Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

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Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby philm » Thu 02 Feb, 2023 9:28 am

I'm looking at a choice between these 2 DCF tents and interested in people's experience. Most of my walking is in the Tasmania South West. My initial preference was the StratoSpire Li due to it's size and double wall - option with solid inner. There is plenty of room in the vestibule for cooking if stuck in bad weather. In comparison the Double Rainbow Li is smaller in size, lower and smaller vestibule but has the ability to be free standing by using trekking poles along the ground at each end. However the Double Rainbow is not a true double wall tent.
I won't be using the tent in the winter but during the other 3 seasons.
Interested in people's experience with either tent? Is the stratospire harder to set up on platforms?
I think a true double wall tent will be preferred in Tassie.
Both are a similar price.

The only other option I have considered is the X-Mid 2 solid not the X-Mid Pro DCF as its single wall.
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby headwerkn » Thu 02 Feb, 2023 6:37 pm

Hi Phil,

We have the Double Rainbow Li, have had it for a bit over three years now, has been pretty much everywhere across the state including the Western and Eastern Arthurs, Denison Ranges, Du Cane Range, Southern Ranges, West Coast Ranges, Frenchmans (multiple times), Mt Anne area and most recently the Eldons. It's seen tonnes of rain, and more snow that it probably ought to have ;-)

The good stuff:
- Very light for a legit two-person tent. Tent itself is about 800gm, we're just under a 1KG with optional interior liner, extra pegs, line, DCF ground sheet and a different bag. Packs up very compact too, actually barely any bigger than my ProTrail Li 1pp tent.

- Very good internal space for two people. We use a 20" and 25" wide sleeping pad, still have a few spare inches between the doors and room top and bottom (less so for my big pad) for gear. Obviously for one person it is palatial.

- Doesn't require an enormous flat area to set up. I actually used to think it was pretty big, but comparing it to the usual 2pp Moondances/Goondies it's actually pretty compact.

- Porch mode is brilliant. We try to use it as much as possible especially overnight in warmer weather. Does wonders for ventilation and condensation control.

- Set up is fast and being single-skin, the interior is protected from rain during setup. It's quite easy to tension up 'drum tight'.

- The free standing mode works very well. We've used it on Shelf Camp and a really dodgy spot half over rocks at Haven Lake. Other than the minor complication that we used fixed-length Z-fold poles and have to bind two poles together to get the required 140cm length to correctly 'hold' out the ends, it works a treat.

- Condensation management is handled very well by the vents/drains and being DCF, all it takes is a quick wipe down and a few minutes of sun to dry out fully.

- For a single-hoop UL tent it is surprisingly wind resistant - particularly with cross or variable wind guests. With the doors zipped up it sheds wind coming from the sides almost as well as it does end on. We've experienced some very gusty nights - probably getting up to 50kmh or more - at High Moor, Haven Lake and Pigsty Ponds; I usually tie in some extra bracing guylines off the loops over the pole sleeve to give it a little extra support, but honestly it shrugs it off just fine. All the smooth curves and angles just seem to spread the wind around rather than catch it.

The not-so-good stuff:
- It's wide at the base but narrow in the top. That's good if you're in a tight spot within trees etc but two adult sided humans sitting up at the same time need to offset and sit back a bit to make space.

- Likewise, the doors slope out at the base, which means if you've got the vestibules open and it's starts raining, the door mesh and thus interior of the tent are directly exposed.

- Again likewise, the vestibules are small... squirrelling away your pack and boots can be fun, they tend to have to go right in front of the door and entrance zipper, zipping everything up from inside the tent can be a struggle at times. They're also rather sloped/low and definitely don't lend themselves to cooking underneath unless you're exceptionally careful. In really bad /raining weather we keep our bedding packed away and cook (again, very carefully) in the main tent first, then dry out the floor afterwards and set up. Had to do this a few times on the Western Arthurs a couple of years ago.

- Porch mode could be better in (non stormy) rain... mainly the 'middle flap' between the vestibule doors is too small and only has a tiny bit of securing velrco instead of running the full length on the other door. So water tends to collect and drip through straight onto the mesh or sil-nylon part of the door, thus leaking inside.

- The elastics that hold the floor tub up at either end of the pole sleeve always seem to pop out when the tent is pulled down/set up, and are tricky to hook back in once the tent is tensioned. Which it always is because you don't realise they've popped out until you've set up the tent then get inside... just annoys me ;-)

- It's a DCF tent, which means it is prone to certain types of wear - puncture holes, mainly - but also exceptionally easy to patch when it does hole. We've had one animal-based hole and several tiny rock-based holes patched. Also had a bit of wear/stretching where the strap for the pole tensioner meets the floor that required a patch. After three years of admittedly regular, heavy use, the guy line pull out points are starting to stretch and the surrounding material is showing a bit of delamination. Which actually reminds me, I need to email Henry and get some suitable stick on DCF pieces to further reinforce these areas.

I think that's the main stuff covered ;-) Feel free to ask any specific questions. Unfortunately I haven't used the StratoSpire to directly compare, though was seriously considering the silnylon version for a while.

Owning both this and a couple of hiking-pole support tents, I have to say the Double Rainbow is a helluva lot easier and less frustrating to setup. The poles for it weigh 100gms, so they're not a huge burden by any stretch. I think the curved shape makes it/would make it a better wind cheater than either the StratoSpire or Dipole, though I think the later would vent better and perhaps not suffer from condensation quite as much. That said, I've concluded that no matter what tent you're in, unless it's blowing a gale you're gonna get condensation in most places - at least here in Tasmania. Thankfully DCF makes it very easy to dry off and out, and on the off chance the condensation does get bad enough to bead, 99/100 times it'll roll down into a mesh gutter. Tarptent at least got that bit very right.

