edh
Thru Hiker
Get a Strat Li... weight problem solved
You're welcome...
Thanks.
I did.
So might sell my Strat 1
Tarptent Stratospire
- Thread starter JKM
- Start date
Thanks.
I did.
So might sell my Strat 1
Robert P
Thru Hiker
Yes, very true. Bigger than I need really and quite pricy, a DCF Stratospire 1 would be temptingGet a Strat Li... weight problem solved
You're welcome...
Charles42
Trail Blazer
Also has very large vestibules which are very useful . Been using mine for many years . As Mole has said
you can nail it to the ground if you wish . Plenty of headroom and 32 inches wide down the whole length
Without pegs mine ways 1kg . Very good in high winds ,not quite as good as my Scarp 1 but close .
Important to secure the pitchlock ends well .
maddogs
Ultralighter
I guess a smaller volume tent would keep you warmer? Other than that, I think WilliamC has it: if the weight and footprint are acceptable does it matter whether it's labeled as 1P or 2P?
In the US we often found that cleared pitches, in less well-used areas, were tight for a 2P tent, presumably because the vast majority of backpackers are solo or at least don't share a tent. Not something I'd ever worried about in the UK, so perhaps footprint might make a difference depending on the likely use case.
JKM
Thru Hiker
I have been mulling this one over for a while, I seem to have too many backpacking tents in that quest for 'the one'
My tent CV so far:
So I was thinking of a twin vestibule tent for views, ventilation, storage etc etc and was almost settled on the trekkertent drift 2 when @FOX160 got me thinking about a Tarptent.
- 2 hoop tunnel tent; ancient and heavy.
- Tigerpaws pro action 'lighthike' bought from jimp? on OM but far too low and coffin like.
- Luxe Outdoors Mini-Peak 2 bought from @Lady Grey which was great size wise but too heavy.
- A borrowed Hilleberg Akto for a while which I liked the lightness and feeling of indestructibility in winds, but was again too small, very difficult to cook in (silly door arrangements) and soggy with condensation.
- MLD Trailstar; never really any good at getting an astheticaly pleasing pitch. I probably should have persevered but there was always a baggy seam or wrinkled panel or it would pull pegs, perfecting the pitch on flat ground would take an age because of my desire to get it looking fault, conversely on rough ground I did not care and just let it flap. I also fancied something with more usable space and the door was a pain as I use organised sites more than I do mountain tops. Hopefully @CEves will do this more justice than I could.
- Asta mid and solid inner which is as yet unused and un-errected
ordered on a whim but having seen @el manana photos I think it is a bit small for my needs anyway. I thought it was more 50/50 living/sleeping area but it appears less, perhaps I am wrong.
- The controversial Knot 5 sided tarp, also unused and un-errected, probably kidding myself but though it would be handy if a friend wanted to come with me while I had the trailstar, however they have only shown any interest in credit card backpacking instead.
I had seen the scarp etc before but they had never really appealed but somehow I talked myself into getting the Tarptent Stratospire 1 as my 'do everything' tent, the culmination of my search. Initially I was fixated on the Stratospire 2 for the extra room but talked myself out of the extra weight.
Ordering was a breeze, dispatched within hours of Tarptent opening the next day.
The declared value was 'aggreeable'
Sunday was the first time I got to put it up, just before dusk in a local park as my garden is too small.
It went up easy enough, c 4 minutes for a first pitch can't be bad.
I didn't even have time to get inside it before it came down as my over half was waiting (im)patiently.
I think I was a bit surprised by how small it seemed, having watched all the videos of @Franco Darioli lying down in the vestibules I was thinking it would be bigger, but then I didn't have time to get down on my knees in the mud and try and imitates him.
(EDIT 2018: I no longer feel underwhelmed! Its a brilliant tent and has all the space I need, I think I was just a little despondent due to the credit card bill)
Overall I feel a little underwhelmed
I am sure my first camp in it will be vastly more satisfying but first I have to recover from this Saturday's hernia operation, at least it will give me some time at home to do some planning and be a real armchair mountaineer!
I opted for the solid inner along with a few extra pegs and some pole jack's and seam sealer so the whole lot came in around £475 after paying all the duty and fees. The $75 shipping really had me gritting my teeth.
It does seem to be extremely well thought out and stitched together. I love the pitchlock ends, they feel very robust.
It does seem it will be very fussy about peg placement. Any hints on pitching or modifications appreciated. I was thinking of possibly adding either a second guy or a trailing Lineloc end to the pitchlock corners to give a few inches of variation in peg placement.
Also the ridge guys are not long enough to peg further than a few inches from the door so I will replace them with some slightly longer ones in 3mm @Mole -proof cord just in case, it will also add a splash of orange
If I finally get my hands on a sewing machine a little ridge line 'tent tidy' with a few pockets in it will be one of my first tasks, plus a loop to dangle my treadlite lantern from.
I hope I am going to grow to love it, once it's all paid off and I have a night under it. Planning my first trip to be along the north Norfolk coast, perhaps with a night somewhere near the Holkham Gap, hopefully followed by a peak District jaunt soon after.
