Tarptent Squall II

[Pocketlint]

I've owned a Squall I for a long time. I finally got around to setting up my new Tarptent Squall II.
I like the improvements. The increased size(78"Wx 94" L) is really nice, but weight is still only 34oz !!!! Love it. I'm 6'4" and most backpacking tents aren't long enough for me to stretch out in. No problem here. I also like the better floor scheme. The mosquito netting now zips to the floor in the front of the tent. On the old Squall, you need to use rocks to hold the netting down in the front(the netting on sides/foot were sewn). Not a big deal but critters could still potentially get in the front...although I never had it happen.

http://www.tarptent.com/squall2.html for all the specs.

There are a few more comments on the pics. I show it here rigged with one trekking pole. It can be rigged with two poles for more stability. I don't see the need in good weather. I rigged it with two poles just to see how it looked, etc. The left pole as you face front interferes with entry/exit imo. I would rig it with two poles if I believed the weather was really gonna go bad. When bad weather is expected, I like my tent staked down tighter than a "nuns bun" as I like to say

Split beak can be rigged different ways.


I like the line tensioners they added. They really help. Floor is now zipped to nettingand raised a bit for better weather protection.


The foot is better protected on the Squall II vs Squall I, but I never got wet in my Squall I


pocketlint

[Hockey Ref]

Re. the rigging with the trekking pole, is there not a risk that animals would be attracted to the salt in any sweat left on the handle?

[Heff936]

I've had deer try to take my trekking poles so if you are relying on them as tent poles it's a definite risk

[Pocketlint]

Critter problems with the sweaty pole grips is a potentiaL problem all the time in the park. My old Squall uses one pole. Last summer that nanny goat with the two kids that was hanging around Lake Ellen Wilson woke me up early in the AM licking my tent . I keep the other pole in my tent. I'm sure if they "find" them they'll try to make off with them. Marmots will take off with a stick in a heartbeat in some places...or anything else lying untended that smells/tastes like it migh be good, especially "salty" good. I can relate since I'm a salt lover myself...but they still can't have my stuff!!!

I could use the pole that came with my old Squall for a single ridge pole---if the weather was reasonable. I don't like trying to tie either of these tents down tightly and rely on the "skinny" aluminum pole that comes with the tent( e.g in a storm). But that's just me. It's light enough I could carry it and use it in lieu of my hiking stick if it looked like animals might be an issue at a particular campground. I may do that.

I like these tents because I feel like I'm not so closed in as in the typical dome tent(with the fly on) The mesh all around the bottom lets in fresh air continuously. Just a different "feel" for me than the more conventional tents.

Not for everyone though. I admit that. Great tent though for some looking for a lightweight backpacking tent. The guy who makes these tents is a first class guy to deal with too. He makes good stuff and stands 100% behind it. 'Bout all one can ask.

pocketlint


This is the same goat mentioned above. I had just swept my tentsite "clean" when she and her 2 kids wandered through not paying me any mind at all. I thought for a moment she was gonna pee right in the middle of my tent site but she was good and didn't.
They also showed interst later in the shirt I was wearing that I had hanging on a bush nearby...fortunately it was out of reach for them.

[dorf]

Hmmm...I've never had a problem or even heard of trekking pole pilferage when used as a tarptent pole, but then most of my time is spent in wilderness areas where the wildlife is way more skittish of humans than they are in Glacier. I doubt, however, a deer or other critter could pull off such a heinous heist since A.) Your head is usually about 9" from the pole and you'd hear him or he'd smell you B.) A properly pitched tarptent is inherently "tight". Ever since I had my sticks sucked on and carelessly left in the thicket at Gunsight Lake back in '05, the poles always come in the tent with me in Glacier.

We had one incident in the Beartooths where a tarptent user had one of his poles swiped by a pesky deer, but he was sleeping in a Rainbow---no trekking pole needed for that model. I even told the guy to stash his poles, thinking of my glacier experience, but he didn't heed my warning. The poles supporting a tarp, a Contrail and a SMD Lunar Solo were untouched.

As I look back upon this episode, I believe the deer was pissed that we were trying to scare him off during the evening, bided his time and waited until dark when we let down our guard before attacking our unguarded rear flank. He was a sneaky one, and brave, barely flinching as we bluff charged the mighty beast time and time again.

I'm pretty sure this is the perp. As you can see, we are probably lucky to have made it out of his domain alive:



As an aside, this particular deer was a strange sort and would not go anywhere near my Canadian friends urine, opting to paw at and snack on a good ol' boy from Tennessee's pee instead.

