Daydream Believer
05-19-2010, 21:56
OK, bear with me...I'm improvising right now. I'm headed out Friday for Franklin and doing a 7 day section hike. I ordered a Tarptent a few weeks ago; but due to backorders of the Moment, I have not gotten it in time...unless it shows up tomorrow and I'm not all that hopeful.I was worried this would happen when I found out how backordered they were a week ago, so I ordered an REI Quarterdome Solo thinking I could sell it used if I like the Moment better and use it on this hike. Pushing my hike back is not an option due to staff issues running my business, so I need to make this work.
Long story short, I'm not all that fond of the REI tent. It's tiny...itty bitty...and I'm not a big person. It also has practically no vestibule and I feel very cramped. I also remember what a nightmare it is to break a tent like this down in a downpour...it's impossible to do without getting the interior soaked...been there done that. :o That was one big reason I wanted a Moment anyway...ease of putting it up and down, more space, etc...as well as keeping my weight down.
Well, not much I can do about that at this point...so I pulled out my 8 x 10 siltarp we bought last winter and learned how to put it up. I think I did OK for a first timer and have some pics to show.
I wanted some sort of bug and floor protection so I hung up the interior of the Quarterdome like a mosquito net, staked my corners, and figured out how to rig it to stay more or less open...enough to sleep in anyway. My only concern is that the ends of the interior of the tent are close to the open sides of the tarp. What do you tarp users do about that in a driving downpour or wind blowing in rain through the sides? Also my little lines to hold the net open make it harder to get in and out but once I'm in for the night, it doesn't matter. Also...forgive this beginner question, but this nylon does not leak through in rain if something touches it does it?
What do you more experienced folks think? Will this work OK for me? This way I can leave the poles for the tent behind and save that weight. I figure this tarp (about 11 oz) my interior of the REI tent, and the stakes probably weigh 8 to 16 oz less than the REI Quarterdome did all together (3.0 lbs) and I have way way more room and shelter. I figure it will rain...it always does when I hike...can't do much about that! :D
Also this tarp has not been used before...do I need to do anything to the seam in the middle? Seal it? I ordered the seam sealing stuff with my Moment but I don't have it yet. Any thoughts?
Please forgive the setting...our front porch under construction...but we don't have any suitable trees to use.
From the side:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190004.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190003.jpg
On these you can see how I rigged the interior. I ran a line down the center and hung it up from there and found a short fiberglass/flexible piece to hold the top of the net open. The lines to the sides of the tarp keep the ends from collapsing in. They are pretty easy to take down to get in and out. I used tensioning lines from our other tent. It's not very neat right now...I was just putting it up fast before evening chores and wanted to see if it would work.
Anyway, I was kind of pleased how it worked out. Looks like plenty of room for my gear under there also and even to cook if I have to. The netting is not super tight as it is on the poles but it is open enough for me to sit up inside.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190005.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190002.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190001.jpg
Long story short, I'm not all that fond of the REI tent. It's tiny...itty bitty...and I'm not a big person. It also has practically no vestibule and I feel very cramped. I also remember what a nightmare it is to break a tent like this down in a downpour...it's impossible to do without getting the interior soaked...been there done that. :o That was one big reason I wanted a Moment anyway...ease of putting it up and down, more space, etc...as well as keeping my weight down.
Well, not much I can do about that at this point...so I pulled out my 8 x 10 siltarp we bought last winter and learned how to put it up. I think I did OK for a first timer and have some pics to show.
I wanted some sort of bug and floor protection so I hung up the interior of the Quarterdome like a mosquito net, staked my corners, and figured out how to rig it to stay more or less open...enough to sleep in anyway. My only concern is that the ends of the interior of the tent are close to the open sides of the tarp. What do you tarp users do about that in a driving downpour or wind blowing in rain through the sides? Also my little lines to hold the net open make it harder to get in and out but once I'm in for the night, it doesn't matter. Also...forgive this beginner question, but this nylon does not leak through in rain if something touches it does it?
What do you more experienced folks think? Will this work OK for me? This way I can leave the poles for the tent behind and save that weight. I figure this tarp (about 11 oz) my interior of the REI tent, and the stakes probably weigh 8 to 16 oz less than the REI Quarterdome did all together (3.0 lbs) and I have way way more room and shelter. I figure it will rain...it always does when I hike...can't do much about that! :D
Also this tarp has not been used before...do I need to do anything to the seam in the middle? Seal it? I ordered the seam sealing stuff with my Moment but I don't have it yet. Any thoughts?
Please forgive the setting...our front porch under construction...but we don't have any suitable trees to use.
From the side:
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190004.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190003.jpg
On these you can see how I rigged the interior. I ran a line down the center and hung it up from there and found a short fiberglass/flexible piece to hold the top of the net open. The lines to the sides of the tarp keep the ends from collapsing in. They are pretty easy to take down to get in and out. I used tensioning lines from our other tent. It's not very neat right now...I was just putting it up fast before evening chores and wanted to see if it would work.
Anyway, I was kind of pleased how it worked out. Looks like plenty of room for my gear under there also and even to cook if I have to. The netting is not super tight as it is on the poles but it is open enough for me to sit up inside.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190005.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190002.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l215/ssluss/Misc/P5190001.jpg