Re: TR: North Lake Loop 9/5-12
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2019 1:15 pm
The tent is the Tarptent Notch (regular sil-nylon, not the expensive UL cuben fiber). I thought I would give a trekking pole supported tent a try.
Set up is not always easy. Four points have to be absolutely solid or the tent falls down. I have to pre-determine if a stake can be pounded in; if not I have to adjust until I can find a better location. Since I am just learning how to set it up, I take 10 stakes so I can back up the four critical points and then have two for tying down the mid-points on the sides. I also have been putting large rocks on top of the stakes. The ground was really saturated when I was out, so I worried about the stakes popping out. I probably over-did it. But with all that backup it was very solid in the wind. To set it up myself in a wind, I have learned to stake down both ends, then lie my pack on the middle until I can get the trekking pole attached. And typical of all sil-nylon, when new, it is very slippery, complicating set up! My old Tarptent, the Moment, was easier to set up. It was also slippery at first but with time, became more manageable.
On thing I never thought about, that I do NOT like, is that the trekking pole is right in the middle of the side entries. That basically negates the advantage of a side entry. Being small, it is not too much of a problem for me, but I think a large guy would have problems. The tent overall is on the small side- great for me, but if you are 6-feet tall, your head would be at the low point- a bit claustrophobic. For me, I have a good 2-3 feet of extra space so my head is located a few feet towards the center (higher roof pitch). Although the trekking poles block the entrances, I have bumped into them and they stay solid, so I do not worry about knocking down the tent.
The tabs that attach the inner tent (mosquito netting and bathtub floor) are difficult to work- I am going to sew on different tabs. The mesh pockets do not hold stuff securely, so I am going to fix that too.
I found that stuffing the tent is a disaster- it gets all balled up and then you have a real puzzle to untangle. It is best to roll it up.
The end stays are just an inch too long for the tent to fit horizontally in my pack. I cannot put it in vertically because then the bear can does not fit. I think anyone with an men's pack would be fine. I have a woman's specific small pack, which are purposely made narrower. Now, I have to pack the tent in an outside pocket. I am not fond of this, because when x-country you can snag the tent when bushwhacking. My husband makes arrows for his archery, so he cut experimental stays from his old arrow shafts, and I am going to try those out at home. If they work, I will then cut the regular stays an inch. You can remove the stays, but it is a REAL pain to put it all together again. Disclosure here- I am not very good at putting stuff back together once it is take apart. For some people, it may not be a problem at all.
I had both doors half open and had no problems with condensation. Fixing the doors from inside the tent is hard for me because my arms are not long enough! A lot of these issues I have are typical of ANY trekking pole supported tent, not specifically a "flaw" of the Notch.
Second question- I throw the fish guts back in the lake. I take the bones (after cooking and eating) a good distance from my campsite then throw them in a bush. Little animals will find them quickly and finish them off. In fact, my last night, I left the bones on a rock while I walked down to the shore to take a photo, and when I came back, a little chipmunk at already run off with them.
Set up is not always easy. Four points have to be absolutely solid or the tent falls down. I have to pre-determine if a stake can be pounded in; if not I have to adjust until I can find a better location. Since I am just learning how to set it up, I take 10 stakes so I can back up the four critical points and then have two for tying down the mid-points on the sides. I also have been putting large rocks on top of the stakes. The ground was really saturated when I was out, so I worried about the stakes popping out. I probably over-did it. But with all that backup it was very solid in the wind. To set it up myself in a wind, I have learned to stake down both ends, then lie my pack on the middle until I can get the trekking pole attached. And typical of all sil-nylon, when new, it is very slippery, complicating set up! My old Tarptent, the Moment, was easier to set up. It was also slippery at first but with time, became more manageable.
On thing I never thought about, that I do NOT like, is that the trekking pole is right in the middle of the side entries. That basically negates the advantage of a side entry. Being small, it is not too much of a problem for me, but I think a large guy would have problems. The tent overall is on the small side- great for me, but if you are 6-feet tall, your head would be at the low point- a bit claustrophobic. For me, I have a good 2-3 feet of extra space so my head is located a few feet towards the center (higher roof pitch). Although the trekking poles block the entrances, I have bumped into them and they stay solid, so I do not worry about knocking down the tent.
The tabs that attach the inner tent (mosquito netting and bathtub floor) are difficult to work- I am going to sew on different tabs. The mesh pockets do not hold stuff securely, so I am going to fix that too.
I found that stuffing the tent is a disaster- it gets all balled up and then you have a real puzzle to untangle. It is best to roll it up.
The end stays are just an inch too long for the tent to fit horizontally in my pack. I cannot put it in vertically because then the bear can does not fit. I think anyone with an men's pack would be fine. I have a woman's specific small pack, which are purposely made narrower. Now, I have to pack the tent in an outside pocket. I am not fond of this, because when x-country you can snag the tent when bushwhacking. My husband makes arrows for his archery, so he cut experimental stays from his old arrow shafts, and I am going to try those out at home. If they work, I will then cut the regular stays an inch. You can remove the stays, but it is a REAL pain to put it all together again. Disclosure here- I am not very good at putting stuff back together once it is take apart. For some people, it may not be a problem at all.
I had both doors half open and had no problems with condensation. Fixing the doors from inside the tent is hard for me because my arms are not long enough! A lot of these issues I have are typical of ANY trekking pole supported tent, not specifically a "flaw" of the Notch.
Second question- I throw the fish guts back in the lake. I take the bones (after cooking and eating) a good distance from my campsite then throw them in a bush. Little animals will find them quickly and finish them off. In fact, my last night, I left the bones on a rock while I walked down to the shore to take a photo, and when I came back, a little chipmunk at already run off with them.