In live in the PNW and an interested in getting lighter. I am on a budget and was intrigued by the Henry Shires Tarptent concept. The only drawback seems to be condensation in humid conditions, which we always have. So I was thinking of making the tarptent out of Epic fabric. The reviews of the Black Diamond tents made of Epic look pretty good at handling rain, and with a tarptent there should be fewer issues of wet thru at stress points.

My question is does anyone have experience working with Epic? Thru-Hiker has it for $12.95 a yard and it would take 6 yards for the tarptent 2. The weight looks very similar to silnylon at 1.7oz/yd.

Should I go for it??

Mike,

Since you would be using breathable fabric, have you thought about dispensing with the use of no-see-um and having a complete epic tent down to the poly bottom?

John

Now you have me thinking even more. Wonder what the weight penalty would be for that? Would provide for a shelter that is even better in wind.

Look at the great ideas I am getting already.

Thanks,

I'm in the Northwest and have seen the coming of the glory of eVENT. How about an eVENT Tarptent? Oh boy!

Truthfully, I live in Washington and use a Tarptent all the time- including during heavy downpours. The condensation is not that bad and is easily wiped off with a packtowel. That said, an Epic Tarptent would be one of a kind...and might be really cool!

eVent would be more compelling (to me) as a shelter material if it were produced as a lighter fabric and if it were more available in small amounts for the Make Your Own Gear crowd.

I hear that Ron Bell may eventually introduce a SUL lightweight shelter w/ eVent as a more expensive (and heavier) option, over at MLD.

Great avatar, Doug

Edited by kdesign on 04/10/2007 21:28:49 MDT.

Would any breathable fabric even work as a Tarp? Doesn't it have to be warmer inside the tarp in order to push the humidity out through the fabric? I think about the Bibler or the many tents that "trap" your hot breath or body heat in and just cannot see a tarp doing this. If it can, please let me know simply because this fascinates my brain! I know very little about all these technologies, but a little about basic chemistry.

A tarptent, which is being discussed, is much more enclosed than the typical tarp pitch which is why I think a w/b fabric is not such an off- the- wall proposition. Even a Bibler-style singlewall tent or a double-wall tent will shed body generated heat---it's not really trapped--- although not as quickly, of course, compared to an open tarp.

I was also thinking of adding a bit more fabric. Possibly extending the sides all the way to the ground, and adding removeable flaps on the back and a small vestibule to the front. This would add a small amount of weight, but would provide for a much more weather resistant shelter, espicaly in early spring and later fall. Also in the PNW, at lower elevations it could go all 4 seasons.

One of my backpacking trips I am planning is a very short 2-3 day hike up the Hoh River in November or December to experience the full power of the rain forest.

Mike,

Why not try a super cheap breathable fabric which would allow for you to make a very lightweight tent using the lightweight Tyvek used in disposable hazmat clothing. I have been using this stuff successfully for years as rain gear and it has stood up to abrasion and abuse. I would think that a stationary tent would be more durable than my raingear. Rather than invest in ultra expensive fabric which happens to be “ultra-chic” at the moment, try the less expensive and even more breathable stuff (that’s what Dupont and the safety clothing manufacturers say) for your project and test it out. You may even establish yourself as the next up and coming SUL manufacturer. There are a number of suppliers. Try www.materialconcepts.com or contact Dupont directly. They have been liberal in supplying significantly sized samples. But this stuff is very inexpensive so to save time it would be more expedient to just order a few yards. Also don’t confuse this with housewrap Tyvek which is relatively heavy, course and less pliable.

Awesome idea. I was originally going to use old bed sheets and such to sew a practice tarptent given the cost of the Epic fabric.

Now I will try it with the Tyvek and see what happens. I assume you are speaking about the "soft" style Tyvek that is much more pliable than the standard "hard" stuff that is the typical house wrap?

Anyone with experience sewing Tyvek on a standard sewing machine? Would it be easier/stronger to just use the special tape that is used to join tyvek together?

I am getting really excited by the possibilities now.