Staying dry in Tarptent Notch

[Joe]

What are “the apex guylines?”

There are cord locks on the top of the apex vents on each side. Not sure when this was added but I think the older version of the tent didn’t have them? You can see them in this picture https://www.tarptent.com/photos/nt-23.jpg

Here’s my video during a rainstorm:

In your video you can pretty clearly see the amount of water making it into the inner tent. Now imagine if that wasn’t the solid inner and that and was just mesh.

I thought about getting the solid inner, I regret not getting it when I originally purchased it, I’m hesitant to spend 130.00 when I could put that toward another shelter like may be a stratospire 1 which seems like it wouldn’t have this issue as the fly comes closer to the ground.

Have you had any issues with condensation on the solid inner transferring moisture to your sleeping bag/quilt? It’s such a small space that touching the inner is almost unavoidable.

[Franco Darioli]

Zack,
in your video the droplets on the inner are clearly (to me…) from condensation knocked off the underside of the fly.
You can see the even spread of those drops as about the same can be seen on the underside of the fly.
Rain dropping at the bottom of the fly can clearly be seen but no splashback or similar.

[Todd T]

It extends 2-3 inches out each side of the inner but that shouldn’t make a difference.

I’d say it should be 1-2 inches the other direction. You never want the groundsheet extending outside the floor where it can catch and funnel water under the tent. That said, I’ve found it even better to abandon the groundsheet altogether.

As others have alluded, I’m wondering if the splash isn’t condensation getting knocked down from the inside of the fly. I’ve had that happen in my Rainbow. Still haven’t been in a substantial rain with my Notch.

[James holden]

its pretty easy to tell what the problem is if you are actually there and can observe it …

• if the splatter is fairly uniform across the inner then its condensation getting knocked off
• if theres wind and the rain is getting blown through … thats quite easy to tell on the windward side
• if the splatter is mainly on the lower edges nearer to where theres a gap between the outer and the ground, and where the inner is closest to the outer … and theres no/little wind …. thats ground splatter

its not rocket science

;)

[Joe]

Most of the splatter was concentrated at both sides of both the head and the foot end and tapered towards the center. The top of the net from the head to the foot was dry. When I lowered the poles half way through the rain, I ran my hand over the inner at the top of the fly and sides and there was no condensation.

I wish my deck was large enough to setup the tent on it as I’m confident I could replicate this. Regardless I don’t wan’t to drag this out. It seems I did everything I could aside from not setting up on a wood tent platform and not lowering it all the way to the ground.

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[william ritchey]

i have a notch, horizontal rain can be a problem. i saw a photo pf a solution: you fold the end triangle under and peg the top point to the ground which lowers the whole tent, i’m going to try it. i’ve also considered shortening the 4 carbon struts. i like the notch and the horizontal rain issue is the only thing that i don’t like about it.

[Bob Shuff]

Photo?. I’d like to see that.

[william ritchey]

i found on internet, don’t have it, believe it was from TT blog. looked good though, i’m going to try it. or maybe just cut some length off the struts.

[Bob Shuff]

Might have found it.  Looks interesting.

http://forums.outdoorsmagic.com/showthread.php/52609-Tarptent-Notch/page7#7tRmVL080Y71o77S.97

 

[william ritchey]

yes, Bob, thats it. looks simple, when only using the fly i think i could do that from inside. notice that it lowers entire tent. Thanks for finding this.
(i would prefer that the fly could be staked all the way to the ground.)

[Bob Shuff]

I haven’t used my Notch in rainy weather yet, but I can see the potential.  I just recalled that I also have fixed 120cm poles, which I think is a little longer than ideal.

I’d rather use the poles tip down, which would lower the height a little.  Has anyone tried that?

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

120cm is too tall for the Notch.  115cm max and, for windy rain, you really want to be able to lower your effective pole height down below 110cm (to maybe as low as 107cm).

-H

[Franco Darioli]

On soft ground you can sink 5cm of tip into it giving you the correct height.

However it works better if you have the tip up inserted into the grommet.

With the Contrail I mostly used the pole handle up but I use tip up with the Notch.

[Brad W]

Did the inner length change on the newer versions? My solid inner bought recently is way closer to the ends/pitchlocs than what is shown in this picture posted earlier in this thread.

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

> Did the inner length change on the newer versions?

No change to the inner dimensions. The Notch fly got end-to-end shorter some years ago and the interior end straps were shortened to match.

[Author]

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