Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

I went hiking for 4 days in the Japanese Alps. The first night I camped with my mate at 2500meters. He had a super expensive gorelight tent. Winds were strong and the ground was not level. I worried constantly about the points at head and feet where the floor of the moment was only centimetres from the ground. If it was to rain I doubt it would stop water.I would add 2 points at the head and toes where the floor could be hitched up higher like a hammock. Suffice to say, my friend bent both his tent poles badly in the wind but the moment was fine (but really noisy ). The tent was pitched side into the wind (I changed it later in the night to nose to wind but there was no real difference). I used both poles provided. The longer pole is kind of poxy to fit into the end points so I just left it hanging off the ground.
I also added pull cords to all the tiny little zips.

The 2nd morning I awoke to discover the interior walls of the tent holding lots of water. I seam sealed the moment so I assume it was a result of the extreme conditions. After my fear went away (I guess many converts to ultra light get this) I calmly exited the tent (without getting wet) and everything was fine.
The third night I pitched the tent in the dark without use of a torch ( camping slightly illegally). So I guess I would say that it's simple to pitch on level ground ( a wooden deck) but not on a slope.

The tent packs away easily and also drys out quickly. The 2 pegs provided are amazing.

There is a learning curve to the moment and a few things you need to add before using it(cords on the zips, seam seal and take an extra tarp for sure(worst case you can wrap yourself in the extra tarp to stop drips hitting you) but once you get over that you realise it"s very flexible. It was my first experience mountaineering and I probably should have bought a goretex tent but I survived ok in the moment and had a generally good time. Feel free to offer me your own wisdom on the issues I mentioned I realise I am new to this.

Edited by ashton on 09/25/2009 02:35:30 MDT.

Rating: 4 / 5

Spent 8 nights in Yosemite in the Moment and it worked really well.
Pitched 4 locations. Conditions were cool, dry and calm so no big test of performance. The greatest thing is setup. It really does take only 2 or 3 minutes. A six year old can do it.

Now a few quibbles; The hardware is not so good. The longitudinal pole does not work well and I left it home. The tent worked perfectly without it but weather could make it useful. I don't plan to take it along again. The stuff sack takes away from the easy to use theme, especially if you want to pack it while standing up in mud. Windblown snow or dust would surely fill this tent, (the price for ventilation).

But those things are easy to overlook if you use it in appropriate conditions and appreciate 2 minute setup. The door and vestibule are really good. As an old cog I found it easy to get into and out of, and a good place for my pack and shoes was really nice. I really like this tent.

Rating: 5 / 5

I give the Moment a "5" because I feel it is currently the best solo single wall tent design. It has great quality, innovative design and excellent attention to detail.

My previous solo tent was a TarpTent Contrail, another innovative design but a bit fluttery in winds so after three seasons I sold it and bought the Moment.

I used the Moment on Colorado's Arapaho Trail near Arapaho Pass around 11,300 ft. in 30 -45 mph. winds and found it very stable, if a bit breezy around the netting at the floor. The Moment was guyed out at the side guy points in case the winds got even higher.

The headroom is more useful than in the Contrail, being wider and in the center of the tent. Also I like the way Henry has provided for opening and closing the roof vents and the canopy adjustment at the rear pole for venting options.

I laid some clothing and gear on the netting areas at each end and the windward side netting to keep out some of the wind and it worked well. Also cooking in the vestibule out of the wind was a blessing. And there was even room for my backpack in the vestibule, out of the way to the left of the door.

Being able to pull the front floor back off its Velcro anchor for more vestibule room was a nice feature when I wanted to cook. Just one more of many details thoughtfully designed into the Moment.

My one quibble is the grossgrain ribbons used to tie the doors & interior end triangles back. Takes 2 hands & doesn't like to stay tied.

I'm going to replace them with a male/female Velcro strip that passes thru an "inchworm" style loop on the tent and back on itself.

Too preclude the dreaded "misting" thru the Silnylon canopy, a problem in very heavy rains W/all Silnylon tents, I've coated the top 1/2 of my canopy with a thin seam sealer mixture and added maybe aother ounce, but also peace of mind.

All in all I'm very happy with the Moment and I see keeping it a long time - unless Henry Shires invents a similar tent in Cuben fabric with an Unobtanium 2 gram pole.

