Owner Review of Tarptent Squall

 

Tester Bio

 

Name:  Mark Orton

Age:  27

Gender:  Male

Height:  5’7”  (1.70 m)

Weight:  175 lbs  (79 kg)

E-mail:  Backpkrmn at aol dot com

City:  Vacaville

State:  California

Country:  USA

Date:  March 1, 2004

 

Backpacking Background:  I have been hiking and backpacking my whole life.  Backpacking became a serious hobby for me in the mid 90s.  I have hiked several sections of the AT, taking on 100+ mile sections at a time.  I have also hiked 100 miles (161 km) along the Vermont Long Trail.  Living in California gives me access to some great backpacking opportunities out here, such as the PCT.   I try to get out at least once a month on an overnight backpacking trip and at least once a week on a dayhike.  Once a year I plan an extended trip, a trip that is at least 100 miles (161 km) long and will take the better part of two weeks. 

 

In the past couple years I have begun converting to the ultralight way of backpacking.  I am known amongst friends as a gear head, I always have the latest and greatest lightweight gear.  I now have a basic pack weight (without food or water) of under 10lbs. 

 

Product Information:

Manufactured by Tarptent by Henry Shires

Manufactured in 2002

Manufacturer’s website:  www.tarptent.com

Listed weight:  30.5 ounces  (865 g)

Weight as delivered:  29.5 ounces  (836 g) (on Post Office Scale)

Height:  Front- adjustable up to 42 inches (1 m)

              Rear- 21.5 inches (.55 m)

Length:  93 inches (2.63 m)

Width:  Front- 80 inches (2  m)

             Rear- 51 inches (1.3 m)

Interior dimensions: Width:  Front- 68 inches (1.7 m)

                                               Rear- 45 inches (1.1 m)

                                  Length:  85 inches (2.1 m)

 

Product Description:

The Tarptent Squall is the two-person version of Henry Shires Tarptent design.  It is available in many different configurations.  The version I own has the sewn in floor as an addition.  It is also currently available with an extended beak, a front pole, and a floor to door zipper on the front.  It is a modified A-Frame type design.  It uses one pole in the foot of the tent to give the Tarptent its shape and foot height.  The front of the shelter can either be held up by the optional front pole, or by use of a trekking pole.  The shelter is constructed of a gray silnylon fabric.  The sides, foot and front are made of mosquito netting.  The optional flooring is constructed of ripstop nylon.

 

Product Features:

Ultralight – as low as 18.5 ounces (524 g) with trekking pole Fast setup – 2 minutes from sack to pitched Only 4 stakes – titanium for strength Reflective Spectra cord guylines True catenary ridgeline for wind, sag, and storms Abundant netting for views, airflow, and bug resistance

Quick drying – inside and out in minutes Flexible setup – raise/lower sides and front Large floor space Small packed size Front/rear beaks shield windblown rain Floorless design saves weight Tyvek groundsheets or sewn-in flooring available

 

Field Information:

Testing locations varied.  I have owned the Tarptent for the last two years and have carried it with me on many trips.  It has seen wet conditions on the east coast, very stormy conditions in Oklahoma and a variety of conditions in California. 

 

On the east coast the Tarptent was used in public campgrounds.  It was set up as directed and performed more or less as expected.  On calm humid summer nights there was considerable condensation build up with the beak extended.  However, I found that when I retracted the beak the condensation build up was minimal, even with the high humidity. 

 

The true test of the Squall came on a trip to Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.  The area is directly in the middle of tornado alley, so the weather there is quite unpredictable.  My brother joined me on a weekend camping and hiking trip to the park.  We chose a nice campsite in a small hardwood grove.  The site was relatively flat and the soft ground made it easy to set up the Squall.  After getting the hang of setting up the Squall it doesn’t take much time at all.  I lay it out, set my trekking pole to the correct length, slide the pole into the sleeve at the rear of the shelter, put the rear stake in, stand up the trekking pole, put the front stake in, then stake out the front two corners.  Four stakes come with the Squall and four stakes are all that are needed.  After it’s been up for a little while (maybe an hour or so) it will need to be restaked, to put tension back on the silnylon body. 

 

The first night in Oklahoma was beautiful, a small breeze came up, the temperature was in the mid 50s (10 C).  With both of us in the Squall the fit was slightly tight but not uncomfortable.  After my experience with the condensation in Virginia, I figured it would be even worse with two people in the Squall.  However, we woke up pleasantly surprised that there was no condensation.  We had left the beak retracted, as there was no threat of rain, and the breeze kept the tarp dry and pleasant.  The next night, however, was a different story.  The winds picked up, to around 30 mph (48 kph) and the rains came down with fury.  Although we did not adjust the pitch of the Squall, we did extend the beak.  It was much colder than the night before and the sleeping bags we had with us were not entirely adequate for the added wind being forced into the mostly open shelter.  Another added worry was the rain beating down so hard on the ground was splashing through the mosquito netting onto our sleeping bags.  By morning, we were both soaked and cold.  We called off the remainder of the trip and returned to the motel to dry out and get some sleep.

 

I returned home from this trip and called Henry Shires, the Tarptent manufacturer and asked him about my concerns.  The customer service he offered was great!  He explained to me how to properly configure the Squall for just such conditions.  In high wind and rainy conditions it’s essential that you lower the height on the front, this will drop the sides and limit the amount of exposed mosquito netting on the sides.  Additionally helping to do that was the adding of two more stakes and guylines.  The guy points are already installed on his tents midway down the length of the sides, just adding these helps reduce the wind flapping and create a more storm proof shelter. 

 

During those few months of use I also found that the sewn in floor was very slippery and addressed this to Henry as well.  He offered to take back the shelter and coat the floor with silicone, which would provide grip.  Or, he said, “use the formula that you created to seam seal the tent and put some on the floor of the Squall.”  I chose the latter since I didn’t want to be without the Squall too long.  I made up a batch of the seam sealer and painted X’s about every foot (.3 m) or so on the floor.  This has since remedied the problem of the slippery floor.

 

Since learning the proper pitching techniques for various weather situations the Squall has kept me happy and dry through a lot of different scenarios.  I have spent more than a few dry nights in my Squall on Point Reyes during winter rainstorms.  I have also shared the Squall with hiking partners on drizzly nights without any significant condensation buildup or wet sleeping bags.  Windy nights have been spent above tree line in the Sierra Nevada, utilizing rocks to stake it out when soil was not available. 

 

Summary: 

Although at first I had a few problems with the performance of the Squall, I found that those were only part of the learning curve of transitioning to the ultralight world of tarp camping.  Since learning the proper techniques of setup and site selection, I have found the Tarptent Squall to be a very enjoyable piece of gear.  I recommend this shelter to anyone who is interested in shedding pounds yet still keeping a shelter free of bugs and rain.