4 Years on
wow, its been 4 years since i started this thread and i have to say i have been seriously impressed by the robustness and performance of my Stratospire 1 over that time. it has performed way beyond my expectations.
i don't get a huge number of nights out a year, but i dont get to pick and choose good weather either. its been out in some proper minging weather and the mishaps have been minimal. i have camped in at least 1 named storm each year and has generally shrugged off severe weather warnings.
i would recommend it without reservation to anyone thinking of getting one. the only issues i have had are when pegs pulling out twice, a guyline that wore through on a rock (slept through that despite 70kmph+ winds) and i made a tiny puncture in the vent when a pole collapsed because i hadn't done it up tight enough. all of these are user error, if you can nail it down firm enough, this tent is going nowhere.
the only drawback i have found has been condensation. i do tend to pitch at 122cm every time and it could go a bit higher, and as its normally in tussocky grass there is little airflow under the skirt, and it ALWAYS rains... if there has been rain a few hours before breaking camp i will alway find some condensation but i have started wiping the inner down with a microfiber cloth and that sorts the bulk of it. even though i have packed the tent away in pouring rain a few times i have not found the bedroom wet inside at the next pitch, its the extra weight of the water that i begrudge.
perhaps the 2 way zipper on the 2020 model will aid the condensation issue slightly with additional venting options.
it is a shame that Tarptent seem in no hurry whatsoever to make a true StratoSpire 1 Li in DCF
New arrival...
well it looks like i am going to need a much smaller cheeseboard then as i have finally bitten the bullet and i'm going to scratch my DCF curiosity with a Notch Li which i ordered this afternoon.
i was partly spurred on by the exchange rate that seems to be dropping again. i bought the SS1 at 1.21USD/GBP which was a pretty terrible rate to buy at, the Notch is at 1.37USD/GBP which is a bit more palatable but still a long way short of GBP at its best pre 2016.
i do have some reservations about the 0.51oz cuben and its suitability for the UK climate. anyone who hasn't read @gixer exploits at Sprinkling tarn in a 0.55oz(?) Duplex then they really should(i think that was that's not far off the sort of weather i expect every trip. perhaps i will take a backup storm shelter for the first few outings just in case
but it will also be nice to have a choice as well, i cant see myself getting rid of the Strat quite yet .i'm hoping that in future years i may get a chance to camp in europe as well, and a lighter tent with a smaller footprint will be a nice option to have.
@edh trip reports from the canaries have piqued my interest and the notch seems to have worked well there. i also look forward to a slightly simpler pitch that @Mole described. not that the strat is complex, but sometimes a bit of simplicity helps.
thanks to everyone for their advice along the way, directly or indirectly.
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Mole
Thru Hiker
I think you get same condensation in a shelter whether solid inner, mesh inner or no inner (just a groundsheet).
The water vapour is in the air and generated from wetness and breath/cooking.
The conditions and amount of ventilation (design and venting) of the outer skin are the main factors that affect how much condensation occurs?
The water vapour is in the air and generated from wetness and breath/cooking.
The conditions and amount of ventilation (design and venting) of the outer skin are the main factors that affect how much condensation occurs?
JKM
Thru Hiker
ah, now it becomes clear...
yes, lets blame @NEEpps for our lack of motivation to leave the roaring fire and surly welcome of the refuge and continue into the hail, storms and pointy uneven darkness that night
all the effort of dismembering my rucksack to fit into a badly customised suitcase and fly across europe to spend just one night in a 1* hostel with two snoring men in a hailstorm.
one of my favourite holidays ever, and you know i mean that
JKM
Thru Hiker
yes.
never had any condensation in the inner though, or any moisture in there at all except for a bit of spilt coco..
dont get me wrong, its not condensation enough to put me off using it and i dont believe its any worse than other 1p tents.
im expecting condensation in the notch too, but im hoping i will be able dry it off easily and not have to carry a soggy shelter.
i remember spending 3 nights in an Atko on loan from Hilleberg and that was truly appalling despite vented ends, you could hardly move in the tent without getting wet. the atko lives up to the 'condensation coffin' moniker 100%
even the 3 person MSR Mutha Hubba had more condensation and that was drafty as anything and much larger.
gixer
Thru Hiker
You bought a couple of big scruffy dogs to follow you around as well?
P.S.
It's a LOT better served warm
gixer
Thru Hiker
im probably missing somethingbut i thought we chose Mpafi?
also im yet to be convinced there is a single flat bit of land in all of greece, but if there is then a notch should be suitable
Rakomelo was the warm drink we ordered
Mpafi was the refuge we stayed in
Confusion is understandable after the food coma of your 2's 6th order of spaghetti bolognaise
gixer
Thru Hiker
Rakomelo ready made in a bottle, that just sounds horrible
Can you get Raki over there to make your own?
Padstowe
Thru Hiker
No, but what quality of raki would it be not to mention the honey in them bottles?
Am sure it's a nice thing for memory for some people, but for me it makes me think of those bottles of poitin you can buy in shops, no way it's clean, it's close to damn near being sacrilegious
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NEEpps
Section Hiker
Rakomelo ready made in a bottle, that just sounds horrible
It's actually quite palatable especially as Mark says 'warm'. Think the stuff in the refuge was out of a bottle as well.
Padstowe
Thru Hiker
Yeah it's like a cretan equivalent to a hot whiskey, is nice with the honey, but the honey can mask how bad the raki is aswell.
Sorry am just being a raki snob
