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RussC
04-13-2016, 09:32
Forum newbie here. I am looking at tents, and am considering several tents that are single-wall (tarptent protrail and double rainbow as well as a few others). One issue has been mentioned by a couple of reviewers: if the tent gets wet on the outside due to rain or inside due condensation and you have to pack it up, the whole tent gets wet. That is okay unless you have steady, rainy weather for multiple days and can't dry things out which lead to serious moisture problems.

I can see that this could be a problem, but I have stuffed double wall tent parts into one bag when they were damp and not had a problem with everything getting wet, though I was able to shake off the rain fly. Has anyone run into serious issues with this? Is it that big a deal if the mesh is damp? A model with a removable netting would be a solution, but sometimes simpler is better.

Thanks for any input--narrowing the field in any way would be helpful in the decision process!

Thanks,

Russ

rafe
04-13-2016, 09:54
I haven't had a situation yet where my Tarptent got overly-wet from consistent damp conditions. Closest I get was maybe last summer on the northern part of the Long Trail. It was not an issue.

Disclaimer: I rarely leave my tent in a downpour. But otherwise...

I shake it thoroughly, while it's still standing, before I take it down and pack it. It travels outside the pack, in its own stuff sack. If weather permits, I might roll it out during lunch break and give it a chance to air out or dry out.

nsherry61
04-13-2016, 10:02
. . . That is okay unless you have steady, rainy weather for multiple days and can't dry things out which lead to serious moisture problems. . .
Over multiple days of continuous rain everything gets damp and soggy and you have no choice but to live and sleep damp and soggy. Luckily for most of us, continuous rain without a break is not something we have to suffer for more than a couple of days in most cases. The only real problem is getting your insulation wet enough that you can't stay warm. Pick your insulation wisely and keep your insulation as dry as possible and away from all your other wet gear, for which many people use trash compacter bags, trash bags, dry bags or whatever you can make work during the day. A wet tent won't soak your sleeping insulation, it just contributes a bit more to the moisture that will never go away, and that is fine as long as your insulation is kept dry enough even though not truly dry.

That all being said, yes, a tarp or a double walled tent can allow more drying out from body heat at night than a single walled tent that will hold more moisture inside.

With double walled tents being available that are less than 3 lbs, there is not much reason to suffer with a single walled tent if you are likely to spend significant time in continuously wet conditions.

DuneElliot
04-13-2016, 10:21
This is one of the main reasons I went with a cuben fiber tent despite the insane cost. Now all I need to do is to work out the best way to fold it into its storage sack while it's raining in order to keep the inside dry.

rafe
04-13-2016, 10:46
This is one of the main reasons I went with a cuben fiber tent despite the insane cost. Now all I need to do is to work out the best way to fold it into its storage sack while it's raining in order to keep the inside dry.

What is the weight of the fabric itself, as opposed to the poles, stakes and the water clinging to it? Alas, the most hi-tech fabric in my gear is just sil-nylon.

There's no real problem keeping the inside of the tent dry, even in very wet conditions. Easily manageable. Worst case, your sleeping pad keeps you mostly off the floor of the tent.

nsherry's point about proper insulation is well taken.

Extended bad weather = maybe not a bad time for a town stop, if just to regroup and carry on.

Tipi Walter
04-13-2016, 11:25
A tent will get wet from both rain and inside condensation, no matter if it's a single or double wall. Wad up the whole thing in the morning and pack it and go. That evening set up camp with the wet tent and do this:

** Put up the tent and stake it out.
** While the tent is up, shake it vigorously to dislodge any tent ceiling water droplets onto the tent floor.
** Use rag or paper towels or bandana and wipe off wet tent floor.
** NOW put your dry ground cloth INSIDE your tent and then throw in the rest of your gear. Your ground cloth is always dry on one side, at least.

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2015-Trips-161/Three-Citico-Nuts/i-FZqT3mg/0/L/TRIP%20170%20220-L.jpg
Here's my inner ground cloth on my wet tent floor with the top dry surface of the ground cloth used for my sleeping pad and gear. I mark my ground cloth with a felt marker pen to denote This Side Up.

