Tarptent notch vs contrail

[neoneals]

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]

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]

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.

[jj2044]

i was also looking at these for awhile before i settled on a Lunar Solo. but heard nothing but good things about both.

[bigcranky]

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]

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]

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]

If you go with the Notch, get 8" stakes instead of the standard 6".

[Praha4]

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.

[BigRing]

I had the opportunity to actually try both. I just purchased the Contrail....cannot wait for a warm sunny day to seal the seams.

[Franco]

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 :
Notch2013_zps98f77a7c.jpg


OK, it must be 10-20g more...

[daddytwosticks]

That looks really nice...

[mark schofield]

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]

Gee, Franco, you gotta stop doing that. Now I want one even more.

[Drybones]

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 :
Notch2013_zps98f77a7c.jpg


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.

[Franco]

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 :Notch-tarp.jpg

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.

[jeffmeh]

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 :
Notch2013_zps98f77a7c.jpg


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.

[Franco]

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.

[jeffmeh]

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]

Franco, any idea what Henry would charge to add the 2013 features to my 2012 Notch? Love the idea of the extra panel loops.