The StratroSpire is going to be the most spacious but also require the most space... depending on the type of bushwalking you're doing, finding a big enough, level enough spot always seems to be an issue. At least it is for us, more often than not. Based on TT's website, the Dipole does seem a little more compact in its footprint than the DW, and a bit more spacious with more head room than either, just more complex, a little heavier and more expensive.

The other advantage for the StratoSpire is you can run with both 3- and 4-season inners. Not sure how many other tents you have in your quiver for winter trekking but that could be a definite advantage over the others.

Hope that helps!
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby philm » Fri 03 Feb, 2023 5:59 am

Thank you for an excellent write up. You certainly have detailed knowledge and experience with the tent in similar places I have been or want to go to!
I took my Hilliberg Allak into the western Arthur’s in November when there was a lot of snow. It’s a great tent but with a weight penalty! I’ve also taken a Mont Moondance 1 FN in there in some tough conditions. Now looking to scale down the weight hence looking for a DCF tent.
Really appreciate your great write up it has helped me a lot
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby headwerkn » Thu 23 Feb, 2023 2:56 pm

For the benefit of Phil and anyone else interested...

This is a short video of our Double Rainbow Li copping some pretty significant wind at Precipitous Bluff Low Camp last week. Forecast we got on the InReach (Garmin Weather service) was for 45kmh NW winds gusting to 97kmh, so the original plan of camping at Plateau Camp went out the window ;-) I know guestimating wind speed is tricky but it felt like it averaged 35-50kmh most of the time with the occasional gusts above 60kmh... walking around outside was quite unpleasant and often difficult to stay upright, if that helps. We used a double bow-line on the windward side to stabilise the central pole, and propped the top of the vestibules with hiking poles just to give it a little more stability. Worked a treat. Quite a noisy night as you'd expect but we slept fine. Our new friend in the small green tent shown, not quite so well...

https://youtube.com/shorts/Bgv8UDD5-zY?feature=share
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby philm » Fri 24 Feb, 2023 6:01 am

Thanks for adding this. The Double Rainbow is hardly moving in the wind! It look remarkably stable. I was looking at the stratosphere Li but now preferring the double rainbow. The only thing I’m concerned about is it’s not double wall. I know you can buy an optional liner. But everything else about the tent fits my criteria. Also just saw Tracey’s photos of what I think is the same trip. They look great.
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby PaulS » Tue 02 May, 2023 1:08 pm

Hi,
Interested in which tent you went for.
I am in the same boat tossing up between the Double Rainbow Li or Stratospire 2 Li. Do 95% of my walking in Tassie all year round with/without tent platforms, plus always sleep in my own tent.
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby philm » Tue 02 May, 2023 8:06 pm

I’m still deciding! I really like the Stratosphere just worried about the set up on platforms. The stratosphere is also smaller in footprint. I would go for the Double Rainbow Li if it was full double wall!
Not in a hurry as I have a few other tents so want to make the best decision.
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby johnrs » Wed 03 May, 2023 10:43 am

And Philm
And a note for the XMid which is surprisingly stable with a good set of pegs.
Its good with just a mesh inner but I would not take it onto the Arthurs yet.
The solid inner should be really good.
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby philm » Wed 03 May, 2023 11:47 am

I like the flexibility of the double rainbow to be stand alone as the pole set up on platforms might be tricky?
The id looks great with the solid inner but again how easy to set up on platforms?
Any advice appreciated
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby johnrs » Wed 03 May, 2023 12:28 pm

Use and remove screw in cup hooks Phil
or cross loaded pegs under the platforms with guys thru gaps
or there is often tie wire on the platform edges.
But free standing easier but still needs to be tied down
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Last edited by johnrs on Wed 03 May, 2023 4:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby headwerkn » Wed 03 May, 2023 12:31 pm

Can't speak for the Strat or XMid specifically but in my experience with other hiking pole supported tents they're not really any more difficult to pitch on platforms than they are on grass etc. There's definitely a 'knack' to getting hiking poles to not-fall-over while you're setting up your peg points, but once you've got a feel for the angles of the pullouts (which are really important on non-freestanding tents) it's barely an issue.

Still, no argument that the arch pole makes the DWLi much easier and a bit quicker to pitch. I've been testing another 1p hiking-pole supported tent the past couple of trips and my partner has always managed to whip up the DRLi faster - especially when the wind is up, which it has been - despite being bigger with more peg out points.
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby Warin » Wed 03 May, 2023 12:49 pm

headwerkn wrote:Can't speak for the Strat or XMid specifically but in my experience with other hiking pole supported tents they're not really any more difficult to pitch on platforms than they are on grass etc.


The Xmids are fairly easy. Peg the four corners as normal. The difficulty is getting the pegs in a rectangle. I peg one short edge close to a platform edge using the edge to get a straight line. Then peg the other 2 as good as I can get. Then insert the 2 poles as normal. Additional peg points can be done... but generally the platforms are sheltered ... so for high wind then I peg more points, anything less than high and I'd not be bothered.
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby Kolgate88 » Fri 02 Jun, 2023 11:34 am

Still deciding? I've got a StratoSpire Li in great condition that I'm selling if you're interested?

Feel free to PM me.
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Re: Tarptent Double Rainbow Li or StratoSpire Li?

Postby Tgood » Wed 14 Jun, 2023 9:22 pm

Hi Kolgate88, I can't seem to see how I can PM you, in any case I'm in the hunt for a tarptent stratospire li. Can you PM me? Also interested to know if your stratospire has a solid or mesh interior, and how you find either option in summer in Vic.
Thanks!
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