Maui Rhino
04-13-2016, 14:10
I carry a small piece of a Sham-Wow or chamois cloth. When I get up, I'll wipe the tent down, then leave it up to air out and dry while I make my morning coffee. I may pull it out at lunch to dry more if it's still wet. If it's raining for days, everything will be damp anyway.

soumodeler
04-13-2016, 14:12
Pack towel. Just set it up and if it is not currently raining, let it sit as long as you can before getting in and drying everything off with your pack towel. If it is raining, sit in the vestibule and get it dry as you can before crawling in. Cuben fiber does make this a little easier but even a silnylon tent you should be able to get it dry enough to not soak your gear.

Good idea Tipi on the ground cloth on the inside of the tent.

burger
04-13-2016, 14:28
A pack towel will not work on silnylon that has soaked up water (contrary to popular belief, silnylon is not waterproof).

I don't like the groundcloth in the tent idea because then you likely end up with a wet, muddy tent floor. And it's hard to keep that mud from getting all over the rest of the tent and your gear when you roll it up.

Cuben fiber is a decent idea, but very expensive.

Fortunately, tthere is a much simpler and cheaper solution that will prevent you from ever having wet-tent issues and save you weight: get a tarp with an inner net. The tarp can be as wet as can be, but if you pitch it right and don't brush up against it from inside, you and your bag will not get wet. Also, tarps dry a lot faster than complete tents because there is only one piece of fabric to dry, so the entire thing can be exposed to the sun at once. Tarps generally have less problems with condensation inside than tarptents because you can adjust the height of the tarp to ventilate it. And a tarp will also save you weight because you can leave the inner net at home outside of bug season.

Six moon designs, MLD, gossamer gear, and others make a variety tarps that optionally come with inner nets.

nsherry61
04-13-2016, 14:58
. . .Cuben fiber is a decent idea, but very expensive. . .

I'm not sure how Cuben fiber is a particularly effective solution. Sure, you can physically dry it more thoroughly than silnylon, but, the amount of water left absorbed by the silnylon, although heavy, isn't going to contribute significantly to wetting out the rest of your gear.


. . . Fortunately, there is a much simpler and cheaper solution . . . a tarp with an inner net. . .
Ah, Burger, you are a man after my own heart, oh, almost. Lots of good points. However, unless bugs are a huge problem, why mess with the inner tent, keep it simpler and cheaper yet by using just a tarp and a groundcloth. An 8x10 tarp or a 9x9, or something along those lines can provide a lot of "dry" area to live in, compared to a tent, much more space to move around in, manage your gear in, cook in, etc. and depending on the wind, the humidity, and the pitch, much better air flow for drying gear out.

burger
04-13-2016, 16:05
I'm not sure how Cuben fiber is a particularly effective solution. Sure, you can physically dry it more thoroughly than silnylon, but, the amount of water left absorbed by the silnylon, although heavy, isn't going to contribute significantly to wetting out the rest of your gear.

In my experience, cuben does not absorb any water. So if you have a packtowel, you can dry it almost completely. Even just a good shaking gets the vast majority of water off a cuben tarp. And I've actually had a wet silnylon tent get my gear wet in my pack--when the wet tent comes under pressure in your pack, the water comes out. Plus, if you're using a single-wall tent, you still have a wet tent the next night.



Ah, Burger, you are a man after my own heart, oh, almost. Lots of good points. However, unless bugs are a huge problem, why mess with the inner tent, keep it simpler and cheaper yet by using just a tarp and a groundcloth. An 8x10 tarp or a 9x9, or something along those lines can provide a lot of "dry" area to live in, compared to a tent, much more space to move around in, manage your gear in, cook in, etc. and depending on the wind, the humidity, and the pitch, much better air flow for drying gear out.

Forgot to mention that if bugs are a problem and you want to go really minimalist, a bivy sack plus a tarp is a great option and even lighter than any inner net.

nsherry61
04-13-2016, 16:21
. . . I've actually had a wet silnylon tent get my gear wet in my pack . . .
When I'm in sustained wet weather, I find that the key to managing my gear moisture is to put my dry gear inside my trash compactor bag and not worry about the rest. So, a wet tent getting my gear wet is a non-issue so long as the dry stuff stays dry inside my dry bag/trash compactor bag.

