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  1. #21

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    I have used all 3 of these tents for multiple nights and in bad weather. All 3 are nice tents, and work as promised. For me, the Lightheart is the clear winner.

    Pluses for it is it is easy to set up (on clear nights you can get it up with 2 stakes), the bathtub floor is substantial, it is very stable in the wind, and it is really easy to put it into storm mode if it starts raining. On the negative side, its length makes it sometimes difficult to find a space big enough to set it up, and, if you read by headlamp at night and a bug gets between the sewn-in fly and the netting you'll be hearing buzzing sounds all night long.

    The Trekker is inferior to the LH on all counts. I see it as an imperfect copy of it. If you use the attached carbon pole you stand a good chance of poking a hole in your tent with your hiking poles. The bathtub floor is next to impossible to set up right. And, the bottom of my sleeping bag was always getting wet from contact with the single wall part. Again, not a bad tent, but I can't think of a single way it is better than the LH.

    The Rainbow is a bit different. It has a nice space and vertical walls. But it has a lot of condensation issues and I just didn't like having to carry a tent pole when I already carry trekking poles. There are a lot of little things on this tent I really like, but the single wall and the pole made me sell it. If you are hiking out west I think it is a good choice, but in the humid east I don't think it is.

    I also had a Notch. I consider that better than the Rainbow, but still not as good as the LH. It is the easiest of all to set up, but it is also tough to get a perfect pitch with it. I had lots of issues with rain bouncing into the tent. It has great vestibule space but less sleeping space than the LH.

    So, for what it is worth, I rank them 1) LH, 2) Notch, 3) Rainbow, and 4) Trekker.

    But again, all are good choices - just one man's opinion.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by StealthHikerBoy View Post
    ...I also had a Notch. I consider that better than the Rainbow, but still not as good as the LH. It is the easiest of all to set up, but it is also tough to get a perfect pitch with it. I had lots of issues with rain bouncing into the tent. It has great vestibule space but less sleeping space than the LH.....
    I have the Notch but not used it in heavy rain yet. Can you explain more about the rain bouncing into the tent? From the ends? Into the vestibule? Thanks

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Odd Man Out View Post
    I have the Notch but not used it in heavy rain yet. Can you explain more about the rain bouncing into the tent? From the ends? Into the vestibule? Thanks

    It was on the sides. It could just be me, but I had a hard time getting the sides down low enough to prevent the rain from bouncing in. I am sure someone better versed in pitching it could get it right. But, I like this sort of thing to be idiot-proof, which it is on the LH.

    I'd recommend the Notch though.

  4. #24

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    Something I was wondering about with both the LH and the Trekker was entry and exit when it's raining. Isn't the inner exposed to getting wet when you open the flap to get in or out?

  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by ajreynolds View Post
    Something I was wondering about with both the LH and the Trekker was entry and exit when it's raining. Isn't the inner exposed to getting wet when you open the flap to get in or out?
    As I ponder various cottage industry shelters, it just occurred to me that the Solong 6 walls slope inward at the top. While it might be possible to slither out from under the doors on the awning side without opening them very much, if you had the doors rolled up all the way and it started raining, you're gonna wet until you can close them.
    +1 to the TarpTent StratoSpire 1 & 2 because the drip line is outside the body of the tent. Probably others as well, but the SS 1 & 2 are on my short list.

    Wayne
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  6. #26
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    If anyone has any questions on the Stratospire 2, we have been using one for a couple of seasons, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. Here, or pm me.

    On the subject of dripline...my wife and I were at Mt Rogers last year in a howling storm with heavy rain. We set the tent up without getting the inside wet, then were able to crawl fully clothed into our individual vestibules, take off the wet clothes, unpack our packs, and set up the interior, all without getting any wetter or getting any water into the interior...then we crawled in and changed into dry clothes.
    Last edited by Namtrag; 09-02-2015 at 15:38.

  7. #27
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    Namtrag,
    That changing in the vestibules bit is even easier if yo undo the inner at the apex (just let it drop down) so you have all the shoulder room you want, then once done clip it back up.
    (same with the Notch)

  8. #28
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    Franco,
    I want a Rainbow with the Double Rainbow door arrangement. Possible? Or just buy the Double Rainbow? I guess a Rainbow with two doors would be almost as heavy as the Double Rainbow. No real weight savings. Double Rainbow, Hey?

