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375Brno
.333 member


Reged: 18/10/05
Posts: 354
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Tarptent
      #218793 - 01/11/12 10:31 AM

Hi

A mate and I recently spend 2 weeks in New Zealand and spent 4-5 days on the Hollyford Track. My first experience of NZ tramping. When I get organised I will put something together on the trip where we stayed in Department of Conservation (DOC) huts. Basic affairs with bunk beds, wood heater, table and chairs, and a bench/sink with tank water.

I am planning the next trip already and may go places where there are no huts. I have a good hiking tent however it weighs approx 2.5kg and this plus some form of mattress (eg. Thermarest) is going to push the weight up. I started investigating bivvy bags as a lighter option and I kept finding references to Tarptent.

http://www.tarptent.com/index.html
This is their site. Lightweight shelters down to 0.5kg. Does anyone have any experience with these?
Make sure you check out their photo gallery - some great photos in there.

Rick

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MikeRowe
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Reged: 23/11/11
Posts: 478
Loc: Arkansas, USA
Re: Tarptent [Re: 375Brno]
      #218797 - 01/11/12 02:09 PM

In may younger days (an increasingly distant memory) I hunted a lot in the NZ bush.

I carried a nylon tent fly about 8'X10', which rolled up to about the size of a can of Double Brown, my favourite refreshment in those days. It didn't weigh anything, and if pitched with the peak only about 3' off the ground it would withstand quite a storm. You had to pick the spot for it, and use natural shelter features.

It was big enough when pitched low that the wind wouldn't drive the rain under it, and there was room for a pack and rifle.

Seemed like I was wet all the time anyway...

For big camps, we would "borrow" a railway tarpaulin. Two of those would make a heckuva camp for four guys for 3 or 4 weeks in the bush.

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eagle27
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Reged: 24/01/09
Posts: 1165
Loc: Rolleston, Christchurch, New Z...
Re: Tarptent [Re: MikeRowe]
      #218800 - 01/11/12 05:41 PM

Rick

Now days there are plenty of small one or two man dome tents with in-build flys available. Don't make the mistake of underestimating the NZ weather conditions keeping in mind that we are a relatively small Island (in width) in a big ocean with the lower half of our country down towards the Antarctic southern ocean and weather can change very quickly and dramatically. At any time of year lows can sweep in from the south all the way from the Antarctic and while you may not encounter snow below the permanent snowline in the summertime, you can experience very cold rain and winds which if you are off the beaten track and not in a hut could leave you and your gear wet and miserable or worse, facing a dangerous situation for your safety.

Don't scrimp on quality of equipment, particularly your tent as this is the very item that will keep your gear and yourself safe and comfortable if things take a turn for the worse weather wise of even if you strike illness or sustain an injury.

A self inflating mattress is good or at minimum a bedroll of closed cell foam will help with some comfort when tenting. Our DOC department are not too happy to have trampers or hunters cutting down brush and ferns to make comfy beds as we used to in the early days.

I spent the first 40 years of my life living and hunting in the South Westland area of our South Island also venturing down to Fiordland and as far south as Stewart Island after whitetail deer.
I spent the coldest week of my life at Stewart Island when we struck high winds, sleet and snow blown from the Antarctic. We had the big old style calico tent and camp stretchers sheltered in the bush which was dry and comfortable enough but our sleeping bags were cheap grade ones (mine, my bag from school days). No matter whether we slept on top of our spare clothes, put them all on in the bag, or put them plus a blanket I had over our bags, we absolutely froze when in the tent. Looked forward all night to the dawn were we could stoke up the fire, have breakfast, and then get out hunting all day and get warm. Lesson learned, back to civilisation and bought the best quality sleeping bag money could buy and a decent modern tent with mosquito and sandfly screens.

Good luck for your future tramps here, there are plenty of beautiful places to explore.

Edited by eagle27 (01/11/12 05:42 PM)

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NitroXAdministrator
.700 member


Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39885
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
Re: Tarptent [Re: eagle27]
      #218814 - 02/11/12 12:52 AM

Rick

Planning a tramping/walking trip or a hunting trip?

Is carrying the tent weight the problem or checked luggage weight?

My tent is rather heavy to carry by myself too, usually carrying the tent is split between two guys, by if on one's own, no real choice.

I think there are quite a lot of good safe, one man, lighter tents available now to choose from. Subject to actual user's recommendations/references on whether they provided the goods.

