[pct-l] Shire's Rainbow Tent, thoughts?

[Deems]

Bruce,
This is a very personal and empirical perspective into what life on the 
trail living with a Rainbow tent is like. Your words are much better than 
what I gathered from the testers on backpackgeartest; however I'm not 
diminishing their input, I am further becoming a Rainbow wannabe. I did find 
the Squall confining due to the small front height area for sitting up 
space, and if I'm only gaining 8oz to have a tent like lifestyle with head 
room and living space, then the decision is easy, as long as Henry's quality 
is inherent within the design. I just sold a new Black Diamond Firstlight on 
ebay that I had purchased to gain the same living space, but the Epic fabric 
gave me worries since I will see rain. I have a Bibler-I tent, which has 
always been the perfect extreme weather design for me, but the weight is 
beyond ultralight. I hike solo with my ultralight dog Kelly, so space is 
simple, and the Rainbow looks like a cabin to me.  I've endured hail, rain, 
winds and many weeks under my Squall, but the instance that made me rethink 
my ultralight-shelter Squall was a single storm microburst in Big Crow Basin 
at 5am this summer near Mount Rainier. The swirling winds exceeded 50mph, 
and since my Squall has no floor, I lay there inside holding onto both sides 
wondering when this tarp would be blown to shreds or sail away with me and 
the six ti stakes. It amazingly held up, and we both hit the trail again; 
which reinforced my confidence in Henry's tent designs. However, it was a 
trail lesson I won't forget; ultralight gear has limits which must be known, 
nature holds the cards, and we must accept nature on her own terms, and 
prepare for our adventures accordingly.  Henry has heard my thoughts on this 
experience, with my ideas and needs for the Rainbow. I like the synergistic 
flow between  hiker and designer that Tarptent, Sixmoon, and ULA has always 
embraced.  They listen, and we enjoy the adventures we dream about using 
gear they designed to take us safely there and back. 
http://www.pbase.com/losthiker
^^~^~^~^^~^^^^^^^~~^~^~^^~^~^^~^~^^~^^~^~^^^~~^^~
Henry, Bruce's note is a very nice review of your Rainbow, and appreciated.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Harvey" <bharve at dslextreme.com>
To: "Deems" <losthiker at sisqtel.net>
Cc: "pct" <pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2006 5:09 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Shire's Rainbow Tent, thoughts?


> On Nov 19, 2006, at 3:31 PM, Deems wrote:
>> I have a Squall tarptent, and after much research am considering 
>> upgrading
>> to Henry's new Rainbow tent (with floor) for a little more space and
>> security in storms and winds. My Squall has been a great shelter for 4
>> seasons, but I'm ready for an ultralight shelter change.  I've read  the
>> reviews from  http://www.backpackgeartest.org/ , but I'd like to  hear 
>> some
>> thoughts from this group of hikers that has used one on the trail.   How 
>> did
>> the Rainbow hold up in rain, snow, and winds for you? Any insight,  pro 
>> and
>> con, is appreciated.
>
>
> Deems,
>
> First, thanks Deems, for your many thoughtful and informative posts  to 
> the pct-l.
>
> Second, response to your invitation to relate experiences and  thoughts 
> about the TarpTent Rainbow model.  Some of it may be of  interest to 
> others, so posting to the list.
>
> I've accumulated a grand twelve nights in a Rainbow, mistakenly  before 
> the twelve days of Christmas.  Anyway, got gifts of knowledge  from the 
> twelve night's experiences.  One or two bits might be new  for you.
>
> Three nights spent with still air and temps estimated high 40's to  mid 
> 50's.  Interior condensation accumulated, but without any  dripping.  I'm 
> an active sleeper, but rolling to the side seems to  have been stopped by 
> the base mesh, without snapping the walls and  thus causing them to flick 
> off moisture.  If that's the case, the  base mesh has a backup function! 
> And if so, all TarpTent models have  that nice characteristic, since they 
> all have the base netting,  including those with sewn-in floors.  An 
> interior wipe-down of  condensation in the mornings was sufficient for me.
