View Full Version : Tarptent notch vs contrail
neoneals
01-07-2013, 22:57
Hi All,
I'm having a hard time deciding which of these to purchase for my thru. I hear a lot more buzz on the notch but on paper I see the contrail as being lighter, packing smaller, and being more spacious.
For those who have owned one or both, can you give me some insight?
Ps. If this topic has been discussed in a previous post forum, and please link me to it.
Thanks,
Neoneals
Dodds1990
01-08-2013, 00:45
I used the Contrail for 780 miles on the AT last year and loved it. Packs down small, weighs 1.5 pounds, lots of room inside and a big vestibule as well. Worked well with condensation as well if properly vented.
Slo-go'en
01-08-2013, 01:44
Tough choice. I was looking at the Contrail myself recently, mainly because I was comparing it to the Sublite. However, the side entry and the centered head room of the Notch is attractive, along with the ability to open up both long sides on a hot night. The guy out is also pretty simple. Both weigh the same. For the extra 60 bucks, I think I'd go with the Notch.
i was also looking at these for awhile before i settled on a Lunar Solo. but heard nothing but good things about both.
bigcranky
01-08-2013, 09:28
The Contrail is a proven design with many tens of thousands of trail miles and thru-hikes. It's lighter, easy to pitch, uses only one pole, and has plenty of room for a solo hiker.
The Notch has the door on the long side, which for me makes it a lot easier to get in and out of the tent. We have used the Contrail's bigger siblings, the Squall and the Rainshadow, and eventually replaced them with side-entry tents.
Looks like the Notch has doors on both sides with big vestibules, which would be convenient on a long hike. It's also a double wall design, which some folks like, though I don't see it as a huge difference.
Drybones
01-08-2013, 10:03
I was faced with the same decision, call Henry Shires at Tarptent to get his recommendation, he recommended the Notch, bought it, no regrets, love it.
RodentWhisperer
01-08-2013, 10:27
Another +1 on the Notch-- I was weighing the same decision as you, and decided upon the Notch because of the side entry. I'm 6' 2" tall, and side entry makes the Notch easy to get into/out of.
BTW, I had looked into SMD's Lunar Solo, too. It was very attractive-- side entry, light weight, roomy. I've not tested it, so take this with a grain of salt-- it's setup looked a little more complicated than the Notch.
Drybones
01-08-2013, 11:14
If you go with the Notch, get 8" stakes instead of the standard 6".
I've used both, and prefer the Notch. Mainly becuz it has much larger vestibules, and the dual side entry feature. I found the Contrail to be somewhat cramped with not much headroom, and a small front vestibule. Either one is good, but get the Notch.
I had the opportunity to actually try both. I just purchased the Contrail....cannot wait for a warm sunny day to seal the seams.
Since the Notch has been mentioned, the 2013 Notch is official now.same size/weight/cost as before but with the apex guyouts as standard and the extra loops on the non door sides so that you can open up the 4 panels completely.
looks like this :
18893
OK, it must be 10-20g more...
daddytwosticks
01-09-2013, 08:18
That looks really nice...:)
mark schofield
01-09-2013, 09:43
I'm 6'6" and as I get older, I find it more difficult to get in and out of my Contrail. I have to fold myself up up alot. Had the contrail for 5 years and love it. No problems
bigcranky
01-09-2013, 09:47
Gee, Franco, you gotta stop doing that. Now I want one even more.
Drybones
01-09-2013, 10:04
Since the Notch has been mentioned, the 2013 Notch is official now.same size/weight/cost as before but with the apex guyouts as standard and the extra loops on the non door sides so that you can open up the 4 panels completely.
looks like this :
18893
OK, it must be 10-20g more...
All it needs now is the little silnylon piece the DR has that allows you to create a "porch" with the two fly sections, would make cooking in the tent easier when it's raining.
Drybones:
you could make a rain curtain just by adding 4 pieces of Velcro and a bit of silnylon or just drape a small tarp over that but you can do this without adding anything :18914
you sort of crossover one panel with the other, having the non door side a bit further in than normal and the other tied out over it.
They will not overlap completely but if you look at the shadow you can see the covered area.
Note that I have removed the inner, fast and easy to do.
In this mode you can have another person there having lunch with you.
