Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Tarptent Rainbow > Jamie DeBenedetto > Initial Report

Tarptent Rainbow

Initial Report - April 8th, 2006

Reviewer's Information

Background/Experience

I've pretty much been what my husband refers to as a "tree hugger" since birth but my backpacking life started in earnest about eighteen years ago. These days I day hike or backpack about fifteen times a month either with the Canine Hiking Club of AZ or with my family. My backpacking style is lightweight but not ultralight. I sleep in a hammock most of the time and I keep my pack base weight (less food or water) below 15 lbs (7 kg) for three season outings of two to three days. I tend to gravitate toward gear that is multifunctional and enhances my comfort level for minimal weight.

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Product Information

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Product Description

The Tarptent Rainbow is a 1 to 2 person shelter that employs a cross strut and a single pole arched along the middle top and sides for support. The cross strut is a single hollow aluminum pole similar in length and diameter to the arch pole sections. It is housed in a sleeve that runs front to back at the very top of the Rainbow. The strut can be removed via either end of the sleeve, both open with a hook-and-loop flap. The arch pole runs from one side of the Rainbow to the other by way of a yellow sleeve. It drops below the cross strut and is held in place by one strap with a built in grommet on each end of the shelter. The arch pole is also removable and breaks down into eight nearly evenly sized pieces with shock cord running through the center. The Rainbow can be set up one of two ways. Option one is to guy out each corner using four stakes with an additional two stakes for the front and back beaks. (Stakes were included.) Option two is to set it up as a free-standing shelter by attaching two trekking poles, one on each end, via hook-and-loop straps.

The exterior of the Rainbow is made of silicone impregnated ripstop nylon, also known as silnylon, and is a grayish color. The front wall is made completely of No-see-um mesh and has a dual zippered door on the right side. Both front and back sides have guylines to pull the walls away from the tent body forming two beaks. The front beak is split into two sections to allow access to the door but can be shored up via three hook-and-loop strips situated at the top, middle and bottom of the two flaps. Each flap and the mesh door can be rolled away if desired using three more hook-and-loop strips. At the base of each side and along the back wall runs a foot (30 cm) or so wide section of No-see-um mesh. The mesh connects to the bathtub style floor, which is black and also made of silnylon. The floor can be clipped or unclipped to the Tarptent's sides by one fastener on each wall. Other features include a small mesh storage bag on the inside, reflective guylines, and a vent flap on the top of the rear wall that uses a single hook-and-loop strip to open or close. This vent also has its own smaller beak for added weather protection.

Here are a couple of pictures showing the vent on the rear side (left), one of the floor clips and the rear wall guyline (right).

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Arrival Condition and Informational Material

The Rainbow arrived in good condition. I did not find any flaws in the material or inconsistencies in the seams. The arch pole is in good working order and the door zippers worked fine on our initial trial. There are five hook-and-loop fasteners that perform various functions, all connected properly and performed as expected. The guylines on each corner and on the front and back beaks are in good shape, each corner fastener operates as it should and all six stakes were in good condition as well.

The Rainbow arrived with a shipping invoice and a single sheet of paper with the assembly instructions, seam sealing details, what to do about condensation or sag, key points to consider about Tarptents, and the manufacturer's contact information. I found the material helpful and for the most part easy to follow. The diagrams were very useful, I would encourage using a slightly larger font though.

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Expectations and First Impressions

The Rainbow was for the most part what I was expecting from the manufacturer's website. There are several pictures of the shelter on the Tarptent site and quite a lot of information as well. I found the site useful. The one area I was a little surprised by was the head room of the Rainbow. Since the shelter is really designed as more of a solo shelter, I wasn't expecting much room on the inside and certainly not enough for me to completely sit up. It's very refreshing as a tall person to have extra head space!

My impression of the Rainbow so far is positive. I have used it on an overnighter already and set it up a couple of times in my yard to take measurements and explore the materials a bit more. It's quite roomy and feels just as secure as a regular tent. There does appear to be enough interior space as the manufacture claims to fit two adults but they'd probably want to be well acquainted and freshly bathed before retiring. Hahaha!

My first setup opportunity was while car camping with my four year old son. I know, that's not a very smart plan, but I had a backup shelter option if things didn't work out with the Rainbow so I wasn't worried about it. I found setup fairly easy and despite windy conditions I was able to have the thing assembled and ready for use in less than ten minutes. The one caveat to this was the correct placement of the arch pole. I did not set the Rainbow up in free standing mode this first time out so basically, if the trekking poles aren't being used, there are only two steps. Insert the arch pole then stake out the corners. Staking was no problem but I had a little trouble with the arch pole. There is a sleeve the pole is supposed to go through but I did not see that on my first setup attempt. The silnylon material is so slippery and the sleeve is very slender, I just didn't see it and put the arch pole through a little break in the mesh instead. This brought the arch pole inside the Rainbow and out the break in the mesh on the other side. It worked okay so despite thinking that it couldn't possibly be right, mainly because the directions clearly mention a "sleeve", I left it and went for a little hike with my son. A few days later I set up the Rainbow at home to take a closer look at things and I discovered the sleeve. I think this is more of an example of "haste makes waste" as opposed to unclear directions. The setup instructions clearly mention the pole sleeve more than once.

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Expected Field Test Locations and Conditions

I anticipate all testing of the Rainbow to take place here in Arizona in various locations and elevations. I don't know what the next four months have in store for me exactly but I have a couple car camping excursions and a few backpacking overnighters in the works for April, May and June. Overnight low temperatures in the state will vary quite a bit through spring and summer but I'm guessing I'll be primarily sleeping in the 40 F to 60 F (4 C to 16 C) degree range on most trips. I'm going to try to seek out locations where I can test the Rainbow in wind as well as rain and humid conditions if at all possible.

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Proposed Test Strategy for the Next Four Months

My plan for testing the Tarptent Rainbow is to use it on all overnight opportunities, which will include car camping, most likely sharing it with my four year old son and/or a dog at times, and on all backpacking excursions. These usually involve me as the only occupant. I will be taking notes on the durability of the shelter's materials, its ventilation capabilities, how it fairs regarding condensation and misting issues, what kind of weather protection it provides, how well the interior space suits me and another user, and its overall user friendliness.

Thank you BGT and Henry Shires Tarptent for the opportunity to be part of this test series.

Jamie J. DeBenedetto
April 8th, 2006

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Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Tarptent Rainbow > Jamie DeBenedetto > Initial Report