Tarptent Protrail

I really enjoyed my Contrail, but mostly use a hammock these days for the comfort it offers, but if I was doing the JMT or just wanted a shelter that would provide constant day to day reliability on a long distance trek then I would probably choose the Protrail. Some days even finding an area for the hammock can be a challenge. I bet this will be a shelter-of-choice for many of the AT thru hikers this year.

The struts always made for a sloppy tent roll when trying to hurry along in the morning. Most of the time, for me, patience and time is too short to roll it up perfectly to obtain that neat little bundle without taking up excessive space because of the struts. The absence of this feature along with past Tarptent experiencence makes this model especially attractive. I am looking forward to it.

What's the interior length? Will it be long enough for people over six feet tall?

dimensions are here: http://www.tarptent.com/whatsnew.html

Under Products , there is a "compare features" link.
This page comes up :

click on the features you are after and the software will find the shelter for you.
The ProTrail hasn't been added as yet.

..

It does take a wide /long mat :

the mat you see there is a standard 20×72 , there is a bit of room around it.
As for tall people , like with the Contrail you may get conflicting opinions depending on if you are OK with having sit up room just at the front or not.
Peak height is 45", take about 5" off for the pointy bit, add your mat and then work out your sit up size.
franco@tarptent

> Tried the click on feature Franco talked about but protrail doesn't come up as recommended for Tall hikers or using a wide mat so guess I will wait and see.

The "click on feature" definitely brings up the ProTrail as a model that fits wide pads. The ProTrail does not come up when selecting situp room for tall people although that's somewhat subjective and it depends where you're sitting and how high you set your front pole. It also does not come up showing that the ProTrail has sleeping room for tall people (over 6'3"). We are, however, going to change that. The full 84" floor length is usable with no chance of touching a damp wall so realistically, yes, it will sleep people up close to 7'.

-H

I have one of the first runs on order for my main hiking buddy who like me is also 6ft 2in. He isn't a member here but I'll offer some insight to the size for a guy that height as soon as it gets in.

I have a contrail, and I find it quite roomy at 6'4". I can sit up just fine if I scoot back to the netting with a medium pitch height.

I did the sit up measurement Franco talked about and at 6'2" (possibly a little long legged but not extreme) my height was 35 inches. Add in the 2.5 inch for the thickest pad I own and thats 37.5 with a decent amount of clearance under the 40 inches. So any taller than 6'2" will be getting close but I would for sure be able to sit up in it comfortably.

..

Am I understanding the mesh near the foot of the sleeping bag correctly? Does it prevent touching the sil walls or is there an additional mesh sleeve to prevent touching the smaller 5-inch bugnet walls?

good question Max.
Not sure if it was ever mentioned here, but yes there is a mesh side cover at the end.
It can be seen in this photo :

I could have explained that a bit better or at all but I was about to shut down the computer as we were ready to go for a day walk.
Anyway I see that Henry popped in with much better comments that I would have made .

I'm under the impression it is to not touch the sil walls.

Here is a photo which, I hope, better illuminates the mesh functionality –>

The mesh does two things. The first is to "bathtubby" the rear floor edge as much as possible to eliminate any chance of splash. The second it to ensure that your sleeping bag foot is really well contained and can't roll into a canopy wall.

-H

So, the foot-end can only be opened and closed from outside?

From the website:

Rear storm flap opens and closes from inside.

Hi there, one of the things I like about cuben fiber material is that it does not "wet out" as much as Sil Nylon. Has the Sil Nylon material used these days been improved to reduce the wet out. A wet shelter = a heavier shelter. And if so; is this the Sil Nylon material that is used in the ProTrail.
Thank you,
Doug

Silnylon does not absorb water. Water clings to it more than plastic, re Cuben, but a wipe with a pack towel does wonders.

Stretch is another matter entirely.

Honestly, I don't know anything about "wet out." If that occurs the coating has failed and we don't get reports of that happening. If you mean does the fabric get wet in the rain, yes, it does. Give it a good shake before packing up and then drape it over a bush when you stop for a snack, preferably in a breezy spot, to complete the drying cycle

-H

I have had to hike in the rain for weeks in a Tarptent, and it's not a big deal to manage the moisture. A little packtowel to wipe up the inside when you set up or in the morning if there is any condensation, a big shake when you pack it up, and a bit of sunshine or wind and you hold it up like a billowing kite, and it dries out in a couple minutes. I would hate to have a standard double-wall in those conditions – just a giant soggy mess.

Approximately how many inches of space are between the fly and mesh covering the foot area ? In the pic it looks like it's about 1 inch, but from the TT site description of the benefit, I imagined 3.5-4".

"bathtubby" D@mn tent designer technical jargon!

The Protrail looks good, Henry. I bet you and your crew are going to be very busy this season.

>Approximately how many inches of space are between the fly and mesh covering the foot area ? In the pic it looks like it's about 1 inch, but from the TT site description of the benefit, I imagined 3.5-4".

The mesh extends from the floor edge–6" from canopy edge–to a point 2 1/2" down from the apex (24" above ground). The perspective is confusing because the camera is too close to the mesh but if you look at the first photo on the ProTrail product page you should see the geometry a bit better. The spinning 3D video shows it really well.

-H