Since the Notch has been mentioned, the 2013 Notch is official now.same size/weight/cost as before but with the apex guyouts as standard and the extra loops on the non door sides so that you can open up the 4 panels completely.
looks like this :
18893
OK, it must be 10-20g more...
So the apex guyouts support the tent so the panels no longer need to be staked for support, and then can all be rolled up? The back side could be rolled up the same as the front in the picture? Are there doors on both sides of the netting in the picture? Very nice.
Jeff
yes to all
The nice part is that you can have 1/2/3/ or all 4 panels up.
In that mode it's a tarp that sets up pretty fast.
Jeff
yes to all
The nice part is that you can have 1/2/3/ or all 4 panels up.
In that mode it's a tarp that sets up pretty fast.
Looks great. For the weight of a couple of stakes, guyouts, and loops, you can start the night with max ventilation with all 4 panels up, and get them all down pretty quickly if the weather changes.
CenAZwalker
01-09-2013, 23:19
Franco, any idea what Henry would charge to add the 2013 features to my 2012 Notch? Love the idea of the extra panel loops.
My way was to glue the extra panel tie outs and just have the guyline attached to the grosgrain that holds the grommet at the apex and feed that through the vent.To add the ties just copy the ones on the opposite side.
Smear some silicone on both the fabric (over the seam) and the Velcro, leave for 15 to 20 minutes to cure a bit, then press together and leave under pressure for a few hours.(put some weight on top)
It will fully cure in about 2 days.
You can also attach the guylines around the carbide tip of your poles.
If you are particularly keen to have them sewn in , send a self addressed envelop to TT asking for 2x line locks for the Notch apex and sew them in yourself or get a shoe repair place to do it for you.
Big Dawg
01-10-2013, 05:42
I'll definitely be adding those features to my 2012 Notch.
BTW, the Notch is the new darling but the Contrail was still the biggest seller for TT in 2012.The price has something to do with this but the large floor area, small pack size, weight and high,when laying down, headroom are factors in its success.
hermit1970
01-10-2013, 21:26
I have also been considering the Contrail and the Notch. I prefer the side entry on the Notch but I like the Contrail mainly because it packs smaller. Now after seeing Franco's post I have to rethink this all over again!
Lucky Dog
01-15-2013, 15:20
I love my Contrail it has been a great piece of equipment for me. It doesn't take but a minute to put it up. I have used it for overnighters for my wife and I and we had enough room, but that's my wife and I like being close to her anyway.
hermit1970
01-15-2013, 17:09
I love my Contrail it has been a great piece of equipment for me. It doesn't take but a minute to put it up. I have used it for overnighters for my wife and I and we had enough room, but that's my wife and I like being close to her anyway.
LD, my wife will only go car camping with me and only if I bring the 6P tent. Not sure what she's trying to tel me... :)
topshelf
01-16-2013, 10:52
It has come down to these two tents for me also. Does anyone have pictures with them or a buddy laying in either of these tents? I'm wanting to know how much room there would be between my feet and the ceiling/sides of the tent, especially in storm mode on the contrail. I can look at the dimensions but I'm visual and I have found no pictures of this.
It has come down to these two tents for me also. Does anyone have pictures with them or a buddy laying in either of these tents? I'm wanting to know how much room there would be between my feet and the ceiling/sides of the tent, especially in storm mode on the contrail. I can look at the dimensions but I'm visual and I have found no pictures of this.
You can google for pics of both tents, and you will find more than you care to look at, both empty and occupide. If you want to lay in one before you buy it construct it out of cardboard and tape, pretty simple, IMHO.
topshelf
01-16-2013, 15:11
You can google for pics of both tents, and you will find more than you care to look at, both empty and occupide. If you want to lay in one before you buy it construct it out of cardboard and tape, pretty simple, IMHO.
o I have searched and searched for occupied pictures, havent really found any, must be doing something wrong.
I used the Atsko silicone spray--great to increase water repellancy
topshelf
01-16-2013, 16:41
I used the Atsko silicone spray--great to increase water repellancy
Does it help with misting during hard rains?
hermit1970
01-16-2013, 17:18
It has come down to these two tents for me also. Does anyone have pictures with them or a buddy laying in either of these tents? I'm wanting to know how much room there would be between my feet and the ceiling/sides of the tent, especially in storm mode on the contrail. I can look at the dimensions but I'm visual and I have found no pictures of this.