>
> One night spent with still air, and conditions well below freezing.   The 
> freeze was a little surprising, being the night of July 12-13 and  at only 
> 7840 ft., in Monache Meadow at the Kern River.  By morning,  about 3/4 
> millimeter of sheet ice (not hoar frost, but sheet ice!)  had accumulated 
> on both the interior and exterior of the tent.   Wiping down the exterior 
> dislodged ice flakes onto the floor inside,  so quit on the exterior and 
> moved to the interior.  Wiping down the  interior brushed ice flakes onto 
> myself, bag,  floor, etc.  Gave up  and turned attention to hiking shorts, 
> which had been washed before  nightfall and left out to dry.  They were 
> rock hard.  Flailed them  against bridge post and placed them to catch 
> first rays of sunshine.   waited until sun had melted ice on inside as 
> well as ouside of tent,  then wiped down the water.  From the topography, 
> Monache Meadow is  obviously a cold air basin, and the bridge campsites is 
> close to the  low point of the basin.  A clear night July 12-13 resulted 
> plenty of  radiative cooling to the black body night sky from the open 
> campsites  on the north side of the river.  Some campsite selection 
> lessons were  relearned.
>
> One early evening, spent 15 minutes learning how to set up in gusty, 
> shifting wind and driven rain (west side of Guitar Lake, late-hour 
> thunderstorm).   Quickly found that my fair wather set-up  procedure 
> would be difficult or impossible.  That fair weather procedure is to 
> install one trekking pole loosely and lay it and tent floor on ground 
> cloth with walls & roof scrunched/gathered on top of floor, next go  to 
> the other end and insert the ridge pole toward the already- installed 
> trekking pole, keeping the ridge pole arc in a somewhat  upright plane, 
> next install the second trekking pole loosely with one  hand while holding 
> the ridge  pole upright with the other hand, next  tie the second trekking 
> pole and ridge pole together with the velcro  straps, next tie the ridge 
> pole and first trekking pole together with  velcro straps, and finally 
> tighten the corners.   That procedure can  keep roof and wall fabric and 
> base netting mostly off the ground (oe  ground sheet), away from grass, 
> weeds, and their invasive seeds.   However, a lot of square area is 
> exposed vertically early in the  procedure.  All that loose fabric does 
> what is expected in strong  wind, flap and flair wildly.  Doubly so with 
> swirling wind.  To set  up in the strong, shifting wind, I had to install 
> the ridge pole  first, with its arc plane horizontal and on the ground, 
> with much of  tent fabric lying on the ground .  As the fabric 
> weather-vaned away  from me in the wind, swinging around with each wind 
> shift, a Hobson's  choice was whether to have the door side down and 
> expose door netting  to some scraping/snagging against stuff at ground 
> level, or to do it  with door side up and expose the interior to possibly 
> getting a bit  wet.   The locations was all sand, so there was little 
> chance of  snagging the netting on anything, and I did it door side down. 
> After  set-up, rain became more intermittent, but wind continued for over 
> two hours.  I had oriented the tent with head end as the windward  end. 
> There was some bowing in on windward end and outward on lee end  during 
> strong gusts.  With wind shifts, each of the faces of the tent  in turn 
> became windward, but there was only fluttering (not flapping)  of the 
> single 'beak' panel staked out away from the door.  (Having  the door 
> 'beak' panel staked out makde entry and exit more awkward  than if the 
> foot panel had been staked out, but I wanted the door end  on the upslope 
> , and predominant wind direction was from upslope.   So, door panel got 
> staked out.)  From appearances of the Rainbow and  the Squall, I suspect 
> the Rainbow is more stable and quieter in wind  (but likely not able 
> withstand winds as strong as the Squall).  I  always stake out the back 
> wall to open the base netting for  ventilation, to get the drip line 
> outboard, and to prevent fluttering/ flapping.  Also always  stake out one 
> 'beak' panel, to partly match  the pull of the back side stake out.  In 
> strong wind, I stake out  both 'beak' panels, one wide on windward end, 
> and the other narrow to  provide overlap to shield against rain while 
> still providing a  ventilation gap.  With gear or myself inside, I haven't 
> found a need  to stake corners in any wind I've encountered, which has 
> been up to  estimated 35 mph.
>
> Spent one night in an amazingly long thunderstorm, almost five hours  (on 
> top of ridge at saddle just south of Mount Jenkins).  Wind was in  turn 
> from either side of the ridge, with bouts of moderate but driven  rain. 
