[pct-l] Tarptent in heavy rain

[hshires at jps.net (henry shires)]

Hi Steve,

I will be the first to admit that the Virga would be pretty confining at
6'2" and that you would need to get a bit creative to sit up, get dressed,
and weather heavy rains.  As for headroom, you might try a trekking pole or
placing a rock under the front pole to gain a few additional inches.  That's
certainly what I do.  In heavy rain, the key is, as you discovered, to pin
the netting to the ground with rocks.  The netting is sewn into the back
corner webbing so actually you just need a well-placed rock in each front
corner and one place along each long side.  On Virgas with sewn-in flooring
it's much less of an issue--the netting is held in place--but the netting is
certainly free to move on the floorless model.  The other rain defense,
especially in a strong side wind/rain, is to lower the sidewalls as needed
until you stop the splash.

As I wrote you privately, I would be happy to exchange your Virga for a
Squall.  It's 4 ounces heavier but much, much roomier and will certainly
accommodate your height/weight requirements without any danger of rain
splash or wall contact.  Anyone else out there with similar circumstances is
welcome to contact me for an exchange.

Thanks.

Henry Shires
Tarptent

> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2003 12:19:16 -0600 (MDT)
> From: Steve Setzer <Steven.Setzer@Colorado.EDU>
> Subject: [pct-l] Tarptent in heavy rain
> To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.53.0309081153480.6159@ooze.Colorado.EDU>
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
> 
> 
> 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