Tarptent Rainbow

[RichardD]

Yes, I have both. I purchased a Contrail for my sister a couple of years ago but I have used it also.
The Contrail is of course lighter. I found it harder to get in and out of the Contrail and in order to sit up I would have to scoot back from my sleeping postion. (The roofline slopes from high at the entrance to low at the foot. ) I found it to be a little more fussy to set up.
For me the additional weight of the Rainbow over the Contrail is worth the extra luxury. The Contrail is still a good tent and I found it to be quite storm worthy. The Rainbow - more so.

[MAD777]

The Rainbow is my favorite tent. I think it has the best ratio of room (both horizontal and vertical), lightweight, takes up small footprint (important in forested areas).

[Matteroo]

we have a double rainbow and contrail, and used a squall II for the AT. The Squall II is my favorite - easy to get taught/setup..room, etc. But it was borrowed from a friend so not ours to keep.

contrail fine, lighweight, good for one person -- seemed most finicky to setup of the three tents - especially the "peg legs" at the foot box, etc.. bucket had it fail her in a heavy rain (probably could have been setup better-wouldn't blanketly blame the tent).

double rainbow = nicer than the squall II in that it has two doors and two vestibules. Seems a bit more difficult to setup (Squall was very easy for one person to do) and get taught. The center arch poll seems to do a very shallow S shape once I tighten everything up - probably effects nothing but i am obsessive about symmetry and getting it perfect and i could do that on the squall II.

squall II and double rainbow.. DR has had more condensation but i should stress the DR has only been used in the pacific nw, squall II in appalachians. Also if you keep both vestibule flaps wrapped on double rainbow, mesh of door kind of slants up, so even if a slight rain occured, you'd want to bring both flaps down, not the case on the Squall II.

Also Squall II rear area where the hoop pole and single stake went, you could use that area to store your boots really well!

honestly if I had to go back I think I'd get the squall II, instead of DR..but DR is a pretty good tent still, i get gear to use it and 90% of stuff works great, 5% of the remaining stuff can frequently be modified to work pretty great, and the final 5% is just screwed up like someone forgot to do product testing or it was designed by someone who lives in a cubicle and spends their free time there too.

[FamilyGuy]

I wish Henry would get rid of the rear struts on the Contrail and configure a small hooped pole.

[bigcranky]

I wish Henry would get rid of the rear struts on the Contrail and configure a small hooped pole.

You are describing the original solo shelter, the Virga. You might be able to find one for sale used somewhere.

[EMAN]

Used my Rainbow on trail for the first time last weekend. Jury is still out because I have been using a 1/4Dome for years and I still love it and there were a couple of operator error (I hope) things with the Rainbow.
Not much room vestibule wise but I usually drag everything inside anyway. For this, the tent had plenty of room. I did not experience condensation and we were at the Big South Fork tick reservation in TN.
I'm not too sure about the venting mesh around the bottom. Seems like that could be friggin' breezy in really cold weather. And in a heavy rain I can't help but feel it would splash in. But too, it may be why I did not have moisture.
The second night faired worse. It started raining and while I had no apparent leaks (I followed the seam sealing routine suggested including the ridgepole line) the guy outs and the elastic tub loop both slipped off the stake causing that corner of the tent to collapse and lay against not only the floor but my sleeping bag as well. I had the stake buried pretty deep but probably rolled over at some point and kicked the tent causing all this.
Even so, I still didn't end up with a flood, just water on the floor. I use a BA sleep system so only the pocket for the pad got wet. And a spot on top where the tent wall had laid.
I mopped up the water with a bandana and no real harm was done.
I think I may end up agreeing with a post here that says a little extra weight is worth the stability and comfort.
Freestanding is the cat's meow! The 1/4Dome I NEVER staked out. Never had a leak. Two poles through the dead end sleeves and I'm ready to sleep.
The Rainbow can be freestanding but that whole thing of using the trekkinpoles is a huge PITA! Still working on that too though. Practice...practice.....

[DAJA]

I think I may end up agreeing with a post here that says a little extra weight is worth the stability and comfort.
Freestanding is the cat's meow! The 1/4Dome I NEVER staked out. Never had a leak. Two poles through the dead end sleeves and I'm ready to sleep.
The Rainbow can be freestanding but that whole thing of using the trekkinpoles is a huge PITA! Still working on that too though. Practice...practice.....

For gearheads, a Rainbow would likely be a great tent, as they enjoy continually tweaking, adjusting and playing with their gear... For folks who just want to quickly set up camp and then forget about it to focus on reading, journaling, cooking, or just the solitude, the rainbow is a PITA.

Like you, I prefer a simple pole/sleeve or pole/clip setup and seperate fly, all quickly erects and provides a stable freestanding shelter that requires no fuss, or adjustment.

Still to this day my favorite and most used shelter is my old REI Sierra Dome... Very quick and easy to set up, reasonably lite, and has never once failed me... So the GFs Double Rainbow has found it's place at the back of the gear closet... Like I said, for ease of use, and reliable protection, I'll happily carry an extra pound.

