Tarptent - Any advice appreciated

[ObtuseAngler]

Hi all,

Over this summer I have been toying with the idea of buying a cheap tent. Untill now i was mainly thinking for car camping (the dual cab ute can be quite uncomfortable!) But as the girlfriend and I have been getting into some daywalks, we would like to do some overnight trips next summer. So i'm very glad i didnt waste the money on a cheapy! Having said that, university doesnt pay that well so there is deffinatly a budget.

The main aim, as said above, is overnight trips with the partner. However, there are some fishing trips planned with a mate, as well as an overland run next summer. For this reason I was thinking of a 3 man tent. From what I have read a 2 man might be nice and snug for a couple, but 2 mates might find it a little "cosy"

During my research I decided a four seasons tent isnt for me (mainly due to the price tag) as we only want to do overnighters in the warmer months. Although we all know the strange weather patterns we can experience in tassie!!

After reading hours of posts on here about tents I feel like I have looked at almost every tent available! From $130 ebay jobs, to mid-priced Black Wolf and Vangos through to macpacs and MSRs. But after a recent post I discovered Tarptents. Although I like the idea of buying locally and all that, sometimes (especially with the current state of our dollar) the savings from buying online can be well worth it!!

So, back to the topic, I really like the look of the Tarptent Hogback. I know this is a four manner, but for under 2kg and $500, it is very appealing. I have read some great things about various tarptents and their service, but has anyone had an experience with the hogback? in particular, the vestibles size is a concern. It is very hard to judge from the limited pictures on the site, but from what i read in the forums this can be very important for cooking if the weather turns. Also, as the hogback isnt your typical tunnel design, i wonder how it would stand up to the wind?

Any other suggestions, of a simmilar priced, similar sized unit would be great.

[Franco]

My advice is always to start with a "mock up" of the floor plan.
With the Hogback you don't even have to do that, just visualise 4 x 50cm wide mats side by side but 218cm long. Thats it.
For you I would suggest the Scarp 2. true that a lot of 2 person tents are tiny but not this one.
So here is what you should do.
Get a long piece of string. Make a 132 cm wide by 218cm long rectangle. Put your two mats in it and see what space you have. The ends are 38cm high so all of the floor is fully usable.
The height under the pole is 114cm, well over most.
For the finish on the new version, see here http://www.tarptent.com/scarp1rev.html, the new Scarp 2 will have the same changes.
Franco

[Drifting]

I was very intersted in the hogback, but have it straight from the owner of the company that it is not suitable for Tassie conditions. Maybe if you got him to modify it for you...