Tarptent Scarp1

[photohiker]

The scarp has turned up, still waiting for the sleeping pad so no real testing yet.

I will update this thread with further info and photos as they happen.

I put it up in the loungeroom using the self supporting option (missus wouldn't let me bang the stakes into the floor)

Initial reactions:

It's extremely small and light when packed. I use an Osprey Stratos 24 as a day pack, and it disappears in there. I think I could now use the Osprey as a 1-2 night pack with no big dramas.

It's light inside. There won't be any 'sleeping in' with this tent.

Space is good. Being a one-man hiking tent, it will always be a little squeezy if you have a lot of gear, but it has plenty of room at each end, I really doubt there will be much contact between the inner and the occupant in normal circumstances. The dual vestibules are usable spaces and if you unclip the inner you can enlarge them temporarily if needed.

[the_camera_poser]

You get any photos?

[photohiker]

Not yet, but I will shortly. If there is anything you would particularly like to see, just ask.

[Tony]

The scarp 1 is also on my short list so I am very interested in how it is reviewed.

Scarp 1 under snow 2.jpg (150.77 KiB) Viewed 12376 times

Here is a picture of a Scarp 1 under snow from the Backpacking Light forum (picture taken by Chris Townsend in the UK)

Tony

[Ent]

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[photohiker]

I'm about 186cm

Mesh is at the top of the tent, will measure it. None at sleeping level.

I have spent a week with a group, one of whom had an Atko. So I have _seen_ one, but not spent a whole lot of time checking it out. If there is anyone here in SA with one, be happy to compare side by side...

[Ent]

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[photohiker]

I generally use whichever sleeping bag I'm given, but like I have said elsewhere, I'm getting sick of hire gear.

I've got to go and try out some bags, leaning toward the OnePlanet Cocoon or Zephyr at the moment.

I don't think you'd have a problem with bumping the sides of the tent, and from what Franko has indicated on BPL there's good length. Once I have a pad I'll load it up and take a photo.

Meanwhile, here's a couple:

In the Stratos 24:

Scarp1Osprey.jpg (91.08 KiB) Viewed 12357 times

Window from the inside:

ScarpWindow2.jpg (27.47 KiB) Viewed 12357 times

Window Measurements:

ScarpWindow1.jpg (62.5 KiB) Viewed 12357 times

The max height of the window is 28cm, max width is about 140cm.

[Ent]

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[photohiker]

Hmm. Thanks for the bag info Brett, have to add WM to the list of things to checkout, they look good albeit expensive... will try to keep this thread about Scarp1 though.

[photohiker]

Just an update.

Henry Shires (the man behind Tarptent, the maker of the Scarp) has been beset with requests for a longer fly that reaches to the ground on the Scarp1, and has decided to offer the longer fly in the next batch due in the next month or so. I have emailed Henry and there is a possibility that existing owners will be able to buy the new fly for their tents. Here's a link to one UK blogger's post on the new flysheet: Summit and Valley: Holidays, Scarp talk and a night on a hill hopefully

Summit and Valley also has a Blog Category for the Scarp1 (interesting reviews and comments) HERE

This fly issue has been the most negatively commented feature of the Scarp, especially by UK hikers wishing to use them in very windy environments. (yes, I'm talking about you, Scotland) So I'm hoping I will be able to make the upgrade, which will leave me with the best of all worlds - a very flexible solo tent for Mainland, Tassie and for the TGO Challenge in Scotland next year.

[photohiker]

Just a bit of an update. My Scarp trips haven't eventuated for one reason or another, but I did spend a couple of nights in it this week in the Flinders.

The first night was especially testing. I set it up in a protected area amongst the pine trees at Wilpena in weather that was rotating between high wind, stillness and rain. Managed to get it put up without it blowing away. The tyvek was particularly annoying for it's propensity to catch the breeze and the racket it makes in the wind. Anyway, I set it up with just the standard 6 pegs, 3 at each end. Tent was up in a few minutes and came up tight as a drum.

