Tarptent Notch - first look impressions

[Ender]

So, I got some hands on with the Tarptent Notch today, and I have to say I'm very, very impressed. Henry Shires should be very happy with this design.


A friend of mine bought it and brought it to my place to have me check out. We went to the park next door, and in 20-30mph winds he set it up. Setup took at most 2 minutes, even in the winds, with little to no hassle. It needs only 4 stakes to set up, so the hassle factor is really low.


Inside the tent, there is enough area for a standard pad, and a wide pad would fit as well, though probably push against the sides of the bathtub floor a bit. Headroom was great when sitting up.


It's a symetrical design, with a door and vestibule on both sides. This allows for entering/exiting whichever side depending on wind/weather conditions. Vestibule size is good, and there's enough room for a pack on one side, and your boots on the other. I was surprised how much I liked this design, as I had never even considered the advantages of this before. It's slick.


The wind was easily handled by the Notch if it's coming from the head or foot end. If it was coming directly from the side, my guess is it would catch a bit, but that's no different than any other long&narrow tent.


My one complaint with the shelter is the material. It is available in SilNylon only, which has disadvantages; not fully waterproof, gains more weight in water compared to spinnaker/cuben, stretches when wet meaning needing to tighten the pitch when it starts raining, slippery as heck, and heavier than newer fabrics. On the flipside, it's also a more durable fabric than spinnaker or cuben, and it's still relatively lightweight.


Final impression for a morning of playing with it in the park is that it's Henry Shires best design yet (for my uses, which is single person, light weight, double-wall). I just wish it came in cuben fiber.

[kevperro]

So, I got some hands on with the Tarptent Notch today, and I have to say I'm very, very impressed. Henry Shires should be very happy with this design.


A friend of mine bought it and brought it to my place to have me check out. We went to the park next door, and in 20-30mph winds he set it up. Setup took at most 2 minutes, even in the winds, with little to no hassle. It needs only 4 stakes to set up, so the hassle factor is really low.


Inside the tent, there is enough area for a standard pad, and a wide pad would fit as well, though probably push against the sides of the bathtub floor a bit. Headroom was great when sitting up.


It's a symetrical design, with a door and vestibule on both sides. This allows for entering/exiting whichever side depending on wind/weather conditions. Vestibule size is good, and there's enough room for a pack on one side, and your boots on the other. I was surprised how much I liked this design, as I had never even considered the advantages of this before. It's slick.


The wind was easily handled by the Notch if it's coming from the head or foot end. If it was coming directly from the side, my guess is it would catch a bit, but that's no different than any other long&narrow tent.


My one complaint with the shelter is the material. It is available in SilNylon only, which has disadvantages; not fully waterproof, gains more weight in water compared to spinnaker/cuben, stretches when wet meaning needing to tighten the pitch when it starts raining, slippery as heck, and heavier than newer fabrics. On the flipside, it's also a more durable fabric than spinnaker or cuben, and it's still relatively lightweight.


Final impression for a morning of playing with it in the park is that it's Henry Shires best design yet (for my uses, which is single person, light weight, double-wall). I just wish it came in cuben fiber.

I don't have one yet but from eye-balling it.... I'd agree. I'm going to sell a couple items and buy one. Looks like my perfect shelter.

[Toolshed]

Do the ends of your bag hit the head or foot of the Notch?

[skinewmexico]

I pretty sure Henry explained why that design wouldn't work in cuben over on BPL, but I couldn't find the thread.

[BradMT]

So, I got some hands on with the Tarptent Notch today, and I have to say I'm very, very impressed. Henry Shires should be very happy with this design.


A friend of mine bought it and brought it to my place to have me check out. We went to the park next door, and in 20-30mph winds he set it up. Setup took at most 2 minutes, even in the winds, with little to no hassle. It needs only 4 stakes to set up, so the hassle factor is really low.


Inside the tent, there is enough area for a standard pad, and a wide pad would fit as well, though probably push against the sides of the bathtub floor a bit. Headroom was great when sitting up.


It's a symetrical design, with a door and vestibule on both sides. This allows for entering/exiting whichever side depending on wind/weather conditions. Vestibule size is good, and there's enough room for a pack on one side, and your boots on the other. I was surprised how much I liked this design, as I had never even considered the advantages of this before. It's slick.


The wind was easily handled by the Notch if it's coming from the head or foot end. If it was coming directly from the side, my guess is it would catch a bit, but that's no different than any other long&narrow tent.


My one complaint with the shelter is the material. It is available in SilNylon only, which has disadvantages; not fully waterproof, gains more weight in water compared to spinnaker/cuben, stretches when wet meaning needing to tighten the pitch when it starts raining, slippery as heck, and heavier than newer fabrics. On the flipside, it's also a more durable fabric than spinnaker or cuben, and it's still relatively lightweight.


Final impression for a morning of playing with it in the park is that it's Henry Shires best design yet (for my uses, which is single person, light weight, double-wall). I just wish it came in cuben fiber.

