Tarptent Has A New 1P: The Bowfin

At 34 oz. my TT Moment DW is a bit lighter, much more wind-worthy and has 2 vestibules for gear storage/entrances. And with the optional X-ing pole it can be a 4 season tent (ripstop inner required).

BUT… If you’re bike packing/touring you may like the Bowfin to squeeze your bike inside the vestibule at night for security or to keep it out of the rain.

At 34 oz. my TT Moment DW is a bit lighter, much more wind-worthy and has 2 vestibules for gear storage/entrances. And with the optional X-ing pole it can be a 4 season tent (ripstop inner required).

I know nothing of snow-worthiness, but given Henry stated in this thread that the Moment DW is the least wind-worthy of the three (Moment DW, Double Rainbow, Blowfish 1), I think it’s at least apt to wait until reports and reviews of the tent appear to make judgments. :)

Eric,  it simply isn’t true that the Moment DW is more wind-worthy. I have no doubt your crossing pole mod makes it more snow worthy and no doubt a big improvement in wind support but you’ll need to add the pole weight to get there. If you think about it the Bowfin fabric spans are shorter and the arch pole fabric tension lines angle in much more than they do on the Moment DW. That means that the arch is better stabilized, especially side to side, and better able to support the fabric against wind deflection. It’s a lot like the Double Rainbow that way. Also, like the Moment DW, you can use either side for gear storage.

-H

Per Henry:

“my take is the the Moment DW is the least wind worthy of the 3. All 3 depend on the arch structure and the arch is least well-tensioned in the Moment DW design”

(Bowfin, Rainbow, Moment DW)

Edit #1:  …well, I tried

Edit #2:  Blowfish, lol

Edit #2:  Blowfish, lol

Yeah, that cracked me up, too. :-)

We should be careful, though, Henry’s next tent could be named that! I vote Tarptent’s lineup Least Likely To Have Been Named by a Marketroid.

I’ve had a couple of MSR Hubba’s, and currently have a Hubba Hubba, and Hubba HP. It’s my favorite solo tent shape. While the new Bowfin may not be the lightest out there (with seam sealing, partial solid interior, and Tyvek ground cloth it should go 2lbs 10 oz’s) the design is a well-proven one, at least to me, and offers some real advantages over the Rainbow, which I had and is a very livable design.

I’ll definitely own one of these and will likely find a carbon fiber pole to replace the Easton aluminum, to drop 3 +/- oz’s.

Wonderful job Henry. This is just the tent I’ve been waiting for from TT.

I’ve been using a Moment DW since it was released, and it’s been my favorite tent by far.  At 6’2 I wouldn’t mind a little more headroom though. Looking at the specs the bowfin is just an inch higher, but it looks like the ends are steeper as well offering a bit more space. Is that accurate or a just trick of perspective?

With respect to stability in wind, I’m sure Henry is correct, but I’ve used a Moment DW & original Moment (single-wall) in some pretty strong winds and both did fine. I did replace the end guylines with 3 mm because the original line would creep in the Linloc where huge amounts of tension are applied. Thus, if the other shelters are better than the Moment DW in wind, then they must be bomber.

@Henry

Do you wind tunnel test your shelters like some other manufacturers?

Also. (As far as I know)There are no details on the website as to which pitch orientation is optimal for each shelter in  strong winds. Would this be a useful addition? And maybe ranking the shelters for windworthyness.

And just a thought, wind is a dynamic thing. Is it not possible that  static strength may not be the only aspect of wind worthyness?

We have a Scarp1 and a Strat2.  Partner is considering a Moment. I am planning on adding a Notch to my collection.

Noah,

My sense is that you found find more peak headroom in the Bowfin relative to the Moment DW, while pivoting front to back and less headroom while pivoting side to head.  Hope you can visualize what I’m saying.

-H

Mole,

We don’t have access to the wind tunnel machine but we do test them in the field to at least get a general comparative sense of one versus another.

I like your ideas about wind ranking and optimal pitch orientation.  A few weeks ago I posted an overlay comparison graphic to show how a couple of models present to the wind from different directions and we need to do more of that.  For now, the 3D models will give you a decent sense if you can imagine wind blowing directly into the view as you change it.  Also, when I comment about wind I do mean more than static strength.  For me, it’s much more about the dynamics. Fabric flex is one thing but structural flex is more important.

-H

Thanks for replying Henry.

It’s an interesting area for me. It would be good to see more info on your site.

