Henry Shires Tarptent: Rainbow or Double Rainbow?

“http://www.tarptent.com/products.html

decisions, decisions...”

“Better go with the Double.
Not saying anything about your weight, or am I? ;-)”

“now that you mention it, i'd like to get on a scale. i'm curious as to how much i weigh. ive been eating less over here, but ive also been a little less active. not a whole lot less, but a little. the hikes arent as long or as strenuous

basically, it comes down to this: do i want the extra 7oz and pay the extra 35 dollars? im leaning towards no, the single person is very spacious. but i would like to hear from anyone who has used either or both tents, on whatever they have to say about the products
last edited: 3/17/08 6:12:07 PM”

“I have the double. Make sure you seam seal it well when you get it. I missed a spot and had a rather wet night when the ridge started to leak after about hour 2 of 10 hour driving rain. It was never more than a drip, but you'd be amazed by the water from 8 hours of drips.

I went with the double because I often share a tent when hiking. There was enough room in it for me (6'-0") and my friend (6'-1"). If you're solo, I think the single should be large enough.”

“How much crap you carrying now?
You ever going to share the tent?
Spend a long time in it during rainstorms?”

“How much crap you carrying now?

no more than normal, altho i am going to be buying an expedition sized pack for the upcoming alaska trip. however, most of that space will be food, and therefore not stored in the tent

You ever going to share the tent?

i dunno. are you looking for someone to share the tent with?


Spend a long time in it during rainstorms?”

i hope not”

“I had the same tough decision on that TarpTent. I finally decided on the single, for weight. Has Henry ever come out with anything other than the 1.0 model?”

“not that i know of, but i havent really paid that close of attention.”

“im going to be carrying 9 days worth of food in alaska, so thats a big factor leaning me towards the lighter tent”

“1 bigger tent size = 1 candy bar.”

“Unless you will share the tent with someone, I would go with the single.

I bought one of the first lunar solos and though I still love it as a fully protective shelter, it has more floor space than I really need for solo purposes.”

“skip the rainbow. waste of money.”

“why is it a waste of money?”

“bump”

“bump”

“chump”

“dump”

“seriously, yog, why do you say its a waste of money?”

“rump”

“I know you are counting ounces but may I suggest that if you will be in low temps, high humidity conditions with lots of rain, the DR might be a better choice as it offers the addition of liners (4oz) which, in effect, turn the DR into a double walled tent...condensation is a big issue with tarptents...maybe the liners will work with the Rainbow, ask Henry...I do know they really improve living conditions and you and your stuff stays drier in high humidity.

I also wonder why Yogisan is trashing the DR...I have one, it's a good tent...
last edited: 3/20/08 7:12:21 AM”

“i am just a pain in the neck mata, but you knew that. as far as i am concerned henry stopped making good tents when he gave up the original virga design... haha!”

“why do you think that? i agree that the one paige and oldog have (the contrail, i believe) is a crap design, but what about the rainbow/double rainbow

to quote an old and dearly departed friend, be specific”

“i ain't a tent person anymore but when i was here is how i saw things...

> REI quarter dome = 44 oz WITH poles
> MSR Hubba (bomber tent... i love mine) = 44 oz WITH poles
> Marmot EOS 1P Tent = 44 oz WITH poles
> Sierra Designs Light Year Tent (own it and love it) = 43 oz WITH poles
> Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 1 Tent = 38 oz WITH poles
> Black Diamond HiLight 2 Tent (super cool high-tec breathable EPIC single-wall tent) = 42 oz WITH poles (and this is a 2 person tent when the others are 1 person tents!)

single rainbow = 33 oz
double rainbow = 40 oz

you tell me... what is the point? the rainbow is not a "tarptent"... it's a "tenttent". just get a double-walled tent and be done with it or a new EPIC single-wall tent and get more room for only slightly more weight.
last edited: 3/20/08 9:57:35 PM”

“Yogisan is correct, the double rainbow is more tent than tarp. The weight listed for it includes the ridge pole and 6 aluminum stakes.

