Bushwalk Australia

Zapruda wrote:

Petew wrote:Zapruda, what was the duty like?

Pete

$0. It seems that TT made an error when declaring the value of the package...

Good to know

I had the Aeon Li but sold it on due to the carbon struts making it quite awkward to pack in my wilderness threadworks 38L sonder pack.

@Zapruda How is the packability of the DR Li compared to your Notch Sil & Li?

coryjohnrist wrote:I had the Aeon Li but sold it on due to the carbon struts making it quite awkward to pack in my wilderness threadworks 38L sonder pack.

@Zapruda How is the packability of the DR Li compared to your Notch Sil & Li?

I’ve been using a Notch for years now so I don’t mind packing tents vertically anymore, even in tiny packs. I think it’s a non issue.

But... If that does bother you it is very easy to fold the DR nice and compact to pack horizontally. There is nothing attached to it to get in the way.

I think I’ll continue you to pack it vertically with the poles rolled up in the middle.

Am I convincing you?

Hehe Well i can store the arch pole and crossbar on the outside of my pack (which was harder with the 'built in' carbon struts of the Aeon & Notch) and pack the body as i please inside my pack, i think that may be what has convinced me on this tent. I am 188cm like yourself and floor length is one of my biggest non-negotiables, thanks for the review and insight Zapruda!

Bummer..... about the duty

Petew wrote:Bummer.....

What is Pete?

Zapruda, edited so it makes sense.

Coryjohnrist, I have a 2015? Double rainbow that I modified so that the spreader pole just clips on/off then I stuff the tent in a DCF dry bag. Poles outside the pack in DCF pole bag.

Looks good Petew, thats what i would be doing for sure. Now how can i get my wallet to swallow a $1104.54 DCF pill.

Not sure if Tarptent do enough business in Australia to have to collect the GST but the $1000+ price tag might be an issue!

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crollsurf wrote:Not sure if Tarptent do enough business in Australia to have to collect the GST but the $1000+ price tag might be an issue!

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Just have to wait for the US dollar to dip a little more!

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What do you think guys...

Tarptent Double Rainbow Li (764g without stakes) - $1110
Zpacks Altaplex (437g without stakes) - $885

Both with fastest delivery,

I know they are very different tents, with the Tarptent giving more generous liveable space and having the rigidity of the arch pole support, but im kinda torn. My usage will be mainly in Western Australia with Dry, non-humid conditions.

What do you choose?

I used an Altaplex fairly extensively for a couple of years.

It suffers from quite a few design flaws. It absolutely must be pitched on flat ground or it loses its shape, ability to pitch taught and subsequently its interior room. Even a lumpy tussock will throw it off. It needs far too many stakes to make it work and obviously you’ll need a long enough pole or a pole jack which adds weight.

Comparing the Altaplex and my old Duplex to My Notch Li, Double Rainbow Li and other Tarptents I’ve owned, the attention to detail and quality of the Tarptents is way ahead of Zpacks.

Just my 2c because that just about all I have left after all these tents...

Yes i have read from a few different sources about the Altaplex's issues on uneven ground, im not very patient in that regard either, readjusting tieouts for half an hour isnt my idea of fun. Tarptent looking good.

Come on AUD, you can do it! You are worth more than this!

Yay - it arrived today. Postman left on my doorstep which was a bit scary - had it got stolen I wouldn’t have been happy.

But in any case I did a quick job erecting it with trekking poles in my lounge just to get in and have a quick look and try-out.

So far - I really like it. I think it’s going to be my “go to” tent.

It’s not as transparent as I thought it would be. (In an ideal world I would have ordered the thicker darker colour Dyneema and taken the 60 gram hit.)

I like that the short section cross pole is separate and not attached. Super quick to pitch. Just need to angle long pole A bit downwards when sliding into the pole sleeve.

Very simple elegant design tent. Pretty damn light. And great that can work without needing trekking poles to pitch. And equally if you have long trekking poles you can pitch it in freestanding configuration on rock and just use some big stones to pull out vestibules on either side. Or use trekking poles to create porch mode.

Yep I like it.

The idea if it being left on the doorstep is scary!

Looks good.

