View Full Version : PCT - Tarptent Contrail or Rainbow
I'm looking for a solo tent for the PCT next summer. I've recently discovered Tarptents which seem pretty cool b/c I want the features of a tent but as light as possible of course.
The contrail seems great b/c it's soo light but seems pretty tiny and I'm not sure I like how there is only head room at the entrance. The Rainbow is has more room but might be unnecessary and weighs more.
What are your experiences with these tents? Any recommendations on how they would work for the PCT?
Also, I love my MSR Hubba Hubba. I really like the freestanding ability to set up where ever I like which is also a plus for the Rainbow. So I'm also considering a solo Hubba, but in terms of weight, it's much heavier than either of the other two options.
MTS
I thru-hiked the PCT this year, and carried a Contrail for much of it.
First 700 miles I just cowboy camped, carried a poncho to use as a rain shelter if needed, but it essentially never was. There was one night when I wished I had had a bug shelter, but made do with what I had.
I picked up the Contrail along with a lot of other gear changes at the start of the Sierras and carried it the rest of the way. It turned out to be a great choice for me, for most of the trip. California doesn't tend to be rainy-damp-humid, so a single-wall tent works great to create a bug-free zone and for the infrequent rain that does fall. I don't like using DEET, so my solution in heavy bug periods was to eat breakfast and dinner in the tent, minimizing how much time I spent out of it. This worked fine for much of Oregon too, and really Washington as well. It's possible to get into a rainy period in Oregon and Washington where a single-wall tent is more labour intensive --- tent gets wet both inside and outside, one wants a light pack towel to dry off the inside at times.
You're right that the head room is only at the entrance, but I disagree that it's "pretty tiny" --- IMO it's very roomy inside for a solo tent, particularly for the weight; I often just put all my stuff as well as me in the tent and didn't feel crammed.
You get used to sliding your butt a bit towards the entrance to sit up (depending on how tall you are from the waist up). This is more of an issue when there's condensation on the inner side of the tent fabric, which per above, there wasn't much of for my PCT trip. I don't agree with you that the (single) rainbow has more room. The Rainbow is nice in that it can be rigged to be free-standing, and indeed I think a reasonably sized person can sit up comfortably in it without having to slide back or forth first. Note, however, that I have very limited experience at seeing and sitting in either the Single or Double Rainbow.
If I were to do the PCT again, I'd go for exactly the same approach I followed this year --- no tent for first 700 miles, but bring a poncho to serve double duty as raingear and at-need rain shelter. Tarptent from then on (perhaps more for bugs than rain in CA), and in Oregon sometime if not sooner make sure to have one of those little light blue ultralight pack towels to help dry it off.
An alternative to consider might be a bug bivy plus Gatewood Cape or bug bivy plus a more conventional poncho. That combo is lighter than carrying a Contrail plus some sort of raingear, but both the bug bivy's I've seen offer considerably less room inside than the Contrail. One can perhaps get too aggressive in saving weight. If it's rainy out or the bugs are fierce, I really appreciate how roomy the Contrail is.
Brian / Gadget
http://postholer.com/brianle
I would go with the Contrail. The Rainbow is pretty clever, but it is heavier, and you have to schlepp that extra weight every step of the way.
I don't have a Contrail, but the older Virga. The Contrail looks like an improvement--more headroom and fewer poles.
If you're tall at all (more than about 5'6"), the Gatewood Cape might be a problem.
If U search back on this site U will find several articles that discuss the similarities/differences and pros/cons of these two models.
The Rainbow is one of the largest ( in usable volume) single tents around, but the Contrail is definitely not a small tent. This picture was taken for a 5'7" guy that wanted to use it occasionally with his wife ( same height) . Note that the bathtub floor is up, if you let it down you gain another six inches or so all around. The Nalgene bottles are 5'7" away from the door (to show the foot height at that point) , there is another foot to the end of the floor and then another 4 or 5" to the end of the fly. Note also that the pictures on the TT website are of the original 06 version with a link to the 07 mods, the 08 model has several further improvements, mostly in the rear section.
I had the 06, worked fine for me but now that I have the 08 I gave the 06 to another hiker. Since I received the Contrail my Rainbow has been mostly my "loaner" tent. Last night I car camped with a friend, he used my two person Bibler ( I wanted to check something to do with condensation...) and I used my Contrail out of several other tents in my possession.
Franco
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Contrail/Contrail-size.jpg
Thanks Franco,
I realize now that the Contrail is definitly not a small tent.
Looks like this might be my choice.
I was concerned about the flat top surface on the Contrail, after seeing a similar design fail (Eureka Spitfire UL.) Had generally good luck with a Tarptent Rainbow in '07 on the AT, and for two days last summer on the PCT.
FamilyGuy
10-19-2008, 14:31
Well, you would not want to get any snow on the 'flat' part of the Contrail - it is unsupported and will fold easily. The Rainbow would be better for that (I am talking about minimal snow here - not a 4 season shelter).
