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

[Bruce Harvey]

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