Anyone use a TT Contrail for two?

I'm in the market for a new shelter, pretty well dead-set on something from Henry, as most of his offerings suit my needs perfectly (need bug protection, bathtub floor, light etc). I generally fly solo, so I'm primarily buying just for my use, but occasionally bring along another person. I'm planning on dragging my girlfriend along for a trip or two this year as well, and was wondering how well the Contrail fits two, as it's described as a 1+ (or 1-2 I don't recall). I'm not a real big dude, 5'10, 160, and she's very space efficient (5'4, 115ish), so I was curious as to whether anyone has experience trying to shove two into such a tent.

My trips are generally short, so I'm not talking about a thru-hike with 2 in such a shelter, but a night or two, 3 max.

Also, if you believe the Contrail to be a no-go for such a situation, suggest an alternative.

Discuss...

While I can't address the Contrail, I have found that putting two persons (or one person plus fairly large dog) in a tent designed for one tends to overwhelm the ventilation system, resulting in lots of condensation. In my case, the tent was a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo, and the occupants were me and my dog.

If your GF has not backpacked before, she will undoubtedly object to the cramped quarters! Consider a Tarptent Double Rainbow or, if you want something lighter, Squall 2.

I own the Contrail and too be honest you would be hard pushed to fit two people + 2 sets of gear into it. It is just the perfect amount of room for myself and my gear.

As for an alternative. What is your price point? The Squall 2, Double Rainbow and Cloudburst would be more suited for two people, but of course come at a higher price.

Gossamer Gear sells the SpinnTwinn Tarp for $175 and the Bug Canopy is an additional $30. Not sure if a tarp is something you would consider, but at $205 it is a great alternative.

There are also some reletivly lightweight tents out there: BA Seedhouse 2 weighs 3lbs and isn't too heavy for solo use and can be found for around $200.

As I said, it depends on your price point.

Squall 2 was more or less my second choice. I'm certainly not opposed to it, and it's a better all-around shelter than the contrail, but I was just testing the waters to see how plausible 2 in a contrail was.

She will be a first-timer, so I don't want to kill it for her with something dumb, and I think cramming two of us into too small a space would qualify as such.

Any other thoughts are most certainly welcome...

I had a Contrail and two people would mean "Two consenting adults" in a double bag. Just barely doable.

Go for the Squall 2 or Double Rainbow if you want to vestibules (VERY handy).

Eric

Easy choice then.. Squall 2 - the slight increase in weight and price is not worth the possibility of having a partner turned off of coming with you in the future.

You can always buy a dedicated solo tent later anyway.

My husband has a Virga that he bought right before he met me. We've actually used it quite a bit for two people. I haven't used a Contrail, but I would think the interior space is similar. You really can't avoid bumping the sides a lot, and usually at least one person ends up with part of their sleeping bag against the wall as we move around in our sleep. We can fit our packs at the foot of the tent, but anything we leave out of the pack at night ends up on the mesh sides and might get wet in rain or heavy condensation. It can work if these things won't cause any major problems for you.

Contrail would be very snug for 2

The Contrail is a bit larger than the Virga, however the TT 1+ designation means that you can fit 2 adults if you have too, not for general use.


As you can see from my shot , two mats fit inside. Now on a clear night with a light breeze it will be a pretty good minimalistic shelter for two .
On a high humidity night, the sides of the bags will wet out because they will touch the walls. So again it can be done but the Squall would be much better.
Franco
Oh dear...
Looking at the picture I remembered that if it is set up correctly you provably will not touch the walls either, but there is a chance that with side rain one bag could get wet from the mesh.
The two Nalgenes (one on top of the other) are 6' away from the entrance. Did that to show the foot room.