About 9PM I was trying to go to sleep listening to the wind howl around camp. It was really gusting, picking up sand and flinging it forcefully at the side of the tent - I didn't get out but I guess maybe 60-80kph. I spent some time watching how the tent performed and I'm happy to say that it was very stable as it got buffeted by the wind. Shaking yes, but showing any sign of collapse, no. In the morning, it looked just as tight as it did when setup, none of the pegs looked like they were about to let go either. That square end setup Henry has designed into the tent is extremely strong and stable - there's a photo of Franko leaning on it somewhere on the net. My boots were full of leaves and sand though. Didn't get much sleep with all the noise. Inside the tent remained dry, there was a noticeable breeze through the mesh. Not a problem on this day (8C) but it could use the lower fly for cold windy sites.

By comparison, the second night was still and quiet. Slept like a baby. Did notice that the sleeping pad has a penchant for slipping over the tent floor as I woke on the other side of the tent but still on the mat... Site must have a slight fall that way I guess.

[Franco]

Hi Photohiker
Have you installed the guylines to the main cross pole ?
Franco

Note the new Gold Edition. (did that just to see what it looks like with a yellow interior. It was done with turmeric, it fades after a while)

[photohiker]

Hi Photohiker
Have you installed the guylines to the main cross pole ?
Franco

Note the new Gold Edition. (did that just to see what it looks like with a yellow interior. It was done with turmeric, it fades after a while)

Hi Franco,

No, I haven't installed any extra guylines. What do they add? (well, apart from extra trip points...) I guess they may help in severe crosswinds?

Here it is in Wilpena:

scarp_wilpena.jpg (100.29 KiB) Viewed 12061 times

[Franco]

Hi
Three additions that I think really help...
1) pull cords for the zips
2) shock cord to keep the fabric by the pole end in tension . (self adjusting when the fabric "relaxes")
3) guylines on those poles
Yes the guylines help a lot to stabilise the shelter in cross winds. I still have not used the Scarp in the bush but had the opportunity to have it in decent wind here in Port Melbourne
(we have had a lot of windy days in the last few months...)
Franco
Some may like this...
You can add a piece of guyline to the corner guyout so that the shelter can be put in tension from the inside.
Make a loop on the bit that you pull to tighten . Attach a piece of guyline , thread it through the loop on the pegs and under the tent.
You can then pull that guyline from the inside no matter at what angle you do that..

[photohiker]

Good info, thanks Franco.

One thing I noticed with all the buffeting is that the pole ends had dug their way into the dirt quite a bit. Not sure if that impacts the tent performance at all, but maybe a walking pole basket on the end might spread the load a bit. I guess the extra guylines would also minimise movement there.

[Franco]

I would not worry about the ends digging in. That will help in stabilising the tent and that is also how you can drop the shelter a bit to minimise wind ingress (keep digging, but LNT...)
Franco

[Nuts]

Looks suspiciously like the Atko? though I cant imagine Atko taking that snow load..(?)

[Franco]

There are lots of single hoop tents like the Akto. several European manufacturers do them.
However they are all slightly different from each other, just like every other traditional shape is (dome,geodesic,tunnel, A frame......)
It is going to be more and more difficult to design a tent that somehow is not like an existing design...

One of the features that distinguishes the Scarp is the freestanding option, two extra poles (that is how it can hold that much snow) .
Another is the easier set up, if you have ever tried setting up particularly the Vela or the Laser you would quickly notice that.
Not obvious, but most of the others have just one panel per half side, and that relies on un-even tension to stay taut.The Scarp has three panels on each half giving it a better shape. ( note how the Akto/Vela/Laser/ Vango Helium etc. often have part of the fly very taut and the rest very floppy/wrinkly)
(see my shock cord fix for the wrinkles on PhotoHikers shots) . That does not work with the others.
Those corner struts are also much stronger.
However as noted some prefer the fly to be down to the ground. More protection, more condensation...
Franco

[nvb]

I am (like many others) looking for a 1 person tent.
I have narrowed it down to the scarp 1 or the laser 2 person version.

Has anyone trialed the scarp floor on wet tasmanian ground?
Am I overly concerned that the scarp won't handle saturated conditions?
(Scarp 1200mm waterhead (vs) Laser 7000mm)

Also does anyone have experience with the internal space of the laser 2 (not the competition)?
I lay down in a laser competition and the inner was 5-10cm above my head which felt particularly claustrophic.