Okay, that is a bit of an oversimplification. I often have truly dry gear (i.e. sleeping bag) kept in my trash compacter bag and away from anything at all wet. Then I have semi-dry gear like my fleece or puffy jacket that may be moist enough I don't want it inside my dry bag, but I don't wont it wetter from being packed with rain-gear or a wet tent/tarp. The semi-dry gear is almost always my daytime insulation and I pack it on the very top of my pack with a food bag or other non-wetted gear keeping it away from and truly soaked gear underneath.

daddytwosticks
04-13-2016, 16:27
This issue was just one of the many issues that drove me away from saggy silnylon single-walled tents and back to a conventional double-walled tent. I now use a MSR Hubba NX-1 and couldn't be happier. Being freestanding and using a footprint, I have few problems setting up/taking down in the rain. :)

Pedaling Fool
04-13-2016, 16:34
Regardless of which tent design you go with, packing up a wet tent is just part of hiking, doesn't matter if it's a single wall or comes with a fly. I just keep it close to the top of my pack (if not outside) and lay out for drying during lunch; they all dry super fast.

I would recommend not going with a single wall, simply because it's nice to be able to have only screen between you and the bugs during the summer. Single wall tents are too enclosed; I would only go with a single wall when hiking exclusively in cold temps, i.e. winter hiking.

Packing up a wet tent, regardless of design just isn't a factor in determining which tent to go with, at least in my opinion.

Tipi Walter
04-13-2016, 17:31
I don't like the groundcloth in the tent idea because then you likely end up with a wet, muddy tent floor. And it's hard to keep that mud from getting all over the rest of the tent and your gear when you roll it up.


My solution for a muddy tent floor (or ground cloth if it rests in the mud) is this---

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2016-Trips-171/17-Days-with-the-Cranberries/i-VKg5KCB/0/L/TRIP%20173%20021-L.jpg
Gather a bunch of dead leaves and place them atop the mud for your tent. Voila, no floor mess when packing up.

Vegan Packer
04-14-2016, 01:32
I use combinations of things said above. My new ZPacks Duplex is cuben fiber, so it should dry, if there is a chance to dry it. I carry a small Light Load Towel. I carry my tent in its stuff sack, and I place that in the front pocket of my pack, which is mesh, to keep from wetting the gear inside of the main storage of my pack.

Nothing is perfect.

garlic08
04-14-2016, 09:16
In my long experience with single wall silnylon shelters, when they do get completely wet, the amount of actual moisture they hold is negligible. I set up my wet tent, get inside, and sometimes I'll wipe it down with my bandanna. If it's well ventilated, if the RH drops a bit and it stops raining for an hour or so, it'll dry out. I also take advantage of any "sun breaks" during the hiking day to take a break and dry stuff out. A few minutes of sun and wind, and a single wall tent is completely dry. That to me is one of the advantages of a single wall shelter.

rafe
04-14-2016, 09:33
In my long experience with single wall silnylon shelters, when they do get completely wet, the amount of actual moisture they hold is negligible. I set up my wet tent, get inside, and sometimes I'll wipe it down with my bandanna. If it's well ventilated, if the RH drops a bit and it stops raining for an hour or so, it'll dry out. I also take advantage of any "sun breaks" during the hiking day to take a break and dry stuff out. A few minutes of sun and wind, and a single wall tent is completely dry. That to me is one of the advantages of a single wall shelter.

Agree entirely. In extended rain, where RH stays at or near 100, nothing's going to dry. That's just physics. Shake off the tent vigorously before rolling or stuffing it. When you arrive in camp, set it up early and let the wind blow it dry a bit. During a break, roll it out on a warm patch of rock. But all these tricks involve catching a break from steady rain and a dip in the RH.

RussC
04-14-2016, 11:59
That is a reassuring and makes sense base on my experience. At the end of the day (so to speak) keeping my essential dry should be manageable if the interior of the tent is damp.

Thanks for all the replies, this looks like a great online community.

left52side
04-14-2016, 15:46
Hi there after reading through a few responses ill leave my two cents lol.
I use A deshutes plus shaped tarp as shelter and also have used a skyskape trekker and scout.
Which is a hybrid I believe is what they call it.
But with any shelter I use if it is wet when I am packing up I put it in my outside mesh pocket and try to at least let it air dry a bit.
If weather in inclement all day then it is just A bummer for a cold night I suppose.
That is why I like the deshutes plus shelter with A polycryo ground sheet .

evyck da fleet
04-14-2016, 16:42
A sham wow like towel and, if on the AT, a shelter at lunch time will allow you to dry a wet tent from the previous night even if its raining out. Just make sure not to leave wet muddy footprints in the shelter :). If I can't find a shelter and it rains all day, then make sure everything in my tent is on the thermarest and wipe down the inside and then the thermarest before rolling out the sleeping bag.

