What is the better tent, the Gossamer Gear, The One or the Tarp Tent , Rainbow any pros or cons.
I am looking for something light weight but will stand up to bad weather as well as blood sucking bugs and will hold up for lots of miles
What is the better tent, the Gossamer Gear, The One or the Tarp Tent , Rainbow any pros or cons.
I am looking for something light weight but will stand up to bad weather as well as blood sucking bugs and will hold up for lots of miles
I've never slept in either, but it looks (from the statistics, photos, and things I've heard) as though the Gossamer Gear is the way to go. I've heard that it holds up better than the rainbow.
2010 AT NoBo Thru "attempt" (guess 1,700 miles didn't quite get me all the way through ;) )
Various adventures in Siberia 2016
Adventures past and present!
(and maybe 2018 PCT NoBo)
I use The One. Had it for a couple of years now. The only thing I don't like about it is that the roof line, sloping to both head and foot, tends to drop heavy condensation right onto your face. Good thing is that this wakes you up, so you can wipe down the inside of the tent.
This only happens on fairly rare occasions, when condensation problems are very high - cold, very damp, very still night.
The counterpoint to the above complaint is that the ventilation is fantastic, so that if their is any breeze at all, condensation is virtually non-existent.
I LOVE the lack of weight and the fact that it provides full protection. Easy to pitch, once you get your method down - watch the videos online, it's not entirely intuitive.
Good shelter, kept me dry in hard, all-night rains, light snow, and heavy winds. Definitely Recommended.
I have no personal experience with the Rainbow. From having seen them set up, they strike me as having a very large footprint, and thus could be more difficult to find a place to set up in some situations.
Another option to consider is the Six Moon Design Lunar (solo or duo). I have a Six Moon Wild Oasis that is a great little (key word) shelter.
You might also look at the Lunar Solo from Six Moons Design. It's light and will keep the bugs off. Similar condensation issues to the others mentioned. Not yet sure about its long-term durability; ask me in September.
I have the Lunar Solo and have it used it for winter AT trips. Encountered wind, rain and wet snow. It's worked fine in all conditions. Really happy with it.
"If you don't know where you're going...any road will get you there."
"He who's not busy living is busy dying"
I almost got the Lunar- but I can't stand the fact that you can't sit up at all. And I love bathtub floors. (I stuck with my old tent- it had everything I need, even though if would make UL hikers flinch)
2010 AT NoBo Thru "attempt" (guess 1,700 miles didn't quite get me all the way through ;) )
Various adventures in Siberia 2016
Adventures past and present!
(and maybe 2018 PCT NoBo)
Stephenson's Warmlite
Pura Loco !
www.oasisofthetoucans.com
The best shelter for bad weather is a good hammock with a tarp. That way no water can pour in the sides like it does in a tent... I use a Warbonnet Blackbird with a MacCat tarp.
2010 AT NoBo Thru "attempt" (guess 1,700 miles didn't quite get me all the way through ;) )
Various adventures in Siberia 2016
Adventures past and present!
(and maybe 2018 PCT NoBo)
Pura Loco !
www.oasisofthetoucans.com
never had a drop of water get into my MSR zoid2
The Lunar Solo has a footprint as large as the TT Double Rainbow, so I wouldn't get that unless you're aware of that. I could sit up in my Lunar Solo, so I was surprised to see a previous poster say you couldn't. And you might look into the new Tarptent Moment. Slightly heavier, but nicely evolved.
Con men understand that their job is not to use facts to convince skeptics but to use words to help the gullible to believe what they want to believe - Thomas Sowell
how do the coffin tents compare to the tipi? i would think the steep slope of the tipi wall would shed water and snow alot better.......
I'm not a hammock hater (I have an HH, use it occasionally), but I think it depends (among other things) on the anticipated overall weather --- not just rain but cold.
Bottom line for me is that when it's sufficiently cold out, the weight hit to be warm enough in terms of both above and underneath insulation leaves me with a significantly heavier set of sleeping gear. For example, starting on the AT in late Feb I'll be using a very lightweight (not waterproof) bivy combined with a Gatewood cape used as both tarp/tent & raingear. I can't get close to that weight package with my HH and sufficient insulation (JRB or whatever). And starting that early makes "drying out and/or sleeping in" a shelter a good option (at least I'm guessing the shelters won't be as full for a thru-hiker starting in Feb ...).
In other seasons and/or on other trails where there are enough of the right kinds of trees, a hammock is without doubt a great shelter, not least for the ability to stealth camp and in the right conditions to greatly expand the options for finding a campsite, and for at least many people, the comfort and consistency of the experience (no roots, rocks, to sleep on).
W.r.t. the original thread (!), I've spent many a night in my Tarptent Contrail --- a very roomy solo single wall tent. Between that and the Gatewood Cape and my Gossamer Gear pack I would feel very comfortable buying any product from any of these three companies (tarptent.com, sixmoondesigns.com, gossamergear.com). I love these cottage industry companies that keep pushing the limits of what gear can do for us.
From the ones you mentioned, definitely the Rainbow. With the two side grommets for vertical trekking poles, the long center pole and multiple tieouts, none of the other ones come close.
The One's vestibule does not come down far enough and will let in wind driven rain. That sucked BTW.
I have to say my Rainbow Tarptent-actually a Double Rainbow, has been a great tent for me. I've had several other tents, although none of those listed-although I did look at them all.
If pitched correctly, the Rainbow does a fantastic job keepin the weather out, and shedding snow too. It also has extra points where you can tie off into or use your trekking poles to hook into, to add extra stabilization in bad weather. The Double Rainbow comes with an optional inside fly that takes seconds to put up, needs to never be taken down, and helps considerably with condensation, misting, and adds a bit of insulation to the inside of your tent. Dual entry and spacious vestibules only add to its appeal for me. That is my go-to tent when I think the weather may be iffy. For good weather trips, I take my Contrail.
Water pours in the sides of a tent? Which tent is this? Never had it happen to me.
Tarp Bails: On my last trip(Nov 22 to Dec 6), I ran into 3 backpackers from Chattanooga who got caught in a mean snowstorm at 5,300 feet and one guy had a tarp with everything covered underneath in blown snow. See fotogs below. He later lowered it but then bailed before the second night, an even colder night at 7F.
The last fotog shows a typical winter windstorm and the effects of spindrift on a tent. Ergo, no tent should have unsealable mesh if you expect to keep blown snow out.
The best tent for bad weather? When I think of really bad conditions, I think of 60mph winter blizzards or summer thunderstorm windstorms at 5-6,000 feet on an open bald or mountaintop. Like with staying warm, security in such conditions requires weight: more poles, more stakes, more guylines, beefier shelter, double walled preferably. And enough living space to keep your sleeping bag dry and not touching any part of the tent. Most of the tents listed will touch the foot of a lofted down bag, including the highly vaunted Akto.
It's all about head and foot tent angles and if the fabric touches the sleeping bag. With any touching will come a wet bag. Very few tents have vertical head and foot ends, and Hilleberg has this problem too. In fact, in their Tent Handbook they recommend covering your sleeping bag with a rain jacket before you go to sleep. Why? Cuz their tents are too short and too angled.