Tarptent Thread

[Pigeon]

Thanks again for the responses. I pitched my Moment just now and it went very smoothly. The tight ridge line helped a lot.

I like this enough I’m tempted to “upgrade” to the Moment DW. I’m curious if anyone would discourage me from switching.

[Annemarie K]

My TT Double Rainbow earlier this week at Steep Ravine environmental campground, in the Marin headlands above San Francisco:

May not be the best pitch ever, but I’m still learning! :>

I have some questions, if Franco and others would be kind enough to chime in:

Franco suggests putting the pole parallel to the wind in this video, https://youtu.be/Ynh8FTJtsR8 , which is what I did at the site pictured. In the following thread, however, https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/31735/ ,  Lynn seems to suggest putting the broadside towards the wind and the pole perpendicular to it (apologies if I’m misunderstanding the meaning of “windward vestibule,” though!). Which way is better/is one way better for certain conditions? I have the 2010 version of DR, if that makes a difference.

Another question: At this site, I experienced some winds throughout the night, peaking at about 15mph. The tent was fairly noisy and I suffered a light sleep as a result (plus, I couldn’t hear the sound of the ocean as much as I’d have liked to!). Is noise in a moderate wind normal? Was it because of my pitch? As you can see in the photo, I didn’t have anything other than the four corners and the vestibule beaks staked out. Would guylines at other points help reduce this noise issue?

 

[Pigeon]

Hey, Annemarie, Im curious about the best orientation too. I read that one of the doors should face the wind, but not until I’d done the opposite.

That DR looks far too loose, you need to tighten the guy lines and probably restake. I haven’t noticed much noise at all.

 

 

[Andrew W]

My new StratoSpire 2 on it’s maiden voyage to the Flapjack Lakes in the Olympic National Park. (Can you look at that pitch?! Oh baby!)

I had a hard time deciding between the SS2 and the Double Rainbow but I’m super happy with the choice I made!

[Franco Darioli]

Annemarie:

Tents are noisy in the wind particularly when the pitch is loose so that the fabrics flaps about.

Think of tent panels as you would for sails : keep them taut, they work, have them loose they don’t .

Looking at your photo, the ladder lock ribbon at the bottom of the yellow sleeve is not pulled taut , hence the loose fabric there.

That can be desirable when you want more ventilation .

The adjustment is also there to accommodate the fabric stretching when cold and or wet and  shrinking in the heat.

Next the vestibule panels. To get those right, try holding the base moving that about in the air till the two panels look flat . Guyout at that angle.

You can just see Henry doing that quickly (it becomes very easy once you get it…) in this video :

Also looking at the TT set up video, take note of how Henry sets one corner stake then how it pulls the other corner taut and stakes that.

Let me know if that does not work for you.

[David K.]

Andrew – your SS2 pitch looks flawless!  I recently got an SS2 as well.  Any helpful tips you can share on how you pitched it?

[Rob P]

Which tent is wider, the Cloudburst 3 or the Stratospire 2?  (External width, that is…thinking more about which will fit into a narrower spot).  Thanks!

[Annemarie K]

Duke and Franco, thanks for the helpful tips! Including the video was especially useful in visualizing what you were talking about, so thank you for that, Franco.

Still wondering about the conflicting suggestions re: how to pitch in the wind: arch pole parallel or perpendicular to the wind?

[Franco Darioli]

Rob P,

there are detailed and accurate drawing on each product page under specifications  show dimensions.

So on paper and by setting them up the standard way, the SS2 is much wider, however you can set it up without the vestibules, in that mode the SS2 is a bit narrower.

Annemarie,

The pole into the wind is still my suggestion because that pole/panels  splits the wind better than the somewhat flatter and larger long sides do.

You can add guylines to the long sides (door/vestibule sides) there is a grommet for that under the end of the cross strut , the guylines will come out from under the vent.

You can use the door stake for that but I suggest adding a separate stake each for extra holding power.

 

[Andrew W]

Andrew – your SS2 pitch looks flawless!  I recently got an SS2 as well.  Any helpful tips you can share on how you pitched it?

A few things helped me out big time:

1. Practice. I set it up at least a dozen times before I brought it on a hike with me.
2. When I pitch it, I stake the doors down first.  Before I add the poles I make sure that the stakes form a perfect rectangle and that all sides are evenly tight.  I think this is what helped me the most. Whenever I had a loose pitch it was because the stakes were a little off and didn’t form a rectangle.
3. MSR Groundhog stakes.  I’m not sure if this actually made a difference but I feel like these got a better bite in the loamy soil I was pitching the tent in. Because these got such a good hold I felt like I could really get some good tension across the tent.

