Tarptent StratoSpire 1

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drm
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Tarptent StratoSpire 1

Post by drm » March 19th, 2015, 7:03 pm

I bought this tent a few months ago and set it up in the yard, but last night at Noble Camp on Herman Creek was my first time using it. See below for commentary.

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Tarptent continues it's trend of extremely roomy tents for little weight. Yes, the StratoSpire 1 (SS1) is big inside, but the real feature is the height. That upper ridge measures 48" high. Most solo tents are 38" to 42". This also is my first tent that uses trekking poles, and with that, the official weight is two pounds. With the stakes and everything, it is more like 2.5. There are optional poles that you can buy, and probably I will eventually get those for basecamping trips where I want to use my trekking poles from camp.

The tent is not free-standing. You must use the 6 stakes to set it up and it has additional points to attach from if it is very windy.

I got it with the mesh interior. There is also a solid wall interior available, or the outer can be set up without any inner. But as a floorless modified pyramid, it has a different group of competitors.

There also are optional trekking pole attachments that cup the upper end of the trekking pole with velcro attachments. Otherwise the hand end is on the ground and the point in the grommet. These were only $5 so I got them.

With this tent, the outer and inner mesh can be used separately. With my other Tarptent, the Moment DW, the conversion between the two (outer with mesh vs mesh only) is quite complex. When I first tried it, I could not get them back together without asking Tarptent for help. And then I wrote notes down on paper. Clearly that was not a tent that you could set up in mesh and then if it started to rain, you get up and throw the outer on. With the Moment DW, you must completely take the tent down, attach the pieces and re-assemble.

This one is not so hard. There are 10 clips to attach between the mesh inner and the outer shell. But I did manage to do so add the outer on without taking it down or removing the stuff inside. It's still not as easy as a traditional tent, but it is possible with some practice. After attaching the clips, you shift the poles from inside the mesh to the outer, and then the stakes will need to be removed and re-staked, but you can do so one-by-one without taking the tent down or removing the stuff inside.

One negative for me: no pockets in the tent. My Moment DW had none either and that seems to be the Tarptent plan, no pockets. This is a big negative for me. No matter how much space there is inside, my glasses can still slide under the bag and get mushed. There are loops in the ceiling, so I'm going to have to get some kind of hanging arrangement for that gear.

I haven't had it in any weather yet, but I have no reason to think it is any less weather-proof than any other Tarptent (this is my third).

Chazz
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Joined: May 26th, 2013, 12:53 pm

Re: Tarptent StratoSpire 1

Post by Chazz » March 20th, 2015, 11:39 am

Nice looking tent. What made you select this model over some of the other 1P tarptents, or those made by other manufacturers (SMD, etc)?

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drm
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Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
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Re: Tarptent StratoSpire 1

Post by drm » March 22nd, 2015, 7:46 am

Chazz wrote:Nice looking tent. What made you select this model over some of the other 1P tarptents, or those made by other manufacturers (SMD, etc)?
I stuck with Tarptents because I trust their tents, have much experience with them, and it is hard to know how another mfr's tent will work from photos and descriptions. I went for the Stratospire because (1) I like mesh-only options for dry star-filled nights, and (2) the high height.

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