Single Wall Tents Work Well ?

[stranger]

I used Garuda for a while once, which was later bought by Dana Design, and that used the wicking idea, it seemed to work ok.

Although condensation will occur in any tent, the Tarptent designs (by Henry Shires) are designed well in the fact that the bathtub floor is smaller than the width of the fly, so water can drip outside - the MSR Fling is another good example of this.

I dislike condensation like the next person, but I've never had issues with getting my bag wet due to condensation, no more so than a double wall tent.

I agree Tarptent users seem to respond to criticism harshly, and as good as Tarptents are, the construction is poor for the price in my opinion, I had more than one problem with mine and had to send it back to get re-stitched. Put a Tarptent next to something by MSR or Big Agnes, there is no match in quality what so ever. Saying that, Tarptents are made "well enough" in my view, perhaps I'm just used to the long standing "overbuilt" construction of major brands.

[Engine]

I will agree that MSR, SD, the old Moss brand, and many others are constructed with better seams. Some of that comes from using heavier fabric which is easier to work with and provides a much tougher final product. My Tarptent (and the SMD models I've looked at) does seem to be constructed "well enough" however and as long as I avoid 12" of wet snow or 70 mph winds, I tend to think it will allow me many years of use.

[Nina]

I'd mention that spiders or other insects will not cross open ground. If you clear back the leaves and brush or whatever your sleeping on you'll be less likely to encounter these things.

I never heard that. You mean if you clear down to the dirt around where you sleep, the bugs won't bug you, really?

[RockDoc]

I read their journal a few weeks ago and it seems to me I remember a mention that they didn't seam seal the tent. There are WAY too many satisfied customers and the tech with respect to materials has been around for a while now. I am headed to GSMNP next week for a 6 day trip with my Double Rainbow and rain is forecast, I'll report back afterward.

That could easily be... I spent a week carefully seam sealing mine. Somebody in an hurry might skip the job, or underdo.

Having said that, the particular storm that soaked the couple was a real woozey, not just "rain". We had just got to the Standing Indian Shelter when it cut loose. It probably rained 3 inches in a hour or so. Absolutely buckets. I'm glad I was under a roof.

[Tinker]

I currently use a SD Lightning tent, but want something lighter and easier to keep the inside dry when it's raining (but still spider proof). How do the tarptent style single wall tents work in humid areas like MD & VA ? I'm planning section hikes there in the springtime (night time temps below the dew point). Will I have to wipe down the walls every few hours to prevent the condensation from raining on me inside the tent ?

Thanks.

The only conditions which are pretty much guaranteed problematic are High humidity coupled with no wind, hot bodies inside, cool air outside and heavy rain. You will have condensation and it will get knocked off onto you by the raindrops. You can mop it off once in a while with a bandanna to minimize this. Again, this is a rare situation. Frost, of course, can be a problem in a single walled tent just as it is on the underside of a double walled tent and more especially, in the vestibule area.

[Skyline]

Carry one of those "shammy" cloths with you to wipe down the condensation. Easy to wring out and re-use.

Second choice: carry a half dozen of those blue shop towels they sell on a roll in auto parts stores, Walmart, etc. They wring out well too and dry in a minute once the sun comes out.

[Tinker]

I never heard that. You mean if you clear down to the dirt around where you sleep, the bugs won't bug you, really?

I may be the only one to have seen spiders, ants, wasps, and ticks crawling on bare dirt.
If I didn't have a shelter with a floor, I think I'd spray the heck out of a piece of Tyvek with Permethrin for use as a ground cloth. That way spiders and ticks would die after crawling over it. I doubt it would have much effect on snakes, skunks, rats, etc.

[Ratchet-SectionHiker]

We just purchased a SMD Lunar Duo and love it. We ordered it a bit late for our trip and it was supposed to be delivered on Thursday afternoon. Long story short I picked it up at the post office on Saturday morning and headed for the trail. We did not seam seal it or even have the chance to set it up before we left! Between me and my wife we had it up in less than 15 minutes and that was our first time setting up anykind of ultralight shelter. This will be MUCH faster next time. With the vestibule guyed out on one side, and allowed to drape down on the other, we had NO condensation with a 2-3hr rain storm in the middle of the night. Remember, inside the tent were me, my wife, and two 60 lb dogs. So without the seam sealing and without being staked out entirely there were almost no problems with condensation or rain leaking. The only water problem we had was during the hardest part of the rain, the water started to run under the tent and soaked through under my wife's pad. Next weekend we are using a tyvek ground cloth to help prevent this. Packed it up in the rain and hiked out. We returned home and strung it out in the basement and it was completely dry and ready to pack within 2-3 hours. We were near pearisburg, Va (angels rest) with night temps in the 60's and we were in moderately light woods with a decent breeze coming across the upper side of the ridge. Hope this helps!

[garlic08]

Silnylon floors do not keep out standing water, for sure. I learned the hard way to pitch on high dry ground. That's easy to do on the AT. Leaf duff is excellent--soft and well-drained.

The Tyvek sheet will not necessarily cure the problem, either. Site selection is most important. Good luck on your next trip.

[Tagless]

I'm just off the trail and I carried a new Tarptent Double Rainbow (Springer-Hot Springs), but did not have to use it in very heavy rain. However, a couple that I met did use one in a big storm and said the water came right through the fabric and drenched their down bags. They returned the DR and bought a Hubba Hubba from Mountain Crossings. I saw them in the Smokies. They warned me that "if you use a Tarptent you better hope that it doesn't rain."

My wife and I are currently using a Tarptent Rainshadow 2 on our AT thru hike. We also carry down bags. With over 530 miles behind us, we've been through numerous hard and continuous all night rains - all without a problem. I have to assume that the DR mentioned above was not seam sealed properly.

[gonewalkabout]

I currently use a SD Lightning tent, but want something lighter and easier to keep the inside dry when it's raining (but still spider proof). How do the tarptent style single wall tents work in humid areas like MD & VA ? I'm planning section hikes there in the springtime (night time temps below the dew point). Will I have to wipe down the walls every few hours to prevent the condensation from raining on me inside the tent ?

Thanks.

I have two SD Lightnings i.e. if you are refering to the orignal single wall tent. They work great until about 70 F unless you are in a dry climate like out west. I like my Contrail from traptent. Much more roomy and if vented stays dry. So far I used it for about 20 nights onmy NOBO since March 3rd. No complaints, I love it. Only 26 oz.

[JohnG10]

Thanks for all the advise so far. The SD Lightning I have is the current double wall version (1 door, mesh starts about 12-15" inches up from the bottom).

[Frog]

Hilleberg the tent maker makes a single wall (rajd) tent that has high enough ceiling in it that you can sit up inside and a very roomy shelter. Very easy set up. Drawback is that in a high wind situation it could be a problem. But as far as condensation I havent had that problem with it at all. Even when the walls did get condensation you are not close to them in it. Weight is only 2.2 lbs. It is however rather expensive.