> Tent was set with long axis along ridge direction, back side  and front 
> side each facing into one of the two wind directions.   'Beak' flaps were 
> both staked out, with overlap to shield against  driven rain, with one 
> staked wide and the other in closer to leave a  gap between the two for 
> ventilation.  There was some bowing and  warping of the tent, especially 
> noticeable at the ridge line.   However, no flapping, even when wind was 
> against the back side.   ('Beak' panels were both staked out with bungee 
> cord to maintain some  tension when panels could otherwise have been 
> untensioned). Got some  mist and small droplets blown through the base 
> netting on the back  side.  Staking the back side closer to the ground may 
> have reduced or  eliminated that, but likely would have reduced or 
> eliminated sheet  tension in the back wall and allowed it to flap. 
> (Besides, I didn't  want to go out and make the change.)
>
> Six nights spent with occasional light breezes, temps not noted. 
> Breezes, though intermittent, moved moist air out enough to prevent 
> interior condensation.  The Rainbow 2, with two mesh sides, has  obviously 
> better venting than the Rainbow.  Something to consider,  along with the 
> higher weight, if much of your backpacking is two-up.   If your research 
> has included inspection of a Rainbow model close-up,  you know the model 
> is roomy.  My assessment of the Rainbow's  roominess agrees with the 
> BackpackGearTest reviewer's comments.  I'm  6'-1",  and the model has 
> plenty of room for me and gear.  Even the  shoes go inside, on a small a 
> piece of Tyvek.  I think two close  friends and their gear would fit 
> inside comfortably if both are  static sleepers.  The generous length and 
> steep slope of roof at the  ends allow packs and gear to be put beyond 
> either head or feet, so  Rainbow about as good as Squall on that count.
>
> Haven't used the Rainbow in snow.  However, would guess that its  steeper 
> walls, generally steeper roof, and the centerline ridge pole  should 
> enable it to hold a snow load with less sag than the Squall  model.  The 
> Rainbow is listed on the website for 3+ season use, the  Squall 3.
>
> I haven't encountered any of the problems or had any of the concerns 
> mentioned by the three BackpackGearTest reviewers.  However, a  problem I 
> have encountered is a few small holes in the floor, even  though the tent 
> has been on Tyvek all twelve nights and with soft  ground or duff under 
> the Tyvek.   I guessed about possible causes,  but don't know how the 
> holes arrived.   A concern I have is that  upending the tent (in free 
> standing configuration to clean it out  might be awkard or overstress some 
> point if heavier trekking poles  were installed.   However with 
> lightweight single length carbon fiber  poles, the maneuver is a snap and 
> doesn't concern me at all.  There  is little or no choice available in 
> pole length when purchasing  single length poles for use with the Rainbow. 
> Another concern I have  had, but no longer have, was that a section or 
> more of the ridge  poles might buckle when deformed too far by wind load. 
> A few times I  have switched head and feet and braced the ridge by placing 
> my feet  against the tent.  Switching is easy under a quilt, a bit more 
> troublesome in a sleeping bag.  Accumulated experience has lessened  the 
> concern, but I think I will still be concerned enough to brace  when 
> deformation is higher than I've seen before.  As mentioned, the  tent has 
> withstood wind 35 mph (estimated).  I would be less  concerned about a 
> well staked Squall withstanding strong wind with  the foot the windward 
> end.  The Squall foot hoop and trekking poles  would get only compressive 
> loading, no side bending stress.  With  side wind, the foot hoop would get 
> bending stress, but nowehere near  what the Rainbow ridge pole can get.
>
> You describe your Squall as "great".  From that, I doubt you would  find 
> the Rainbow to be anything less.  An obvious comparative  advantage of the 
> Rainbow is that once set up and laying down inside,  you can choose which 
> end is head end and which foot end.  Lay down  with your head upslope, and 
> then decide to be nice to your swollen  feet?  In a Rainbow, simple to 
> endo yourself and get your fetet  upslope.  The Squall might feel 
> claustrophobic with head at the  narrow, short end.  Especially for a side 
> sleeper.
>
> A lot of palaver, probably more than you wanted!
>
> Regards
>
> geezer
>
>