Quick overnight setup

I have a moment dw. I have not used it on trail yet, but i do plan on taking it for some trips. I love the concept and ease of it and I can not wait to get some use from it.. Its a keeper for me!

Classic love/hate relationship..lol

“quick and easy setup”

“Insert the crossing pole (a little fussy)”

“I like this tent but would like more choices”

Im not too excited about packing it though. Wish it packed a little smaller without having to remove those struts.

Yeah the bag it came with was pretty bad, just can’t stuff it in. So I had someone sew an envelope style bag. Just grab the ends of the tent by the struts and roll it up, stuff it into the envelope and velcro shut. Not small but it is quick. 5 minutes to set up, 5 minutes to take down and pack. It makes sense to set up for a siesta.

Used the earlier Tarptent Moment-not-DW for many years. Loved the design, but the tent had pros and cons.

PRO:

– Quick and easy to set up. Takes some practice putting the pole through the sleeve (tip: bunch up the fabric), but my setup time was about 1 minute. Never had problems with the struts left in place, or the stuff sack, if I put the pole in last.

– Small footprint fit in many more locations.

– Roomy enough if you aren’t 6’2” or taller, sleeping on a 3” thick pad :-(

– Roomy vestibule held pack, shoes, and more.

– Netting J-door much easier to open/close/in/out than traditional half-moon doors.

CON:

– I grew to hate silnylon because of this tent. The fabric absorbed too much water from rain or condensation, and stretched and flapped in the wind, then took forever to dry. Newer silnylons are supposed to be better, but I’m much happier with a silpoly tent.

– Had trouble with rain leaking through upper attachment points that I never solved despite repeated tries.

– Couldn’t sit up straight after a sleeping pad upgrade (see above).

– Not the best tent when the wind hits broadside.

Still, the single hoop design has many benefits for most conditions, and the 2019+ Moment DW is supposed to be better.

Decades ago owned another “single arched pole” tent, the Moss Solus (similar to TT Rainbow), and loved that until the PU coating rotted.

Hilleburg makes a couple of single hoop tents, the Akto and Enan. I think there are a few others on the market.

Unpopularity is another issue. There’s a lot of industry inertia. Wholesale purchasers for large retailers (cough-REI-cough) like to buy what sold last year, not something that looks different but performs better. Direct-to-consumer companies like TarpTent can be more creative.

— Rex

Hi Rex

Thanks for the insight on marketing inertia. There are other single hoop tents but none that require only 2 stakes or can be set up in 1 or 5 minutes. (5 minutes from tent in bag to me in tent) When setting up in unimproved sites it can be difficult to place stakes in 6 or more spots in a fixed shape. With this tent all that’s needed is 2 spots and the spots can be selected with some flexibility. Find a spot for the north stake, go to the other end and try to set the south stake. If it hits a rock, move it east or west till you find an accepting spot, done.

Also outstanding is the vestibule/door. You can open the door in a straight down rain and the inside of the tent and most of the vestibule stays dry. You can sit in the tent with your feet in the vestibule but out of the rain while lacing your boots. No boots inside the tent. (I’m a little fussy about dirt :)