Bushwalk Australia

I thought I would start the discussion on the new Tarptent.

One pole, one pound, infinite possibilities....

It looks like it could be mid (variant) with strut ends and possibly a strut at the back to create more verticality at the walls. hexamid style? Probably not double wall.

Video:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq-xhf3FuI6/

I am pretty impressed that Tarptent are bringing out all these DCF shelters. I received a Notch Li last week and it is an amazing tent. Very well built and seems to be incredibly functional. Hopefully this is as good. I can feel my wallet floating away as we speak... At this point I should start making shelters out of $20 notes.

A true ul'er would only have $100s in their wallets - fewer so lighter.

Glad you are loving the Notch Z.
I was so close to the Notch Li (and still am-I watched a youtube video on it just last night) hence my questions when it launched, but the struts (unpack or not?) put me off and the packed size/hassle (potential they might -[in my fathead] have created).
I want the shelter in horizontally.
I know the struts give more room in the length of the Notch, and it sounds really excellent, but they seem finnicky. Whats your evaluation Z, of the strut situation?
Sounds like you reckon it is a non issue for the benefits?
This has struts too, from the teaser, hasn't it?
If they are in the 29cms range and the thing packed to that 29 to 30 cms range, I think it might be more appealing to me?
Hey Mark, are there such things as $100 notes? Never seen one.
I for one would like to see the shelter ZaprudaS is going to make from the $20 notes! Seam seal or not?
You may need to convert to 5s to get more bang for your buck!

Lamont wrote:Glad you are loving the Notch Z.

Early days yet but I am pretty impressed. Excellent weight as well. I have the mesh interior model and its 540g including stuff sack and apex guylines. Not including pegs though. Its a tight fit inside but manageable. I still haven't used the notch with a thicker bag and mat so I am not sure how close I will come to pushing against the inner. With my foam mat and summerlite I am fine. The Notch goes up in about 3 mins. Wayyyy quicker than the Altaplex. Funnily enough it actually weighs less that the Altaplex if you include pegs as I only have to carry 6 now and no pole jack. Winner!

Lamont wrote: Whats your evaluation Z, of the strut situation?

I think they will be less of a nuisance than I initially thought. They really do go in and out very quickly. I want to pack the notch horizontally so I will remove them before packing. Possibly a bit annoying in the rain. I wouldn't be able to fit in to the Notch without the Struts that's for sure.

Lamont wrote: This has struts too, from the teaser, hasn't it?

It appears that way. It could be very interesting if it were a mid style shelter with struts. It might make those sloping walls a lot more efficient space wise.

Lamont wrote: I for one would like to see the shelter ZaprudaS is going to make from the $20 notes! Seam seal or not?
You may need to convert to 5s to get more bang for your buck!

That's a lot of seam sealer. It has to be $20 notes or I wont be able to see it in the snow

Thanks for the excellent feedback. Much appreciated.
I have searched and searched around the strut situation and found very little that was useful.
If as you say (and looking at "Bushwalker Dan Durstan's" diagram [looking good I reckon] over there at RUL) the Aeon could be a real winner.
I am hanging on for the Durstanator for now.
a................mere...............four ....................................more........................................................months.
Being of the right height for the XMid makes it easy for us under the 1.87. (Dan measured his brother in the shelter at.)
I know the Notch is recommended for you taller chaps (and lasses) and I hope it fits well with your full sleep kit.
Yes please, take a pic of you in your bank note shelter? I see an order for 40 litres of seam sealer on the way.

Dan's Sketch is great and if it turns out like that then it could be a real game changer - https://imgur.com/a/NGQVxuL

I might do a little video on the struts next time I'm out to help put peoples concerns at ease.

I almost joined the drop again for the Xmid but had to stop myself. Ill probably grab a secondhand one when they start popping up.

I'm looking forward to your thoughts on it when you get it G.

