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Franco
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Franco
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PostFri May 11, 2018 8:27 pm 
I see that there is a bit of confusion about Tarptent. First, the name refers to the original design that was in fact a tarp tent (a fully enclosed single wall design, trekking pole supported) Next, as far as the fabric is concerned , we have used several types of silnylon , for several years was exactly the same silnylon used by a few other "cottage" manufacturers. (at the time it was sort of funny how some would rubbish one and praise the other not knowing that it was the same fabric ...) Anyway , for the OP, the one model that fits his requirements is the Tarptent Bowfin 2. That is a freestanding double wall tent that still pitches as one (so you don't get the inner wet) . The fly is made with a 3000mm rated silnylon so well above the rating from several well known manufacturers having a lot of their shelters at 1200-1500mm . Maybe worth taking a look : https://www.tarptent.com/bowfin2.html BTW, we have now 17 different models , so comments on one may not apply to another franco@tarptent

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AlpineRose
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PostTue Jun 05, 2018 9:40 pm 
Campsaver has a 25% sale on all Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL sizes: one, two, three, and four person models. The HV UL2 has two doors. I just bought the HV UL1 (one door) and own an older UL3. Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2. As well, a 20% off coupon on all sizes of Copper Spur footprints. Free shipping, no sales tax. I must be a Big Agnes fan. But also a Tarptent fan. I love my older Moment. Would love to have bought a Moment DW, but the above sale was just too hard to pass up.

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Joe Biden
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Joe Biden
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PostThu Jun 07, 2018 3:39 pm 
I have 2 tarptents....one is the double rainbow and the other is the protrail (one man). My complaint is the misting. I won't buy another. I love the weight and when it doesn't mist (which is like never).

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Franco
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Franco
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PostThu Jun 07, 2018 7:26 pm 
There are two types of misting : 1 by penetration 2 from condensation dislodged from the underside of the fly. As for the first, we have gone up from a 1200mm waterhead rating (still common with many brands) to 3000mm with the current fabric. I have not seen comments about rain penetrating that fabric and those used in the last few years, so far. The second depends a lot on location and weather conditions . The sure way out is to have an inner with rain resistant fabric on top, some of our double wall shelters can have that option. On the single walls you will need to wipe the underside at times but that does apply to all singhle wall shelters and tarps too. franco@tarptent

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HitTheTrail
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PostThu Jun 07, 2018 8:32 pm 
I went ultra lite years ago to increase my hiking years (feet, knees, etc.). I have been a big fan of BA tents because of their design expertise and simple set-up. To win, place or show in the "how low can you go" contest they went with a lot of mesh. That is ok in normal situations but if you get a lot of blowing snow, dirt, soot from burns, etc. you have a problem. BA made a Fly Creek Slater +1 for one year and then discontinued the model. REI was discounting that model for $166 (probably because it came in at around 4 lbs.). I needed a spring/fall tent so I snatched one and took it out this weekend up the Copper Pass trail,Twisp River, to test it. It is 90" long, 34" wide at bottom and 44" at head end, plus a 30" front entry vestibule with a side zipper (so you stay dry). The only mesh is a small vent at the top of the inner tent. And is wide enough to put my pack inside and boots in the vestibule. The pole has two hubs for a greater living area but is a single pole (read, easy set-up in adverse conditions).I loved it.! My normal tents range from 1.5 to 2.5 lbs., but they all have some feature problems. I can make up 1.5 lbs in base layers, water, food, etc, and enjoy the creature comforts of a correct shelter for the existing conditions. Just say'n.

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AlpineRose
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PostThu Jun 07, 2018 9:00 pm 
Yes, an all-mesh inner tent allows the wind to blow anything with small particles (sand, snow, soot, water) inside one's ultra-ultralight tent, nicely coating all your gear with said particles. I've noticed some ultralight tentmakers have incorporated solid nylon on the lower part of their canopies or offered it as an option. Big Agnes Copper Spur, Nemo Hornet, some Tarptent models, for instance. This moves them from ultra-ultra to merely ultra-light. Of course a solid nylon canopy is best for minimizing the windblown problem (provided doors and vents are closed, of course.) But then a solid nylon canopy moves a tent into the "light" category. The other game tentmakers play to make their tents appear light is footprint shrinkage. Notice most one-person tents offer 18-20 sq ft of space, which is not too bad for one person. But then the two-person models are only 27-30 sq. ft. And so on. That math just doesn't add up. Unless two campers are small, skinny and on their honeymoon, most duos will be happier in a three-person model, trios happier in a four-person, etc. In the old days, back before there was dirt, a two-person backpacking tent was a comfortable 32-37 sq ft.

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Franco
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Franco
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PostFri Jun 08, 2018 11:18 pm 
" 18-20 sq ft of space, which is not too bad for one person. But then the two-person models are only 27-30 sq. ft". Some of that is because the space lost in square feet ( because of inward sloping walls) is almost the same for a 1 and a 2 person tent. So lets say that you lose 6" for a solo, you lose 7" or so for a double you lose the same in length and a bit more in width but one of those walls is often vertical so no space is lost there. Something like this : /___\ I________\ /_____\ I________\

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coldrain108
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coldrain108
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PostWed Jun 26, 2019 11:03 am 
wildernessed wrote:
Like the tents and hopefully they improve customer service.
I just picked up what was advertised as a brand new Big Sky International Chinook 1P but turned out to be the 1P+. And it showed up with an extra set of poles for the Chinook 1P. I won the ebay roulette this time around.
My wife wasn't too happy about me getting a solo tent, but when it turned out to be a 2P she liked it a lot. I would say it is for 2 people who actually like each other, a lot. I'm going to order a 1P mesh inner from Big Sky and then I'll have two tents in one. And from my previous experience with the 2P version, I expect this to be a bomb shelter - it pitches tight as a drum and stays that way. And that is my #1 priority for a tent. They improved several elements since I bought my original 2P 5 years ago; better clipping system, strain relief on the door zippers. One flaw I see with the 1P+ is that the inner takes up the entire fly floor space - no over hang to prevent rain from coming in when you enter or exit like with the 2P or with a 1P inner in place. And in regard to customer service, they got back to me right away when I asked questions about the tent, even though I bought it through Ebay. My previous experience with them was also very good - fly was missing a tie-out - they replaced it immediately.

Since I have no expectations of forgiveness, I don't do it in the first place. That loop hole needs to be closed to everyone.
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Randito
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Randito
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PostWed Jun 26, 2019 6:37 pm 
Note: I used a 1 person tent during a long (46 day) bike tour. The narrow footprint resulted in a lack of stability is any sort of cross wind. It was a "freestanding" design, but needed to be staked out if there was any wind. In retrospect I would have taken a two person tent , the extra 1/3 pound would have been worth the extra living space and stability.

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