Does anyone have any experience using a tarptent in the desert? Staking one out sounds like it might be a pain in the a$$. Would it better to take a freestanding for the desert and switch to the tarptent in the sierras?
gruel
Tarptent in the desert
system
#2
If you’re going to use different shelters for the desert and the Sierra, take the tarptent for the desert and the tent for the Sierra. You’ll have to stake out whatever shelter you use in the desert, whether it’s freestanding or not. It’s just too windy without stakes.
The tarptent will give you better ventilation in the desert, while the tent will provide more warmth and protection from rain in the Sierra.
yogi
yogi
system
#4
better yet just sleep out. I only set up my tarptent when bugs were out as it hardly rained til oregon. the tarptent is fine for the sierra (if you have sewn in floor - mosquitoes) In the Sierra my strategy was to get to a high enough elevation where the mosquitoes weren’t and camp. the tarptent is quality shelter the whole way in my opinion (although every year is different and 2004 was ideal)
odgb
system
#5
The tarptent was dissapointing, I thought. It ventilated, sure, but that didn’t seem to stop it from collecting TONS of condensation, and it didn’t trap any heat whatsoever, so getting up in the morning was a cold/wet experience.
As for stakes, I don’t remember it being a problem often, and when it was it was usually easy enough to find rocks to hold down the lines.
What about a Hennessy hammock? www.hennessyhammock.com When you can’t find a place to string it up it can double as a small tarp-like-tent.
Cheers,
Toes
toes
system
#6
Toes, I`m glad of your post, I thought I was the only one who never fell for the charms of the tarptent. Everytime I use it I feel like I´m taking a risk with the elements: no bathtub floor, no front, slippery floor, windy as hell and a soaking with condensation everytime I crawl in and out of the damn thing. Although the Squall takes up the same amount of space as a small marquee, useable space remains at a premium. I realise that Henry is a great guy and he has corrected some of these faults on his most recent designs, but I was still secretly glad when somebody stole mine only last week. Now I can get back to the Terra Nova Laserlite, the fantastic double skin (but sub 2.2lb) little tent I used on my AT thruhike last year.
St Rick
system
#7
Whew, that is nice to hear St Rick.
Scoots and I got so tired of our cold, wet, windy tarptent that we purchased some cheap piece of crap 2 or 3 pound (I don’t recall) tent before heading into the Sierras and I’ve got to say, it was luxurious. It traped in enough heat to REALLY make a difference, it was easier to keep all our gear clean and dry, and it made the whole routine of getting up in the morning sooooo much more enjoyable. We were wet in our tarp tent on the one really rainy day we had it. We were warm, dry and coozy in our tent-tent. 
That’s the thing about ultra light, there are comfort consequences to shaving off some of those extra pounds or ounces.
Next time I think I’ll have a tent, a hammock and maybe a tarp in my bounce box and hopefully figure out which one works best as I go. I wouldn’t want to carry an extra two or three pounds for a tent hiking solo, but boy was it comfy.
Toes
toes
system
#8
Do you get condensation on your down bag in the desert if you just sleep under the stars?
Also, wouldn’t a regular tent trap more condensation than a tarptent?
Steve Hiker
system
#9
You would think a regular tent would trap more, but that wasn’t my experience. Go figure. The walls of the tarptent hang in (no matter how taut you pitch it) with condensation so it’s impossible to avoid them in the morning. The walls of our tent remained where they were supposed to so even if there was condensation, it was on the tent and not on us.
Also, during rain the inside of the tarptent was soaked, and because the walls would hang in our sleeping bags got wet too. Maybe it’s better for one person right in the middle than two side by side. It seems to work for a lot of hikers but it was kind of miserable for us. (No offence Henry!)
Toes
toes