The Black Diamond HiLight 2 is a nice tent, but it's $100 more than the double rainbow, plus you have to buy the vestibule separately which also adds another pound to it's weight.”

“I have the Virga, VirgaII and the Contrail. The Virga is by far my favorite.”

“I tend to agree with Yogisan..

When I saw the specs, I questioned why these things are so great. I own a Quarter dome, and it is light enough that I carry the footprint on some hikes.

Granted I'm not as knowledgable as some of you, but to me this tarp tent really isn't any better.

..and while it's hard to tell from these photos, I believe that the quarter dome has more head room through the length of the tent, the tarp tent seems to slope faster..

Of course eveyone has different priorities, so if this fits yours, go for it. Personally, if I had to decide, I would pick the Double Rainbow, I sometimes regret not getting the 2 man quarter dome.

'fool”

“my main priority is to have a lightweight, not ridiculously expensive free-standing tent, emphasis on free-standing
last edited: 3/21/08 5:59:18 AM”

“the $100 is worth the cost. the black diamond tent is MUCH more robust. also, with it being a large 2 person tent who needs a vestibule when using it with only one person.”

“...i am not trying to poop on your parade, btw. i was keeping my mouth shut after my initial comment for a reason. you asked me to be specific... :)

this is a personal decision. in the end whatever you are most comfortable with is what's right for you. i want that bd tent badly having seen it in use a few times but not being a tent person i can't justify the cost of ANY tent.”

“so far ive compared the rainbows to the rei 1/4 dome, and ive found that you get a lot more room with the tarptent, for less ounces. the 1/4 dome is only 26 inches wide

on to the next one”

“i want that bd tent badly having seen it in use a few times but not being a tent person i can't justify the cost of ANY tent.”
Yogisan
9:22:14 AM
3/21/08

I can understand that. Hell the Double Rainbow is the most I've ever paid for a single piece of backpacking gear. It took me a year to finally put my money down on it.

This was an upgrade from the 8x10 sil-nylon tarp I had been using. I was getting tired of becoming dinner to black flies and mosquitoes while I slept.

Double Rainbow is an ideal setup for me because I'd say 70% of the time I'm sharing the tent with another person.
last edited: 3/21/08 6:37:16 AM”

“Thanks for the explanation, Yogisan...if you want a fast-to-set-up, free-standing tent I would NOT go with a tarptent, much less a DR...yes, it can be made somewhat free-standing with hiking poles but I found it somewhat fidgety...it will be damp if it rains or you experience high humidity unless you use the liners...even if you do, in a full, long rain you will have to prop wood or something near the corners as the vestibule will sag and touch the netting if you have it staked down.





I spent a lot of time in rainy conditions last summer experimenting. I like to open both vestibules so as to get max ventilation...this always seems to take me a long time as I need to look for sticks to hold the sides open.

I would not choose this tent...I only use mine when I'm staying somewhere for a few days...”

“you will have to prop wood or something near the corners

what did she say? i have to pop wood for my (pants)tent to stay up?”

“crash... that might give you a little more head room..

'fool
last edited: 3/21/08 8:30:27 AM”

“Tarps and tarptents do fine in the dryer west, but double wall ounces in rain are the best.”

“just for a point of reference, i already own the virga model and love it. rain or moisture has never been a problem. if theres a good hard rain, i just pull my stuff away from the sides. not a big deal”

“get that bd tent from rei. use the 20% off coupon to get it which will make it cost closer to the double rainbow. use what dividend you may have.

personally mataharahiker has ruined me with that hennesy hammock and my days as a ground sleeper are numbered.”

“I agree, Crash, never had a moisture problem with the Virga. Well, there was that one little teensy bed wetting incident...”

“and this goes back to what i said.... henry stopped making tarptents when he stopped making the virga... not the virga 2... the original virga. it was perfect then and he should have stuck with the original design. now he is just another tent maker. a very cool tent maker but a tent maker.”