Cheers

Some comments..
No , it isn't as in Dans sketch but say closer to it then a dome or mid would be.
As for the Notch Li struts, you can see how they are added in the set up video on the product page :
https://www.tarptent.com/product/notch-li/
at about 1:20
the link to the video is the image below the features and specs.

Meeoow- that's the sound of the cat getting out of the bag. Hmmmm interesting. I'm interested on my thoughts on it too S. Serenity now.

Lamont wrote:Meeoow- that's the sound of the cat getting out of the bag. Hmmmm interesting. I'm interested on my thoughts on it too S. Serenity now.

If I could tighten my belt by half a notch, I'd be happy
We'll know next week

The full details should be out tomorrow.

There is a Notch Lithium for sale on Facebooks Gearfreak page just neeowww [ cat noise] for $500-
I wonder if the early adopter is upgrading?

I saw that MD. Absolutely fantastic deal for someone looking for a Notch. Mine came to about $980 Aud including shipping. Almost half price...

Here it is - http://www.tarptent.com/product/aeon-li ... yFDDAhUzqw

This will be awesome for tall people. Having those struts will create some verticality on the walls and help with the whole wet feet/head thing that is typical with mids. The angle of the walls look excellent.

I wonder how much of a pain this will be to pitch on uneven ground and things like tussock. The struts could cause some issues there.

Definitely the Altaplex/Plexamid competition we needed.

Yep, seems a direct competitor to the Plexamid. As you said S-uneven ground Hmmm? Still requires removal of struts to get in a sack horizontal, for the UL rucksack but spacious especially in the length, which seems restrictive in the Plexamid compared to this. The little hat of the Plex is replaced by a more robust pole -win on that for sure. Looks very easy to pitch properly and quickly, nice footprint. More stormworthy than the Plex. And finally will pitch handle up. 'Bout time! Price to come?https://vimeo.com/305345012
$299.99?

Probably my only concern. If the corners with the struts are on some unsupported tussock/depression will there be strain on the corner? Probably a non issue but worth considering if you are going up to the alpine and find your self on tussock and snow grass.

I don’t think I would have any issue touching the walls in this thing at 6’2”. Even on my xtherm with a -7 bag.

I’m thinking closer to $600 USD...

Actually, I can pitch any trekking pole supported Tarptent handle up, it's just that they tend to be easier and work better if the pole tip is inserted into the grommet.
BTW, this is a major feature of the tent : a one pound shelter that fits a 7" tall person :

To be fair, once that bloke is on top of a mat and inside a bag or quilt he is touching the walls. A small pet peeve of mine are these product shots of of a person laying inside the shelter sans bag and mat.

Love the Aeon though. Looking forward to some reviews on it and can easily see myself adding this to the quiver.

Looks good.

Took my Plexamid on the trip on west side of Tassie. Easy and quick to set it up and no issue in high wind. High rain also and safe, minim water drops. I think mozzie screen for the Plex is better, it can be zipped all down and makes it easier to pack the gear, and decide which end to sleep on the pillow etc.

Looking at the dimensions, The Aeon has wider outside for the pack, the Plex has wider inside. Floor length is 88-90inch on both. Plex is slightly higher.

Price of the Aeon would probably be similar to the Notch Li $539-$619 US. The Plex is $549-$579 US plus stakes

That guy was a customer that popped in to the Nevada City office to pick up his new SS2 a few weeks ago.

On a thick mat and a winter bag he would probably touch the ends but...he is 7' (213 cm) tall.
I used to call that shelter design HiTrail ( to carry on the ProTrail and MoTrail thing) , it was meant to be our first shelter using another type of fabric.
That did not work out so Henry made one out of DCF to see if it worked and it did.

A comparison between the Aeon and the Plexamid


BTW, the Aeon is an evolution of pre-existing designs having as the main goal to house the tall and have a side entrance at the lowest weight.
So it wasn't specifically designed to compete with another product but to add to our own product line.
There are several other designs waiting for their moment of glory.

