Contacting Tarptent

[Minos]

Hi,
Anyone had problems recently contacting Tarptent post sale i.e. 8 months after sale ?

I have sent emails to Henry twice with no answer from him.
I was simply asking about recommendations for using the Stratospire 2 whenever the ground is not completely flat. I am surprised by the lack of response as prior to sale, he was responding within a day or two.

Minos

[kestral]

I had response within 24 hrs with a problem I had a few years ago. From what I've heard a poor response is unusual. I contacted via email available from website.

I still come back to my tarptent rainbow, for the money it's a great little tent. I'd like a zpack duplex, but I can't justify the upgrade for my own needs right now.

[BuckeyeBill]

Usually if you go to their site during normal business hours through the week, they have a popup chat box. I found this very handy when looking at their product line. I own a notch.

[Slo-go'en]

I was simply asking about recommendations for using the Stratospire 2 whenever the ground is not completely flat. I am surprised by the lack of response as prior to sale, he was responding within a day or two. Minos

You do the same thing you'd do with any tent when the ground is not flat. Set it up as best you can and hope you don't slide out of it.

[Franco]

There is a very good chance that your E Mail got lost somewhere in the system not ignored.
(I get more spam through the TT E Mail than real messages and mine is a tiny part of what TT USA gets...)
how can we help you ?
(what problem do you have with the SS2 on uneven ground ?)

[Venchka]

Use a computer. Not a phone.
Go to TarpTent web page during California business hours, PDT.
The chat feature will instantly appear.
I bought my SS 1 chatting with Henry.
Tents on uneven ground are fun. Practice!
Wayne


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[Minos]

how can we help you ?
(what problem do you have with the SS2 on uneven ground ?)

I am always using the Tyvek footprint, just because the tent is still new in my eyes. I have noticed that if the ground is not absolutely perfectly flat, the user and pad tend to slip on the slippery silnylon floor, which in turn puts a lot of weight on one side of the bathtub floor which then slips ‘downhill’ on the Tyvek sheet. I am afraid that this will permanently stretch and potentially damage or even rip apart the shock cords that are at each corner of the bathtub and that tie the floor to the corner stakes.

We had Tarptent put some seam-sealing silicon something across the bathtub floor when purchased but it seems not to be able to cope sufficiently with this problem. Any idea of what I should do to alleviate this problem? I have tried putting large stones outside the bathtub as chokes to prevent us and the bathtub floor from sliding but I am not happy with this solution as the abrasive stone could end up damaging the tent fly and the floor if there is some movement inside or if the wind induces slight some rainfly flapping. I am looking for a more permanent/elegant solution.

Any idea?

I love my tent. However this is an issue that is new to me and that I had not with my former ultra cheap Walmart Ozark Trail $29 tent!
Literally, if the ground is not absolutely perfectly flat, this problem occurs and I am very much afraid it will damage the expensive (and otherwise great) SS2 tent over time. Last time I camped, I had to get out twice to reposition / recenter the bathtub floor.

[garlic08]

Good luck with your problem. It may be partially a user issue. My wife and I share a Tarptent pretty often, and she has your issue while I never do--even on a flat site. She does not experience it with other fabrics, just silnylon. Strange. We laugh at the way her sleeping pad works its way out from underneath her and often ends up on top, while mine is stationary. By the way, this has never damaged the tent--just her pride.

[Just Tom]

FWIW, I have experienced this as well. It isn't slipping inside the tent, it is the tent bottom sliding away from its staked position. There is just too little friction between the silnylon floor and the Tyvek such that the bathtub floor is what is really sliding downhill. I've laid awake at night worried that this pressure would damage the tent, as one can only expect it to withstand so much tension and pulling at the corners of the bathtub floor.

[Slo-go'en]

Tyvek and silnylon are both pretty slippery. It takes a while of use, but eventually the Tyvek will loose much of it's slipperiness. That should help, but won't completely eliminate the problem.

If I have to set up on an incline, I try to set up at right angles to the slope, so my feet are down hill. I'd rather be sliding feet down then rolling off the side. I've seen people set up on some pretty steep slopes and wonder how they stay in the tent.

[Franco]

To mitigate the slipping inside it works much better if you stripe the mat as well as the tent floor.
Tents that have a PU coated floor have some sort of grip but the problem with that is the PU is organic , it can perish if stored incorrectly or simply with age (the famous baby vomit smell )
If you think the problem is on the outside , floor slipping over the Tyvek ( I don't use a groundsheet...), you can paint some largish but thin stripes of silicone on the outside.

[saltysack]

Ditch the tyvek and find a better tent site..


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[Starchild]

Another 'stop pitching your tent on Tyvek and find a proper tenting surface'.

[davisjef]

I've recently discovered that despite (or perhaps because of) my strategic silicone striping, the elastic floor tie-outs on several Tarptent models allow the floor to rub vigorously against the ground as I shift about in my shelter. Not quite a tear or a puncture this abrasion definitely weakens the floor. I've got back to a tyvek ground sheet.

Another 'stop pitching your tent on Tyvek and find a proper tenting surface'.

[gravityman]

Wash the tyvek in a top loading washing machine. It will loose the slickness. Haven't tried this in a front loader, and it's been a decade since I've used tyvek. Maybe others can chime in, but most used to wash the tyvek to make it softer. Still just a water proof.

Tom

[CalebJ]

You can just put it in a wash cycle in cold water for a few minutes. No need for any soap.

[Venchka]

In my experience on the floor of a a very tilted MSR HUBBA HUBBA NX my Xtherm mattress didn't slide. However, my WM Alpinlite slide downhill with me in it.
I'll be road testing the same sleep system in the StratoSpire 1 in a few weeks.
Wayne


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[Puddlefish]

I skipped the footprint with my TT Notch. About 60 nights on the southern AT and no sign of wear. That even included one night on some small raspberry canes.

[Deadeye]

I skipped the footprint with my TT Notch. About 60 nights on the southern AT and no sign of wear. That even included one night on some small raspberry canes.

Same sentiment - the TarpTent floor is plenty tough, a footprint isn't necessary IMHO. By the time you wear out the floor, you'll be drooling over some new tent anyhow!

[BuckeyeBill]

I like using a tyvek footprint when I use my TT Notch because it helps keep the tent floor clean. I washed the footprint a few times before using it to take the noise out of it.