“Should change his name to "Omar"”

“i dont care that its a tenttent. i just want a lightweight freestanding tent. those other tents you mention sacrifice a lot of floor space to get the weight down”

“wait til you get back to order it. henry will give you your money back if you don't like it. he stands behind his products. in the end if it works for you then it works.

remember that they have to be seam sealed. this adds a surprising amount of weight. i have also heard people say that "freestanding" is not the best for the rainbow... even mata who owns one say it's "somewhat free-standing". perhaps she can be specific about what she means by this.

i don't own this tent so my opinion is only just that. i was literally one click away from ordering the rainbow but couldn't bring myself to click the button. in my experience every backcountry shelter has it's advantages and disadvantages. i have yet to see one that is "perfect" although that 2p BD tent I posted is darn close in my mind.

that akto we both have is also darn close (not freestanding of course and a tad heavy).”

“I've never seam sealed any of my tarptents and have had any problems.”

“"any"?

you have more than one?”

“Virga, VirgaII and (free) the Contrail.”

“you paid too much for the contrail”

“I'll be more specific on what I mean when I wrote "somewhat" free standing. I found with my Leki, Super Malaku hiking poles that I had to pull them out to their maximum extension to properly fit into the provided tabs on the tent which pull the sides out; that made them, the poles, flex way too much IMHO. I had to buy the metal pole extentions in order to get the DR to stake out properly without risking my poles snapping from the stress...more weight...

As for seam sealing...I think I have half again the original tent weight in seam sealing...I was one of the first who had a DR and found it almost impossible to stop water from wicking along the zipper and dripping into the tent via the velcro tabs...and, I was not the only one. I sealed every seam, inside and out trying to get it to stop leaking with no luck. It was Henry who figured out it was wicking along the zipper seam and suggested that we squirt seam sealer (he suggested using a syringe) inside the zipper seam where it joined the tent...I wish I could remove the pounds of seam sealer I have on mine as it attracted every grain of sand it touched on the beaches of Lake Michigan...anyway, I think Henry's sending out the DR with better instructions as to how to seam seal it...

Still, when I camped in a driving rain I definitely felt a fine mist either being driven through the tent or knocking the condensation on the inside of the tent on to me...Henry wasn't sure which and neither was I...now, I won't use the DR without the liners if it even LOOKS like rain.

So, there are some of my experiences...I actually enjoyed playing with the DR but I am not sure it is best suited for your purpose...and, by the way, it is tough for 2 people to sit up inside the DR and not touch a side which, if it's raining, will cause it to leak...it get very narrow and the top so the sides slope in at steep angle...having said that, it is great for one person...”

“and, by the way, it is tough for 2 people to sit up inside the DR and not touch a side which, if it's raining, will cause it to leak...it get very narrow and the top so the sides slope in at steep angle...having said that, it is great for one person...�


That is what I elluded to earlier. The quarter dome and the MSR Hubba series both provide headroom for 2 people to sit up in...

'fool”

“i ended up getting the black diamond. i checked the specs, and its almost as roomy, almost as light, and only a little more money than the double rainbow once the TWENTY PERCENT discount is applied (i also had a 5 dollar dividend)

factor in the problems with the rainbow that were mentioned, plus the recommendation from yogi, and it was an easy decision

first of all, it looks like it would be easier to set up. second of all, i dont have to use my poles for it to be free-standing. third, it looks like it would be warmer. fourth, i dont know if my poles would be long enough, and i really dont feel like stretching them to the max, and then get iffy stability, plus stake it all out with rocks and stuff

kewl”

“I think you made a wise decision...the only reason I didn't like the BD is it had no vestibule to cook under if it's pouring and I'm not too big on cooking inside a tent in bear country...still, that Black Diamond is one sweet tent...Yogisan will be SO jealous even if he has moved to hammocks...I look forward to reading a review on this tent from you...by the way, I read there is a window opposite the door to aid in ventilation...when you get the tent would you let me know how large that window is?”