My new Etowah Outfitters Meadows tarp/tent.

I hope to have a more formal review in the weeks to come(taking it on it's maiden voyage to Shining Rock Wilderness, NC next weekend) but for now here's a link to my pics from the second time i set it up:

http://community.webshots.com/album/562433037yIXhwg?vhost=community

Things to note:

1)the little guy in my pics is my nephew and he's just shy of 5' tall, to give you some sense of scale.(i am 5'11" and in one or two of the photos)

2)the sleeping pad pictured is a 48" pad

3)TOTAL weight with all 7 easton stakes, 10 ft. guyline cord, and stuff sack comes in at 20 ounces on the dot on my scale. a pleasant surprise for me as I was expecting 22 ounces. Etowah quotes 21 oz and that's without guyline which is NOT necessary


Things I'm slightly concerned about so far are the beak opening at the top of the zipper and a few of the tab seams on 1 or 2 of the corners seem 'tweeked'. by that i mean i'm concerned with their strength but i know they can be easily reinforced.

The one other thing that stands out in my mind is the rear tautness. I can't hold it against the meadows yet because after all this is my first sil-nylon shelter, though i've had some experience setting up regular square and rectangle tarps. the rear right side i could not get as taut but this may have been because of the ground not being completely level. ?????? how taut is taut anyways?

as far as the opening at the top of front apex goes, i should say that it really doesn't bother ME but i can see where it would concern others. i know personally that i can rig something up to cover or plug it.

I've got one and like it a lot, but it doesn't seem to get much attention... Not sure why.

The only thing I don't like about it is the plastic D-ring stake loops. I'm going to replace mine with cord loops to make them easier to use. It would also help to be able to pitch it a little higher in the summer for ventilation.

I'm not sure if it makes a big difference, but I pitch it with my trekking pole handle-up in front. It seems to make the gap a little smaller, plus it keeps my handle clean. The tension is enough to hold it in place. Having the tip up and having that little hole might help with ventilation, though.

It also appears that yours has a waterproof zipper... Is that so?

Have you tried pitching it as anything but a fully-enclosed shelter? I like using it as an A-frame in warm weather, but I'm still new to flat tarps and haven't experimented much...

ahh, are you the one that posted a small review a while back with pics of it in your yard? yours is green right? and you used a stick for the rear guyout point?

i was trying to contact you desperately before i purchased to ask some questions but couldn't find any contact info. for you <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> oh well.

no, my zipper is not waterproof....... at least i don't think so and it doesn't appear that way either. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

i did try setting it up in a somewhat a-frame style and that should work good. there do seem to be alot of options for setup though.

i want to be able to put the handle up in the front too but when i tried it the zipper unzipped and then the handle therefore went through the gap, rendering the tarp as a groundcloth <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. maybe i need to pull the zipper to the end/top to 'lock' it??? i want to be able to do this because i like the confidence of the bottom not sliding if i were to knock it in my sleep or something or if my dog were to bump it.


i too think i will cut the plastic tabs off. besides is there some certain way i should be staking it down because the easton stakes don't seem to 'match' up with the tabs anyways....... ???? they just don't seem to go together. cord loops would probably stay in place on the stake much better.

Way off subject but what kind of car is that in picture #7. Oh by the way nice tarp. Looks to be very versitle and have a lot of rain protection

just a ford taurus ??? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

no this Blue car/suv

Chevy (GMC) extended-cab pickup.

sure is, isn't it. But at a glance it looks like some littel asian car with tiny tires on it. Something you might find in downtown Tokiyo or some place like that. But I guess it is a truck and the car next to it is the tire I am seeing <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

funny thing you mention that because my neighbor on the other side of me has one of those little mini trucks made by Suzuki i think. he's got it with ATV mud tires, a mild lift, and camo paint job. awesome little vehicle! would love to have one. he uses it for hunting of course.

Nice for a "tarp". But I love the venting advantages of my TT Contrail too much to go back to a tarp. My tarps now are used as car camping awnings.

Eric

aaaahhhh, but once i get something like the Integral Designs bug liner i'll have a 2.5 lb tent with enough room for me and my wife and unlimited venting possibilities.(lots of tie-out points on the meadows) <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

4x4 I wonder if you've included a groundsheet in that 2.5lbs? Hmmm, looks plenty roomy with good height in any case. I find that the tarptents get a bit dirty without integral floors and are a little fussy. Guess it depends where you're spending most of your time backpacking.

the Integral Designs bug liner has a floor. it's essentially a but tent

Have you thought about sewing a mesh perimeter skirt on it? I hardly ever use mine as anything but the pyramid shelter, and I might just "convert" it to a tarptent... I'm going to use it this summer to see how things go, then decide. I get a little spooked without at least 3 walls around me, so it's a pretty strong possibility I'll just sew on some netting and cut the corners off. We'll see...

woops, meant to say 'bug' tent. lol!!