Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Henry Shires Tarptent

An reviews from this season?

If anyone has any info on the Tarptent Hogback i would like to hear it... feel free to share pics of it in action if you have any

I've had a HS Cloudburst for many years and it is great for early season deer and elk hunts. It sleeps a bit cool due to it being well ventilated. I have never had any condensation in it. Not a 4 season tent by any means. Its pretty light fabric, you have to be a bit careful with it.

I have owned and used both the Cloudburst and the Double Rainbow the past and for my uses I prefer a GoLite tipi, as I find they are more weatherproof and provide much more shelter given the weight. But everyone's needs are different, and a HS tarp tent may be just the ticket for you.

To me the Tarptents have always seemed best in humid climates and as a summer tent. But I've been wrong before

I really like the Tarp Tent Contrail, but I do use it mainly as a summer tent.

Henry's stuff seems super well made and thought out... and it's real American entrepreneurship.

Brad I agree I have the cloudburst and would only use it for summer and very early fall. I have had only one experience in heavy rain and it worked but it was tough staying dry trying to keep the sides down to the ground. Great summer tent though.

Scarp 1 used successfully the past two seasons. Early season only, no snow so I don't use the crossing poles.

I like two doors, two vestibules in a small tent.
It's perfect for sleeping but not something for "hanging out" for long periods.

I started out with the Moment. It was a little to tight for me and the condensation was pretty bad.

I now have a Rainshadow 2. Tons of room, breathes well and weighs in a 2.5 lbs. Good until mid to late October in the North Cascades

Several years ago, I was reading another forum (I think it might have been Backpacker Magazine's) and a member posted something about an issue he or she was having with a HS tarptent.

Henry Shires replied to the thread in short order and said that he was in the middle of an extended hiking trip, but that he would personally resolve the matter asap.

I've never used any HS products, but after seeing that post, I came away with a very good impression of their customer service.

I had the hogback this year on a weekend scouting trip and a week-long early archery that was mostly above treeline. I was absolutely in love with the space for two guys and our gear. We were able to fit 3+ gear as well for the scouting trip. It is very easy to set up and very lightweight. However, we got clobbered for 2 days with high winds. Weather alert said 50MPH with 65MPH gusts. We set the ach into the wind but the direction kept changing on us above treeline. The crossing pole would come down and slap us in our bags as we tried to sleep and was really noisy. I ended up tying on about 7 or 8 extra guylines to try and combat the wind and it did help slightly. But with that much exposed fabric without support, we really got hammered. Our other hunting companion was in a 1 man big agnes emerald mountain and passed the night just fine. Anyhow, we dropped below treeline to salvage the tent for a couple days until the wind subsided. Made for a lot more hiking that we would have hoped. After getting down and inspecting the tent, I had 5 frayed spectra lines that were secured around my stakes, and 3 of which were down to the last strand. My tent pole ended up bend pretty good in two spots as well. Once we were down into the trees, it was great again. Mr. Shires replaced my pole and sent we new spectra to replace the old free of charge, although I was fully expecting to pay for it, so that was nice.

So overall, if you are not planning on camping above treeline where wind can get wicked, it is great with some sort of windbreak and provides huge quantaties of space for its weight and has great headroom. I also loved being able to pitch flyfirst or all together as it proved valuable in a few thundershowers. If you are planning on being exposed, It may not be the best option. I sold the tent since I plan on spending even more time up high and don't want to spend more time pretending to be a kite. So, we are all planning on solo shelters that will cut the wind better. I am really tempted to try another tarptent in the scarp1 variety with crossing poles...Or maybe a Hilleberg soulo, or big agnes coppur spur...or....the list goes on....couple picts below...


worked great here...

not so good up here...

that is fine customer service right there. I suppose there is a reason he calls it a cloud burst and not tornado or blizzard....lol

I own the double rainbow and it is great at what its designed to be, an ultra lightweight 3-season tent-tarp combination. It wont do all the things that heavier tents can do because its not designed to. Mine is very drafty which controls condensation, but I dont expect to be warm in it, and I dont expect it to handle windy or snowy weather. But if you are looking for a really well made ultra light tent that has a floor and bug protection, they are great.

Thanks Papacow that helps alot.