[FamilyGuy]

You are describing the original solo shelter, the Virga. You might be able to find one for sale used somewhere.

Thanks a bunch!

[John B]

I have the original Squall and the Rainbow. If your joints are sore or you're not very flexible, it's not the easiest thing to exit/enter the Squall because the front pole is right in the center. I've only been in it twice during what you could call a heavy, heavy downpour, and it sagged quite a bit both times. I was too lazy to get out and retension the thing. A little bit of misting, too, when the rain was really pounding down.

The Rainbow has a lot more usable space. I can set up in it to pack gear, get dressed, etc. Easy to enter/exit, too. Haven't been in it during a serious downpour so I can't speak to the spray coming from the mesh. I had an issue with condensation, but that was when it was below freezing. All in all, I like the Rainbow better, but if I was still young and had pain-free knees, I'd probably use the Squall just to save the weight and also the ease of set up.

I have pics of both my tents on my gallery page.

[UCONNMike]

I bought my Tarptent Rainbow 2 years ago, and have only really used it a dozen times or so (I have a few over tents or I just sleep out in the open or in a lean-to). I love the space inside, I'm 6'4" so where I am sitting up or laying down there is plenty of room for me to maneuver around. I love the light weight aspect of it, and that is can become a free standing tent using trekking poles. As someone said earlier there is alot of adjusting that you need to do in order to get it just right, but the basic set-up is very fast. I have not been in a rain storm while inside the tent so I can't speak to the splash factor, but in all honesty I'd have to believe there would be a significant amount of water that pops in unless you have your bath-tub real tightened up.

What are some tips to making that bathtub floor really pop up? mine just seems to angle upwards, and doesn't look anything like it does in the picture on Henry's site.

While I know people will say i'm nuts for saying I love this tent I'd recommend it, even though i'm not confident in it's ability to keep out water...I don't care, it's a really cool tent, I'm a real gear guy and I love the adjustments, the uniqueness, along with its feather weight, size, and ease of set up.

Pic of my Rainbow in action

[Franco]

Mike
If the floor is not sitting up and or has "waves" on it, that is a sure sign that it has not being set up correctly. A possible cause is that the elastic loop/shock cord attached to the bottom of each corner has not in place, see close up shot of the corner)
To keep the floor further up use the mid clip up points as in my shot (IE don't use the elastic)
Matteroo
Shallow "s" bend. That means you have put a bit too much tension on the guylines.
I too like a taut set up , so it is a fine balance between not enough and too much. A way out for you could be to use a thicker pole. I think that HS has some 9mm poles for it (not that I can find them on his web site...)
Eman
The 360 degree mesh has two effects. maximum air flow and reduced wind protection.
More protection results in more condensation.
"the guy outs and the elastic tub loop both slipped off the stake " , maybe you are not setting the peg in at an adequate angle, about 45 degrees.

Contrail.
If you find ingress/egress a bit difficult , try using two pole rather than one . Yes you do need to sit up towards the front, then just pull your knees in and swing around .

Tent set up.
For the ones that find setting up tents a bit of a challenge , a free standing dome design is obviously a better choice.
The other option is to practice, hopefully not making the same mistake every time.
(my grandma cooked pasta for more than 70 years, but always too soft)
Think of when you learned how to ride a bike. Looks pretty comical when you see (particularly an adult) doing it, but I doubt that anyone has ever managed just to sit on one and peddle away the first time.
But just like I could never do more than two faces of the Rubik cube whilst it can be done in under 11 sec (average time !) some will find tent erection more problematic then others.
Franco

[Franco]

Vestibule
see picture. That is a 60L pack.

Silnylon sagging/stretching
I set up the Rainbow about half an hour ago, its about 15c (59f) outside, still a bit humid.
In that time the fabric has relaxed completely, if I tension it now it would remain fully taut regardless of how humid/cold/wet it gets.
The point is that if you tighten the tent before you go to sleep , it is unlikely that you will need to do it again during the night.
However keep in mind that even dome tents made out of silnylon (the Soulo for example) will flap if not re-adjusted once the fabric relaxes.
Franco
( I am testing a new camera I bought for my wife....)

[FamilyGuy]

I think that HS has some 9mm poles for it (not that I can find them on his web site...)

Yes - that is correct.

[EMAN]

Tell you the truth, I'm not sure what happened. I figured the stake had simply pulled out of the ground but when I got up to fix the problem, both the guy out and elastic had come off the stake which I had to actually look for. It was still buried in the ground at the original angle with the hook still buried as well. I had done this in consideration of the hook possibly spinning and causing just this problem.
At the time, rather than stand in the rain and scratch my head, I said screw it, just refastened and went back to bed
I reckon I'll need to get it set up a few more times before I get that tight bathtub as in your photo. My mid point (as in near the door) is this longish piece of eleastic loop that really seems too long. I could find nothing shorter but I figured I'd just tie a knot in it. Maybe sew it a couple of times. Am I missing something there? Your picture, if it's the same spot, shows a shorter piece. My tent is still set up in my garage so I'll check that out.
I like the tent. Lightweight and plenty of space so I'm definitely willing to give it a further shot.
Thanks.