QiWiz
04-15-2016, 13:00
Forum newbie here. I am looking at tents, and am considering several tents that are single-wall (tarptent protrail and double rainbow as well as a few others). One issue has been mentioned by a couple of reviewers: if the tent gets wet on the outside due to rain or inside due condensation and you have to pack it up, the whole tent gets wet. That is okay unless you have steady, rainy weather for multiple days and can't dry things out which lead to serious moisture problems.

I can see that this could be a problem, but I have stuffed double wall tent parts into one bag when they were damp and not had a problem with everything getting wet, though I was able to shake off the rain fly. Has anyone run into serious issues with this? Is it that big a deal if the mesh is damp? A model with a removable netting would be a solution, but sometimes simpler is better.

Thanks for any input--narrowing the field in any way would be helpful in the decision process!

Thanks,

Russ


If there is excess inside moisture after setup of any tent (single or double wall) you can use a packtowel or bandana to swab it out as needed. Not a bid issue IMO, and not a reason not to get a single wall tent. The same towel or bandana can be used to swab away condensation when/if it forms inside the tent.

rocketsocks
04-16-2016, 00:02
Hey hon, how bout you pack the tent while I fetch some water for coffee. ;)

Wülfgang
04-16-2016, 14:18
In my long experience with single wall silnylon shelters, when they do get completely wet, the amount of actual moisture they hold is negligible. I set up my wet tent, get inside, and sometimes I'll wipe it down with my bandanna. If it's well ventilated, if the RH drops a bit and it stops raining for an hour or so, it'll dry out. I also take advantage of any "sun breaks" during the hiking day to take a break and dry stuff out. A few minutes of sun and wind, and a single wall tent is completely dry. That to me is one of the advantages of a single wall shelter.

Totally agree. Silnylon, despite being eclipsed by the trendy popularity of cuben, is still a great outdoor fabric. When it's really wet (high RH or constant precip), nothing will stay truly dry except perhaps items in a dry bag. I just shake my tent off, towel the floor, pack it up, and set it up wet again that night. Towel the floor again if needed. And here in the west where the RH is so low, 15 minutes in the mid-day sun will dry any single wall shelter completely.

Tipi Walter
04-16-2016, 14:24
Totally agree. Silnylon, despite being eclipsed by the trendy popularity of cuben, is still a great outdoor fabric. When it's really wet (high RH or constant precip), nothing will stay truly dry except perhaps items in a dry bag. I just shake my tent off, towel the floor, pack it up, and set it up wet again that night. Towel the floor again if needed. And here in the west where the RH is so low, 15 minutes in the mid-day sun will dry any single wall shelter completely.

In addition, silnylon stretches considerably when set up dry and getting wet.

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2016-Trips-171/17-Days-with-the-Cranberries/i-QDSMWGX/0/L/TRIP%20173%20233-L.jpg
Here's an example of wet silnylon after getting wet with snow.

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpack-2016-Trips-171/17-Days-with-the-Cranberries/i-TLvrgTR/0/L/TRIP%20173%20234-L.jpg
I go out in the morning and restretch and repeg the tent to get it tight.

A big problem with silnylon is setting up a wet stretched tent and getting a low humidity morning with direct hot sunlight. It's been pegged wet, remember? Now when it dries it pulls very tight and puts stress on sewn seams and often has to be repegged again to loosen up.

Tipi Walter
04-16-2016, 14:40
Another good example of wet silnylon---

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Tipi-Walter-Citico-Snow/i-txT2mB6/0/M/TRIP%20118%20023-M.jpg

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Tipi-Walter-Brushy-Ridge/i-mQLG3Sj/0/M/TRIP%20119%20012-M.jpg
Very dry silnylon, same tent.

Dogwood
04-16-2016, 16:53
I seriously wouldn't be considering a single wall, double wall, hammock, tarp, tarp tent, bivy, etc based on possibly packing it up wet possibly getting other parts of it wet. If it's not raining when breaking camp I usually air out or drape any of these shelters on a branch, etc to dry some before packing. And, if need wipe off excessive wetness or dirt/debris with my ditty cookware pack cloth or a bandana before packing. If that wet which is not typical and if it isn't raining store on the outside of backpack. At first stop air it out further.

