Setting up a Tarptent

“Just put up the tarptent after work yesterday. Seems cool, but I'm not sure I'm putting it up right.

It said the corners on the entrance end should be up around 8-9" as far as the netting height. They didn't seem to be.

And it didn't seem taut along the lower edges, but maybe that is no problem? (I see it has tie-outs along each side and read you shouldn't use them unless there's bad wind, and even then, not too taut)

Gonna be using it this weekend in temps below 30 (WHICH SUCKS!!! by the way).

Any helpful advice? I'm still not sure how exactly you're supposed to set the built-in floor up, by detaching or tightening which elastics. I mean, it's there, but doesn't seem quite right.

aaaack! BUT I am excited to be using it. And sliding around in it, cuz I haven't seam sealed anything yet, neither seams nor (*wink*) the floor.

What a weight saver!!! Now I can take my steeekin' heavy sleeping bag. LOL!”

“Temps below 30? Dang, I won't see those until late October.”

“SHADDUP, DH!!! :-P lol. I read that for where I live tonight there could be a windchill of 18. Yikes!

OK, I was looking at this page.... I am confused with these "guyline clips." Something similar to them is also inside the tarptent, with the sewn-in floor. Help??

http://www.tarptent.com/extendedbeak.html”

“When it gets down to 30 degrees, just get up, walk through the backyard, and go back into the house to get warm! hehehehehe :P”

“it is suppose to get in the low 30's here this weekend. calling for frost on the out lying areas. At least no snow like the upper midwest will get”

“HEY! no snow here!

And Ewker, you've got the tarptent, right???? Help me out here...”

“YOu should E-mail Henry. He'll usually answer in a couple of hours unless he is out of town. He may even give you a call. I made a post on a internet board about my pole being hard to install on my cloudburst... and he looked up my ordering info... found my phone number... and called me... on Thanksgiving day of all days to make sure I was satisfied and to offer to send me a replacement tent or pole :D”

“Questions this late in the game?”

“Which Tarptent do you have? I have the Squall, and love it as a roomy solo tent. If you put the front corner stakes angled out tightly and you push the "feet" of the rear arched pole back (I sometime stake them back, though it's not really necessary), the lower side edges will get pretty taut. And if the center pole (I use one of my trekking poles) is high enough, the corners on the entrance end will automatically be at 8-9" high. You shouldn't have to do anything with the floor which will seem kind of loose. I haven't had to adjust the bands at all on mine. By the way be sure to paint the floor with a dilute solution of silcone or you will be sliding all over the place.

One thing to keep in mind, because it isn't a true tent and is very airy, it is colder than sleeping in a tent. It's more like sleeping outside. I noticed a definite windchill when I used it last month in southern Utah on a windy night. It needs to be airy so that condensation won't build up on the inside, which it has a tendency to do on cold still nights. However, it works great in the rain. I stayed dry all night through a downpour.”

“Thanks, Fool2BP. You cleared up some questions.
last edited: 4/22/05 8:57:13 AM”

“goober ;-)

Just play with it till it looks OK.”

“goober??!?!

damn, no "sugar lumpkins" for moi!”

“I answered your question on the Hey Stovy thread.”