Nice. I just put my order in for one actually. Good to see some pics. Emma did you not have to pay any duty/tax either?

coryjohnrist wrote:Nice. I just put my order in for one actually. Good to see some pics. Emma did you not have to pay any duty/tax either?

Congrats mate! I’m sure you’ll love it.

Wahoo! How exciting, Emma!

Bit scary that it was left on your doorstep though, glad it was still there.

Wishing you and your wee lass lots of happy nights in it.

Thank you @Ms_Mudd! Yes I'm excited. My base weight is looking improved which is the direction I want it going as I get older.

And @coryjohnrist in respect of the query asked on duties - no I wasn't invoiced or charged anything at this end in respect of duties / tax.

Best,

Emma

Zapruda - how did the tent handle your 7 day hike in the snow?

Recieved my new Double Rainbow Li today, took about 2 and a half weeks to get here. Initial impression, im very happy, finally some space for my long legs! Im having some trouble with the bathtub floor bunching up in the middle but i have only put it up quickly twice so more tinkering to be done i think. Will give more indepth thoughts soon.

Kott wrote:Zapruda - how did the tent handle your 7 day hike in the snow?

I just saw this. Life got away form me on my return last week.

I spent 7 nights out in the Jagungal Wilderness last week, 2 of those were in huts because of snow and heavy winds. The rest of the time I used the Double Rainbow Li.

This is not a review. It's far too early for me to give any real indication of performance for such a short use period.

Size - Huge! By sleeping in the middle of the tent I never once came close to touching the walls. Every morning I woke up to a frosty interior and thankfully didn't have to deal with knocking that freezing frost all over me. I was able to have all my gear in the tent with me with plenty of room to spare. Sitting up on my xtherm was fine, my head didn't touch the roof.

Eas of use - Easy to setup, easy to pack down, easy to rollup. The fiddle factor is next to 0. Its incredibly easy to get a taught pitch.

Ventilation - Even though I had one night at -9 and a couple at -5 I still kept the doors open for ventilation which helped mitigate the worst of the condensation. Condensation is really unavoidable this time of the year in the mountains. It's nice to be able to roll up both door panels completely on each side for ventilation and views without disrupting the integrity off the pitch.

Wind performance - I had one night with moderate winds. The tent did very well with the two guy out points on the pole sleeve in use. I would really like to see how it performs in 40-50kph winds. I have a feeling this is an area where it won't excel but you never know. The solid bit of fabric at the bottom of each mesh panel was great at taking the edge off the breeze.

Vestibules - Very small. Not a huge concern when using it solo but with another person you may have to get creative with storing gear in them.

Overall I am very happy and think this will be keeper.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Nice pics Zaprupa, I have seen two methods for staking, are you putting the arch pole through first then staking each corner or the opposite way?

coryjohnrist wrote:Nice pics Zaprupa, I have seen two methods for staking, are you putting the arch pole through first then staking each corner or the opposite way?

Without any wind it’s easier to just put the pole through then stake. If there is the slightest breeze I think staking first, putting the pole through and the readjusting the stakes is the best option.

Good idea. Also, did you have any bunching of the bathtub floor in the middle?

coryjohnrist wrote:Good idea. Also, did you have any bunching of the bathtub floor in the middle?

Not from memory. It definitely gets tighter in the middle causing some creases but I believe this due to pulling the ends too tight before staking. Try staking the corners on the long side first rather than the short side.

BTW, I suggest not to have the floor taut in any tent because the tighter it is the easier it will be to puncture. (same as an inflated balloon)

Franco wrote:BTW, I suggest not to have the floor taut in any tent because the tighter it is the easier it will be to puncture. (same as an inflated balloon)

The arch pole is making it taut at the center/ends (which is giving great structure for the tent overall, but is very tight)

Thanks Zapruda...looks like you had a great trip and good weather...

I'm glad you liked it and great tips on how to set it up.

I pulled the trigger on one last week too so excited to get my hands on it.

This is my first single wall tent, needless to say I'm a tad worried about the condensation. Saying that, last week I was up in the Victorian high country with double walled tent and it got was completely wet both inside and out from the condensation/humidity even though the sky was clear and there was nice breeze.