    Wayne
    Eddie Valiant: "That lame-brain freeway idea could only be cooked up by a toon."
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  9. #29
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    Franco, that's one of those things you go "aha" about. Great idea

    Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk

  10. #30
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    Wayne,
    Yes the Rainbow with two doors would be close enough to the DR in weight / stored size/cost and a bad design from the TT point of view.
    Henry tries to have all of the shelters with a drip free line.
    Not easy with the Rainbow as it is but impossible without chopping some of the floor area or altering the design if another door is added.
    I think we have more solo shelters with two entry points than anyone else already(Notch/Moment/SS1/Scarp) so there is some choice there and I have seen several solo hikers getting the DR simply to have that extra door option.
    (Nice tarp like but bug free environment on a non rainy or very windy night)
    dr-9.jpg
    franco@tarptent

  11. #31
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    I've owned and sold three tarptents...2 Tarptent products (Contrail and Notch) and one Lightheart product. In my opinion, these shelters constructed of silnylon and supported by treking poles need some extra attention to pitch correctly and keep pitched in a taut manner during wet weather. I do not enjoy having to fuss with my shelter. This is compared to mainstream conventional products, especially free standing tents. This is just my opinion and experience.

  12. #32
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    http://www.rei.com/product/865392/bi...88405440&lsft=

    Yet another choice to throw into the mix. BA Fly Creek UL1. $240. at REI thru Labor Day.
    “Every path but your own is the path of fate. Keep on your own track, then.” Thoreau.

  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by daddytwosticks View Post
    I've owned and sold three tarptents...2 Tarptent products (Contrail and Notch) and one Lightheart product. In my opinion, these shelters constructed of silnylon and supported by treking poles need some extra attention to pitch correctly and keep pitched in a taut manner during wet weather. I do not enjoy having to fuss with my shelter. This is compared to mainstream conventional products, especially free standing tents. This is just my opinion and experience.
    We enjoy the extra space and lighter comparative weight per sq foot, but we tend to get to camp early in the day and have time to futz! The funny thing is, our best ever pitch of the Tarptent Stratospire 2 we own was in a driving thunderstorm in the Roan Highlands. We had pitched it in a bowl-like spot, so it was floating...we packed all our gear in our backpacks, sprinted to the shelter and stowed the packs, and went back and moved the tent to higher ground. We must have taken it down and re-pitched it in about 90 seconds, and it was the best pitch we ever did!

    To each his own, variety is the spice of life, HYOH, and any other cliches I have forgotten! This is why there are so many choices in gear!
    Last edited by Namtrag; 09-03-2015 at 09:32.

  14. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kenai View Post
    http://www.rei.com/product/865392/bi...88405440&lsft=

    Yet another choice to throw into the mix. BA Fly Creek UL1. $240. at REI thru Labor Day.
    They make good stuff!

  15. #35
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    I have a Lightheartgear Solo and love it. With that said, I am looking to sell it and if I could do this purchase over again, I would seriously reconsider the Notch instead.

    What the Notch has the LHG does not is, the option of using fly only and the removable inner options. The rain entry is also a little better in the notch as the drip line does not enter the living space like with the LHG.

    The biggest selling point however, would be the dual entry/vestibules. The vestibules space in the LHG solo was fairly small on one side and I often found myself wanting to use the other side but I found that not having access to it unless I go outside was not ideal. This could be fixed with other LHG models/custom features from Judy with a slight weight gain (weight already a few ounces heavier than Notch).

    The :LHG was def good in the wind when properly stakes out using all guy lines and had a ton of space. It was very easy to get a nice a taught pitch and the tent fit well into smaller (but somewhat long) spots if needed.

  16. #36

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    Yes I agree that after backpacking for a full day and being worn out, I would rather have a shelter that is quick and very easy to set up. Not requiring a special finicky pitch or a ton of stakes and difficulty balancing trekking poles to step up.

    Also, I did own a Big Agnes fly creek platinum that I pitched on top of the Roan highlands in a driving rain storm and got soaked due to rain pouring from the rain fly directly into the mesh that goes almost all the way to the floor. So would like to avoid that design.

  17. #37
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    I saved up and bought the Solong 6 in Cuben Fiber CF). LOVE IT. 22 ounces, roomy, I have not experienced condensation............the other thing that I really like with CF is that after a night of rain it packs dry.

    Good gear

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    Has anyone used the TT Moment DW? I was considering it, as it has many functions I am looking for, but I haven't seen much talk about it..?
    " Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. "

  19. #39
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    I have a solong 6 with silnylon with awning and 2 doors. It pitches fast and easy and pitches quite well on a tent platform. It takes me seconds to unpack and put in its stuff sack. I have had a night or two with condensation, but its been minimal. Pitched in windy weather (30mph wind) and didn't have any issues. Plenty of space for one plus gear and even than you still have room to work with, unless you may be really tall.

  20. #40

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    Cant go wrong with a henry shires tarptent!
    Trail Miles: 4,927.6
    AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
    Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
    Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
    Foothills Trail: 0.0
    AT Map 2: 279.4
    BMT: 52.7
    CDT: 85.4

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