Tarp Tents

I m looking at buying a Moment by Tarptent, does anyone have experience with it?

I'd like to hear some thoughts on this as well. My concern with the Moment is the interior space. Looks like the dimensions will hold my prolite 4 nicely but thinking my sleeping bag (marmot helium long) will be prone to touching the sides, thus condensation issues. It's a pretty recent release though so been tough to find good reviews online

Now I'm leaning toward the Double Rainbow for the space which appears palatial for solo.

Blevy
I don't have one so I cannot confirm it , but if you look at the pics on the TT site you can see that both sides at the end have a mesh just for that reason (to prevent your bag from touching the fly)
In my experience with the TT it will also be rear to have condensation in that area ( as in that low ) and looking at the size of those vents it would seem even less likely with the Moment.
Can't remember how tall Eric is (300Winmag) but he has one , so he may comment on this. He also has used other TTs so could offer some good insight.
Franco

http://www.tarptent.com/moment.html

i wouldnt go with the rainbow 2, i know a bunch of people who own it and have slept in it quite a few times although i dont own it. aside from being out in some thick bush where theres no wind, this thing gets hammered and flaps around in the wind horribly if you dont align it right with the wind movement. which makes for long nights. A defnite no go if youre on a mountain

No experience with it myself, but looking at it got me to wondering what makes a manufacturer rate this tent for 3-season use, while something like the Hilleberg Akto is rated for 4-season use. They seem very similar to me. Is the quality/waterproofness of the fabric different or something?

Interesting question...
Generally a "4 season" tent has more pole support and better weather protection then a 3 season counterpart.
The Akto for many is a good compromise between weight and extra protection.
However as it is with compromises, some find it too warm (not enough ventilation) in summer and it is not that good under heavy snow.
So often it has to do with perception.
You will see people raving about using an open tarp in winter too, others find a tarp tent (or a Tarptent) too breezy most of the time.
The Moment has a lot more air flow than the Akto and that means less wind protection.

One point that many disregard is that at the same temperature we feel colder when the humidity is higher at low temperatures, below about 53f, but warmer above that temperature. So a tent that is prone to condensation will feel colder in winter and warmer in summer...

There is an index devised to give a close to how it feels to us temperature, and that takes in account wind chill as well as humidity levels, it is called RealFeel by:
http://www.accuweather.com/help.asp
Franco

Many great suggestions...I am one for the hammock. A quality hammock coupled with a pad and sleeping bag is the best hit for me. And if I am in rainy conditions, I throw over my cover.
Happy Trails!
Chad
http://www.4dayeroutdoorgear.com
Use promo code lovethe4dayer for an additional 10% discount!

I agree that the 4 season rating is suspecious at best. If there is screen at the end (s?) then snow can blow through. Also I think 4 season tents I am familiar with all have a sewn in floor so in a storm there is no chance of anything coming under the sides. I assume 4 seasons means harsh snowy and windy conditions. I live in the pacific northwest.

Manufacturers nowadays seem to claim about anything. 4-season means SNOW. Snow presents different problems - 1) weight of snow on the tent, 2) snow blowing in the tent, 3) frosting up and condensation and 4) room. A winter tent has to have a steep enough pitch that snow will slide off and also the poles have to be strong enough to hold a snow load when it does not sluff off easily. Blowing snow means you have to be able to buttom up the tent and not have spindrift come in. This is also handy in desert areas with blowing sand. This usually means nylon windows that zip up over the mesh. Frosting is usually solved by a bigger tent. In the winter, you need more room anyway to accomodate bulky down clothing. You also need to store boots and gear inside. In serious winter mountaineering 4-season tents you actually have a double entry - get in the vestibule, close it up, shake off the snow, then get in the real tent. The vestibule also is handy for cooking without getting snowed on. ALso if you have to hole up for a storm, a tiny tent is really uncomfortable. All said, it is hard to get a real winter 4-season tent under 4-5 pounds. 4-Season also means the tent has to suffice for summer. Thus, there are some winter tents that do not do well in summer. You will usually carry too much around having a 4-season tent for summer. Most 4-season backpack tents really are only designed for the shoulder seasons. They are seldom true winter tents. If you do snowy winter backpacking you probably would be better getting a specific tent for winter.

I have a new Moment and love it. Very fast setup, even faster than my previous Contrail. Very stable in sustained winds - no flapping.
Nicer, more useable headroom location than Contrail. Great attention to details and (as usual for TT) quality. Hell, it's even pretty to look at.

A 4 season tent it ain't. It would never keep out spindrift snow and would be too breezy in winter. I know, I slept in it at 11,500ft. in windy 30 F. weather. I can report after that experience that the ventilation is EXCELLENT! (Too excellent in very cool windy weather, even all buttoned up.)

This tent I'll keep for many years unless Henry develops some new nanotechnology for an even lighter tent with a 2 oz. built-in flux capacator stove/water purifier and ceiling light & fan.

Eric

Probably will come out just after I buy my next TT product.

Hey Jim, looks like we're neighbors. I live in Port Townsend, might run into you on the trail :-)

Huh, that doesn't match up with my experience with my Double Rainbow, but perhaps I inadvertently had it set up properly.

I really like the DR as a solo cold-weather shelter.

I think if you're looking for actual four season, the scarp with the walls is probably a lot closer to reality for that..

It actually looks a lot like a souped up hilleberg akto with lighter fabric.

I have one waiting for me to pick it up at the post office after 1 pm today

Too bad it's not for me!

If you're the one picking it up, it could be for you!

I sold mine as I found it to be really flappy in windy weather but I do believe that there are some variances in production quality with the TT's. I have seen some that appeared to be much 'tighter' than the one I had. YMMV.

I have it in my hands. it's really pretty..

Trouble is I owe the tent to my buddy for a nice borde bomb stove he bought me, and two TGV tickets from zurich to paris.. So I had better not give into temptation and keep it ;(

Tell him it got lost in customs, set it up and take some pictures. Then re-package and tell him how horrible Canadian customs is.

Has anyone looked at Gossamer Gear The One. This will be my next purchase. Just waiting for inventory. Here are some of the particulars:
# Weight: 16.2 oz. (459 g.) - Shelter before seam sealing
# .4 oz. (11 g.) - Stuff sack (included)
# 1.5 oz. (43 g.) - Polycryo ground sheet

I have had 2 HS TT's. Found nothing wrong with them and was looking at the Rainbow but my back and knees say GG The One is the way to go for me.

I had one. The good: really light.

The bad: expensive for what you get. Vestibule will not stop horizontal rain. Too short for a 'long' bag touching either sloped end of the roof line. In fact, it is too short for taller side sleepers. Fragile.

But if the weight is the most important then this is your choice.

I am kind of a shorty so no prob there. I was thinking about the vestibule not going all the way to the ground too. But since I am a desert rat not too much call to stop horizontal rain. Though I think I might cut some silnylon scraps to add to the flaps to CYA. Thanks for the info.

No problem. Looks to me like you have a new tent coming your way!

Post some experience once you use it.

Cheers,

I am waiting for GG to have some to sell. GG's website says Nov. and I am waiting! I will definitely do a review and some pics.