The CAFFIN tents come!

[Miguel Arboleda]

+1 Barry!

[Michael L]

Congratulations roger.

[todd]

Roger,

After seeing your tents and gleaning from your insights for so many years, I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am for you!!!

What a compliment to you to have your design so highly praised by a manufacturer.

Let me take this opportunity to say thank you, as well, for all you share.

Todd

PS: I've always admired the efficient use of floor space in your designs.

[Michael Martin]

Congratulations, Roger. I wish you unbounded success.

What will the footprint dimensions be?

[Joseph R]

Very cool, Roger. Congrats!

[drowning in spam]

The summer tent is what I'd get, so there's 1.

I don't care that they're made in China. If Roger isn't making them, and they're not made in my country, I don't really care where it's made so long as it's made well.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Devion

> Any chance we'll get a BPL article on licensing a design or the production process?
Most likely. :-)
EARLY days so far.

Cheers

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Bradley

> 1) Do you have any concerns over using carbon fiber instead of aluminum for the poles?
Nope.
The blue summer tent has lasted for about 6 years, and there were other tents before that. A number of people have made copies and used them in the field as well.

> not exactly delivering a linear load straight down the poles
No, that is true, but they build Dreamliners out of carbon fibre …
The keys here are to keep well within the limits of the CF tubing, and to use guy ropes.

> how it's possible to only have a 300g difference between a single-skin 3-pole summer
> design and a double-skin 4-pole design. I would have expected far more.
Well, all that you add with the winter tent is the inner tent fabric and one extra pole. The groundsheet was included in the sumemr tent. Figure on about 100 g for the extra pole, 120 g for the inner tent, and about 80 g for the extra door zips.

> condensation-reduction benefits of aluminized fabrics
That's more difficult. At present they only make aluminised acrylic-coated fabric at over 70 gsm (afaik). Way too heavy.

Cheers

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Michael

> What will the footprint dimensions be?
My tents have a groundsheet which is 2200 mm x ~1100 mm, but I would appreciate any comments about the length. I THINK that is long enough for most walkers. I can get a fair bit of gear across the foot end inside the groundsheet.

The width is just a little more than two average 3/4 length airmats (520 mm each). I can get gear down the two outside edges, between the mat and the groundsheet bucket wall, which keeps my quilt off the bucket wall – avoiding a cold wall against the quilt and any condensation.

The outside dimensions are larger of course: about 1260 mm wide at the pole tips and ~3.5 m overall length. Yes, the length of a tunnel tent is what everyone comments on: it's a bit high. However, note that you do NOT need a flat site that big! I have pitched the tent on a flat area little more than 2.2 m x 1.2 m: the vestibules floors were 'lumpy' but that was not a problem.

Cheers
(Edited to correct footprint width.)

[David Ure]

Any chance you might be looking to design a 1+ solo shelter?

[Michael Martin]

"My tents have a groundsheet which is 2200 mm x ~1060 mm, but I would appreciate any comments about the length."

I think that is a good length considering the near vertical end walls (and assuming that the end bells are vestibules and not included in those dimensions.) But, too-short tents are one of my pet peeves and I'd gladly trade 50g for another 50mm length. :-)

Light weight aluminized silnylon must be available somewhere as I have an RBH jacket and Warmlite tent that both use it.

Cheers,

Mike

[R K]

Roger,

Good new about your tents! Congrats!

I agree with Michael, a little extra length would be nice, say 90in.(2286mm) or so?

Also, I know you were just asking about the length, but the width at 1060mm (41in.) is going to be awfully tight for two. I can see how it works for you and your wife, but us Americans are fat, and we like our personal space :). My preferred width is ~50in (1270mm).

Cheers,

Roy

[Stuart R]

WELL DONE YOU!!!

My tents have a groundsheet which is 2200 mm x ~1060 mm, but I would appreciate any comments about the length.

I think those dimensions are ok for a genuine 2p lw tent, but I would not want to see any smaller.

Now, "summer" means different things if different parts of the world, so if you want any pre-production testing in the Scottish "summer"…

[Roger Caffin]

> Any chance you might be looking to design a 1+ solo shelter?
Oh, been there, done that, for both summer and winter. Ryan J has a custom winter one.

But, the weight efficiency is quite poor imho, and the design is not all that good either. The narrow width for one person clashes with the height requirement, unless you want a glorified bivy tube. I really cannot recommend it.