I understand what you say, but I’m not sure that size of cross sectional area presented to the wind is always the dominating factor with wind riding ability – surely steepness/shape of the slope plays a factor too?  ( E.g.  compare MLD Trailstar and Solomid, though presenting a greater area, the Trailstar sheds wind better than the Solomid – from side or rear.   Also length/angle of guylines and size security of stake(s).   Hence my experience that if staked securely (double line and blizzard stake/rock at windy end), our Strat 2 has felt like it rides wind more smoothly and less noisily, with a pitchlock corner and taut sloping roof panel into the wind than with a steep-walled door side into the wind.    In the former situation if the staking fails, the shelter just blows over flat straight away, and whilst it is down completely, and inconvenient, no harm is done to it, and restaking re-erects the whole structure quite easily   Whilst in the latter situation, the wall blow inwards quite alarmingly, and if a ridge guy/tieout/stake fails, all hell breaks loose with flapping walls and potential for excess forces/damage as much of the shelter stays up but is not optimally secured.  I have experienced both situations with the Strat 2  – the latter in UK when I first got it, and  the former in Spain – it was quickly remedied with an extra guy/stake, and no further problems.

Camping in the UK mountains I have experienced these sort of failures a few times in 30 years with various tents/shelters. And seen several others fair similarly or much worse.  It’s usually a case of variable high winds, with heavy rain and staking failure. The tents which seem to fair worst when the pitch does fail (or during takedown/erection) are those with long, tensioned, hoop poles, as the poles are often bent/broken beyond use and sometimes fracture and poke through fabric. Whilst mids and A-frames usually just fall and need re-erecting.

I have noticed that there have even been several damaged Trailstars selling  on eBay over here which have experienced similar situations and got ripped.  British weather!

I think all bets are off when stakes pull out.   I do agree that some stakes are more stressed than others and it’s really important to securely/maximally stake to prevent that from happening. In the case of the SS2, the apex guylines help a lot to relieve stress on the vestibule stakes.  Re: arch poles, yes for sure. Everything is a tradeoff with the arch structure upside being greater usable volume and better continuous fabric support (and the possibility of free standing, aka “free floating”, setup).

-H

Henry, just because getting ahead of ourselves is what we do here, do you have a 2-person version in mind as well?

I’ve heard some rumors ;-)

Ha, good to know!

Henry, just because getting ahead of ourselves is what we do here, do you have a 2-person version in mind as well?

I’ve heard some rumors ;-)

I wondered whether the “1” in the name hinted at a coming “2”.  Thinking ahead so you won’t have to come up with a word that means a bigger bowfin?  :-)

It is surprisingly difficult to come up with a name that hasn’t been used already.

Naming this tent took a long time and we did have a long list of suggestions but for one reason or another they did not work.

It is surprisingly difficult to come up with a name that hasn’t been used already.

Naming this tent took a long time and we did have a long list of suggestions but for one reason or another they did not work.

Well, no offense, but it’s a pretty ungracious name for such a fine tent. Ever seen a bowfin?

Shoulda had a name contest…

I guess that you are not a fan of Arcteryx either….

The name was to reflect the Rainbow name and  legacy not really about the look of that fish.

from wiki :

Bowfin

They are regarded as taxonomic relicts, being the sole surviving species of the order Amiiformes which dates from the Jurassic to the Eocene, persisting to the present

(I miss the days when Todd Bibler got away calling one of his creations Impotent).

Hey, that fish has parents who loved it…

Yes, we had lots of other names in the hopper but for all kinds of reasons, one of them legal, they didn’t make the finals. “Bow” pays homage to the basic Rainbow shape and “fin” does as well. As Franco eludes, the Bowfin has some transition species history to it and we were going after something which gets at the transitional nature of this design.  Bowfin are are also “bimodal breathers” meaning that they have the capacity to breathe both water and air, something I wish I could do..

-H

I’m pretty sure there isn’t a Liger tent.

Just saying.

I had been trying to decide which model of single person Tarptent I would prefer.  The Moment DW, Notch, Rainbow and StratoSpire 1 each interested me and about a week ago I got the Rainbow in the mail.  I set it up in my living room and like it but always debated having one to be able to use fly only.  Now I wonder if I would prefer the Bowfin.

I contacted Tarptent and was told that the fly can be used alone but not without some straps that run from end to end.

I am wanting to do more multi day if not multi month backpacking and cycling trips and choosing one tent is very complicated.

Only twenty inches wide.  The Hubba was 24 inches wide, and felt like a coffin, but not for the smaller person I bought it for.  This led to CF poles (which broke at one hub and were replaced by Easton Nanos for the four bottom spreader sections) and a 30 D silnylon fly, all from the workshop.  She sold it, but we are still great friends.  About 40 oz, and no reports of failure from the buyer.  Could have used long reinforcement inners in the carbon pole sections below the hubs, and probably saved a couple ounces.

But to stay dry, an inner that pitches inside and together with the outer seems like a must these days.

@0″ at the ends (84″ apart) but 50″ in the middle.

For comparison , the Moment inner is 20″ – 42″ x 84″

The Hubba was 26″ from one end to the other at floor level a bit less above because the walls bent inwards.

Above photo from Moontrail