Brawny's tents

[weathercarrot]

Hi -

Does anyone have any experience and/or thoughts on Brawny's tents? Pros, cons, etc? I'm especially thinking about the "Brawny Tarptent". How is it with condensation? How good is the cross ventilation, if any? Thanks.

[chris]

You can find a review of here Tacoma tarp that I wrote in the Gear Reviews section. Briefly: Tarp is well made and a good concept, but it best suited for non-tall people. If you are 6' or under, it should work well. Her tarptent is a similar design but with a lot more features than my tarp.

[Scorpion]

I have their Arapaho Solo tent. With tyvek ground sheet and titanium stakes the total weight it 2 1/2 pounds. The condensation depends on how much cross venilation you allow. With the front open or mostly open there is no condensation. If I close the storm doors completely, then I have some condensation. The tent is very roomy being 4' x 8', and with ample head room. In high winds I don't think it's as stable as a tent with a lower profile like my SD ultra lite year. Overall though I think it's a great tent and will use it on my thru this year.
Scorpion

[ganj]

WC-

I got her tarptent a couple weeks ago. I've only set it up once but was impressed with how easy it was. Seems like it can be set up pretty taunt and sturdy. I'm 5'8" and the tent fits me fine. However, if you are a few inches taller then consider getting the 10' over the 9' model. I got the seam sealing done. Should weigh around 20 oz but don't own my own scales so can't say for sure.

I will try and get it out soon. Especially now that the weather has risen from out of the teens.

[hikerjohnd]

Anyone else have experience with the Brawny Tarptent?

http:// www.trailquest.net/dlgcultratarptent.html

Thanks!

[Footslogger]

I'm sure there are some differences but in the pictures they look a lot like the Wanderlust Nomad.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Mother Nature]

I actually used my Tarptent with Brawny on the Bartram Trail in NC in late November a year ago. The tarptent held up very well under extremely windy conditions. Condensation is a minor issue because of the "open" screen design. Unless you are in a severely humid condition where just about anyone's singlewall tent or tarptent gets "swampy", you shouldn't find interior moisture a serious problem. My husband hiked VA with the 9' Tarptent. He is 6'2" and he had a problem with the length but he agreed that setting it up was a snap and the weight was superb. The beak on the tent easily deflects rain away from the front. So I would rate the smaller tarptent great if you are shorter than 6' tall. I believe that Rambunny used this tent SOBO in 04.

The tarptent, as with all of her tents and tarps, are superbly designed and constructed. I would recommend any of her items to anyone on the trail.

Mother Nature

[baseballswthrt]

We have a Tacoma For 2. I love this tent! It is spacious and the lightest thing you can imagine! It is held up with my hiking poles. You do need to leave the doors cracked for cross ventilation. We have had one bad night in it related to condensation. We had to close both doors do to a whipping, whirling rain storm and the condensation was really bad in the morning and dripping on us. Buying this tent was the biggest weight savings we have had. I would hightly recomend this tent to anyone.

Also, anyone who would like to see it set up, PM me and I will set it up in my yard and you can come by and see it. We live in the Tidewater Virginia area.

[ganj]

I carried it with me along the PCT last year. The tent is well constructed and I enjoy the weight (or lack of). However, I do have some problems with it.

#1. I am 5'8". I had bought the nine foot model. It seemed like nearly at some point I would be touching one of the walls if the tent was wet. The ten foot model would have worked better instead.

#2. The condensation was really bad. I didn't use it much until late into the hike (mostly Washington State). During a period of nine days of rain I would sleep in it every night. The mice were really bad (worse than AT mice) so it was necessary to keep the screen closed, which I am sure affects the evaporation somewhat. You need to have air moving through the tent to carry the moisture away and that doesn't happen with a single screen wall. Chance (hiked 2003 and 2004) cut the floor out of his Brawny Tarptent and of course it worked much better with condensation.

Brawny makes some great products but I don't believe that the current design of the Tarptent is suitable for the weather of the Pacific Northwest. She does make a regular tarp which I would be more likely to use on another PCT thruhike. Also she is a ton of help in the planning stages of a thruhike and has plenty of advice to pass along. I don't know of any other tent manufacturer that would do the same.

Hope this helps.

[chowhound]

I've got a 10' tacoma tarp and like it a lot. I'm only 5'7" so there is more room than I need, but I bought it second hand and didn't have a choice. That said, I love the extra room and don't have to worry about rolling against the walls while I'm sleeping. I would recommend getting the optional lift loops, expecially if you get the 9' version. Condensation hasn't been a problem since even when it appears it runs down the sides and on to the ground. I use a piece of 4 mil plastic for a ground cloth. There is screen around the bottom edge of the tarp, so if you need extra ventilation just set it high to expose the screen. You do need to weight the edge of the screen down to keep the critters out. It can also be a little difficult to get in and out of since there is no zipper entrance. You lift the front screen to get in and out. I like the simplicity of the design though - there isn't much that can go wrong - and it is hard to beat the light weight and compact size.

chowhound