Tarptent Rainbow vs. Mytrail Co. UL2

I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t answer this post since I have no experience with either tent. The fact that you hike with a malinois  caught my attention though. I also hike with the Malinois  and I’ve had great luck with my Nemo hornet two person tent. It is  just under two pounds and plenty big for my dog and myself. There are two vestibules. So far it has been very rugged and easy to put out even in windy conditions.  I have had no problems with leaks or condensation buildup. Good luck hiking with your pup!

we need LOTS more information:

where will you be hiking?

what seasons?

what is your weight requirements?

single wall vs double wall?

do you care about front vs side entry?

will the dog be in the tent with you, or do you want him to be in the vestibule?

how many vestibules do you want?

do you use trekking poles or want a tent with dedicated poles?

We need LOTS more information:

Where will you be hiking? Mostly Ca, Or, Wa and maybe Tx.

What seasons? Shoulder and Summer mostly mild conditions.

What is your weight requirements? light as possible bu i have used a Bivy in the past and it’s too confining these days.

Single wall vs double wall? Either just not a huge fan of condensation. ;0)

Do you care about front vs side entry? I prefer side entry.

Will the dog be in the tent with you, or do you want him to be in the vestibule? Either way but inside would be better.

How many vestibules do you want? Either 1 or 2.

Do you use trekking poles or want a tent with dedicated poles? No I do not use poles nor do I want to. I am happy to carry a light weight pole.

My 6’3″ self and my long legged 65 pound dog did well in a Double Rainbow.

double rainbow has a great reputation (i’ve personally never used it)

MyTrail isn’t going to get a lot of love here because of the founder’s history (used to be GoLite, stiffed his suppliers then rebranded as MyTrail to avoid paying…etc etc) and I can say I’ve never seen the GoLite or the MyTrail tent in person (this used to be the Imogene, I believe)

Henry at Tarptent is a great guy, and you absolutely can’t go wrong with his stuff.  if you want the side entry, go Double Rainbow.

Yeah finding a place that I can take her without using the fact she is my service dog in CA is hard to do. But yes she is an outstanding partner on the trails. No one sneaks up on me for sure and she behaves so well it’s amazing. All of that training was well worth it.

I’m really not looking at the double rainbow but the single version. I already have a 2+ person tent that is 22oz trail weight but way too large and hard to setup for just me. I prefer the bivy but it is way too confining these days as I’m now over 40 and not as flexible as I used to be.

Christopher,
Henry Shires designed the Rainbow to hold himself (about 5’10”) and his 100 lbs chocolate lab.
Worked well for that.
This is Tioga doing the floor test :

Tioga is no longer here, look after you dog.

I would be no more inclined to purchase something from MyTrail than I would be to accompany Ryan Lochte on a South American junket.

“fool me once, shame on – shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again” – G.W. Bush

Support Tarptent. Good people, good products.

I’ve got a Rainbow. It’s a palace for one, and I suppose you could fit a dog in there with you if you’re not too tall. Too tall, and you have to lie dead center in the tent to avoid touching the end walls…you’d have to do a Solomon on the dog to use all the space. :-)

I’m only 5’9″ so not that bad.

I’ve been using a rainbow for solo trips with my dog for a couple years.  I usually have my dog sleep by my feet on the side. The tent’s interior is 40″ wide. I haven’t had problems with the setup. It’s a great tent for my needs with me at 5’10” and a 45 lb dog. Another reason I like it, is it requires only a small area to setup.

Great responses so now for the curve ball. If money is not a factor….

rainbow (single version)

moment dw

soloplex

altaplex

or

hexamix solo plus?

if you have another suggestion sub $600 throw it out there!

The Moment DW would be too small for 1 adult and a large dog.

Thank you Franco, that is very helpful.

Franco is it accurate that if we go carbon fiber with the pole vs AI that the tent totals out to 2 lbs vs 2.25 lbs?