I know some guys cut back, use a mattress three-quarters the length of a full body one, other cut backs etc. Not for me, when the ground is icey, any body part not on the mattress is freezing. I don't like to cut back on tent, adequate mattress and sleeping bag, as bad nights sleep, mean a bad day's hunting the next day. Or worse in very cold, wet conditions.

BTW have a look/search for Gryphon's NZ hunting threads here on NE, from memory they used bivi bags only and slept in caves or overhangs ...

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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375Brno
.333 member


Reged: 18/10/05
Posts: 354
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Re: Tarptent [Re: NitroX]
      #218868 - 02/11/12 06:04 PM

Thanks for the advice here especially from Mike and Eagle with the local knowledge. Although we got rain if was not heavy by West Coast standards and we had a nice warm hut to stay in. On our last night we stayed in a whitebaiters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitebait) hut and it sleeted pretty heavily that night. That would have been interesting in a bivvy bag out in the open. While we were back in Queenstown there was something on the news about a couple of hunters near the Dusky Track who pressed the button because one of them was suffering hypothermia and was non responsive in the morning. He was choppered out apparently and the other guy walked out with the gear. So I do know that it can get bad. Apparently buying and taking the beacon was a last minute decision!!

Nitrox - probably tramping and hunting and also in different climates and sometimes on my own. So anything from warm dry nights to cold and wet. I was just trying to get the carry weight down if I could. We were at about 16kg with 5 days food however no tent or mattress so that would add 2-3kg which would not have caused any problems. And then gun / ammo on top if it had been a hunting trip.

I figure I probably need a range of gear here depending on the circumstances.

Rick

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NitroXAdministrator
.700 member


Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39885
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
Re: Tarptent [Re: 375Brno]
      #218944 - 03/11/12 04:43 PM

Quote:

Thanks for the advice here especially from Mike and Eagle with the local knowledge. Although we got rain if was not heavy by West Coast standards and we had a nice warm hut to stay in. On our last night we stayed in a whitebaiters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitebait) hut and it sleeted pretty heavily that night. That would have been interesting in a bivvy bag out in the open. While we were back in Queenstown there was something on the news about a couple of hunters near the Dusky Track who pressed the button because one of them was suffering hypothermia and was non responsive in the morning. He was choppered out apparently and the other guy walked out with the gear. So I do know that it can get bad. Apparently buying and taking the beacon was a last minute decision!!



I think you are answering some of your own questions re bivvi bags for West Coast/ Fjordland etc.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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ozhunter
.400 member


Reged: 18/08/04
Posts: 1692
Loc: Sydney, Australia
Re: Tarptent [Re: NitroX]
      #218954 - 03/11/12 08:38 PM

I like a tent large enough to live in for days including cooking in and also survive in if blown down.
I bought a Gortex mountain tent which is awsome;

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375Brno
.333 member


Reged: 18/10/05
Posts: 354
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Re: Tarptent [Re: ozhunter]
      #219014 - 04/11/12 09:09 PM

Ozhunter
Writing is not totally clear however that appears to be a Fairydown. Can you tell me what model?
My down bag is a Fairydown - bought by my father in Queenstown in 1976 and still going strong. He hardly used it and I inherited it so took it back to NZ on this last trip. Great kit.
Rick

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kamilaroi
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Reged: 18/12/04
Posts: 1803
Loc: sydney, new south wales, Austr...
Re: Tarptent [Re: 375Brno]
      #219062 - 05/11/12 10:01 AM

I believe that Fairydown have been taken over by MacPac. I have an old model (ex Ken Slee) that saw UnZud a few times. Still works pretty well but I updated to MacPac Citadel recently.

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NitroXAdministrator
.700 member


Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39885
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
Re: Tarptent [Re: ozhunter]
      #219079 - 05/11/12 04:14 PM

Quote:

I like a tent large enough to live in for days including cooking in and also survive in if blown down.
I bought a Gortex mountain tent which is awsome;




I'm just curious. When setting up a tent in snow, do you remove the snow underneath the tent when pitching it? Or pitch the tent on snow? Thanks.

Ozhunter, what is the brand and model of your 'awesome' goretex tent?

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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ozhunter
.400 member


Reged: 18/08/04
Posts: 1692
Loc: Sydney, Australia
Re: Tarptent [Re: NitroX]
      #219250 - 07/11/12 08:03 PM

Pitch the tent onto levelled out snow with ropes tied to plastic bags buried into the snow for anchors.
The tent is a NZ made "Fairydown", but they haven't made that type for some time now.

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