View Full Version : Freestanding Tarptents
I've been reading reviews of the freestanding tarptent versions.
Anyone here have experience with those?
https://www.facebook.com/stephen.r.marsh/posts/10158424881650523
For some links.
hyperhiker
03-11-2017, 09:22
I have the one person rainbow which can be set up free standing using trekking poles but I have never felt the need. Love the tent and will be bringing with me on the AT for at least a month. I recently saw a write up on one of the forums saying the two person has limited head space. The one person has plenty.
Tipi Walter
03-11-2017, 10:13
There are no free-standing TarpTents except for the Scarp with the external poles, as below---
https://www.tarptent.com/photos/sc2-5.jpg
Any time you have to stake out any part of the fly to form a vestibule etc the tent stops being a true free-standing shelter. A free-standing tent is something you can completely set up and then lift off the ground and sit it somewhere else---no pegs are needed at all---except to keep the thing from blowing away in a windstorm.
MuddyWaters
03-11-2017, 10:35
Theres no such thing as a free standing tent in the wind
Only benefit to my freestanding tents, is can turn upside down and shake to clean out debris. Pretty small.
With the extra poles the scarp comes to about five pounds.
Thanks for the input and the thoughts.
Tarptent Moment with freestanding pole option. Still needs to be staked to the ground to keep it from running away while you are down at the spring getting water.
3853138532
I have the one person rainbow which can be set up free standing using trekking poles but I have never felt the need. Love the tent and will be bringing with me on the AT for at least a month. I recently saw a write up on one of the forums saying the two person has limited head space. The one person has plenty.
Same here, the solo Rainbow. I like it quite a lot. Not perfect but mostly works for me. It takes about two minutes to set up: most of that time is inserting the one long ridge pole. After that, five or six stakes and you're done. The "freestanding" setup is harder, so I don't bother.
Bigger upside down photo
38534
Tipi Walter
03-11-2017, 12:10
Bigger upside down photo
38534
There you go---you're right, forgot about the Moment.
ImAfraidOfBears
03-11-2017, 12:20
Bigger upside down photo
38534
so this is what they meant by 'suspended bathtub floor'
Sarcasm the elf
03-11-2017, 12:48
I have the double rainbow which can be made freestanding by using trekking poles. I am very happy with it and in truth I find that I very rarely need it to be in freestanding mode as it is easy to setup by just staking it out. The only time I really bother to set it up as a freestanding tent is when I am using a tent platform or other surface where I cannot easily stake it out.
Yes, but even the silicone strips did not keep me on the floor of this set up.
Old Hiker
03-11-2017, 14:46
Bigger upside down photo
38534
How much does the stand for that hammock add to your base weight?
One evening I set up my tarptent moment ( the original, not the DW ) using just two stakes without the optional freestanding cross pole. Woke up in the middle of the night, the tent was flapping in a fairly strong wind. After ten minutes I realized that it was more than the wind. Got up found out that one of the stakes had pulled out of the ground, but the tent remained standing, although it did flap a bit. I use MSR Groundhog stakes now.
raggydoo
03-11-2017, 17:27
There are no free-standing TarpTents except for the Scarp with the external poles, as below---
https://www.tarptent.com/photos/sc2-5.jpg
Any time you have to stake out any part of the fly to form a vestibule etc the tent stops being a true free-standing shelter. A free-standing tent is something you can completely set up and then lift off the ground and sit it somewhere else---no pegs are needed at all---except to keep the thing from blowing away in a windstorm.
They actually just released the Bowfin 1 https://www.tarptent.com/bowfin1.html in February which is a freestanding design.
Tipi Walter
03-11-2017, 21:36
They actually just released the Bowfin 1 https://www.tarptent.com/bowfin1.html in February which is a freestanding design.