Dogwood
04-16-2016, 17:00
With most of my silny, spinnaker, and CF tarps/shelters, etc airing out for 5-10 mins as I'm packing everything else up packing up the shelter last is enough to get it dry, or dry enough. My typical scenario when weather is favorable is to cowboy camp avoiding wet from condensation shelters all together. I might even dry a shelter overnight without using/sleeping in the shelter if necessary. Way beyond psychologically NEEDING to sleep in a tent when not necessary. Zoom Zoom Zoom. Away we go.

Deadeye
04-17-2016, 10:08
I carry a small piece of a Sham-Wow or chamois cloth. When I get up, I'll wipe the tent down, then leave it up to air out and dry while I make my morning coffee. I may pull it out at lunch to dry more if it's still wet. If it's raining for days, everything will be damp anyway.

This. I usually carry a hammock, but same thing works - just wipe down the tarp before packing. Everything under the tarp - me, hammock, gear, etc. - is nice and dry.

Wülfgang
04-17-2016, 17:20
Another good example of wet silnylon---

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Tipi-Walter-Citico-Snow/i-txT2mB6/0/M/TRIP%20118%20023-M.jpg

https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Tipi-Walter-Brushy-Ridge/i-mQLG3Sj/0/M/TRIP%20119%20012-M.jpg
Very dry silnylon, same tent.

I've had this problem as well. Set up tight, then awake the next morning to a saggy tent. I thought my pitch was just bad but the it's the fabric's properties.

That is a FORTRESS of a tent!

Tipi Walter
04-17-2016, 22:44
That is a FORTRESS of a tent!

It has kept me alive in some major events---high winds, blizzards, severe cold and 5 day rainstorms.

DuneElliot
04-18-2016, 08:47
I've had this problem as well. Set up tight, then awake the next morning to a saggy tent. I thought my pitch was just bad but the it's the fabric's properties.

That is a FORTRESS of a tent!

This is one of the things that makes me concerned about my SMD Lunar Solo.

garlic08
04-18-2016, 10:22
For those concerned with sagging silnylon, there are ways to mitigate it.

First, try to select a dryer site. Stay out of meadows near creeks, for instance. If you care to learn how to dry camp, you can get away from creeks and lakes and many things improve--fewer bugs and rodents, warmer temps, and fewer people, for instance.

Second, more practically for most, retension your guy lines often. Pull them tight (you can't harm the stuff by pulling too tight) before you go to bed. If you need to pee during the night, pull the lines tight again.

Some designs, like my old TT Contrail, allow you to reach front guy lines from inside. I can tighten mine without leaving my sleeping bag. I also set my front pole at an angle, allowing me to raise the peak and tighten the ridge line anytime during the night simply by moving the base of the pole a few inches.

Tipi Walter
04-18-2016, 11:28
For those concerned with sagging silnylon, there are ways to mitigate it.

First, try to select a dryer site. Stay out of meadows near creeks, for instance. If you care to learn how to dry camp, you can get away from creeks and lakes and many things improve--fewer bugs and rodents, warmer temps, and fewer people, for instance.

Second, more practically for most, retension your guy lines often. Pull them tight (you can't harm the stuff by pulling too tight) before you go to bed. If you need to pee during the night, pull the lines tight again.

Some designs, like my old TT Contrail, allow you to reach front guy lines from inside. I can tighten mine without leaving my sleeping bag. I also set my front pole at an angle, allowing me to raise the peak and tighten the ridge line anytime during the night simply by moving the base of the pole a few inches.

I have a agree-disagree reaction to this post. First off, "try to select a dryer site" is rarely a good choice for me because I want to camp near creeks, in meadows, on open balds, or otherwise in nasty places wherever I want to go. Why not? I have this freedom because I carry a shelter which will endure any site I choose. Plus, a sudden sleet storm or rainstorm can happen anywhere at any site, thereby my tight silnylon tent gets wrinkled up.

"Retension your guy lines often" is something I agree with, but not only guylines but the entire peg tabs around the tent fly. But you can pull too tightly on your stake out points and damage not only the tent poles but the vestibule zipper, especially when a wet tent is pegged tightly and direct sunlight causes the tent to tighten like a drum. Not good.

One time I was camping on Medicine Creek near Laurel Springs NC and I staked out my Westwind tent vestibule fly too tight and when trying to zip the fly door shut the fly ripped parallel to the zipper due to the tension on the fly. This was partly caused by UV damage.