Cheers

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Roy and others

I really am interested in everyone's comments about the size.

> but the width at 1060mm (41in.) is going to be awfully tight for two.
But even a 'big' 3/4 length Therm-a-rest is only 520 mm wide. How much extra width do you need at the sides? Answers please!

Note correction to my previous posting: I should have written 1100 mm for the width. Sorry.

Cheers

[Miguel Arboleda]

But, the weight efficiency is quite poor imho, and the design is not all that good either. The narrow width for one person clashes with the height requirement, unless you want a glorified bivy tube. I really cannot recommend it.

That's what I was thinking when trying to imagine a single version of the tents. That's why the Akto has a cross-sectional pole, and the Rainbow has a pole that goes over the entire longitudinal length of the tent. With two poles in the present iteration of the Caffin tents the height needed to sit up would make the shelter too tall in relationship to the narrow width desired for a single person tent… the design only starts to work at the width of two people, or Roger's stated 1100 mm width.

[Raymond Estrella]

Very nice to see this come to fruition Roger. If they need help with winter beta-testing…

What! A tent with no DAC involvement? That has to be against some international law. ;-)

[BER —]

Roger,
Congratulations!

>I really am interested in everyone's comments about the size.

> >but the width at 1060mm (41in.) is going to be awfully tight for two.
>But even a 'big' 3/4 length Therm-a-rest is only 520 mm wide. How much extra width do you need at the sides? Answers please!

I can only give my opinion, but I know my wife would share it. We have never felt comfortable in any standard 2p tent with possible exception of the Hilleberg Kaitum 2 which has a width listed at 55". Even this felt "cozy". The Scarp2 (52") and the Lunar Duo (54") felt cramped. We usually buy 3p tents just to have a bit more room for "gear management". In my perfect world there would be more length for gear to go at the feet if having a side entry, or more width for it to be on the sides if an end entry. My perfect world does not seem to exist in the 2p realm.

Wow 43"? Not a chance for us. If I had to pick an ideal width, it'd be about 60", but that's just us…and we are probably not in the ultralight target group your tent is aimed at.

Regardless of your final dimensions, best of luck on your collaboration with Easton!

[Robert H]

Roger you have been playing with these things a lot longer than us. If you find 1100 mm adequate for you and your wife, with space down the sides for gear – that sounds more than adequate. Great news by the way. Keep us posted :)

[Jörgen Johansson]

Congrats, Roger. I'm waiting in a line that I hope will be long. At least behind me :-)

[D G]

"But even a 'big' 3/4 length Therm-a-rest is only 520 mm wide. How much extra width do you need at the sides? Answers please!"

Hi Roger,
Congrats on the tent venture!

With regards to width, I can only speak for myself, but on a single skin tent I like lots of width to be able to keep away from the walls and the condensation that will inevitably accumulate there. Regardless of the tent design, ventilation etc my experience is condensation is often an issue when there is no wind etc. If I was inches from a wet wall my bag would get wet.

I believe your tents have mesh along the bottom so that does help however.

[John Vance]

That's a bit narrow for comfortable two person use imho. I too would like to see 55-60" for the width. Two large pads would be a no go.

[Gary Dunckel]

Congratulations, Roger. It must be very satisfying to see your design and your efforts come to fruition. I can't wait to see the production version.

I am also in the camp wanting a 55-60" width. And I like a bit of extra length, like maybe 88-90". I hate being cramped and bumping elbows with my buddy. The bit of extra room is nice when we get tent-bound during a prolonged storm.

[Rakesh Malik]

"Easton is really stepping up their game lately. Good on them, and a fantastic opportunity for you Roger to share your expertise with the world!"

I was thinking pretty much the same thing when I saw that Easton was the company that licensed Roger's design.

Easton may not have that much experience designing tents, but that doesn't make them stupid… they obviously know a good design when they see one :)

Congrats, Roger… this is definitely good news!

[Nico .]

Congrats. That's exciting news for lots of folks hanging out around this site.

Can't say that I would ever have much need for one of your shelters for where I live and do most of my hiking, but I sure do admire them. They look like works of art and the attention to detail is top notch.

I wish you the best of luck with this endeavor and can't wait to see future trip reports from all the BPLers putting their new "Caffin Coffins" to the test.

[Author]

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