Tarptent Rainbow Tent REVIEW

I’ve taken my Rainbow out a number of times now and I must say I really like it. Compared to my Squall 2 it feel so much roomier and for the small site camping that you find here in Japan the footprint is just right. Definitely my favorite tent right now. I’ll be going higher up (3000 meters) this summer and hope to take the Rainbow along. We’ll see how it fares in strong winds.

When I bought the Rainbow in March I initially had concerns about its stabiity in high winds, as Will pointed out, so I asked Henry to sew some loops to either side of the arch, which he cheerfully did (take a look here scroll down and you can see the loops in the photos). So far I haven’t had occasion to need the loops, but when fitted with guylines they do help to stabilize the arch laterally (front and back), though the top of the arch still oscillates when I give the tent a shake.

I replaced the included arch pole with a beefier one made from Russian space program aluminum/ scandium alloy available here in Japan. I figure that the extra strength will come in handy.

For the hood on the rear window I immediately didn’t like the way it flopped, so, taking a cue from European tunnel tent designs, I sewed a strip of 1/4 inch closed-cell foam into the brim. It’s very light, keeps its shape and rolls up well with the stowed package.

Since I dislike velcro with…er… all my bristles (^J^)/” I cut the trekking pole fasteners from the ends of the arch. I might replace them with some bungee cord concoction if I ever feel the need to have the tent free-standing, but staking it down is what I will most likely always do, so right now I feel I don’t need the fasteners.

As to the fitting-the-pole-into-the-ends-of-the-pole-sleeve problem, it’s something I’ve been frustrated with all my TarpTents since I first got my Squall. I therefore cut some tiny trapezoidal pieces of wedges from a pet bottle, about an inch long, with the wider end about 1/8″ wider than the width of the pole sleeve opening. I shoved the wedge narrow end first into the opening all the way in. Now what I do when inserting my pole is squeeze the wedge at the sides, the pole-sleeve-opening gapes open, and in I shove the pole (this IS PG rated!).

My floating floor doesn’t perfectly match the attachment points inside so that often the floor tends to slack a little bit (nothing earth shaking though). I’m still considering adding cut lengths of plastic straw to the corners of the floor (like the bathtub floor corners of the SpinnShelter User Tip from Gossamer Gear) to help the side walls stay up.

With my antagonism toward furry creatures, I’m still not sure how I feel about the velcro on the door, but I’m going to give myself quite a few more times to try it out. I may possibly add a coil zipper if it just doesn’t grow on me, but that is a matter of more experience with the tent.

So far condensation hasn’t been much of a problem, but I am worried about the sudden drops in temperature and the blowing grit up in the Japan Alps, that has a way of getting through the perimeter netting, so I considering making a propore (if i can find the material!) sheet that I can hang from the ceiling for condensation, lowering over myself when the grit and cold are blowing into the tent, and also using under my hammock when I decide to go with that.

After I get some use of the tent up in the alpine mountains I ought to have photos so I will try to post them at the end of the summer.

Whatever little glitches the Rainbow may have it is a wonderful and versatile tent. My hat off to Henry!

This review is right. I love rainbow too! I think it’s a kind of invention. I have respect to Henry.
But I want to read more review tested in the strong rain and wind condition.

Hi Miguel,
I too have rainbow and live in Tokyo Japan. And I have a plan to pitch my rainbow above 3000m peak Hodaka or Yari, in late this summer. It’s same as your plan.
I’m amazed at your modification. I think it is properly right. I’ve a anxiety about strength of mono frame against to strong wind. So, did you obtain a scandume frame from Arai Tent?
Using trekking pole will be help to pitch it on the rock tent site. I think, there is not need to peg down all four corners, It’s maybe possible to fixate it on the ground using heavy rocks to press trekking pole.

I wrote some short reviews on my blog about seam sealing. I tested it in the rain condition. It was difficult to get perfect seal around triangle window.　But I’ve done it. You can find it on google, asking ‘山より道具’.
I’ll receive a new tent ‘Big Sky Evolution 1P’ at the end of this July. I received a e-mail from Bob. I’m going to judge which is better for Japanese high mountain with light weight style.
If you are living in Tokyo, maybe we can talk about it!

Hello Hideaki,

(I’m going to respond in Japanese but basically discuss some of the unique problems of using a tent in the mountains in Japan… one of the things you have to worry about here is that hiking season often corresponds with the beginning of typhoon season, so high winds are a very real concern when you are up high… as are Hideaki’s points about there being no place to push pegs into the ground. Also the Russian scandium poles from Arai tent that Hideaki refers to are amazing)

初めまして、寺沢さん。ミゲールです。レーインボーの変型が気に入ってくれて嬉しいです！ウルトラライトを始まってから自分で考えていろいろ作るのがもう毎日の事になりました。ちょっとマニアックになったかもしれない (+J+)。

寺沢さんのホームページを何回も見ました。レーインボーを買った前に寺沢さんの意見を読んで自分も買う事を決めました。

レーインボーは低い山だと全然問題がないけど、３０００メートルの方はまだ風安が有ります。レーインボーは横の方から力を入れるとけっこう強いけど、前と後ろだとけっこう揺れます。新井テントのポールは丈夫だけどやっぱり一本のポールは気になるね。寺沢さんと同じようにこの夏北アルプスでレーインボーを使いたいけど大丈夫かな？

テントのペッグを使わないでトレッキングポールだけを使うのがsちょっと心配。試した時テントが強く揺れましたから山で使うのは自信がない。寺沢さんはどう思うかもっと相談したいです。

僕も東京です。世田谷区の手前の東調布の方です。日本でウルトラライトを使う人がまだ少ないみたいからぜひいろいろ話したいです。何回も御徒町のOD Boxに行っていろいろBackpackingLightと他のメーカのアイディアを見ましたから寺沢さんが関係有るかな〜っと何回思った事有る。楽しみです。

僕のメールアドは：　butuki at gmail dot com
ブロッグも有ります：　Laughing Knees (日本語の『膝が笑う』から訳した！）どうぞ見てください（ほとんど英語だけど）

Hi Miguel,
Can you tell us were we can buy those scandium poles ?
Franco

Thank you Miguel
I have noticed that Yunan (Korea) are now working with Scandium and it looks like Arai are already using them (?)
Franco

This tent is identical externally to the Phoenix Phreerunner/Phreeranger and would undoubtedly benefit from the same colour-coded guying arrangement as used by Phoenix. The designer of the Rainbow almost certainly knows what I mean. The Phreerunner never tempted me because of the length of the single arch, although I saw many reviews which claimed the tent was solid with the guys in place. I preferred the shorter, stronger arch of the Akto, and still do even though the occasional, ageing Phreeranger turns up at Backpackers Club meets.

The Rainbow looks more interesting than the Phoenix tents because a lot lower weight of fabric is sailing off the long arch. If the midge netting was really sorted, the Rainbow could be very good for summer in Scotland.