If stakes are pulled too tight it puts undue stress on fly seams, pole configurations and zippers.

lonehiker
04-18-2016, 12:26
Garlics advice on choosing dryer sites is sound. If the logic doesn't apply to you, then simply disregard. Most would be well served by his post. I do agree that guy lines could be pulled too tight. But his point of taking the slack out periodically is fine.

nsherry61
04-18-2016, 16:43
I've had this problem as well. Set up tight, then awake the next morning to a saggy tent. I thought my pitch was just bad but the it's the fabric's properties. . .
An easy solution to sagging nylon is to integrate shock aborbers into your guy lines. Something as simple as an appropriately sized rubber band or as fancy as a custom made elastic guy line work surprisingly well. This will significantly reduce both the problem of sag and the problem of too much tension after drying. They also reduce the stress on stakes in storms so the stakes are less likely to pull out and your tent less likely to tear in heavy wind.

Example of a rubber band shown here attached to a cheap tarp grommet. The rigging in the first image provides double the tension of the rigging in the second image, so you can even fine tune your tension with little effort.

3454834549

Deadeye
04-18-2016, 18:19
I don't think I'd trust a rubber band as the direct connection, but I have seen bands or shock cords used to tighten the slack in ways that leave the full cord in place if the elastic breaks. I've also seen water bottles attached to guy lines as automatic tensioners.

nsherry61
04-18-2016, 18:31
I don't think I'd trust a rubber band as the direct connection . . .
I've fiddled with all kinds of shock absorbers over the years. Many systems work well. The rubber bands have become my favorite because they are so simple, so light, so cheap, and work so well.

Interestingly, years ago, I had a NOLES instructor teach us to tie a loop of shoestring between our guy-lines and our tarps/tents so the shoe string would break before damage was done to the shelter by a high wind or tripping event. The implication being that the guy lines might be stronger than the shelter and it is far better to have a broken guy-line (shoe string/rubber band) than a damaged shelter.

FWIW, I challenge you to attach an appropriate sized rubber band to your tent or tarp and pull on it hard enough to break the rubber band. It can be done. And, you will probably never be worried about it breaking accidentally again. They just stretch too much and are reasonably tough unless they are really old and rotten. Then you have to cough up another $1 and buy another 5 years' supply.

Wülfgang
04-18-2016, 19:44
An easy solution to sagging nylon is to integrate shock aborbers into your guy lines. Something as simple as an appropriately sized rubber band or as fancy as a custom made elastic guy line work surprisingly well. This will significantly reduce both the problem of sag and the problem of too much tension after drying. They also reduce the stress on stakes in storms so the stakes are less likely to pull out and your tent less likely to tear in heavy wind.

Example of a rubber band shown here attached to a cheap tarp grommet. The rigging in the first image provides double the tension of the rigging in the second image, so you can even fine tune your tension with little effort.

3454834549

Not a bad idea. I did this with my Warbonnet Superfly tarp when I was hammock camper. It literally saved my bacon one night in very high winds---we guessed them at 40+ mph gusts. Let me tell you a hammock tarp is like a SAIL in high winds. If I hadnt used shock cord on my ground ties, I'm convinced the wind would have taken my tarp and it would have been a long, wet night.

handlebar
04-19-2016, 10:16
This is one of the things that makes me concerned about my SMD Lunar Solo.

My SMD Wild Oasis (same as Lunar Solo, but without floor) survived over 1 foot of heavy, wet snow on the PA Mid State Trail on April 23. It also did well in high winds nearly at the summit of James Peak in CO.

DuneElliot
04-19-2016, 10:54
My SMD Wild Oasis (same as Lunar Solo, but without floor) survived over 1 foot of heavy, wet snow on the PA Mid State Trail on April 23. It also did well in high winds nearly at the summit of James Peak in CO.

Did you experience much sagging in the material? I bought it because of all the good reviews and will still use it, just want to know

handlebar
04-19-2016, 18:56
Did you experience much sagging in the material? I bought it because of all the good reviews and will still use it, just want to know
It definitely sagged under the snow load. I would wake up when it sagged enough to reach my head and wake me up. I slapped the side of the tarp and the snow slid off. Then I pushed the snow out away from the netting skirt at the bottom to maintain ventilation. I had tensioners on all the guy lines that I could reach from inside the tarp by reaching under the net skirt, although you can't do that with the LunarSolo because it has a sewn in floor.