[pct-l] Tarptent in heavy rain

[saskiadaru at xs4all.nl (Saskia Daru)]

Hi Steve,

About size: that might be a problem. You could consider the two-person tarp.
We use it with two people and get dressed in turn. That works OK. Also: I
have learned to be less paranoid about getting wet. I concentrate on being
able to dry things out quickly. But yes, prolonged rain is a pain..!

The netting / groundsheet thing: we put our shoes on the netting and that
works fine. But we are two people and four feet, which covers all corners...
:-)

The biggest factor in whether you get wet inside the tarp or not remains the
ground you set it up on. We've wheathered a huge downpour on soft ground and
had no problem. It might have been a problem on rocky or sloping ground or
in a bowl-like situation. You dont' always have the choice I guess.

Thanks for the tips, we'll be more careful about placing the groundsheet (a
poncho) on top of our shoes.

Saskia

> From: Steve Setzer <Steven.Setzer@Colorado.EDU>
> Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2003 12:19:16 -0600 (MDT)
> To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> Subject: [pct-l] Tarptent in heavy rain
> 
> 
> I'm writing to let everyone know about my field test of my new Tarptent
> Virga (the one-person tarp). Also to get feedback from Henry Shires and
> others who have used the Tarptent.  Also, to let people know about my
> mistakes so they don't do the same.
> 
> When I first set it up, it looked like a great design and I was really
> happy with it. The material was good, construction was great, it was easy
> to set up etc.  So I took it on my recent 5 day trip around the Maroon
> Bells near Aspen CO.  The first thing I noticed is that its a bit small.
> I'm about 6ft 2in. and can't sit up in the tarp with out touching the
> ceiling.  I can't get dressed in the tarp without touching the side walls.
> This is very problematic when condensation is heavy.  In prolonged rain I
> think it would be very frustrating to try to keep all your gear in the
> tarp and pack/get dressed without everything getting wet from the
> condensation.  One of the benefits of using a tarp over a tent is the
> increased room, but you don't get this with the Tarptent Virga.
> 
> The bug netting looked great for keeping bugs out.  I didn't encounter
> any, but I'm sure it would have worked fine.
> 
> However, the bug netting is a pain in heavy rain.  The netting sticks out
> from the sides of the tarp no matter how much you mess with it when
> pitching it.  So rain that runs down the side of the tarp hits the netting
> and gets is wicked (as in "wicking" not like a "wicked" witch) into the
> interior of the tarp.  At places where the groundsheet touches the
> netting, water literally pours in.  So you definately want the edges of
> the goundsheet to sit on top of the netting.  Not the other way around.
> This still doesn't solve the problem because places where the netting and
> the groundsheet are flush will still leak.  This is the only realistic
> solution I found to the problem:  Even when you're not worried about bugs,
> you need to hold down the netting with rocks.  You'll need them at the
> four corners and at the middle of the sides.  You can pull the netting in
> and hold it in place with the rocks so that none of the netting sticks out
> the side of the tarp.   Then you need to place your groundsheet on top of
> the netting and the rocks.  The rocks will hold the groundsheet up at the
> edges (so the edges of the groundsheet are up off the ground and the
> netting).  This way, any water that does come into the tarp from the sides
> will run under the goundsheet instead of on top of it.  Once I figured
> this out, rain was not a problem but I had to learn that the hard way.  I
> was out of camp when a thunderstorm hit and came back to find my sleeping
> bag soaked.  I was not pleased at that point.  I think if you use the
> system I just described, things should stay dry.  The problem then remains
> the size of the tarp.  I can't move around much without hitting the walls.
> (I'm tall but I'm skinny so that's not the problem).  This not only knocks
> down condensation onto all my gear and myself, but it messes up the
> rock/groundsheet system so I have to always make sure its set up right.
> In long, prolonged rain, I think I would go crazy trying to stay dry.
> 
> Other than the rain problems and the size, I thought it worked great.
> Very light and easy to pitch.  It would work great for bugs.  I'm not sure
> I would use it on the PCT (how many rainy nights are normal on the pct?).
> I think I would need something bigger so I could hang out with all my gear
> during a long rainstorm and still feel comfortable and dry and be able to
> move around.
> 
> Has anyone else had similar problems?  Any feedback or comments?
> 
> Steve
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