Hello all :) First post here but I've been reading a lot over the past couple of weeks.

I'm preparing to cut a lot of weight from my current 2-person backpacking setup. We're starting with the big things first, and acquiring the gear gradually over the next few months. I would really like to ditch our current tent, a Sierra Designs Hyperlight 3, which weighs in at a whopping 7lbs (with the footprint) for a Tarptent Rainshadow 2. I have a couple of questions for seasoned Tarptent users though...

Firstly, the tent will be for myself (5'2" 120lbs), my hubby (6' 250lbs) and our two 70lb-ish dogs. We all fit pretty well in the SD tent, though it has a sort of diamond shape which makes it a pain to get two rectangular sleeping pads in there. Looking at reviews and the floor shape of the Rainshadow 2, it seems that we'd all fit much better in it, even though the square footage is slightly smaller overall, because the shape is more rectangular.

Having never used a single wall tent, I'm a little concerned about condensation buildup from the 4 of us inside... has anyone noticed a problem with that? We mostly camp in the Tahoe/Sierras area so the air is fairly dry... but I'm a cold sleeper so I'm concerned that if we ventilate too much, I will get too cold.

The next question is about durability vs dog claws. Since the Rainshadow is so much lighter than our SD tent, would it be advisable to also carry something like a tyvek sheet to put on the inside to avoid any dog claw punctures? Also, what about a footprint? Are these really necessary, or is that something we could do without in order to save weight?

Second thread today about dog claws, and approximately my same answer each time! I've used tents with silnylon floors (mostly Tarptents) for 7 years and never had a problem with my dog's claws. He's a 70-something pound mostly Labrador. I do try to clip his claws twice monthly to keep them as short as possible. Even the period when I tried to crowd both of us into a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo with the ultralight floor, I never had any floor punctures. I never use a footprint or a groundsheet, although I do have a piece of CCF mat for my dog to sleep on. The big thing is to keep him off my insulated air pad and my pricey down sleeping bag!

I have a Tarptent Rainshadow and it works fine with me, two grandkids and the dog inside (at our feet). I've found that both the Squall 2 and the Rainshadow 2 (basically the same tent, but the Squall 2 is the two-person version while the Rainshadow 2 is the three-person size) seem to have less condensation because of plenty of ventilation and more space overhead. You do have to follow the usual procedures for limiting condensation--keep the tent as wide open as possible, avoid low-lying campsites close to water, camp up on a knoll if at all possible, camp under trees. The worst place to camp is out in the open in a deep, narrow valley with boggy meadows, on a cold night.

Edited by hikinggranny on 05/28/2012 14:39:59 MDT.

To my mind I absolutely don't want a dog inside my tent on the floor. Fleas come to mind as well as dirty feet, burrs, poison ivo or oak oils, etc.

But I do want it "inside" the fly and out of the weather.

Tha means my tent must have a floorless vestibule like (for a 2 person tent) a Scarp 2, with its two vestibules. Make the dog carry its own thin foam pad (i.e. wood floor 3/16" underlayment foam) just as it should carry its own food and water bowl.

Frontline or K9Advantix monthly takes care of fleas and ticks. And I comb him out at bedtime to get rid of debris, burrs, crawling ticks (the ticks aren't killed until after they bite). I consider my dog part of my sleep system--he adds significantly to warmth. I also wouldn't think of leaving him outside for the mosquitoes to munch on!

YMMV, of course.

I'm another Rainshadow 2 user who regularly has a canine companion or two.

Never had an issue with the robustness of the floor and my sorta Jack Russell has needle like claws :)

The tent itself is palatial and well ventilated - I've never had any condensation issues and yet my girlfriend, who is a very cold sleeper, hasn't ever been uncomfortable in it either.

I'm with Mary on the inside the tent pet camping. We use Frontline as well with great results. True, they do get poison oak, but the areas we camp in don't have it. We do dayhikes in terrain with poison oak, but not our overnight camping trips.

Our dogs refuse to sleep outside the tent, but to be honest, it's even more about me not wanting them outside. For starters, both of our dogs have extreme prey drives. If they were sleeping in the vestibule and heard or smelled a critter nearby they would be under and out of the tightest staked down fly before I even woke up. In a zipped up tent I'll be fully awake before they can get out.

Our 60 pound female has been camping with us many times, always in the tent. My 78 lb male is newer to us and has only been a couple times. The first night he woke me up licking my face throughout the night. Since then he's slept soundly every night.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll skip the footprint/floor liner after reading all the positives about dog claws not breaking through :)

As for the dogs, we have never had a problem with fleas, mostly because we all live in the desert and there aren't any! Having said that, we did find one tick on one of our dogs last year, so we'll be treating them with Frontline this year anyway. I'm not sure about poison ivy/oak etc... do they grow in the Sierras? I always thought the poison plants were more of an eastern thing. Then again, I'm originally from England, where the nastiest thing you'll find out in the woods is a patch of stinging nettles.

Like Mary and Doug, I'm a fan of having my dogs inside the tent, not least of all because they keep me warm and cozy. It's the only time they get to share a sleeping space with us (they are not allowed on the bed at home), but I make the exception in the tent, especially since one of them has short fur and gets cold easily. I do make them carry their own gear though... if I have to cart my stuff around the backcountry, they do too! Also, knowing their personalities, I wouldn't want them outside the tent... one is a hound and she'd probably get lost following a scent; the other likes to sit in every pool of water he can find if we don't keep an eye on him, and I'd rather not wake up to a soggy pack in the morning (this happened on one occasion after he took a midnight swim in the Colorado river).