The vid is sort of drawn out but this guy does a shootout of the contrail, notch and strato1. It will give you a good idea space inside each.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIt1Oezq2GQ
The silicone treatment definitely helps with repelling the water an I have found it does minimize the misting., The misting issue has more to do with condensation, I try to st up the tent to maximize the air flow through the tent.
This is me (5'8")on top of a 2.5" Exped fully inflated.
19050
With my head at one end (I still have several inches of space above my cap) at the other end I have 14" to spare.
Where my feet are I have 22" from the top of the mat to the mesh.
This is the Contrail.
19051
Both bags are 6" long. The two Nalgene bottles you see at the foot of the mat have a combined height of about 16".
From the floor end (84" long) to the fly you have 15", so a 6'5" person can fit in there
(sorry about the videos , I do them cheap and quick because they are cheap and quick to do that way)
hermit1970
01-20-2013, 17:04
(sorry about the videos , I do them cheap and quick because they are cheap and quick to do that way)
Franco, Sorry I didnt mean to imply the video was bad. I just meant it was long (because you did a good comparison).
topshelf
01-20-2013, 17:27
This is me (5'8")on top of a 2.5" Exped fully inflated.
19050
Thanks for this picture, i have been looking for a picture like this forever, it has eluded me til now.
"Sorry I didnt mean to imply the video was bad"
no need to apologise,they are rather dull...
I hope that folk realise I make those videos mostly when I am bored and because of a rather short attention span most are one take only, so no glossing over mistakes.
The only ones that are the results of multiple takes are my record set ups, and I do those really just to amuse myself.
Topshelf
note that often shots of that type are taken with a person laying on the floor, I try to do them with me on top of a thick mat, same way as folk should when testing a tent .
Odd Man Out
01-20-2013, 21:50
When setting up the Notch w/o the net tent, can you use the net tent as a ground sheet, with your pad on top of the net or would you need to take an extra ground sheet to pitch as a tarp on bug-less nights?
Big Dawg
01-22-2013, 04:30
When setting up the Notch w/o the net tent, can you use the net tent as a ground sheet, with your pad on top of the net or would you need to take an extra ground sheet to pitch as a tarp on bug-less nights?
Yes,,, use the net tent as a ground sheet,, you'll be fine!
Odd Man Out
01-22-2013, 10:47
Yes,,, use the net tent as a ground sheet,, you'll be fine!
Excellent...
TRAUMAhead
01-22-2013, 13:17
[QUOTE=Franco;1397839][LEFT]"Sorry I didnt mean to imply the video was bad"
no need to apologise,they are rather dull...
I hope that folk realise I make those videos mostly when I am bored and because of a rather short attention span most are one take only, so no glossing over mistakes.You need to get a HD camera/camcorder. :P
Defintely appreciate the video.
May I ask where the Rainbow fits in with this comparison?
I look after TT in Australia, just do some seam sealing and send them out, I am not a dealer..So occasionally I have folk coming around to have a look at the shelters.
One day I had a lady looking at the Notch, the Moment and the Rainbow .
She eventually bought the Moment.
The next day another about her size also looked at those three and chose the Rainbow...
So really it is about personal preferences.
As a tip, the Rainbow is larger but some like the modular (two independent walls) weight and packed size of the Notch, others the ease and set up speed of the Moment or just the look of it.
I am now planning to make myself a bivvy to use inside the Notch instead of the inner for next winter.
No bugs in winter but we still have mice and marsupials running about .
Using the inner as ground sheet.
The mesh (net) is not tear resistant so you need to make sure that it is tucked well under the mat and don't snag on it.
Franco
what's the weight of the Notch fly... without the inner? I have an U/L bivy and was considering the same
tx
I happen to have one here fly only : 14.5 oz (410g) inc stuff sack.
This is a 3 minute video I shot on the Notch the other day :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frUKncwrt_4&list=UU0PuLUKvG7Fxxex5BMVK4vw& index=1
Thanks I have a rainbow and I really like it. I was just wondering if I was missing something. :)
thanks, that's a great video. the Notch has a lot of versatility not seen in the other Tarptents