[pct-l] Re: tarptent review

[hshires@jps.net (henry shires)]

Thanks for the nice words, Dave.  Really glad that the tarptent worked so 
well for you.  It's kinda homey, isn't it?  I really fell in love with my
little home in '99 and still get very nostalgic for the tarptent nights on
the trail.

FYI -- and don't share this with the world yet -- I've been designing some
new tarptents and intent to market them through tarptent.com in the spring.
There will be 3 models: a one-person and two 2-person designs.  Here's the
link for the first 2-person design.

http://homepage.mac.com/hshires/tt2new

The one person model looks very similar, just not as wide ( one-person
specs:  42/17" high, 54/43" wide, 96" long).  I can e-mail you some pics
when I get them developed if interested.  I'm pretty excited about these
tents and feel that they are a significant improvement over the original
design.  The arc end and catenary curve ridgeline makes the setup much more
taut, and easier to set up, with resulting better performance in
wind/rain/snow, especially for 2 since there's now little danger of the rear
sagging onto a sleeping bag.  Also (and it's hard to see in the photo) the
rear end is a 3-point tie-off to a single stake.  Downside is that you have
to carry a slighter larger pole (the pre-curved rear)  but now the whole
tent requires only 4 stakes for excellent performance.

Whatya' think? What would you change about the design?  Any feedback from an
original tarptent veteran would be really helpful.

Another question for you.  The one-person model is currently weighing in at
a bit under 20 ounces (includes new front and rear beaks) complete.  I think
I can shave here and there and get closer to 19 ounces but there's no way to
get under that.  Since I intend to sell these tents do you think the
community will care, i.e, does an ounce make a difference?  Also, what do
you think is a reasonable price?  I'm pretty sure I'll be offering optional
floors for all tents.  Just want to get your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks and hope things are going well.

Henry



----------
>From: pct-l-request@mailman.backcountry.net
>To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
>Subject: PCT-L digest, Vol 1 #365 - 11 msgs
>Date: Sat, Jan 5, 2002, 10:01 AM
>

> Subject: [pct-l] Tarptent review from '01 PCT