Another alternative would be the Golite Shangri-La 1. Use the outer fly sheet for bugless parts and then the netted inner for buggy areas - also nice to have a double walled shelter to manage the effects of condensation (i.e. drips). I would guess that the two pole design would also do much better in the wind than the Contrail.
Flat top
This days if you have a problem with a flat top it can be fixed with some minor surgery...
Henry designed the Contrail to stand up using four stakes. And it does.
However after a particularly nasty downpour , I noticed a puddle at that end, this was mostly caused by having set up the tent in the afternoon sun and gone for a walk. So as it started to rain ( and later hail) the fabric relaxed and allowed the water to collect at the foot end. So back home I added the rear mid strut to give the ridge a catenary curve and add longitudinal tension (from the center front guyout to the rear mid pole) . The result is added wind resistance, it has never collapsed or collected water (even in post monsoonal rains in Nepal) and to me looks nicer as well.
Franco
Note that I don't bother with that if I am in a sheltered site, as it was during my brief condensation test a couple of days ago. ( I was testing the Todd-Tex in my Bibler, did very well, possibly the only dry tent inside at the campsite in the morning...)
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Condensation-test.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Cotrail-tail.jpg
garlic08
10-19-2008, 22:03
Franco, Pickle and I both used the center rear strut pitch in moderate snow on the AT this year and it worked great! Pickle continued to use that pitch for the rest of the hike--he's taller than I am and enjoyed the extra foot room. I personally didn't like the extra guy line in front. I had gotten used to not having it and kept tripping over it.
Garlic08
First I have to congratulate you for your wisdom and good taste. Garlic, olive oil and Parmesan (not parmesan) make my trail food edible, they also keep me young and healthy , in fact I don't look a day older than 60.
Thanks for the Tarptent comment. The front guyout I use to get the extra tension but in most cases it is not needed. So far I have managed not to trip over that but I am partial at tripping over one of the rear guyout points at least once a trip. This is possibly the only reason why I still use some of those Easton pegs. ( try to walk over a Y peg barefooted or with thin "camp shoes" and you will understand)
Franco
Here's a photo taken in late spring of '07 with the center-rear of my Contrail at it's maxed out height. Lots of ventilation, space, and rain shedding.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/1/6/6/8/img_0565.jpg
Hi Quoddy
Now that you have reached new heights, here are the low points
the last is the HS mode , the other two is just Franco having fun
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Contrail/Contrail-storm-set-up.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Contrail/Contrail-wind-2.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Contrail/Contrail-08-rear-down.jpg
can you easily store the contrail inside your pack, or do you usually need to strap it on the outside?
FamilyGuy
10-20-2008, 21:02
It packs down to the size of a nalgene bottle. Very small.
Hi Family Guy
Those pictures were for you.... just think of the top as one of your bivvys with headroom.
Sadly the packed size of the Contrail makes the Rainbow look fat.
Franco
I disagree with the nalgene bottle analogy --- packed size is about that diameter, but it's longer (taller) packed than a nalgene. I always pack mine on the outside of my pack, in the longer side mesh on a Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus pack --- fits great. Heck, the larger Squall 2 also fits in that external side mesh pocket.
It's good to pack a single wall tent externally for when you have to pack it up wet, plus I can pull out and set up the tent without having to dig into my pack for it on a rainy evening.
In terms of water pooling on the flatish surface of the Contrail --- Franco's solution is, as always, interesting and innovative. My field solution was simpler, rather than raising up the middle of the low end, I used the built-in tie point there to pull it *down* to a stake. Pulling the middle down helped drain things, and is perhaps a better solution if somewhat high winds are expected too.
Note that pooling isn't all that much of a problem, and pitching it taut (and re-tightening before getting in for the night) helps in this regard. But on the few rainy or potentially rainy nights I encountered, I was happier pulling the far end down to a (fairly close to the tent) stake.
Brian / Gadget
http://postholer.com/brianle
FamilyGuy
10-21-2008, 17:57
Yes Franco - but I prefer to be completely immobile. I guess I can achieve that by lowering the pole...
Okay, I said ABOUT the size of a Nalgene. Interestingly enough you can compress it further than the stock stuff sack and get really close to the Nalgene size. Even more of interest, if you remove the rear struts it will be smaller than a Nalgene.:)
TumbledownDick
11-05-2008, 18:17
I always pack mine on the outside of my pack, in the longer side mesh on a Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus pack --- fits great. Heck, the larger Squall 2 also fits in that external side mesh pocket.
It's good to pack a single wall tent externally for when you have to pack it up wet, plus I can pull out and set up the tent without having to dig into my pack for it on a rainy evening.
In terms of water pooling on the flatish surface of the Contrail --- Franco's solution is, as always, interesting and innovative. My field solution was simpler, rather than raising up the middle of the low end, I used the built-in tie point there to pull it *down* to a stake. Pulling the middle down helped drain things, and is perhaps a better solution if somewhat high winds are expected too.
After making up a two piece 20" rear strut for use with my contrail, I realized I already had a potential strut in one of the carbon fiber stiffeners in my Mariposa Plus. I tried it and it works !