Tarptent Rainbow
Long Term Report – August 15, 2006
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc "at" hotmail "dot" com
City, State, Country: Snoqualmie, Washington, U. S.
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping and backpacking for about 18 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the BSA and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I am generally a lightweight hiker, but will carry extras to keep me comfortable. I have recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest and spend most of my time hiking and backpacking in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but I can be found exploring the other wild areas of Washington!
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Tarptent by Henry Shires
Model: Rainbow with extended sewn in floor
Color: The tent is a slivery blue color, with a black silnylon floor
Year of Manufacture: 2006
URL: www.tarptent.com
Listed weight: 30 oz/ 855 g (from Manufacturer’s website)
Measured weight: 34 oz/ 964 g (This includes stuff sacks, poles, stakes, everything)
**Disclaimer: The closest my scale will measure is in whole ounces.**
Fabric Content:
Roofing/Flooring: High tenacity 1.1-ounce/yd^2 ripstop nylon, impregnated with silicone. Final fabric weight is approximately 1.3 ounces/yd^2.
Netting: No-see-um. Fabric weight is approximately 1 ounce/yd^2.
Listed Dimensions:
Apex Height: 43" (110 cm)
Floor Width: 38-46" (96-117 cm)
Floor Length: 88-96" (223-244 cm)
Measured Dimensions: using trekking poles and floor clipped up
Apex Height: 44" (112 cm)
Floor Length: 84" (213 cm)
Floor Width: 36" (91 cm)
MSRP: $215 US
Country of Manufacture: All Tarptents are made from US materials in Seattle, Washington.
Product Description:
This is a lightweight, single wall, 1+ person, two poles, freestanding (with trekking poles) tent. It has a single entry door, single vestibule, and small rear beak. For a more detailed description please see my initial and field reports.
Field Conditions:
I have used the tent six more nights over the past two months. One of the nights was on an overnight backpack to Rainbow Lake in the Alpine Lake Wilderness, a part of the Mt. Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest. The rest of the nights came on a 6 day trip in the southwestern corner of Yosemite National Park. Elevation ranged from sea level to 9700’ (2957 m). Temperatures ranged from the upper 30’s F to 90+ F (3 C to 32 C) and no precipitation was experienced.
Summary:
The tent has continued to perform excellently! Condensation has been minimal because of the great weather I have been experiencing and have decided that the trekking pole setup option works best for me. The tent’s durability has also been good with no tears in the fabric or mesh.
Long Term Results:
I was concerned about the durability of the Rainbow while on my 6 day trip in Yosemite because I knew we would be camping on the rocky granite slabs that are common in the area. I am happy to say that I did not have a single durability issue during that trip or during the entire test period. The floor has withstood everything that I have thrown at it during the test series.
Setup of the Rainbow has become second nature. I go through the motions of setting up the tent with my trekking poles with little or no thought except about where I want to place the tent. I find the trekking pole setup to be the most useful to me. I like the freestanding aspect the best. I do find that I need to carry at least two stakes to stake out the front beak and the rear part of the tent. This provides the optimum room in the tent.
With all of the great weather lately, I have not needed to stake out the beak. Instead I have been able to roll up the beak halves and stow them out of the way. This has allowed me to enjoy the star filled nights through the mesh. I have also not experienced any condensation with the beak halves rolled back, since this configuration allows maximum ventilation. I am still amazed at all of the room inside of the tent. I can easily spread out my gear and not feel cramped. I normally read before I go to bed at night and I like having the choice to lie down or sit up while reading.
Improvements:
I would like the tent to come seam sealed; I just don’t like doing it. Additionally I would like to see another interior pocket added on the other side of the door. It would provide me an additional place to store smaller items.
Test Plan:
I examined the Rainbow on the following characteristics over the last four months. My answers are in blue.
Durable:
- I often camp in normal forest areas with typical forest duff, but there are occasions when I camp on rocky ground. How well will the floor stand up to this type of normal use? I had no problems with the floor withstanding multiple ground types.
- Additionally, I find it easier to put my “ground cloth” inside of the tent just in case the floor has holes. Will this style of tenting keep the floor in better shape than the conventional way of putting the ground cloth underneath the tent? I have not used it in this configuration and based on my use thus far I don’t think it is necessary.
- Do I even need to use a ground cloth? Based on my use throughout the test period, I don’t think I would use a ground cloth except in really wet conditions.
Ease of Setup:
- How easy is the tent to set up? Initially it was a challenge, but with practice it has become second nature and a breeze.
- Can I figure it out without instructions or do I need the instructions? Initially I needed to use the instructions but at this point I am not even sure where they are.
- Can it be set up in the rain with minimal leakage into the inner body of the tent? Yes.
- Do the seams need to be seam sealed? Yes, to keep the seams from leaking.
- How easy is it to adjust the tension in the corners using trekking poles? It is as easy as pulling on the tensioning cord.
- Is it easier to use stakes? I think it easier to use poles because they make the tent freestanding and easy to move. Using the stakes makes it more difficult to move.
Usefulness:
- It can be extremely wet here. There are days that I have to conduct all of my evening activity inside of my tent, like cooking or making a hot drink. Also of concern is the center height of the tent. Does it provide enough room for me to sit up comfortably inside of the tent? Yes, the tent is very roomy.
- Can I sit on my knees without scraping the top of the tent? Yes.
- Does the vestibule provide enough space to allow me to make my morning cup of joe or cook dinner? Easily, however, I will only use a canister type of stove. I am afraid that a white gas stove would flare up and catch the vestibule on fire and melt it.
- How breathable is the tent? It is only fair in wet and rainy conditions. If the weather is nice and the peak is rolled back the tent is super breathable.
- As I said the conditions here are wet, will condensation build up inside the tent? Yes, especially if the beak is closed. If left open, condensation has not been a problem.
- Is the entry door and vestibule entry easy to use? Yes, the vestibule closes using hook and loop fasteners and mostly protects the door.
- Are the zippers protected so that they don’t snag easily? So far I have not had any problems.
Conclusions:
I was not sure how I would do with my first silnylon tarptent. Until this test series, I had never camped with a tarp or anything this light. I am happy with the durability, performace, and love the weight that I save over other tents that I have carried. I will most certainly continue to use the Rainbow in the future.
Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Tarptent by Henry Shires for allowing me to participate in this test.
Read more reviews of Tarptent gear
Read more gear reviews by Jason Boyle
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