As for Pete's assessment,he's right on. the tarptents are essentially tarps with a floor and bug mesh which means they're very airy, which I like. Unless it's raining I leave the beak open all night. And Henry's customer service is second to none. If you go to his website there's a picture of 5 tarptents on the slideshow. Our camp in the Absaroka's is the 7th or 8th one, FYI

[Heff936]

Had a deer pull one of my trekking poles out from under the vestibule of our tent at Lake Francis. Slimmed the cork handle something good before I was able to get it to drop the pole. I'm glad it wasn't my tent pole.

[JWB475]

I have a six moon designs tent that pitches with two trekking poles (Haven). I never thought about the potential for critters wanting to swipe the poles. Last summer was the first trip in Glacier with it, I didn't have any encounters....but there were no nuissance deer around the campsites either...

[Pocketlint]

Thanks Dorf for your post.

I love my Tarptent. I most assuredly do not love my bank
I hate that commercial. What moron names a black and white dog Rufus anyway?

In reality, I doubt an animal would be able to make off with a trekking pole used as a tent pole. As Dorf said, if your tent is pitched right, there is quite a bit of pressure on that pole. It'd take some doing to pull it out...at least I believe so. I would probably wake up. However, I do know some guys that could probably sleep through a bomb attack and not notice their tent was collapsed on them LOL!!!

Poles,or any tempting gear laying around, will get drug off in many places, and not just campsites.

pocketlint

[Pocketlint]

I brought my Tarptent Squall II with me to try out. I expected wind, this is the East Side afterall And wind is what there was Thursday night at 900PM when I was tired of working all day and then driving over.

Thursday night, June 30th, the wind was easily blowing a constant 25-35mph, frequently gusting to over 40 through the night.
Holding the tent down with a few strategically placed rocks made pitching it go easier. This is a very light tent at just 32 ounces.

I absolutely loved sleeping in it that night. The wind was literally howling at times through the campground. My lil Tarptent performed beautifully. The heavier wind gusts pushed on it some, but there was never any question about it's ability to stand up to the wind. I used some of my big heavy duty stakes because the ground was soft. The small backpacking stakes would never hold in this soft ground with the wind. When backpacking, big rocks work just as well.

This is a very nice tent. VERY roomy compared to my older Squall I.

Bugs weren't an issue, but I like the way the front zips up completely. I also really like the new front beak design. You can position that beak down as it is shown now for more privacy and/or protection from wind/rain. Or you can pull it up or tie it out of the way. I like that feature a lot. imo access is easier rigged with two poles because of the way the front zipper works.


Since I was car camping, I brought a twin Coleman air mattress. I slept sooooo good in my North Face 10F synthetic fill bag. The bag was a lil warm on the last night, but I was quite comfortable. I could have used my lighter Kelty down bag.

It is better to pitch it with two poles. I forgot my other hiking stick and I didn't want to mess with repitching it in the morning. So I rigged it with a piece of wood dowl that has a nail it it for trash pickup I kind of wanted to see how it would fare in the heavy wind rigged with a single pole.

pocketlint

[ronyon]

I own a Squall II along with three other Tarptents (Virga, Contrail, and Moment). It has been the length of the John Muir Trail, heavy rain in the Goat Rocks in Washington, wind in (where else?) the Wind River Range, and in GNP, where it was stepped on by a grizzly. Though I love all my tents, the Squall II is probably the one I would give up last. The jury is still out on the Moment, as I've only had it out for one night, but plan to take it to Colorado next month.

[gr82hike]

I have a tarptent rainbow (solo size) and it is sweeeet! I love it, love it, love it. I've had it for about 3 years and have logged about 60 nights. So far so good on durability. Seems like that no matter how good the quality of a tent is, eventually the fabric seems breaks down; makes me wonder how many more years, months or nights I have left with this wonderful tent. For now, it's a pleasure - roomy, airy and when there is condensation (as can be expected in the east), it's not too terribly bad - or, let's say, I've not been dripped on. I was in the Weimenuche 3 years ago and it poured all night, and I had quite a bit of condensation in the morning (andit was still raining), but still not a drop of h2o on me. I WILL buy another when this one wears out.

[Pocketlint]

Thanks guys for the reports!
I got a Squall II mostly because I wanted the extra room....and it was a virtually zero weight penalty over my old Squall I.
My Squall I is still in great condition after 5+ years.
Henry Shires makes good stuff.
I'm not a lightweight backpacker by any stretch, but his line of tents is really suited to those who like this style of lightweight packable tents.
Personally, I love the way fresh air blows through the venting.
We'll see how much I like that feature if I get to go to the Beartooth this year...in one of their famous hailstorms with 50+ winds. I really hope I can get to do it this year. Right now it's maybe 1/3 chance but we'll see.

Thanks again for sharing the info on your experience.

pocketlint