I just turned thirty a couple of days ago and for my birthday my wife has given me the go ahead to get a solo shelter. I've been looking at the Notch for a month or so but haven't seen any reviews. I understand this shelter has only been out for a short time so there isn't going to be a whole lot out there. Are there any Notch owners out there that can share there initial impression on setup ect.
Also for a while I had been eying the MLD Cricket but never saw any reviews. Anyone with a Cricket care to share their experience's?

Plenty of Tarptent Notch info here:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=56180

I'm placing my order in the next week or so...

I love my Tarptent Moment, I would happily endorse any of Henry's designs.

I just bought and recieved a Notch. I don't have any use to report at this point other than setting it up in the back yard. I do have two decades of backpacking experience and a couple thousand trail miles under my belt with another solo shelter so I have a pretty good idea of what I want in a shelter and how I'll use it.

At this point, I think it is the perfect shelter for how I hike. I use trekking poles 100% of the time, hike alone 95% of the time and I prioritize weight, ease of setup, small footprint, stability and packed size.

It nails all those areas and it fits me well. It isn't a super size shelter like the Rainbow but that isn't what I wanted. I like the symmetric design that is compact because it helps in ease of site selection. I don't spend a lot of time in a shelter so for me it is end of day where I read and sleep. I get up in the morning and pack my tent and move-out. It provides PLENTY of coverage with the dual vestibule design but the actual sleeping area (inner) is fairly compact. That would be a problem if it were a single wall shelter due to the proximity of condensation but it is a non-issue with the Notch.