Struts..
Lots of comments in the forums about them.
The mid panel one does not need to be used however it does help with stability avoiding the use of a longer guyline.
All 5 can be removed , it takes 10 seconds or so for each , probably about the same as removing and folding up another guyline .
The 5 bottom struts are 14" long (36 cm) so some at least will be able to fold and roll the shelter with those struts in place and still store it inside the pack.

Franco wrote:A comparison between the Aeon and the Plexamid

There is the width of the difference between them.

The Aeon has wider and longer doors, and the Plex is wider inside the tent.

Neat that the Aeon has short guys. If the doors are closed flat to the tent, how much wind will it take?
The Plex is a bit similar, the top of the pole is well inside the top, so the front corner guys hold it up ok. Never tried it without the front guy, because use it to maintain the doors.

Not $299?
$399?

I must admit PH I do love the rainbow door on my Dupe.
So versatile as you say.

And Franco I believe this is first time I have seen TT state "handle up" in the description.
The fact it is officially stated is reassuring. That's what I meant.

Maybe I need to take some excitement pills. I'm not seeing what all the frothing is about!
I'm not seeing a light-bulb moment for Henry Shires, it looks like a business decision to provide a competitor to the ZPacks Plexamid and MLD's SoloMid XL. It looks like it's about market share.

The SoloMid XL has the advantage of having a separate inner but weighs ~200g more with an inner.
The ZPacks Plexamid is lighter, wider, longer and has more tie-outs.

TT has a better quality reputation than ZPacks and a better turn around time than MLD. Plus TT have a big fan base so this tent will do well. I've been hoping they would put out a Protrail Li, which would be lighter again but I think I'd happily buy the Aeon instead.

What I like:
Made by TT
DCF weights/yard look like a good combo
Small footprint
Side entry over the Protrail
Not too many tie outs.

I don't have an issue with the struts but I wonder how well it handles condensation with the flaps battened down.

During the tests the air flow was good.
Some were done earlier on with a different fabric but it behaved in pretty much the same way.
To get a good air flow in a tent you need to have bottom ingress to get cold air coming in and a top vent or two to suck it out.
The front beak in conjunction with the two PitchLoc corners do that, in fact we have a patent pending on that design.
This might give a better idea of the function of those corners( apart from getting those panels in tension)

crollsurf wrote:The ZPacks Plexamid is lighter, wider, longer and has more tie-outs.

It may be longer and wider on paper but the useable space of the Plexamid will be a lot less than the Aeon because of the Aeon's struts. They will create vertical walls rather than the shallow angle of the plex.

If you look at the pic that franco just posted you can also see how nicely the floor of the Aeon pitches. A proper bathtub with structure unlike the the Zpacks offerings. I say all this with considerable experience with Zpacks kit.

I am also sure Tarptents QC will be a lot better than Zpacks.

As far as the Solomid comparison goes, I personally don't see the connections. The Solomid is either a floorless tarp or a double wall tent, The Aeon is neither of these.

Would be good to set up the Aeon next to the Plexamid.

The Plexamid has guys up on 4 sides of the tent to make the inner higher wider. That puts them in the similar space in the tent. Without those guys, yes the Aeon has more inner space.

From experience those tie outs do way less than zpacks would have you believe. If you pull them too tight it changes the whole way the shelter is pitched and therefore functions. If you just put them in the ground with a little tension they do nothing for space. Guying to trekking poles may help a bit more but that would require a pole you don't have normally. I will concede that they help stop the fabric from pushing in when windy.

I wasn't arguing the that the Plexamid being longer and wider was an advantage, maybe I should have high-lighted it is a negative, along with needing more tie-outs. The guy they photographed was 7 foot tall. He dropped in to pick up a SS2. I'm thinking he might have changed his mind and possibly became TT's first Aeon customer.

He was on his way to the trail (to South America from memory) with his girlfriend.