thread starts with a simple question and devolves into some giant tarptent conspiracy? Geez.

    Anyways, back to the original question. I have had my Notch out for a few weekend trips and have been really impressed. The setup is quick, the tent is quite wind worthy, and the semi-solid inner does an excellent job of blocking wind and blowing dust. Henry also added extra tie-out points for no charge.

    …and obviously, I'm not associated with tarptent.

    #1875770
    Nigel Healy
    Member

    @nigelhealy

    Locale: San Francisco bay area

    Aaron, did you use trekking poles?

    I got mine with the optional Easton poles, its a quick pitch for sure, but it does sway a fair bit in fake wind (my hand pushing the tent), I got some trekking poles, some Black Diamond FL Distance, and it was a lot sturdier, but again if I made fake wind it was tending to pull the pegs out the ground, so I'm thinking the guy attachments and some longer pegs will solve that but I then ran out of time to play. I quite like the idea of traveling light and was thinking of getting stiffer poles but not as heavy as trekking poles, I notice Easton do some stiffer ones, its just an idea.

    I bought a used Scarp and will be trying that too, I got the Notch new as it seems to be the best match to my needs but having see how much it moves in the wind, as a fallback, I got a used Scarp which I can obviously sell for roughly what I paid as a low-cost trial.

    #1875771
    Randy Nelson
    BPL Member

    @rlnunix

    Locale: Rockies

    "Randy,

    Just read all the negative posts they have made recently in the last few TT tent discussions and you will change your mind- guaranteed."

    Sorry. It didn't. I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt even though I spend way too much time reading here so I'm generally up to speed on what's being posted. But I had some time to kill while waiting on some work to be finished so:

    Disclaimer: I've only owned one TT product so far. An RS2. It was awesome for what I needed it for but my needs have changed as my pup has a long coat and is always wet so I wanted a sizeable floorless shelter so I sold my RS2. So I do not own any TT products.

    I decided to go look at Henry and Franco's posts to look for this greedy behavior. But I didn't find it. Anyone can click on their name and see their posting history. (If anyone has any doubts go look for yourself.) The claim of greed on their part does not stand up. In fact, I even looked at Franco's last 100 posts. If it wasn't for defending his posts and TT against you, 74% of those posts have nothing to do with TT at all. There were 12 posts offering advice to people who had asked specific TT questions. 2 posts MIGHT be construed as being a proponent of TT. Hardly the greedy picture you are painting.

    For Henry, the vast majority of his posts are answering questions about TT products. Sometimes that does occur with a thread about shelters that includes TT vs other products. But I can't see anything wrong with him correcting misinformation about his products. I haven't seen him say truly negative about competitors products. Again, nothing to back your claims of greed.

    I know I'm not going to change your mind, but there's absolutely zero evidence of some great, greedy, TT conspiracy.

    #1875772
    Aaron
    BPL Member

    @aaronufl

    Nigel,

    I do in fact use BD trekking poles, so that may make my notch setup a good bit sturdier than one using the optional easton poles.

    #1875777
    Nigel Healy
    Member

    @nigelhealy

    Locale: San Francisco bay area

    Aaron, I'm busy (boring work) but I will get around to looking at some stiffer poles, but if anyone has done the research I'd appreciate any advice. I had already decided to use trekking poles for hiking anyway to take weight off my feet and help knees in descending, so that works well with the Notch's use of trekking poles, and a 700g dual-wall shelter with all that space is a treat, but I had also hoped to use the Easton light poles for bike camping so I'm a little disappointed with the poles bendiness, so a stiffer but still compact pole option would be good to know. When I'm biking, and not using trekking poles, I'm not weight focused but I am volume focused, a lot of cyclists are like that, so a stiffer pole about 110cm long which folds no more than 14" and a lot stiffer than the .344 poles is on my watch list. Any suggestions?

    I have 2 weeks in England in September and will be using the Notch then. I also got a Scarp, not sure if I'll be using the Scarp, with the solid roof I'm concerned it will be too warm, but its got a good reputation in the wind, and snow loading, which the Notch isn't really intended for.

    #1875810
    Mike Sobr
    Member

    @breeze

    Locale: Southeaster

    Randy,

    Sorry but if you don't want fair and honest disclosure from commercial posters on the forum that pose deceptively to the new posters as regular campers please keep it to yourself as there are young and impressionable folks reading this and we have dropped down too many notches as it is. Luckily this kind of deception is illegal in many other matters like health and financial matters for obvious reasons and if you condone this kind of activity please keep it to yourself for their sake.

    Ask somebody from the previous generation their opinion on this matter and unfortunately it will be very different from your own….. I can assure you.

    Honesty is the best policy!

    #1875812
    brent driggers
    BPL Member

    @cadyak

    Locale: southwest georgia

    Look inward Mike. Please

    The world is NOT out to get you

    #1875822
    Randy Nelson
    BPL Member

    @rlnunix

    Locale: Rockies

    Randy,

    "Sorry but if you don't want fair and honest disclosure from commercial posters on the forum that pose deceptively to the new posters as regular campers please keep it to yourself as there are young and impressionable folks reading this and we have dropped down too many notches as it is."

    So only your (paranoid) opinion matters on this subject? Telling someone on a forum discussing gear to keep their opinions to themselves? Good luck with that! Sorry, but the "young and impressionable" will have to think for themselves. You sure don't give them much credit for being able to do so. BTW, at what age do you feel people are smart enough to be able to think for themselves? Perhaps there should be an age restriction to access BPL so young people won't be led astray and buy the wrong gear?

    "Luckily this kind of deception is illegal in many other matters like health and financial matters for obvious reasons and if you condone this kind of activity please keep it to yourself for their sake."

    No. But I will point out your BS for their sake. OK, really it's now just for the fun of it.

    BTW, there are plenty of cottage business owners posting on here without identifying themselves as such every time they post. Yet, you're only going after the TT guys.

    "Ask somebody from the previous generation their opinion on this matter and unfortunately it will be very different from your own….. I can assure you."

    Which generation is that old timer? :) Yes, whatever generation you are referring too is just pouring out of the woodwork to agree and support you. Oh wait, it's just you.

    "Honesty is the best policy!"

    Reality is a good one as well.

Viewing 25 posts - 26 through 50 (of 103 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Get the Newsletter

Get our free Handbook and Receive our weekly newsletter to see what's new at Backpacking Light!

Gear Research & Discovery Tools


Loading...