With these types of tents (scarp, akto, competition, vela, etc...)
has anyone found that it is hard to find suitable campsites that allow you to setup the tents with a taught pitch.

ps: thanks Franco for your unending responses to scarp questions on various forums. It is a lot different trying to decide wether a tent is right for you without being able to see one in person. You (and of course others on the forum) have certainly given readers a 3 dimensional appreciation of the scarp.

[photohiker]

With these types of tents (scarp, akto, competition, vela, etc...)
has anyone found that it is hard to find suitable campsites that allow you to setup the tents with a taught pitch.

I haven't used mine extensively yet, but I must say that I cannot imagine that there is a tent using less space to pitch than this style. The Scarp especially, as it's end guys are set quite close to the end of the tent itself. To use less space, I think you would need to move to a bivy bag.

[Franco]

NVB
Thank you for your comments. Unfortunately same have in the past taken my input to be somewhat commercially motivated.
Funny how so many can spend hours talking about their pet subject yet become suspicious when someone else does the same.

Anyway... as for the floor, I still have to have water coming through any of my Tarptents, but others have had that happening.
It could be that I am under 70kg or just "lucky" not to have pitched in a bog.

An easy solution is to coat the all floor with a 4/5 to 1 mix of mineral turpentine and 100% silicone.
Start with a large blob of silicone, add a few drops of turp, mix, keep adding and mixing. I use the bottom of a cut off soda can for that.
Once you get a very runny mix, paint that on the floor. I would do the inside because dirt sticks to that and your mat will too...
Some have coated both sides.

As Photohiker mentioned and as you can see from the above pics, the guylines of the Scarp are much shorter than the others.
The center one at the boxed end is a bit longer but you can get good tension on that one too at just 15cm or so from the fly.
However I do suggest to attach the longer guylines on the main pole.
Franco

[Ent]

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[Nuts]

Hi Brett, I wouldnt be all that fussed between the two. You could spend a lot of nights over many years before you got one in Tassie that would show up any major differences. In heavy snow your Atko will let you know when its time to give it a shake, long before suffocating you.. I would also imagine that similar alterations could be made to narrow the differences. All the while, you'll have a better looking tent

[Franco]

With the additional poles would not the Scarp be a fully supportive structure only taking up as much space as the tent itself? This would mean very little space required.
True, but like any other "freestanding" tent, it still needs to be pegged down...
But it would mean that you have some freedom of where to put those pegs in whilst with some design the angle of the guyline is a lot more critical (not that some owners realise that....)

The next batch of the Scarp will have the fly down to the ground but designed so that it can be easily pulled up the pole for ventilation. I call this "The British Version"
BTW, Henry at Tarptent keeps spare parts, however poles can also be purchased to specification from people like
http://www.questoutfitters.com/tent_pol ... 20ADJUSTER
or
http://www.polesforyou.com/
and for the brave
http://www.fibraplex.com/tentpoles.htm
Franco

[Ent]

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[photohiker]

I've got my name down with Henry for a 'British' fly for my Scarp, because, well, I am going to take it to Britain.

Should hear more about it soon, I think.

[nvb]

thanks for the reply re: water resistence of tarptent floors
your personal experiences are enough to further sway me towards the scarp.
Franco, do you use a groundsheet when using tarptents?

I find the 3D views on the tarptent website confusing.
Does anyone know how high the ceiling is above your head when sleeping in the scarp.

I'm feeling cheeky, so might get a TT Moment as well if I order the scarp.

Looking forward to some sunny hikes in the next few months.

[Franco]

Re confusing 3d drawings..
The white "box" is the "sleeping pad" described as 20" long,72" wide and 12" high. ( that is 51x183x30 cm) . It is the size of a large mat, the 30 cm high representing the tip of your nose on top of a thick mat (more or less...) . Note that the "box" is 7" (18 cm) away from the inner at both ends. The minimum height right at the end is 15" (38 cm) so if you are laying on top of that thick mat you still have 12-15 cm above you .
look at the second picture (side view) and note the white box (30 cm h) the line above that (at 38cm) and the extra space between that and the inner (thick darker grey line)
Franco
Oh, no I do not use a groundsheet. I have a good collection of them at home though...
Franco