Planning tent purchase

[Suz]

I totally do, Dan, I totally do want to.

[DanShell]

I totally do, Dan, I totally do want to.

Do it

I'd hate to think anything I have said has turned you off one.
I know a person who's uncles father knows someones brother in law that once asked Henry at tarptent what's his best tent and he said the Stratospire ;D

[Chezza]

Just buy the stratospire and be done with it, you know you want to
There's nothing difficult about pitching it. Just learn the couple of tricks involved in using a hiking pole to give it extra guy line support when the wind is due to get nasty.

She's hiking solo. What happens if (when) she breaksa trekking pole.

[DanShell]

She's hiking solo. What happens if (when) she breaksa trekking pole.

I use dedicated tent poles with mine that are all but unbreakable.
The walking pole is only one solution to pull the side guy lines out horizontal in high winds.

Did your gaiters turn up?

[Chezza]

She's hiking solo. What happens if (when) she breaksa trekking pole.

I use dedicated tent poles with mine that are all but unbreakable.
The walking pole is only one solution to pull the side guy lines out horizontal in high winds.

Did your gaiters turn up?

What's the weight including the additional poles?

Dunno mate, I'm a long war from home. I suspect they'll be there when I get back.

[DanShell]

She's hiking solo. What happens if (when) she breaksa trekking pole.

I use dedicated tent poles with mine that are all but unbreakable.
The walking pole is only one solution to pull the side guy lines out horizontal in high winds.

Did your gaiters turn up?

What's the weight including the additional poles?

Dunno mate, I'm a long war from home. I suspect they'll be there when I get back.

I use the heavier duty Easton poles, not the thinner ones that come with it and I carry extra pegs but the complete tent with poles and pegs in the bag is 1432g. That is also including quite a bit of extra guy line tied to it for those just in case windy nights.

[DanShell]

Here's what I mean by using the hiking pole for extra guy line support. Its not a very good pic but its the only one I could find.



And of course Im sure everyones seen this.......not pitched the best but it also shows the hiking pole thing......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg0Yo8dBY0I

[Suz]

How likely would I be to break a trekking pole? My poor lekis.

Dan, how do you go with pitching into ground that is too hard or too soft and on those wooden platforms? Like at first at least I am going to be incredibly inept at pitching a tent - is this one a bit fragile if you do it wrong?

NICE PIC! Where is?

[DanShell]

How likely would I be to break a trekking pole? My poor lekis.

Dan, how do you go with pitching into ground that is too hard or too soft and on those wooden platforms? Like at first at least I am going to be incredibly inept at pitching a tent - is this one a bit fragile if you do it wrong?

NICE PIC! Where is?

Firstly its not my pic, its from a google image search

Fortunately I haven't had an issue with high winds when I've had to pitch it into sandy soil or when I couldn't get my pegs into the hard ground properly. But I have always been able to use a rock or tree to tie it off too and make do. They are really simple to put up once you have a few goes.

The actual pitching of the tent is not that difficult, its site choice that takes some experience and to be honest Im far from experienced on the matter. However you soon learn after a windy night that perhaps if I pitched closer to that bush or down in that dip etc I may have had a more sheltered site.

As for platforms, I use cup hooks! They are the most solid pitch you will get, they won't pull out in high winds but they are a bit of a pain getting them in the right position. With a peg in the ground its easy to pull it up and move it slightly if your not quite happy with its placement but with a cup hook you end up with sore hands if you miss the spot too many times

[GPSGuided]

I use dedicated tent poles with mine that are all but unbreakable.

This is logical for some, and possibly those with fixed length poles. One question, what is the combined weight of tent and dedicated poles then?

[DanShell]

I use the heavier duty Easton poles, not the thinner ones that come with it and I carry extra pegs but the complete tent with poles and pegs in the bag is 1432g. That is also including quite a bit of extra guy line tied to it for those just in case windy nights.

[Chezza]

The SS2 is listed as 1.3 kg. How do you get poles, pegs and guy lines in for another 100g? They can't be very burly.

I forgot to pack the cup hooks when we did the OT last year. Cue half an hour of extensive swearing while I got the tent pitched somewhat okay. OH was like, see we should have got a Hilleberg as bright red Nammatj(!) went up not far from us in five minutes flat. We slept in those smelly huts most of the way.

[kitty]

The SS2 is listed as 1.3 kg. How do you get poles, pegs and guy lines in for another 100g? They can't be very burly.

SS1

[Suz]

Wait, so SS1 with your config Dan is about the same as a Scarp 1 sans crossing poles? I think if I go the scarp route I'll get the extra guy lines but not the extra crossing poles … (because the poles seem to be more about snow capability over wind and I have no winter plans atm. So there, the 2 tents are about equal.

So, main advantage of it against the Scarp is HEAPS of extra internal space but potential to fail in high winds? All that space and height is very appealing but as I intend to hike solo in some remote and potentially weathery places - perhaps the Scarp 1 is the best choice for me.

