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Tarptent Protrail
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Oct 23, 2015 at 10:38 pm #2233707
So I've spent a few nights in my Protrail I got recently, and I don't have any major complaints, it is a fast easy pitch, internal room and height is good. The issue I see is the bathtub floor just easily droops and is almost level with the ground. I've tightened the attachments but the reality is me+gear inside tends to spread out and tends to end up resting on the edges and tending to push the bathtub low down. I've found the sleeping mat end up actually poking outside the outer. This is also tending to push the mesh to be outside the outer. I wake and find I've meandered around and pushed the bathtub down in places. Not been in rain yet just a little concerned if I wake in rain I'll have a puddle forming inside. Tips+tricks anyone? The main change Contrail to Protrail seems the foot end, I don't think what I'm mentioning is related to the Protrail changes probably common to Contrail, which has a large following.
Oct 24, 2015 at 12:16 am #2233713Nigel said: ####The issue I see is the bathtub floor just easily droops and is almost level with the ground. I've tightened the attachments but the reality is me+gear inside tends to spread out and tends to end up resting on the edges and tending to push the bathtub low down. I've found the sleeping mat end up actually poking outside the outer. This is also tending to push the mesh to be outside the outer. I wake and find I've meandered around and pushed the bathtub down in places. How much stuff do you have? Oh, right, the Protrail only has 21 ft^2 of floor space–so tight. My Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo (now in daughter #2's possession) had 26 ft^2 plus a 8.5 SF vestibule. For the last 3 months on the trail this year, I hung my gear, backpack included, either from my hammock suspension lines or from the hammock ridgeline, leaving only water bottles and shoes on the ground. But I digressed. You likely need to manage your horizontal file cabinet, turning some stuff back into your backpack/stuff sacks. 42" width at the entry tapering to 30" at the feet isn't really that tight when you put things away. I feel dumb stating the obvious. I'm missing something.
Oct 24, 2015 at 12:20 am #2233715Other thoughts, Nigel. Can you stake out the tarp further out, to raise the edges of the floor some? Can you also lengthen the trekking pole some?
Oct 24, 2015 at 12:26 am #2233716I have had the same problem with my Contrail. I have found that culprit is my trekking pole is too low. (It often happens when I use two poles like an inverted V).
Oct 24, 2015 at 3:02 am #2233727"The issue I see is the bathtub floor just easily droops and is almost level with the ground. I've tightened the attachments but the reality is me+gear inside tends to spread out and tends to end up resting on the edges and tending to push the bathtub low down. I've found the sleeping mat end up actually poking outside the outer. This is also tending to push the mesh to be outside the outer. I wake and find I've meandered around and pushed the bathtub down in places." Something really wrong there. Can you post a photo or two of your set up ?
Oct 24, 2015 at 3:59 pm #2233786I set up my ProTrail to take a look at the issues raised by Nigel and the "tight" comment about the 21 sq feet floor. First I set it up at 45" as per TT website specs . looks like this : 6' thick mat,6' winter SB. The bathtub floor measures 6" set up like this. (Not the largest solo tent ever but I think that it has a bit more usable floor space than some). Next I raised the pole height to give me 48" from apex to ground. Now the bathtub floor is 8" high : Next I looked at the floor flattening bit and yes it can be done : I never managed to do that with my Contrail (in the bush not on my backyard…) but I suppose some others might have accomplished that, not that I think it is something peculiar to the Contrail/ProTrail design. In any case I would imagine one would not slide over the edge uphill so if on sloping ground water would come from the side that it has the bathtub up.
Oct 24, 2015 at 7:53 pm #2233824I had the same experience in my Contrail. Setting the pole longer helped me but an errant stuffsack or sleeping pad would lay the edge of the bathtub down. I never actually got wet but it concerned me. My new Notch is night/day different in this regard. I don't see a way for the bathtub to lay down.
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