Squall 2 for 3??

All

Referencing my earlier thread, do any of the squall 2 users think that a Squall 2 would work for a 6 foot two adult and two waist high kids with regular sized bags? Or is this a bad idea?

I suppose you could put the shortest kid crosswise at the bottom of the tent, but he won't be able to sit up. While the Squall 2 has a big footprint compared to many 2-person tents, you have to remember the slanted sides, which don't allow a lot of room close to the side without rubbing against the tent wall. You'll also be more apt to have condensation with 3 people in a 2-person tent. In other words, I wouldn't. Better to get the 3-person Rainshadow 2. (The "2" refers to the model iteration, not to the number of persons.)

I own both tents, and have put my grandkids in them, so have experience here!

That might be tricky.
One of my hiking partners (5’9”) brings his 2 ‘waist high’ boys a lot. They all sleep in a Cloudburst. He opens up a single WM Megalite and spreads it over all 3 of them.

He got the sleeping bag idea when he saw my wife and I use a single Megalite with a home made sweetie pie zippered in; then it becomes a double bag.

-Barry

OregonMouse

Looked at the price, thought about when kid 3 was going to be ready to go (4 more years), and the weight, and think I can get by ordering just one Rainshadow 2.

My alternatives (to sqeezing in a 2 man tent) were to buy two two man tents or buying a Hogback. I think it might have been hard to find pitches for the Hogback due to its width.

Any tips on the Rainshadow 2??

Sincerely

Steadman

For the Squall 2 and especially the Rainshadow 2, use two trekking poles. It's much more stable and a lot easier to get in and out. Both tents can use either one or two poles, but two are better. If you're using the Easton poles Tarptent supplies, you about have to have two.

I'd also ditch those blue Easton stakes (bend easily and the caps pop off when you try to pull them out) in favor of MSR groundhogs for the center front and rear and Ti shepherd's crook stakes for the rest. Do set up the optional side guylines, which are helpful in wind. Just don't pull them so tight that you pull the roof down.

Do practice with the tent in the back yard, first. It takes a bit of fussing to get a taught pitch until you're used to it. I recommend this for any tent--a dark, rainy windy night is not the time to pitch a tent for the first time!

Awesome. Do you have any trouble finding places to pitch the Rainshadow 2?

Sometimes, but nothing serious yet. The last trip we had to pitch it on a site with no drainage, but chances of a heavy rain on the Olympic NP coast in July are pretty small. Some drizzle, but not enough for puddles. The alternative was pitching it on a rather sloping grassy pitch, which is where we'd have moved it in case of serious rain.

Agreed! Dark conditons are cumbersome, windy are difficult to near impossible. Both dark and windy could mean disaster. If you may have to set up the tent in windy conditions, I would even try this before the tour. I have a cord with a hook fastened at the end that should be facing the wind. The tent is always packed so that the hook is on top of the bag, and there is a red reflective plastic on the cord also. (in case this is forgotten and it is dark).

When tenting I fasten the hook to the backpack, then pulls the tent out of the sack. (This is even more important in winter, for then you have to fight numb fingers as well.) When the tent hangs secured to the pack, I enter the tentpoles and pin it down.