[DanShell]

Kitty is correct, mine is the SS1

Suz I am not 100% sure of the exact weight of the Scarp ready to go so I can only go with your research. I would imagine there is not a lot of difference in integrity between the two as far as ability to withstand winds. Just going on shape or design it would be easy to think the scarp should hold up better??

I would be interested to know what Tarptent would have to say on the comparison of the two if you were to put it to them that your decision has come down to either the SS or Scarp and you are concerned about windy conditions. Lets face it, wind is the tent killer. We didn't need to worry too much about snow, so what we all don't want is the wind blowing our tent down during the night.

Either way, you are working through it and clearly getting close to taking the plunge SS or Scarp will both serve you well, you just need to get over that final hurdle.
Bad weather or more to the point, high gusty winds are a killer for tents. You are aware of the reputation of the Hillebergs and you would be very confident carrying one even with a windy forecast but they too can fail in high winds, albeit possible after withstanding it more than most others. But they come with a weight penalty.

Its over to you........

[Chezza]

So to summarise:

Rainbow: You said you liked the space, great ventilation in warm weather, not quite double wall, looks easy to pitch. If you're carrying trekking poles can be made very robust indeed

Scarp: Least space(?), looks easy to pitch, this is the one TT recommed for high winds, also good in warm weather (all TT's are); get the crossing poles later if you need them, but I'd be getting a different tent instead for real snow use

Stratospire: It's a pyramid without the interior room disadvantages of a pyramid (unless you're over 6'2"). In keeping with other pyramids it has very high strength to weight ratio, near indestructable in high winds with the right pegs, rocks, what have you. You have to know what you're doing and ease of pitching will vary greatly depending on what you're pitching on

Hillebergs: Heavy, muggy in warm weather, easy to pitch, unless you get a freestanding one (heavy) they sway in the wind (but won't break), they still need pegs in the ground and lots of them

Decision time

[DanShell]

Odds are paying......

$1.20 Scarp
$1.25 Stratospire
$1.60 Rainbow
$3.20 Hilleberg
$3.50 Other

Yes I am bored....there is only so many times I can unpack and repack my gear in anticipation of the OLT tomorrow

[simonm]

Dan I will put $10 on the Scarp .

[DanShell]

Dan I will put $10 on the Scarp .

Bet held....Ill pay out with 12 photos

[Franco]

Dan,
are you SURE you packed the spare Mini Bic ?

[north-north-west]

Odds are paying......

$1.20 Scarp
$1.25 Stratospire
$1.60 Rainbow
$3.20 Hilleberg
$3.50 Other

Yes I am bored....there is only so many times I can unpack and repack my gear in anticipation of the OLT tomorrow

Go for a walk.

I'll put a packet of Tim Tams on the Stratospire.

[DanShell]

No spare mini bic, just the one in my pot but I have a flint in my 'magyver' kit.

Tim Tams yum..Ill take that bet

[Suz]

Pretty accurate odds there. Can I bet too lol? ;P

[GPSGuided]

Pretty accurate odds there. Can I bet too lol? ;P

Bet $1000 on 'Others' and you'll be able to buy quite a range of top tents after.

[Suz]

Good point. I'll be able to buy everyone on the forum a tent - with dans money ha ha!

[DanShell]

Good point. I'll be able to buy everyone on the forum a tent - with dans money ha ha!

Sounds like everyone will be using $15 kmart tents then if your using my money

[Suz]

Well this is old noos now, but whoever had money on the Stratospire can now collect their winnings from Dan
My noo hoos arrived this morning in the mail, yay!

[DanShell]

Well this is old noos now, but whoever had money on the Stratospire can now collect their winnings from Dan
My noo hoos arrived this morning in the mail, yay!

Good choice. That was fast postage. Now set it up in the backyard and sleep in it

Oh and grab some guy line off tier gear and have it ready to guy out the end panels for windy weather.

[Chezza]

Lol, wasn't expecting that. Remember four self-tapping screw hooks if going anywhere with platforms, you'll need them. And try to practice that at home before you go. It's a royal PITA. Wish it had linelocs instead of those bungee loops.

[DanShell]

Lol, wasn't expecting that. Remember four self-tapping screw hooks if going anywhere with platforms, you'll need them. And try to practice that at home before you go. It's a royal PITA. Wish it had linelocs instead of those bungee loops.

6 If thats the only way to pitch it

I found them really easy, except for a newer platform, they were a bit harder to screw into fresh wood. Mine has linelocs everywhere except the doors. I guess it needs some flex in the shock cord loops so the tent doesn't self destruct in high winds?

Most platforms I used I could have used the nails, hooks and wire to pitch if I used extra guy line but I preferred to use my hooks as it was easier and gave a nice tight pitch.

Here for instance I only had to use one hook. It was my first platform pitch on the OLT so I tried my best to utilise the existing hardware. From then on I didn't bother. I just found it easier to use my own hooks.

Incidentally there were plenty of other brand tents on platforms that weren't pitched very well at all due to them not having a way to tie down certain points.