The Bowfin like many other tents needs a stake to pull out the fly vestibule and so isn't freestanding. PAhiker shows a freestanding tent---able to be picked up with a rigid fly and vestibule.
rocketsocks
03-11-2017, 22:05
Theres no such thing as a free standing tent in the wind
Only benefit to my freestanding tents, is can turn upside down and shake to clean out debris. Pretty small....and you can fly em like a kite.
Elaikases
03-11-2017, 23:25
I have the double rainbow which can be made freestanding by using trekking poles. I am very happy with it and in truth I find that I very rarely need it to be in freestanding mode as it is easy to setup by just staking it out. The only time I really bother to set it up as a freestanding tent is when I am using a tent platform or other surface where I cannot easily stake it out.
Thanks for that input.
The tiny bit of validity in the point that freestanding tents still have to have the vestibule staked out is essentially meaningless. And not entirely true either as one can just not stake it at all and let it drape over the pack. For instance this tent
https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/FlyCreekHVPlatinum1
Is very suitable for setting up and not bothering to stake the vestibule.
A free standing tent is far superior to a tent which needs to be staked - even if you decide to stake the vestibule. It is the comparison of as many as 8 stakes to 1 on most tents. And then there is just the ease and quickness of setup. The freestanding tent cares less if the ground is flat, slopes, bumpy, rocky, solid rock, etc. The staked tent sucks on most of those things. You fight and fight with them to get them up, have stakes hold in the sand, have to tie them to rocks because the stakes cannot penetrate the rock you are on. On slopes or uneven ground you can spend an inordinate amount of time fiddling with the stakes and lines trying over and over again to get a taunt tent. And then the wind comes up and pulls all your stakes out of the ground.
I own a Z-Packs ultralight Soloplex and I hate it. It is a huge pain to get set up right. On some surfaces it just does not work. I have watched other hikers try and set up theirs and the take it down and put it up and move it and curse and the set up sucks. I have had mine blow down when I was in it several times. It high winds come up just pull it down and wrap it around you.
Another big advantage of freestanding tents are the useable room in them compared to the ultralight tarp designs. My Z-Pack solo is really only suitable for someone who is about 5'6" as I at 5'10" cannot sit up in the tent without pushing my head against the roof. When laying down on my mattress and in the bag I cannot keep my bag from touching the tent roof at both the feet and head due to the very shallow slopes of the tent wall. Freestanding tents have walls which rise fast and create way more useable room with the same floor sq footage.
Free standing tents do not blow away - unless you forgot to put your brain on that morning. If it is real windy when you roll it out you open the door and put your pack inside it. Then you slide the poles in and you are basically done. You can set them up anywhere on anything. Can't be beat with a stick. And you actually can set them up in 2 mins which is a laughable claim seen by many tarp tent makers.
The tiny bit of validity in the point that freestanding tents still have to have the vestibule staked out is essentially meaningless. And not entirely true either as one can just not stake it at all and let it drape over the pack. For instance this tent
https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/FlyCreekHVPlatinum1
Is very suitable for setting up and not bothering to stake the vestibule.
A free standing tent is far superior to a tent which needs to be staked - even if you decide to stake the vestibule. It is the comparison of as many as 8 stakes to 1 on most tents. And then there is just the ease and quickness of setup. The freestanding tent cares less if the ground is flat, slopes, bumpy, rocky, solid rock, etc. The staked tent sucks on most of those things. You fight and fight with them to get them up, have stakes hold in the sand, have to tie them to rocks because the stakes cannot penetrate the rock you are on. On slopes or uneven ground you can spend an inordinate amount of time fiddling with the stakes and lines trying over and over again to get a taunt tent. And then the wind comes up and pulls all your stakes out of the ground.
I own a Z-Packs ultralight Soloplex and I hate it. It is a huge pain to get set up right. On some surfaces it just does not work. I have watched other hikers try and set up theirs and the take it down and put it up and move it and curse and the set up sucks. I have had mine blow down when I was in it several times. It high winds come up just pull it down and wrap it around you.