Hope that helps a little! It is a killer tent and I can’t wait to use it again.

[David K.]

Thanks for the info – I’ll give that a shot!  Only had the tent on 2 trips so far but I’m loving it as well!  :)

[David L]

David – don’t overtightned the lines until you have it square and the poles at the correct height.  Then walk around the tent and gently tighten each line.  Twice if you have too.  Counterclockwise if you live in Australia.

[David K.]

Cool – thanks for the tip David L.!

[Eric Blumensaadt]

BTW,

I dunno how many Tarptent owners have this opinion but I feel that Henry should make fly hem stake loops a standard item on all of his tents.

These stake loops are absolutely necessary to keep the fly from flapping like crazy in high winds. Regardless of how tightly you have pitched the fly it will flap without these stake loops in use. Once you try to sleep in a flapping tent you’ll appreciate what I’m saying.

In addition in heavy snow situations both snow sliding off the fly and regular accumulation will tend to build up along the fly bottom and push it in. Staking out the fly hem mostly prevents this.

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

Eric,

There are standard on all but 3 (out of 15) models now.

-H

 

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Henry,

Thanks for the fast response. That you’ve added the fly hem stake loops to most of your tents says to me that you’re always listening to your customers. It’s just one of the reasons I keep coming back to Tarptent.

On another note I wonder if adding a Cuben fiber option to a few of your lightest tents would be feasible. In the past you have said that you are trying to keep prices within reason and that Cuben fiber is just too expensive. Perhaps it could be offered as an option to backpackers with more “disposable income”.

But the characteristics of Cuben fiber will probably require some changes in cut and design, perhaps making the idea too unprofitable to Tarptent.

[Rachel P]

So… on the AMA reddit thread with Henry S a few months back, there was a hint there might be a new 3 person Tarptent this year. I really want to order a double wall Tarptent to add to my “collection” (currently I have one Tarptent, a Rainshadow 2)  but I am wondering — can Henry confirm or deny if there be a new 3 person double wall tent this year? Like a Saddle 3 perhaps (fingers crossed!)

 

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

can Henry confirm or deny if there be a new 3 person double wall tent this year? Like a Saddle 3 perhaps (fingers crossed!)

Not this year.

-H

[Eric Blumensaadt]

POST SOME NOTCH LITHIUM SHOTS HERE

We need to se the Lithium “on location(s)”.

[Christoph Blank]

quick question: With the Moment DW, is it better to leave the flap at the foot box open in autumn/winter regarding condensation, or does this just shift the condensation towards the inside of my sleeping bag because the air surrounding the bag is colder?

[Todd T]

I don’t have a Moment but I do have a Notch, which has similar end flaps.  I can’t imagine opening those making enough difference to cause bag condensation (except in pathological cases).  Gimme ventilation.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

When I leave the end flaps open on my TT Saddle I often get condensation on the outside of my sleeping bag – presumably because I’m getting more cold air contacting the warm sleeping bag fabric. So I use the end flaps to vent on hot summer nights, but I don’t use them to reduce condensation.

More generally, ventilation to combat condensation is something that has an optimum level – more isn’t always better. You want enough ventilation to prevent a build up your own humidity/breath, but at extreme levels of ventilation you lose the benefit of the tent being warmer than the surroundings, so more condensation occurs. Or said another way, if you have so much ventilation that the tent isn’t inhibiting air flow and heat movement at all, then you’re basically cowboy camping where dew on the outside of your bag is common.

[Christoph Blank]

Thanks Dan – that optimum is what I was thinking about. So I guess I’ll have to try to find the right amount, which seems to be impossible given that you can only check after it’s too late – haha.

Anyway, I will not completely open it so it least theoretically have an airflow across all the 4 vents.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Todd T,

It’s my experience that unless it is very windy and/or spindrift snow is blowing around it’s best to leave at least one end of the Moment DW open and both top vents open for “bottom-to-top” venting.

Check out the 1st post photos in this thread to see my Moment DW with the optional Crossing Pole run under the fly for more wind resistance. The X-ing pole had to be shortened about 5  inches.  If interested PM me for details. Very easy to do.

[Todd T]

I haven’t seen any mention around here of the new Tarptent Moment DW yet.

[Author]

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