contrail tarptent

[Sequoia]

So I received my contrail tent in the mail the other day and walked to the beach today to test setting it up. It was a little windy, but the tent seems mad flimsy and looks like it could use a couple more stakes along the side.

People that have thru-hiked with this tent: is it ok? does it just seem flimsy? did you use more stakes and rope than was provided? did it last the entire way?

[Bags4266]

Did you put the back into the wind? I have the tent too and carry 8 stakes for it. 4 stakes just never cut it for me. I use a mix of the msr ground hogs and msr needle stakes. If you have the front pole that was an option, I noticed that I needed to kick the bottom out to the right side, this abled me to pull the tent nice and taut. It takes a few times to setup and mess around with to get it down tight.
Also see some post from Franco on the rear pole setup.

[Praha4]

there's been a lot of good info and suggestions for storm rigging the Contrail...put out by McBride, Franco, and some others on WB... follow this link

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=57553

[Brian (aka Skippy)]

Should the floor seams be sealed on the Contrail? I don't really want something sticky on the inside, but I guess it's necessary...especially without a ground sheet?

[tppreston]

You mention the beach - sandy soil. Assuming that is so, it would require several Y stakes on a calm day. My experience with it is one chilly wet week in SNP, and yes I used additional stakes and tie-outs. Setting up in the wind is never fun, but you eventually develop a method.

[johnnyblisters]

Although I have not thru-hiked with it I used a contrail while ridgerunning for the last two seasons. It is an excellent tent and it has seen it's fair share of storms. If your concerned about stability, take lots of time to set up the tent with every side guyed out. Set it up in lots of different weather conditions to see what works, so you don't end up with a soggy bag because you didn't pull the floor tight enough (doh!).

[soaks77]

My first outing with the Contrail I noticed the same thing you did. I was only using the 4 provided stakes and no additional guy lines. The wind and rain was varying its directions so it was hard for me to set it up properly with the wind to the rear, and every gust from the side would blow in the tent too close to my sleeping bag. Now I use 7 or 8 stakes and guy out the sides and the middle back part. It holds much better and I haven't had any problems since changing the set up.

[wrongway_08]

Make sure you set it up in the right direction for the wind.

I usually add two stakes to the sides.

When first set up, make it a little tight and it will settle to were it should be.

Did fine on my Thru.

[Red Beard]

This is the reason I went with the TT Moment. Only requires 2 stakes, and it's very wind-worthy

[Grinder]

I used a virago last year, It's the predecessor to the Contrail and quite similar.

There is quite a learning curve with tarp tents, especially where windy raw conditions prevail.

Like someone else said, search "Franco". That dude knows his tarp tents and give understandable advise.

I've gone back to my hammock, myself.

[bullseye]

Originally Posted by Brian (aka Skippy)

Should the floor seams be sealed on the Contrail? I don't really want something sticky on the inside, but I guess it's necessary...especially without a ground sheet?

Actually you WILL want something sticky on the inside. The floor is so slippery that if you pitch on even a slight incline you will be sliding around at night. I fixed that by running some beads of silcone across the floor (same stuff you use to seal the seams)- no more moving around.

[garlic08]

The Contrail is extremely durable and versatile. I have over 5,000 trouble-free trail miles on mine, including an AT thru, and it looks ready for (I hope) 5,000 more. Even the zippers have help up. The genius in its design, I think, is no metal hoop pole--just the rear plastic struts that don't go anywhere.

I did take a week or two to get decent at pitching it, and I think I'm still getting better at it after all these years. Definitely look up Franco's storm pitch. That's probably the best single advice I've gotten from this forum.

I hope it works very well for you, too. You may have a learning curve if you haven't used a single wall shelter. Do a search for condensation here if needed.

[Powder River]

Definitely use the center strut, as seen in the link Praha4 provided. It is a much better tent with the center strut, and still only 5 stakes. If you contact Henry he can send you one. I think I staked out the sides once or twice, but it changes the lines of the pitch and brings the sides all the way to the ground. A very, very short piece of line might help this.

[butts0989]

Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV2--tjp5ow
I posted it to help people with an idea for more ventilation and more wind resistance. you do have to carry 8 stakes for this, but this set up is bomb proof, ive taken it in winds from 30-40 mph. Also the reason i prefer this over the moment is because of its REALLY generous floor space. For a Thru hike you are going to want something that feels somewhat home-e. with all 8 stakes it is also lighter that the moment with no stakes.

[wrongway_08]

Keep on setting it up and practice. Once you get it down, its a great tent. I have even set mine up on a slant and managed to get a tight set to the tent.

For the weight and pack space, this is a great tent.

Do yourself a big favor and make sure you get the water proofing right. Take your time (as with any tent), it really sucks to rush and then have a leak ..... takes 4 times longer to remove a bad seam job, then to just do it right the first time.

Have fun!

[sbhikes]

I have used a Gossamer Gear version of this tent. It seemed very well made. I used 6 stakes.

[McBride]

Originally Posted by wrongway_08

Make sure you set it up in the right direction for the wind.

I usually add two stakes to the sides.

When first set up, make it a little tight and it will settle to were it should be.

Did fine on my Thru.

Dunno about you but after day two on the trail I usually ended up placing my tent based on the roots and rocks on the ground and was S.O.L. with wind placement.
Also when I used two stakes on the sides I noticed that it caused the area to the left of the stake (towards the door) to get floppy in the wind. Therefore I never put stakes in the sides. with the Franco setup the tent was taught as hell and worked great regardless of wind direction.

note that this isn't a criticism of your quote, I just used it for context.

[gonewalkabout]

I only made about 500 miles last year. But The contrail stood up well using 4 stakes most of the time. Had a really good rain and wind event just outside of Hot Sproings and was happy. I was not happy with the being rained on from the inside from condensation in the warmer summer weather. Had to put my bag a way and sleep in rain gear. If I were to do it again I might sitch to a real tent for the summer.

Good luck,