[bigcranky]

Tell you the truth, I'm not sure what happened. I figured the stake had simply pulled out of the ground but when I got up to fix the problem, both the guy out and elastic had come off the stake which I had to actually look for. It was still buried in the ground at the original angle with the hook still buried as well.

I have had the titanium hook stakes turn around and release the guy line on both tarps and tarptents. PITA.

My Double Rainbow came with the peg (or nail) type stakes instead of the titanium shepherd's crook stakes. The loop at the end of the guy line is small enough that it cannot slide over the top of the stake. The loop at the end of the elastic floor cord slips over the top of the stake and stays put. I like these stakes better than the old ones, and they don't seem to weigh any more.

I haven't had any trouble setting up my DR. I peg down all four corners, then slide the pole through the sleeve, then stake out the vestibules, then pull the elastic floor cords out and loop them over the corner stakes. Even in the rain, this keeps the inside pretty dry. I sometimes need to tweak the placement of a corner stake, but that's about it. Once it's set up, it's fine -- no need for continuous adjustment.

As for heavy wind, we had very strong and gusty winds on top of Springer in March. I used my hiking poles to support the main pole, but instead of using the little grommets I put the handle of the hiking pole up inside the vent area and stuck the sharp end in the ground just outside the door zipper. Worked very well.

Tarptents are colder than many double wall tents. All that ventilation lets in cold breezes in the winter. That's just the nature of the design. I came to Tarptents from using flat Tarps in the winter, so to me they are actually warmer than what I was using. But it's definitely something to keep in mind.

I bought the DR for trips with my wife. Then I used it on my solo section hike in March, and liked it. Not sure if it will replace my tarp/bivy combo for solo hikes in the future -- after all, it's more than a pound heavier. But the extra space and coverage is nice to have sometimes. It might turn out to be my winter shelter of choice. ("Winter" in a Southern A.T. context.)

[crazypete]

I have used the rainbow for this season only but I am extremely pleased with it. I have used it on cold nights and it is surprisingly warm when pitched low. I have used it in torrential downpours and I dont see and splashing up likewise...since I pitch it real low. You can use the little tabs on the outer loop sleeve and run the pole outside rather than through the sleeve and the tent sits a little lower.

For an ultralight tent plus with the massive headroom it offers, the small amount of misting is not an issue.

I think this is the perfect tent. Space inside is incredible! The last backpacking tent I had that had anywhere near this much room inside was my eureka zeus 2le, which was over 4 pounds.

[crazypete]

Here's a gallery of the rainbow in service for winter camping. She was pitched on top of 4 feet of snow. Kept me real warm that night.

Pitched "wrong" in low setting
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1521860751

Regular
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1521860751

Look at that headroom!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1521860751

One of my favorite pictures ever
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1521860751


The gallery:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...1&l=db0bd591cc


BTW....we scattered all the wood when we left and we checked on it when we re-attempted isolation and that campsite is completely gone. There is NO TRACE.

[Franco]

Eman
" I had done this in consideration of the hook possibly spinning and causing just this problem."
Yes I can relate to that. It has happened to me and that is why I use those (shepherd's hook) pegs only in my backyard.
TT list the Rainbow as a 1+ tent. What that means is that if you let the floor down (don't hook it up) it will fit two standard mats (and it does).
That side connection is designed to give you three option on how high you want the floor if at all. See picture.

Again I recommend inserting the arch pole first so that you can push it into the sleeve downwards, that avoids bumping into the cross strut., then peg down the corners.
BTW , any tent that when set up does not look the same as on the website is not pitched correctly....

Pete
Nice shots. The first time I set the Rainbow up I put the pole inside (under) the fly because I could not find the sleeve opening ( my attention span is about 3 sec)
I have had a layer of ice on the inside of my Rainbow , most of the top, that I think has kept me warm...
Always a fine balance between warmth and condensation, I think that an extra pound of down is more effective than an extra pound of fabric. That is why I like the idea of the Scarp having the sides higher than the European equivalents so that you get a better air flow
Franco

[FamilyGuy]

In the winter, in my neck of the woods, a higher fly means snow in your vestibule.

I predict that fly will come down a bit in future iterations, but I could be wrong. As long as the inner can be ventilated to prevent condensation (on the inner), condensation on the outer is irrelevant. Especially since the Scarp permits a detaching of the inner from the outer. Why does this sound like medical school?

[Wags]

i saw a thru using a double rainbow last week (the only HS tarptent i saw, saw another guy using a SMD lunar solo). he jerry rigged it to set up on a tent platform at tumbling run (i think) shelter. that thing was a palace i must say!