Another big advantage of freestanding tents are the useable room in them compared to the ultralight tarp designs. My Z-Pack solo is really only suitable for someone who is about 5'6" as I at 5'10" cannot sit up in the tent without pushing my head against the roof. When laying down on my mattress and in the bag I cannot keep my bag from touching the tent roof at both the feet and head due to the very shallow slopes of the tent wall. Freestanding tents have walls which rise fast and create way more useable room with the same floor sq footage.
Free standing tents do not blow away - unless you forgot to put your brain on that morning. If it is real windy when you roll it out you open the door and put your pack inside it. Then you slide the poles in and you are basically done. You can set them up anywhere on anything. Can't be beat with a stick. And you actually can set them up in 2 mins which is a laughable claim seen by many tarp tent makers.
Well, you put it more forcefully than I would have, but yes.
Tipi Walter
03-13-2017, 10:48
The tiny bit of validity in the point that freestanding tents still have to have the vestibule staked out is essentially meaningless. And not entirely true either as one can just not stake it at all and let it drape over the pack. For instance this tent
https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/FlyCreekHVPlatinum1
Is very suitable for setting up and not bothering to stake the vestibule.
A free standing tent is far superior to a tent which needs to be staked - even if you decide to stake the vestibule. It is the comparison of as many as 8 stakes to 1 on most tents. And then there is just the ease and quickness of setup. The freestanding tent cares less if the ground is flat, slopes, bumpy, rocky, solid rock, etc. The staked tent sucks on most of those things. You fight and fight with them to get them up, have stakes hold in the sand, have to tie them to rocks because the stakes cannot penetrate the rock you are on. On slopes or uneven ground you can spend an inordinate amount of time fiddling with the stakes and lines trying over and over again to get a taunt tent. And then the wind comes up and pulls all your stakes out of the ground.
Free standing tents do not blow away - unless you forgot to put your brain on that morning. If it is real windy when you roll it out you open the door and put your pack inside it. Then you slide the poles in and you are basically done. You can set them up anywhere on anything. Can't be beat with a stick. And you actually can set them up in 2 mins which is a laughable claim seen by many tarp tent makers.
Your logic is flawed. You say a freestanding tent works much better on poor ground because it needs minimal stakes and then say a non-freestanding tent with many stakes could get wind and pull all the stakes out in poor ground. What the heck do you think this wind will do to an unpegged freestanding tent on the same ground?
ALL TENTS NEED TO BE STAKED---as much as possible in a hard wind. And good tents have mid-level guylines which need to be staked and which keep the tent secure. And a surprise hard wind can come up at 3am. I've been in banshee windstorms where I loved all of the 14 pegs I brought.
Just because you had trouble with your solo tent doesn't mean all tents are equally deficient.
And unstaked tents do blow away with a pack inside. Anyone who has been in a tremendous wind in a tent at an exposed spot knows this. Plus, ample tent pegging is the main component of in-tent living and surviving a night in a howling wind on a TN or NC mountaintop. In my opinion, going out on a long backpacking trip and taking no tent pegs is lunacy. You've just lost 40% of a tent's stability.
But hey, on the other hand, if you set up your tent indoors or in the garage or outside in a city park on the calmest sunniest days of the year, well, you're right: You don't need stakes.
There are no free-standing TarpTents except for the Scarp with the external poles, as below---
https://www.tarptent.com/photos/sc2-5.jpg
Any time you have to stake out any part of the fly to form a vestibule etc the tent stops being a true free-standing shelter. A free-standing tent is something you can completely set up and then lift off the ground and sit it somewhere else---no pegs are needed at all---except to keep the thing from blowing away in a windstorm.
I have a TarpTent Moment DW. It's free standing. I'm heavy enough that if i'm in it, I'm not concerned about blowing away. That would take gale force winds of hurricane or tornado proportions. :)
Oh and when I put it up, I am generally going in it,along with my pack, which is on the heavy side too. We make great anchors. The cross pole keeps it from collapsing.... at least so far. I did do a long night on a ridge on Grandfather Mtn. when the wind was pretty darn fierce. Kind of hard to stand anything up outside and from the inside it sounded like about 30 screaming women. It held up nicely.
