Tarptent ProTrail Li… Hmmm

[Peter H]

Congrats, Derek. Rear pole is approximately 2′.

[Bill in Roswell]

The rear pole is 24 in. , 2 section, shock corded. Weighs only 29 grams on my scale.

[Peter Atkinson]

Thanks for your comments Erica, I really appreciate them and can’t wait to see the photos!  And also the comments from Russ, Derek and Peter and any other early adopters.

I’ve just ordered the tent for use in the UK where I will almost always be above the tree line, for me it is as light a tent as I feel comfortable going with in the UK.  I will add the mid section pull outs as well Erica, so it’ll be interesting to see what you’ve done.

Until this tent came out I thought I’d bought my last tent for some time…

[Russ W]

Mostly agree with what Erika said. I’m impressed with how easy it was to set up right out of the bag. Very spacious.  I’m ok with using some 6″ stakes but with any tarp or tent will have a few longer stakes for insurance. I tried to offset the front pole for  ease of entry and the ridgeline is a little bowed…probably will get better with pratice. I thought about jumping on the Aeon, which is available as of this morning, but so impressed with this I’m staying the course.  A solid choice!

Here are some pictures:

http://Tarptent Protrail Li https://imgur.com/a/aLZ95ar

[Peter Atkinson]

Thanks Russ, much appreciated; out of interest will you add mid section pull outs?  Or are you happy with the tent as it is for stronger winds?

 

[Russ W]

I’m  thinking that with the front guy line tie-out it seems plenty storm worthy. Not sure about doing anything  on the back end, and don’t think anything in the mid section is necessary. I guess the proof will be riding out a good blow!

[Erica R]

[I helped Erica move this post to here in order to fork discussion of her particular setup rather than keep it buried in this thread]

[Jim B]

I really REALLY want one of these, but my hesitation is the “pin holing”  that’s been occurring in the .51 fabric. Does anyone know if the manufacturer has addressed this?  $500 is a lot to spend on anything let alone on something made of a material with a history of flaws.

 

[Roger Caffin]

To some extent, the pin-holing is intrinsic to the design of the fabric.

Cheers

[Adrian Griffin]

“You can save just under an ounce on the Nemo Hornet 1P by replacing the standard shock-cord in the poles with 1/8” shock-cord. It’s very easy to do. 1/8” shock-cord has worked fine on my MYOG tent for several years and over 100 nights.”

John–How is this done? I have a Hornet 1P. I’ve swapped out the stuff bag for a zPacks  Slim and the stakes for some Dutchware titanium. I’d like to try this trick, but the pole tips are staked in.

 

[J-L]

@desolationman With all tent poles I’ve used, the end tips just screw in. REI has a good video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=SNx0vHCrNXU&feature=emb_logo

[Adrian Griffin]

Thanks, John. On my Hornet, there’s a slight dent at the end of the pole where the tip is staked in. But the video and the comments are very helpful. I’ll try heating the end of a pole with a hair dryer to loosen the tip.

[J-L]

The dent should be there – it is what threads the end tip onto the pole. Just grab the end tip and twist off.

[Adrian Griffin]

Ok, I’ll try that. Thanks.

[Peter H]

Came to give an update after spending two nights on PCT near Castle Peak. It was very windy and the Protrail li did a great job with only 4 stakes. I’m not surprised. The only fiddling I had to do was, like others have said, figure out the back end (3 minutes). I concur with Russ W’s review above and my photos are not as good as his, so I won’t bother. I love it as much as I expected and that’s saying something for someone who’s cheap and had real trouble shelling out this much for a tent. Just like a regular Protrail, I find folding it a bit tough because I don’t want to lay it down on the ground and abrade the fabric. Solid tent and perfect for me who doesn’t like to fiddle. Happy!

[Russ W]

After ordering  the optional pole for the rear, I pulled out an older Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork. It collapsed to exactly 24″ so that will be a great great option.

[David U]

I received by Protrail Li in the mail yesterday and quickly set it up.

I wanted to make a couple of initial comments.

First, the quality of construction is off the charts good.  Superb, actually.

Second, I haven’t owned this light of a fully enclosed shelter before and it took everything I had to stop throwing it in the air and catching it around the house.

Thank you Henry!

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

> it took everything I had to stop throwing it in the air and catching it around the house.

You mean like this ? –> https://vimeo.com/436467994

Thanks David.

 

 

[David U]

Ha, ha.  Yes indeed.  But I swear mine floats….; )

[Jim B]

Yeah it’s a keeper.  I’ve probably set this thing up in the yard 6 or 7 times now just to lounge around in it.  It’s a pretty sweet tent.   It took a couple times to get the hang of the foot end set up, but now it’s a cinch.  I’m impressed with the quality of the build on this thing.  Rain is coming again. Headed out back….. 

[Derek H]

Finally got out backpacking with the new tent. This is from Showers Lake on the PCT / TRT near South Lake Tahoe with our Scout Troop. It will take me a few times to perfect the setup but I really like this tent. It’s super light and packs down small. This is my first trekking pole tent and first Dyneema fabric tent. I made the mistake of setting up on too much of a slope. My xlite pad kept sliding down to the pole at my feet so next time I need a level spot.  Not the tent’s fault but user error. 😃

[Erica R]

I used the Protrail Li on a 6 day trip to the Trinity Alps. One night at 7100 ft it got cold. I decided I would try to reduce the tents air flow, so I closed the rear curtains, closed the front vestibule, and piled some stuff along 1 1/2 sides. Still no condensation!

Derek, dyneema is slippery stuff. I added seam seal to both sides of my Xlite. Better that way.

[Derek H]

Good tip. Thanks.

[Bill in Roswell]

Hey Derek, I had the same issue with my Xlite sliding around the floor all night like a slow-mo hockey game. I’m thinking the best thing would be a few drops of silicone on the bottom of the sleeping pad. I’ve seen various opinions with no clear predominate view. Much depends on the environment hiked. Desert SW micro sand particles, for example. That requires a daily wipe-down. The humidity of the Appalachians makes the use of silicone on pad or tent floor readily apparent. It works quite well with just an occasional wipe-down.

[Bill in Roswell]

Erica, thank you so much for adding to the Pro Trail Li info base! My old Pro Trail sil got the job done last night in condensation all-sta conditions, thanks to Henry’s air flow design concepts. I grew up racing sailboats and good airflow designs really stand out. We camped at around 3900 feet on the NC/GA border. It had rained hard that afternoon; typical diurnal showers. With night lows in the mid 50sF and 100% humidity, any shelter would likely be covered in condensation. As any shelter savvy camper knows, ventilation is key to minimizing condensation. On the Pro Trail, pitch the tail into the apparent wind (such as a down-slope breeze), leave the rear curtains open (weather allowing). At the front I leave half of the vestibule door opened all night, weather allowing. My old sil Pro Trail has a loop on the centerline edge of the door. Setting a stake with shock cord or Linelok to the center door loop allows you to have half of the vestibule door opened for the night, greatly reducing condensation. It’s amazing what a difference that makes in air flow and absence of condensation, regardless of fabric type!

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