Edited by mahgnillig on 05/28/2012 18:56:40 MDT.

I have a Contrail and a Squall 2, both of which I routinely share with my 60lb Shepherd-Collie cross. I've had the Squall for 3 years and never had any problems with the floor, whether from dog claws or rocks, sticks, etc.. The floors in these tents are certainly tougher than you might imagine.

Jen
I shot a video on the RS2 sometime ago.
At the start you see a real time set up.
Not one of my usual speed attempts nevertheless it is up in 2 minutes.
(obviously a bit harderon rocky soil or in wind /rain ...)
The video should also give you some idea of the usable space inside.
I am 5'8".
Franco
RS II video

Edited by Franco on 05/28/2012 19:43:07 MDT.

Two shelties have not fazed the silnylon floor of my dome tent. The material was purchased from Thru-Hiker and is the same or similar opaque black silnylon that TarpTent uses.

BTW, my late Sheltie, Shoki, could unzip the net door with her nose.

Nice video Franco - peaceful music, quick setup. It says you have 47 videos.
More than 47 tents I'll bet.

Samuel
I have 14 right now but every so often I let one go. (kind of painful...)
Several of those videos are not about tents but I did start posting them for fun doing my World Record set ups.
The easiest way to get a world record is to do something nobody else can be bothered trying...
(my first was in fact an experiment that I did for a photo retail customer that wanted to use a particular video format and get a one minute clip at around 1 mb. So I opted to set up the Contrail in that just to have some content..)
Franco

Jen, I live on the west coast, and we don't see a lot of poison Ivy. There may be some around but I don't run into it. We definitely get some stinging nettle in the creek aeas. Posion oak on the other hand may as well be the state plant where I live. In the coastal mountain ranges and flatlands (Big Sur, Santa Cruz Moutains, etc.) entire hillsides and creekbeds are covered in poison oak. Almost as much as manzanita. lol

Jen "I'm not sure about poison ivy/oak etc... do they grow in the Sierras?"

Short answer, no. Poison Ivy isn't really found on the West Coast and Poison Oak doesn't grow above 4,000 feet.

The quickest way to get rid of a case of it is to wash the area with a soap to break up and remove the oil from the affected skin. Any soap is better then none though common dish washing soap (like Dawn) is better then most bar soaps. The very best overall product I've found is Tecnu Extreme which includes an antihistamine to get rid of the itching for a few hours... I keep a tube in the shower as thats where I usually discover that I've gotten into it again

That seems very crowded to me but I do not have any experience with that particular tent that you thinking about. I am a bit bigger than your husband and most two person tents are big enough for me and one dog that size.

I go with the Golite shagrila 3 for that reason (and others)... I can take my dogs and my wife and still have room for gear so I can keep that out of the water. They make a liner for the bottom that is plenty thick enough not to have to worry about dog claws but it is heavy (the whole tent is about 4 pounds but you don't have to take all components, it is a bit of a customizable tent so you could go as light as 2 pounds if you take a lighter floor or go without one at all).

The Rainshadow 2 is a big tent for three people: 84" long and 64" wide at narrow end, 78" wide at long/entry end: Tarptent Rainshadow

Edited by hes on 05/29/2012 09:47:01 MDT.

I own a Rainshadow II and it is huge. Keep in mind that the tent slopes in on the quite a bit so you are going to loose some effective space. Also, there ia a single door and the openning is on the left hand side (viewing the tent from the front to the back). The position of the door may determine where your dogs sleep. Best regards -Jon

Thanks for the link to your video Franco... that's just what I needed! I think the Rainshadow 2 will be perfect for the 4 of us. I will get the berth closest to the door opening, since I seem to be the only one who gets up in the night for a call of nature ;)

Also, glad to know that I'm unlikely to encounter any poisonous plants in the Sierras.

There is a couple hiking the PCT and they have run inito patches of Poodle Dog Bush (I am a native CA and I had never heard of it). Apparently it grows in places after a fire and they are seeing large patches of it.

http://alongerwalk.tumblr.com/post/24040776368/adventures-with-poodle-dog-bu

I have a Rainshadow 2 and it fits 2 6'; tall people and two dogs no problem. It's a HUGE tent.

My dog prefers to sleep under the fly but she does come in the tent and hasn't damaged the floor, nor have friends dogs who do like to sleep in the tent. It's a great tent for dogs actually, as they can sleep under the fly and be totally out of the weather but right next to you (through the mesh) but still be able to see all around. Mine takes guarding my sleeping self quite seriously so this is by far her favorite set up.

The main problem I have is that the ends of the tent are entirely mesh and my dog apparently cannot distinguish between mesh and air, nor does she understand zippers so she frequently comes zooming into the tent where the door was just moments ago!.... and bounces off it. If your dog is less of an idiot this might not be a problem. The tent has withstood several dog impacts just fine. She runs into both ends and once ran into the side in frustration, despite it obviously being solid fabric. She has also tried to go under the floor and come up in the middle, Tremors style.

I used to leave the door open but one night she put a vole she caught into the hood of my sleeping bag. While I was sleeping in it. So now I don't.

Edited by gmod on 06/04/2012 00:29:54 MDT.

Thanks for all of the insight guys! I have a Tarptent Scarp 2 and was wondering if a dog's claws and paws would damage it. Good to know I'm safe!