I've touched on some elements of this review and thoughts previously, but the core elements are new. These components are my thoughts on a recent test-run of my newly acquired Tarptent Squall 2, and how I came to choose this particular beastie.

My background is that I started backpacking when I was an eleven-year old Tenderfoot recently bridged over from Webelos. I was taught from the get-go that tents were for car camping. They're heavy, bulky, extra work to setup and take down. From an early age, I was assimilated into the anti-tentite community. Everywhere I went, I relied on my trusty Taco and Bivy setup, and eventually a Silnylon awning I could prop up with my trekking poles. It was a comfortable system.
However, my most recent trip through Yosemite took place while the Vogelsang region was undergoing a massive hatch of mosquitoes. My best friend had lugged along his dad's 3-man REI Half-Dome tent, and it was a lifesaver, because there was nothing my awning could do to protect me from the clouds of skeeters. This rocked my anti-tentite faith.

Just about this time, I stumbled across the Big Agnes Scout 2 tent, and thought it was the finest thing around. I ordered mine from REI and waited a month with it on backorder, looking forward to trying it out. When it finally arrived, I kind of had to conceal my disappointment. Someone on another forum stated that it was 90% a great idea, but the Scout's missing 10% was the fraction that really counted. This was very true.
Determined to be happy with it, I tinkered with outboarding the trekking poles with extra cord and some bowlines, but it just never sat right with me. It was too poorly ventilated, too dismal, and just seemed to overlook the smaller details that could've made it great. The Scout was a poor argument in favor of tent-kind.
Sometime after this dawned on me, I came across Henry Shires' Tarpent site, and fell in love with the Squall 2. From my perspective, it was just an awning with a bathtub floor and bug netting. Reasonably priced and evident that it was designed for backpackers and not the bottom-line. I traded in my Scout and immediately bought the Squall, and it was no disappointment.

For starters, it's still fairly light. For about 12 extra ounces over the Scout, it offers far better ventilation, copious space, an airy environment and the simplicity I value greatly.
It's easy to setup: one small aluminum pole and four stakes and you're done.
It offers options: vestibule up or down? Extra tie-downs? no problem, there're extra loops on the sides. Bathtub or flat floor? you choose. One trekking pole or two? Sure, why not? Vestibule or ventilation? Either/or, anything goes.
I also love the copious interior space. It's conceivable to cram a pair of packs into the foot of the tent, and still have comfortable room for two adults.
Finally, Henry Shires seems to be a great guy doing exactly what he loves, and helping others share in the adventure along the way. He says what he means, his website makes it plenty clear that it's just him running the ship and he communicates exactly what he has in stock, and he follows through on his word.
I did encounter a few negatives on the way. Very minor ones when considered, but they're worth mentioning.
- It's difficult to coordinate setup with two poles. One always wants to slide off kilter or drop away. It seems to be easiest to set the tent up with one trekking pole, and then switch to two.
- The stock stakes are light, but offer little grip. I was setting up in fairly rocky soil, and these were so smooth that they'd just pull out. I have a few Y-shaped aluminum stakes (Groundhog) that bit the soil better, but my site just sucked for that night. It's not the tent's fault. I really like these stakes, and want to try and keep them, so I'll try spraying them with bedliner or something to up their friction and see if that offers more bite before I swap them out altogether.
- I'm still having trouble dialing in the bathtub floor. This is probably one of those problems that's caused by "the nut behind the steering wheel" and not the tent itself. More practice and thought, and I'm sure it'll work out.
- It took me longer than the promised 2 minutes for setup. To be fair, I was setting this thing up on the tail end of a nineteen hour day. I'm sure it was just me. On the site, a demo video shows it going up without time lapse of obvious jump cuts, and it spans just a few minutes, so I'm certain it's a practice thing.
At just around 2 pounds, this thing's a very nice, respectably designed lightweight and low-bulk shelter that, in the case of this former tent-hater, seems to hit all the right buttons.



Edited by Robotmoose (05/25/13 05:59 AM)
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