New tarp tent arriving tomorrow

[Franco]

Kimbur,
Glad I did not offend you, a few years ago I commented, in a local forum, that someone had the worse ever set up of a TT Scarp I had ever seen..
(I failed my exam application for a Diplomatic post)

As for extending the groundsheet into the vestibule, that can be a a very good idea .
Apart from keeping things on top of it, it can reduce condensation from ground evaporation.
Sand and grass are the two ground covers that give the most grief here.
(the larger the vestibule the more evaporation it will trap)
Just make sure you fold the vestibule bit under the floor in wind driven rain.

As for packing it up, first ,if you can, as you wake up open both doors so that you get a good air flow.
Then do your morning things and pack up the tent last .
Grab one end by the struts and pull the tent flat on the ground so that it isn't all bunched up .
Fold that end over the other , fold the door base in so that you get the width of the two struts, then roll the fabric in using the struts.
This is a video on another couple of tents but somewhat similar to this :

in case you are wondering, both good questions (that is why I shot that video...) but there are no bad questions anyway.

[Vegan Packer]

Do you let the ground sheet extend into the vestibule? I like it that way, somewhere dry to put things.

Different tent, but same concept. Check out the footage at 17:12 - 18:00 to see the groundsheet cut a little bigger than the floor, but inside of the fly, and the entry mat that folds in under the floor.

[kimbur96]

dont know that I did much better this time. Ground is so soft that pulling to hard on guidelines pulls the other side of the tent right out of the ground. I'm truly a greenhorn.


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[Cheyou]

Looks much better . U are a pro

thom

[martinb]

Hi kimbur. I have a scarp and run into the same problem with end staking in our FL soil. I noticed you are setting up in open areas and, unfortunately, that is where the softest stuff is usually found. I find firmer soil when I set up in treed locations. For instance, in Juniper Prairie wilderness, the open areas are sand, basically. However, if I locate a stand of pines the soil in that area is much firmer and tends to hold the corners pitches much better. You will find that, even with a nice taught pitch tarp tents tend to sag overnight due to humidity. It's all part of the lightweight tradeoff. Happy trails!

[Franco]

Kimbur,
Much better now.
I have learned from looking at photos of my own set ups that often wrinkles/folds look worse on photos than in reality.

For soft grounds you are better off using long stakes, the 8/9" types .
Make sure that you push them in at 45 degree (or so) from perpendicular away from the fly.
Like this :
45 degree stake.jpg
but have the stake (if you can) all the way into the ground.
You can also pull down the bottom of the pole sleeve via the ladder locks .
Pull down for wind /heavy rain, push up for ventilation.
The end on the right looks to be a bit to straight up, the apex of that triangle should tilt outward to form with the rope tie-outs something that looks like a 3 sided pyramid
You can see it in my Moment , having the X pole forming one of the sides :
Moment-2.jpg
anyway, they are minor points, so well done you are getting there.

[kimbur96]

Kimbur,
Much better now.
I have learned from looking at photos of my own set ups that often wrinkles/folds look worse on photos than in reality.

For soft grounds you are better off using long stakes, the 8/9" types .
Make sure that you push them in at 45 degree (or so) from perpendicular away from the fly.
Like this :
45 degree stake.jpg
but have the stake (if you can) all the way into the ground.
You can also pull down the bottom of the pole sleeve via the ladder locks .
Pull down for wind /heavy rain, push up for ventilation.
The end on the right looks to be a bit to straight up, the apex of that triangle should tilt outward to form with the rope tie-outs something that looks like a 3 sided pyramid
You can see it in my Moment , having the X pole forming one of the sides :
Moment-2.jpg
anyway, they are minor points, so well done you are getting there.

thank you again for all the tips and help. the tent did collapse once during the night, pulled the stake right out of the ground. I have the gold colored 8 inch stakes. But once I re-stuck it at more of an angle it stayed. We had heavy rains and 20mph winds with gust up to 25mph. I need to get some guideline and couple more stakes so i can secure the center pole like you suggested.
Going out again next weekend, so I'll keep practicing.

[cycle003]

Also, don't be afraid to use rocks, roots, logs, etc. to help guy out your tent. There are a number of tricks, but you can simply put a rock/log right on top or in front of the stakes when the ground is soft.

[Franco]

In some soils (or in particularly nasty weather..) even the best 8/9" stakes will not be enough.
Using ballast on top is a very good idea and I tend to do that above tree line in good weather too because you never know how the night is going to be.
You must remember to protect those tie-outs /guylines from abrasion, so either avoid all but the smoothest rocks or put some cloth inbetween the lines and the ballast.
BTW, note that the stake and guyline ideally should form a 90 degree right angle and again the stake should be pushed in as far as possible.

