Protrail Setup

[Erica R]

One of the first things I did with the new Li Protrail was weigh it. 17.7 oz with the 4 stakes and the stuff sack. The stakes weigh the same as my titanium shepherds hooks, and they are the same length. I’m using the shepherds hooks for now. The bag weighs 0.5 oz less than the Zpacks, so I’m using the new bag.
I quickly set the tent up with 4 stakes on not perfectly level ground. Pretty realistic, I think. That night I kept sliding toward the bottom. There is some netting at the foot which keeps your bag from touching the wall. Very nice feature. I was impressed with how roomy the tent is.
The next day I took the Protrail to a level spot, and determined I would learn to set it up properly (though there was no problem in the first night).
I took some pictures as I learned more about the tent:

The Protrail is quite roomy. It looks like it could squeeze in 2 in an emergency.

It took awhile to learn the fundamental structure of the tent is the catenary curve. If you don’t get that right you fight an uphill battle getting the tent taught. So, I learned to stay with the suggested 24″ height of the rear pole and the 115-150 cm height of the front pole.
So the tent was more or less up, but it was not taught. It was a little breezy, and in this photo you can see the fabric moving on the downwind side:

Finally I arrived at a taught pitch:

Taught pitch from the other side:

This how I tensioned the catenary curve. Mainly I added a stake to pull the tent taught. Since  I now have an anchor, I pulled the provided tabs to the same stake. These pulls are adjustable, using their taught-line hitchs. The center line (and all three lines) can be adjusted using the provided tensioner at the apex of the rear:

I liked this result, so I also pulled the provided tabs to the corner stakes, using taught-line hitches.

Earlier skipped over the mid-section pullout on each side I added almost immediately. The first photo of the roomy tent owes much of its spaciousness to these 2 extra stakes. Also, Henry Shires, the designer, said any tent is only as wind-worthy as the longest unsupported panel. I used a stick-on patch from Zpacks I had around; it might be better to request a sew-on tab from Tarptent. The lower tab in the photo is on the poncho I tried out as a groundsheet.

The front provided tabs were connected to the corner stakes in the same manner as the rear. There didn’t seem to be any advantage to pulling the front forward with the line from the apex. This would make setting up the tent easier, though.

The front vestibule needs to be tensioned too, to keep it from flapping in the wind. In this photo, I pulled the bottom inside. Probably I will add another stake and pull it outside.

I quite like this tent. I’m almost 6′ tall, and there is plenty of room to sit up in the front. I expect the large interior volume is going to help minimize condensation. My previous side entry test was ok until it started raining. Rain pounding on the roof just inches above my head was not comforting.

I weighed the tent again after these modifications. Mainly I added 3 stakes, plus one optional for the front for a total of four stakes. Now the tent, bag, and stakes weigh 19.8 oz.

The 19.8 oz also includes a cloth to wipe down interior condensation. The cloth weighs 0.6 oz (when it’s dry ;)

 

[Matthew / BPL]

“The front vestibule needs to be tensioned too, to keep it from flapping in the wind.”

I wonder if the front stakes need to be placed just a little farther apart? I remember this being an issue with my Contrail.

[Bill in Roswell]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Matt, that does help. The older velcro door model I have is sensitive to that, though. My version has a center door tab allowing me to stake the door so it only half opens. Much better storm and wind coverage with this setup, and the velcro isn’t stressed.</p>

[Bill in Roswell]

Erica, very clever setup on the rear, similar to my old Cloudburst. I may give it a try.

[Erica R]

I received this from an anonymous source:

Hi Erica,
the front in your set up is not flat because you need to spread the two front corners further away from each other.
The back is almost right but take a look at the floor plan on the product page (called ProTrail dimensions) to see the exact angle those guyout points should be set at.

[Peter Atkinson]

Thanks Erica for all this information, I for one really appreciate it.  I can’t wait to get my Protrail Li, and will update you with my mods – which might be no more than the side tie outs, but we shall see!

[bradmacmt]

I used a stick-on patch from Zpacks I had around; it might be better to request a sew-on tab from Tarptent.

I wonder if they would provide them?

As far as I can see without actually having used the tent, not having fly side-pullouts is the only obvious flaw. IMO, it really should be equipped with these, even if not supplied with cord and stakes.

 

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Erica,

Very nice tent. I had the “ancestor” of this tent, the silnylon Contrail and this Protrail design is much better.

Now I have the Notch Li B/C I wanted a double wall tent for times in shoulder seasons at high altitudes when freak snowstorms may happen. However I envy you the interior room you have in the Protrail Li.

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

> As far as I can see without actually having used the tent, not having fly side-pullouts is the only obvious flaw. IMO, it really should be equipped with these, even if not supplied with cord and stakes.

There are side pullouts — 2 per side — and placed at positions along the side wall where they are effective, i.e, where you can pull against the corresponding pole support.  There is no center tab because there is no fixed point to pull against and all you end up doing is distorting the canopy.  If you make use the pullouts that are there then there is plenty of inherent support.

-H

[Erica R]

I slept in the Protrail 5 nights on a recent trip. As others have commented, the front was not wide enough in my backyard setup. A front-center stake is unnecessary. If you count your stakes when putting them away you will not need a spare stake.

There is an error in my original post. The front should be set to 115-120 cm, not 115-150 cm.

On a cold and breezy night I did not use the side stakes. It is ok without them, but roomier inside with them.

I did find the rear stake and associated lines quite useful. Some of my tent sites were not completely flat, yet I was able to get a taught pitch by adjusting these lines. Also, when you move the front pole slightly to give better access to the front it is useful to re-tension the tent by pulling the provided rear tab.

In the original post the setup was wrong (front not wide enough), but I was able to get a taught pitch anyway by pulling the provided tabs to the stakes. This also proved useful when my site was not completely flat, and/or I was squeezing into a small, protected area.

 

 

 

 

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