I’ll post my first impressions of the tent here as I am guessing most people will go here first when thinking of this tent. Please don’t nail me to a cross or something like that. I’m just an average hiker that likes getting out every so often.
I bought the Double Rainbow Li as an upgrade from my previous double rainbow I bought used ten years ago from this site. I figured with all of the canceled trips and the money I was saving it was reasonable. I was looking for a lightweight tent where the netting did not go all the way to the bottom because my dog will accidentally paw it in the morning putting holes into it. I also wanted something that did not take up large amounts of space and is simple to set up. Although I have thought hard about tarps with a bivy set up, I am not totally sure how my dog would take to it and I have a Minnesota fear of mosquitoes. Also I do not know how to set up a tarp or about how much space it takes when setting up w other tents around. I’d like to someday have a one tent does it all in the name of life minimalism.
This rainbow is a little easier to set up than my previous version. However, it would be nice if the pole holders at each end were a little deeper; my poles slipped out occasionally while I was setting it up. I do not often use the trekking pole holders but it is nice for when you are rearranging your tent as well as shaking out any dirt etc that gets in. The holders work better too. It definitely is roomier than my previous Rainbow.
Now here is the hard part and I wish I had taken pictures. Our first night the only campsite was near thirty feet away from a river in a heavily forested site. No breeze. I have never had so much condensation. Not only was the ceiling wet but around my sleeping pad and under my dog’s sleeping pad and basically anywhere in the tent that had something atop it was a puddle of water. It took me some thinking over tea to figure it out. I think what had happened is that my tent was acting as a giant sill and water had condensed and pooled around low-lying areas. I wish I had propped the doors open in porch mode to allow more airflow. I’m sure folks will say we chose a poor location but the other campsite was blown down. Others will say to leave the dog outside. She says otherwise. I’m going to consider leaving the door propped next time.
The next night we slept by a lake’s inlet. I really made sure that all of the netting was exposed as possible. In addition I left one of the doors rolled open. I did not have the water pooling issues and had the basic run of the mill condensation on the ceiling.
I still like this tent. It’s not going to be my do everything tent and I do not know what tent will be. The condensation issue worries me when the first rain comes.
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