Tipi Walter
03-13-2017, 12:55
Oh and when I put it up, I am generally going in it,along with my pack, which is on the heavy side too. We make great anchors. The cross pole keeps it from collapsing.... at least so far. I did do a long night on a ridge on Grandfather Mtn. when the wind was pretty darn fierce. Kind of hard to stand anything up outside and from the inside it sounded like about 30 screaming women. It held up nicely.
Are you saying you used it with no tent pegs?? The Moment DW has guylines that can be staked out to prevent tent sway etc. See pic---from manufacturer's website---
Question---Let's say you never need to stake out your tent. What happens when you---the anchor---needs to leave the tent in a terrible blow and visit a cathole? It will blow away.
http://www.tarptent.com/photos/mtdw-17.jpg
dharmabum2
03-13-2017, 13:07
I have the Tarptent Double Rainbow. It does have a freestanding option utilizing trekking poles to extend each end so that the tent structure is stiff and erect. I've used this option a number of times, primarily for tent platforms. In my experience it is somewhat laborious to set up and not 100% reliable. Biggest issue is that the velcro straps at the bottom of each end of the one pole running the length of the tent are not strong enough to stay attached to the enter point of each trekking pole. This can be solved by using a real tie or tape at that connection. Otherwise a great tent.
Are you saying you used it with no tent pegs?? The Moment DW has guylines that can be staked out to prevent tent sway etc. See pic---from manufacturer's website---
Question---Let's say you never need to stake out your tent. What happens when you---the anchor---needs to leave the tent in a terrible blow and visit a cathole? It will blow away.
http://www.tarptent.com/photos/mtdw-17.jpg
I'm sorry I did mislead. It is freestanding, but at Grandfather I did have it staked out for sure. I have never done the guylines as shown above though.
In that instance, you would be correct in the event of strong winds and no stakes. I have just never gotten out to do that.... yet. I tend to try and take care of all outdoor activitie before I set up, then set up and dive in til morning if at all possible. I always do stake out though, unless the ground makes it impossible.
ldsailor
03-13-2017, 17:32
I have a one person Rainbow Tarptent. I used it last year on a 530 mile section hike from Springer to Marion, VA. It encountered a number of variable weather conditions. A light snow, rain, howling, strong wind near the top of a mountain, and nice weather; although all the use was in fairly cool to cold weather for this Florida native. I never setup the tent freestanding. I always staked it and never once had a problem. The tent kept me dry and relatively warm (as opposed to sleeping in an open shelter. I was able to keep my pack in the tent with me, so there is enough room for that and me and that's about it. The tent is very easy to setup, too. It never took more than 10 minutes and if I was in a big hurry, I could do it in about 5 minutes.
One word of caution/warning. Liner. Yes, buy the liner because there will be condensation on the inside of the tent, and you will get wet without a liner. Put the liner in on first use whether you need it or not and just leave it. That's a lot better than fooling with it during a driving rain or late at night when condensation starts dripping on you.
Oh, yeah! Be absolutely sure to seal the seams. I remember a young lady on the trail had a Tarptent and she never sealed the seams. She stayed mostly in shelters after she figured out why the seams need to be sealed.
I'm heading to Marion, VA in May to continue northbound and the Tarptent will be with me again.
Tipi Walter
03-13-2017, 18:06
One word of caution/warning. Liner. Yes, buy the liner because there will be condensation on the inside of the tent, and you will get wet without a liner. Put the liner in on first use whether you need it or not and just leave it. That's a lot better than fooling with it during a driving rain or late at night when condensation starts dripping on you.
Excellent advice. Something I always say about single wall tents---condensation can and will start dripping on you. The liner in effect makes it a double wall tent. People will howl and disagree and say I'm totally misguided but when they do I'll reference Idsailor's post---and your quote.