[Fiona]

Is this a 4 season tent? Can it be used in the snow? (I see snow in some of the photos, but the website says 3 season. Starting in a couple of weeks and have no idea what tent to purchase!

Thanks

[Venchka]

Is this a 4 season tent? Can it be used in the snow? (I see snow in some of the photos, but the website says 3 season. Starting in a couple of weeks and have no idea what tent to purchase!

Thanks

You could call Henry Shires, owner/designer of TarpTent and ask him.
Or ask Another Kevin here at WhiteBlaze. He uses a Notch, tent in the photo, in the winter in upstate New York.
Snow on the ground in calm air is ok in just about any tent. Wind/falling snow/blowing snow will test even the toughest tent.
Good luck. You'll need it.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[Franco]

Fiona,
It can take a few inches of snow as it is, a foot or so if you add the X pole to it.
So OK for the typical out of season snow fall.
This is a photo from when Henry was testing the first version (his backyard...):

and this is another one from the spot you probably have seen mine on the TT site :

it could be a few hours after the other shot or the next day, (I can't remember) the weather there changes very fast (we were on a ridge )
the fairweather shot :

[Venchka]

The crossing pole for the Moment DW shown in the photos above is optional. Don't for get to order it with the tent. If you do buy the Moment DW.
The solid interior, also optional at time of purchase, may provide a bit of extra security and warmth in cold, wet, snowy weather.
The solid interior from TarpTent:
mtdw-20.jpg

All lightweight tents need attention during a heavy snowfall. Getting out of the tent and brushing off new snow will be required.

Wayne

[sheperd80]

Congratulations! I have a Notch on the way myself. Cant wait!

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[Mudsock]

A ground sheet can be a very good option for preparing most sites. Lay the sheet down and then get on your hands and knees, running your hand over the ground sheet. You can feel each sharp rock, stick, or anything else that could puncture your floor. The ground sheet will provide a bit of protection for your hands as you run them over the ground. Why patch when you can avoid a puncture with a few minutes of preparation? Walking an area with bare feet would confirm that there is nothing to puncture your tent floor, but you might miss things, or puncture your feet in the process.

[Secondmouse]

I really like this thread as I'm trying to decide between a couple TT - the Moment and the Rainbow (or Double).

this is going to be used as a solo tent but I am looking for good ventilation, good size vestibules, and more sit up and lounge-around space than other solo tents I've had.

any suggestions? I looked at the pics of the Notch and it just looks too narrow for me.

[capehiker]

I really like this thread as I'm trying to decide between a couple TT - the Moment and the Rainbow (or Double).

this is going to be used as a solo tent but I am looking for good ventilation, good size vestibules, and more sit up and lounge-around space than other solo tents I've had.

any suggestions? I looked at the pics of the Notch and it just looks too narrow for me.

I had a Moment and now own a Rainbow 1P. The Rainbow has better room for sitting up and not feeling closed in. The Moment tapers inward at the foot and head of the tent. The advantage of the Moment over the Rainbow is it has slightly better rain protection (I once went thru 10 hours of very bad winds and rain and stayed bone dry). The Rainbow is rain proof as well, but you have to dial in the floor better and raise it up into storm mode. All in all, both are solid choices, but the Rainbow feels better and is a better fit for me.

Here is my initial review of the Moment DW. At 3:32, I have footage of another rain and wind storm and the tent stayed bone dry.

[Secondmouse]

I had a Moment and now own a Rainbow 1P. The Rainbow has better room for sitting up and not feeling closed in. The Moment tapers inward at the foot and head of the tent. The advantage of the Moment over the Rainbow is it has slightly better rain protection (I once went thru 10 hours of very bad winds and rain and stayed bone dry). The Rainbow is rain proof as well, but you have to dial in the floor better and raise it up into storm mode. All in all, both are solid choices, but the Rainbow feels better and is a better fit for me.

Here is my initial review of the Moment DW. At 3:32, I have footage of another rain and wind storm and the tent stayed bone dry.

thank you, that's a good video.

I recently had to wait out a pretty vicious lightning storm in my cramped little tent and it was starting to get a little unbearable after awhile. thanks goodness the storm let up but it's the reason I want a larger tent with good vestibule space, I currently have no place to put my pack or even boil a bit of ramen...

[kimbur96]

Still loving my TT moment DW. my latest outing was in Priest Lake, ID. I bought the cross pole and solid inner tent as I now live in Colorado :-) and it seemed better for the weather here.

IMG_5239.jpg

[Maydog]

Kimbur, it is cool to watch you progressing in so many areas of your life. Keep posting.