Tarptent Sealing: Ratio of Silicone Goop to Paint Thinner?

[JimJ]

The photos are very helpful, Michael. Your & oldranger's verbal descriptions are making sense. I think it would be great if such descriptions and illustrations clued Henry into a rewrite of his instructions. As I said, I think the video of pitching the video on Henry's site is kinda disingenuous. It just ain't quite that simple.

That sounds like a criticism of Henry. It's not meant to be. It's just that actually pitching the Contrail doesn't seem as intuitive to me as the instructions & video make it appear. My wife watched the video and said, "Oh, piece o' cake. What's the problem?" Then she began doing it herself. ("Uhoh. What's missing?")

You good folks have provided "what's missing."

Much appreciated,
Jim

[oldranger]

Jim,

This is standard setup for me. Branch used to make peak at rear of the tent. As I said before I don't usually stake beak out and when I went to bed I tied it back to maximize ventillation.

Contrail.jpg

Mike

[mschnaidt]

Hey Jim,

Yes, the Contrail takes skill and focus to pitch correctly. Something I have very little of after a long day on the trail. This trait had me considering moving to a new tent.

On my last trip a buddy loaned me his Tarptent Moment. I really liked the tent and it was an absolute breeze to setup. Two stakes and 1 pole and you're done. Very simple and easy.

If the Contrail continues to be a pain, consider the Moment. (Used Contrail's sell quickly on whiteblaze.net).

Personally though, after a week in the Moment I'm going to stick with the Contrail. I like the side entry of the Moment and the easy setup. However the Contrail is roomier, lighter, has a smaller packed size and I already own one.

M

[rlown]

So, Mark and I decided we needed an excuse to get together. We decided a good ol' fashioned Tarp tent sealing and a great meal. He supplied the meal, and I brought the chemicals (including a cheap wine). We set up the tents; Mark's Rainbow and my Double Rainbow in a couple minutes and mixed up the slurry.

Tarptent 2011 001.JPG

Mark here is showing the proper technique, with one of my two dogs supervising his work and testing out his tie-downs:

Tarptent 2011 004.JPG

After a double check on coverage, Mark proceeded to make a dinner which included a leg of lamb, asparagus, and potatoes.

Tarptent 2011 007.JPG

We sat down for a nice meal, waiting for the "paint to dry" so to speak:

Tarptent 2011 009.JPG

After the meal and some banter about our next trip, we went out to check on the tents.

Tarptent 2011 005.JPG

We decided to leave them up overnight, given the warm Sacramento weather. Prior to putting away, Mark said to use baby powder over the seams, so the tent wouldn't stick together on itself. Looked like a great tip, given he's had his tent a long time.

I can hardly wait for mid Sept now.

Thanks for the hospitality, Mark!

Russ

[markskor]

Yes, a great event if you like great food, good company, (and throw in a few visiting dogs too).

Russ had just bought his DR and I have had my Rainbow for a few years now - easily 150 nights out and impressed by durability of the tarptent - lasts well for such a light tent .
Few thoughts on tarptents.
Unless Henry has changed his silnylon supplier, my tent was noticeably lighter in color than Russ's...probably due to oxidation or use but mine is still going strong and expect at least 3 more years on it still.

Not that noticeable in the pictures, but the main reason I wanted to re-seal mine (do not know if it really needed it - couldn't hurt though) - was that my tent "somehow" developed a hole above the vestibule...my getting up at 3 AM. (see patch just above Bubba's tail). BTW, The vestibule flap over the door hangs down and can easily snag into the zipper there if not careful and/or if half asleep...probably the only design flaw in the Rainbow.
Henry sent me a few "dollar-bill" sized silnylon patches - free...slathered the goop on; threw on another patch...good to go again. FYI, a previous patch job is visible just above Bubba's head... had fixed that small hole there caused by chafing against some granite due to high winds a few seasons back...easy fix and does not seem to compromise the integrity of the tent in the least.

Was a pleasure - thanks Russ!

[meyersp]

Did Bubba test to see if it is water proof?

[rlown]

ok, so on some tarptents, there are liners you can put in to make believe it's a 2 walled tent. Not sure how this helps with moisture, but I wanted a test in the sun (as did Markskor.)

Tarptent test 2011 007.JPG

So attached the liner to the inside clips (turn it over Russ and start again :retard: )

It looks like this looking up from the bottom/middle of the tent:

Tarptent test 2011 004.JPG

I'm thinking it took 10 degrees off the temp after installation and letting it sit for 20 mins in the sun. Still, w/o the ventilation it would be an oven. The shielding it offers on the top is only as wide as the top of the tent above the zippers.

Russ

[markskor]

Letter to Tarptents -

Henry,
Hi - Markskor (admin HighSierraTopix) here.
Have used your Rainbow swimmingly the last 3 seasons; probably 150+ contented nights so far safely protected under your well-designed edifice and still going strong too. Thanks!

Recently see that you now offer a 4-oz sun shade thing of sorts...(inside sun blocker? uses same inside clips?) for the Rainbow...$30.
Does it work?
Only con to your tent that I can see, is the glare of direct afternoon sun burning through the silnylon (usually at bug time). You seem to address that here with this "fix". Any more details?
Also see that the new product is "on order" at the moment...whatever that means...sigh.
Put me down for one when they come in; your name on the product is good enough for me.

BTW, Also, recently caught the zipper on the vestibule wall (does hang a bit low) on one of my 3 AM "necessity" walks. Thus could also use a few "dollar-bill" sized silnylon patches, but can easily wait until the sun-blocker fix thing is "back" in stock.
Mark

[markskor]

Subject: Re: Rainbow sun blocker

Hi Mark,

Nice to hear from you. The "sun blocker" is really intended more for condensation protection but, yes, it does also keep the interior cooler in direct sun. I don't have any measured temperature data but I can feel the difference on my face and by holding my hand up to the canopy.

We call it the "breathable liner" and we do have them in stock. You can find it listed under "Extras" in the webstore.

Re: patch material, I'll put some in an envelope for you this afternoon.

Thanks.


Henry Shires