Franco wrote:In your view, what is the advantage of the tarptent over a tarp?
Ease and speed of setting them up and weather protection .
You can ,say, have good wind protection from a tarp but you need to set it up for it. If the wind was not there or changes direction, most tarpers would need to re-set the rig.
With a Notch, as an example, you just open up or pull down the sides according to he need. Don't have to re-stake.
Of course you can set up a tarp very low to start with but then you have a sort of bivy set up that you need to crawl in and out of and without space to easily get changed , read sitting up and cooking.
But of course that is how I see it and the reason why I became attracted to the brand in the first place.
Franco, that's a bit of a naive response from you, TT bias coming out?
Ease and speed of setup - I can pitch a tarp waaaay faster than I can unroll and put my tarptent up.
Having to set up a tarp with wind and rain in mind is of very little concern, I do the same damn thing with a tent, only, with a tent I have to be a lot more concerned about the ground site as well.
> Don't have to re-stake.
I don't think I've ever needed to do this to be honest, maybe I lack experience, but I think its more likely I check the forecast dutifully and pitch accordingly.
> you can set up a tarp very low to start with but then you have a sort of bivy set up that you need to crawl in and out of
You only have to do this on the nights you expect really bad rain, and I believe most backpacking tents are still only half my height so crawling is sort of a given!
Tarps offer a lot of flexibility, and yes, you do need to pick your sites a little more carefully than a tent, but you also have a lot more options to choose from.
The real question is - why doesn't tarptent offer a flattarp? I'd snap one up pretty fast (I believe they used to - but didn't make economical sense?)