The Tarptent Notch Li is Back

I finally ordered the Notch Li two days ago. I got the trekking pole handle peak attachment pieces since I don’t want my handles in the dirt.

My pole tips are always covered with rubber tip cups so they should not sink into the ground much when under tension from the tent. Those  using their hiking poles with bare metal tips up into the peak grommets be very careful to never let them slip and pierce the Dyneema fly. They will pierce it instantly.

Also I ordered extra Dyneema repair tape to reinforce the 4 fly hem stake loops I’ll sew on. These loops help a lot in high wind conditions when I’ll also need to use the provided guy lines for each peak.

Eric, will you take a photo of you inside it with your headlamp on inside? Actually just please take a lot of photos. Still on the fence but considering.

Umm…what exactly is the meaning of “li”?

Its short for lithium.

don’t know why lithium.

i would guess that it’s because it sounds light lol.
but I respect Henry’s pension for naming things for a reason.

Li is the standard abbreviation for Lithium. Lithium has nothing to do with the tent other than a marketing name, as lithium is the lightest solid element. No lithium was harmed to make this tent. Great job Henry and team!
Cheers,
Bill in Roswell, GA

Bill has the correct answer.

He wins a trip on board of the next extraterrestrial craft leaving from Roswell (the other one) .

NM. Bill beat me to it.

I respect Henry’s pension for naming things for a reason.

 

I know nothing of Henry’s 401K, but hopefully it’s not light!

But he does indeed have a penchant for good names… :)

That would be an interesting trip, Franco. Personally, I think the aliens like New Mexico because of the food. It’s the best (imho)!

OH, “li” is the abbreviation for Lithium–what, on the periodic table…? I knew that, of course I did. Lithium is an anti depressant, right? So Franco’s tent makes people happy. Brilliant marketing!

If only we could decode it…

Next time, consider the Notch HI, for Hawaii.

I’m not doing very well on this thread.

It’s not my tent….

However it did start from the comment “what about a Moment for trekking pole users? ‘

That was when Henry started to design the Moment so well before the Notch came about.

Personally I am very glad to have the velcro on my Aeon. At first I disliked it but after using the tent on a thru hike it was really nice not to have to worry about a zipper malfunctioning.

I’ll admit it kind of sucks quite compared to having a zipper for closing it up when you are inside but it does in fact work 100% of the time which is more than I can say for a lightweight zipper.

Now I’m glad I got the first run.

How do you Notch users pack up the tent? Henry makes it look so easy in the setup video, but he’s in a manicured yard and everything is dry and clean.

What’s the strategy for packing up in stormy conditions near freezing? With a non-strut design, I usually just put on my waterproof mitts and stuff the whole mess in a big stuff sack.

“Personally I am very glad to have the velcro on my Aeon. ”

I’ve never had velcro closures on a tent. I have had zipper failure and it’s not fun. If velcro stays closed in strong gusts, I’d prefer that as well, even it it takes a few seconds more to close from inside.

all the zipper failures were with #3 zips.

How do you Notch users pack up the tent? Henry makes it look so easy in the setup video, but he’s in a manicured yard and everything is dry and clean.

I do mine (silnylon version) pretty much the way Henry shows, though I don’t really fold it as neatly as he does before rolling.  In the real world, of course, crud from the ground will stick to the tent as you roll it and need to be brushed off as you go.  So I usually don’t do the rolling on the ground, I just stand up and let the fabric hang down as I roll against my lap/thighs.  I push/punch/fold the fabric blob as needed to keep the length and fatness of the roll stuffsackable.  I hear your next question:  yes, it gets my lap/thighs a little wet when the tent is wet, but I’m going to be sweaty wet before long anyway, so I don’t care.

Our (wife and I) StratoSpire 2 had 2 zipper failures on the inner while hiking Death Valley this past January.  All that fine windblown sand really did a number on the zippers.  We managed to get them mostly working by rubbing some of our EVOO into the zippers, but that created its own problem: olive oil stains on the material after packing and unpacking.

I have since hand washed the fly and the inner in a wash tub filled with soapy water and hung to dry, and fiddled with squeezing the zipper pull closed just a bit with needle nose pliers, as directed on the Tarptent Website.  They seem to be working, but I’m nervous that when I get back out in the field, I’m going to feel that familiar “bump” when pulling one of the pulls that means the teeth aren’t meshing together at that point and beyond.  Ugh.

I still plan to apply some GearAid zipper cleaner & lube, but now I’m wary.

The downsides to hook & loop fasteners are that they aren’t waterproof (I don’t think the SS 2 zippers are either), but they also tend to wear out over time.  i.e. the holding power of the “velcro” tape grows weaker.

:-(

Thanks, Todd. You did anticipate my next questions :)

My zipper failures were not with one of Henry’s (and not Franco’s…) tents.

@jscott – I’m not suggesting any sort of defect or poor workmanship on the part of TarpTent.  My point was to corroborate the statement that zippers have their failures.

Maybe larger zippers are more resistant to sand & dust, but this would come at the cost of more weight.

Agreed, Jeff. I really baby my zippers and clean them after every trip and lube
them…still, some have failed.

I even tend to prefer anorak rain gear so as to minimize zipper fiddle and failure.

I’m seriously considering this tent.  Is placing the pole tips up something I need to really worry about as far as piercing the fabric like during windy conditions?  I know they sell the attachment to go with the handles upright…although they are currently sold out.

Is placing the pole tips up something I need to really worry about as far as piercing the fabric like during windy conditions?

I think if the pitch is solid, there’s not much to worry about.  If the tent is so loose that the pole can fall out of its grommet, you’ve got lots of problems if the wind comes up.  From what I can tell, most people who pierce their canopies do so while setting up–they don’t look one last time before forcibly extending the pole to tighten things up.  Happened to a buddy of mine on an Iceland trip a few years ago. Learn to set the pole to approximately the right length before placing it so you’re not having to extend it by 6 or 8 inches after you’ve put the tip into the grommet.

And FWIW I find the handles-upright attachment doohickies difficult to use.

I have a question that has probably been discussed somewhere else, apologize in advance;

What is the purpose of having two doors and two vestibules on a one person tent?

I would rather have more room inside the tent, where the floor takes up the room of the other vestibule.

I think so you can put shoes, pack and other gear on one side and then cook on the other if the weather is bad.  I’m just guessing but I think the double vestibule has a better wind profile versus a tent like GG The One which looks to have some wind issues potentially if faced the wrong way.