I just sold my Rainbow, and the Notch is what I plan on replacing it with... looks like a winner to me.

[jakedatc]

Search for putting seam seal X's on the floor to make it less slippery. my Contrail is the same way but with the X's the pad stays still.

[RayBan]

I pretty sure Henry explained why that design wouldn't work in cuben over on BPL, but I couldn't find the thread.

I talked to Henry last year about doing a cuben version of the Moment and his response was that the weight savings really weren't all that significant given that the floor was still silnylon. He also indicated that the cost increase would be very substantial.

[Ender]

Do the ends of your bag hit the head or foot of the Notch?

I'm 6'0" and was able to lay out no problem. The foot of the bag could brush the bottom of the inner tent if you wanted more headroom, but it's netting so you wouldn't be picking up any condensation.

I talked to Henry last year about doing a cuben version of the Moment and his response was that the weight savings really weren't all that significant given that the floor was still silnylon. He also indicated that the cost increase would be very substantial.

I had a similar conversation with him. Weight savings wouldn't be huge, but there would still be weight savings, especially if you had a cuben floor as well. That said, the weight savings isn't the only advantage of cuben or spinnaker, and frankly not the most important to me. And cost... yeah, those fabrics cost more, but it's something I would be willing to spend the money on.

Still, it's a great tent as is, and it has me sorely tempted anyway.

[RayBan]

I had a similar conversation with him. Weight savings wouldn't be huge, but there would still be weight savings, especially if you had a cuben floor as well.

Being made of cuben and having a cuben floor, either sewn in as an option or via the "groundcloth insert" that can be purchased separately, is a feature the zpacks hexamids offer. http://www.zpacks.com

[Ender]

Being made of cuben and having a cuben floor, either sewn in as an option or via the "groundcloth insert" that can be purchased separately, is a feature the zpacks hexamids offer. http://www.zpacks.com

Yeah, those are decent shelters, and you really can't beat the weight. That said, the Notch design is really fantastic, would rather just have that in cuben or spinnaker.

What I really dug about the Notch was that it only takes four stakes to set up. But I'm considering the Zpack shelter as well, as well as the Lightheart shelter. Kinda can't go wrong with any of them.

[phaedrus]

Does the notch need to be seam sealed?

[Ender]

Does the notch need to be seam sealed?

Yep.
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[Tinker]

From Tarptent website: Do Tarptents need to be seam-sealed?Yes. All seams over your living space should be sealed. Silicone is the only material that will stick to the fabric. Urethane sealer will flake off. An inexpensive product that works well is GE Silicone II clear sealer/glue. It is available as a squeeze tube in most US hardware stores or in the Tarptent Store. Set up the tent ouside in a well-ventilated location. Mix about a tablespoon of silicone with a couple of tablespoons of mineral spirits(paint thinner) and then apply the solution with a small foam brush. Add more mineral spirits if the solution gets too thick. The goal is heavy olive oil consistency. Avoid skin contact and breathing fumes. Please refer to the seam-sealing video to see the full procedure. We also offer seam-sealing as a service ($25) if you would like. Please contact us for instructions how to include seam-sealing with your order.

[phaedrus]

Thanks, reading over the description on site doesn't say either way. I assumed as much since it is Sil but wanted clarification.

[jjimen16]

i literally just hit the "finalize order!" button for this tent. It is the perfect specs that I was looking for...

two doors/vests.
double wall!
good head room
well under 2lbs (including 4 al. stakes!)
small pack size
simple looking set up (seems awesome for setting up in storms!) (one of the main things I hated about lightheart solo)
not over $500 (like most cubens)
Made in US

Sold my hubba hubba for this. I cant believe I just now discovered this legit tent, I dont know where I was looking this whole time.
Cant wait for it to arrive!

[Big Dawg]

Agree, Agree, Agree!!!! I haven't had a chance to take my Notch on a trip yet, but set it up in my yard again today,,, and oh how pleased I am!!! Pinacle of success, Henry!! Bravo!!!

[stranger]

I wouldn't worry about the sleeping bag brushing up against the sides or end of the net-tent in the Notch as there is substantial distance from the ends of the net-tent and the canopy, this means you are extremely unlikely to get any form of condensation on the net-tent because the temperature inside the tent and under the tarp will be the same.

I've knocked Tarptents in the past, I've been disappointed with their products before...the Notch is a great design. You can use the netting in a shelter, the tarp without the netting, it's side entry so no pole smack dead in the middle of your entrance, well under 2lbs, reasonale price, etc....

[Singletrack]

Yes, and "Mist Proofed" with Atsko Water Guard Extreme.

[TyTy]

It is my understanding that these three new TT designs (Notch, SS1, SS2) are using sil-nylon with a slightly higher static head/water resistance than the previous models, fyi.

[ScottC]

Does anybody have trail reports/pictures of the Notch? I'm still trying to get a feel whether this tent will work for me...