In 2010 I "modded" my Moment as follows.

1. Replaced the groosgrain ribbon door ties with elasticized loop-and-toggle closures - much faster and more secure
2. used elastic loop to hold open the interior triangular end vent closure flaps
3. Added 4 stake loops at the bottom canopy hem, 2 on each side of the tent, to hold the edges down in heavy winds
4.(Major change) Shortened the "crossing pole" and ran it INSIDE the Moment's canopy & out thru the apexes of the end vents to the provided pole pockets for much better canopy support. Did this by sewing on Velcro closures on teh end netting apexes and melting a hole thru the netting and one layer of the Velcro, the other layer being used to close the hole when the pole is not in use. Also sewed small Velcro cable ties to the Inside of the canopy at the reinforcements for the (former) exterior pole straps. These two Velcro straps hold the crossing pole in alignment, as does one Velcro strap at the peak.

5. Pre-rigged Triptease guylines W/ small plastic snap hooks at one end for fast attatchment to the pole sleeve tie-out loops and Tarptent's small plastic line tensioners at the stake end for fast deployment in case of a sudden windstorm. These remain in the tent pockets until needed.

6. Bought a liner, which fits nicely under the (now) interior crossing pole. Adds some wamth if end vents are closed and keeps condensaion at bay. I may add more light ripstop to the liner at door side but not on the door.

All these small changes make the Moment even nicer to use and, with the interior crossing pole, better supported in snow and wind.

Edited by Danepacker on 10/03/2011 02:06:50 MDT.

Rating: 4 / 5

I took the moment with me for 2 months of tramping in New Zealand. For the most part I found the tent to be very spacious, comfortable and user friendly.

I did not experience any heavy rain but it stood up well in winds and humid situations. This thing breathes like a dream!

I don't like the finicky ribbons used for tying back the vestibule and head/foot vents. The vestibule ribbon especially often took a couple tries to get right. They also make a lot of noise in the wind if you don't tie them up into little balls. Velcro would go a long way here.

I found a few extra loops inside that seem to attach to nothing and the top vents don't like to stay open on their own. I have had a few problems with the vestibule zipper but nothing terrible.

The tent bag size/shape is a bit odd as well but certainly not that bad.

All and all a solid solo tent that preformed well on the beach, the tops of mountains and deep forest.

Rating: 5 / 5

I have to give Henrys latest a solid 5. Being a gear geek like most of my fellow BPL's I don't tend to get crazy excited about much but this tent is an amazing piece of gear.

Arrived on a Thursday, seam sealed on Friday, storm arrived on Saturday. We had hazardous wind warnings and light to moderate rain the biggest and best surprise of all was how well my wife and I fit. Using a Ray-Way double quilt we slept in total comfort.

I kept the tent pitched for a week on a hillside behind our ranch house and moved it daily. The ease of set up is ridiculous and a perfect pitch is possible in under a minute.

The tie downs are a bit finicky, the secret is a really tight roll and then they work just fine. To keep the top vents wide open just pop in a small stick and you are good to go.

While not ultra light compared to my 5 ounce Z-pack Hexamid the size, storm worthiness and ease of set up have moved this to the top of my gear food chain when the weather is at all in question.

If you have been thinking about getting this tent then by all means go for it, you'll be glad you did.

Great hiking!


Bill

Rating: 5 / 5

I just got back from a trip to Central Alaska. Used the moment for 10 days. About half was backpacking in the Crazy Mountains at about 5000 feet. I experienced rain, wind, hail, and freezing rain with temps in the 30's. The tent performed flawlessly. Super easy to setup. Very minimal condensation with all the venting options.

The only thing I didn't like about it was on the first night at lower elevation I crawled in to notice it full of bugs. Discovered a small opening where the netting meets the silnylon. Glued a small piece of netting to cover it. Told henry about it and he said that's pretty much how they are. No bugs after I fixed it.

Rating: 5 / 5

I have used my Tarptent Moment on several 2 night backpacking trips and a 10 day trek at Philmont. The tent performed beautifully! It`s easy to set up , roomy, and well made. The interior room is excellent, particularly overhead in the middle of the tent. You can sit up and not brush the tent walls (important when condensation covers the inside of the tent- inevitable in humid, windless conditions). The ribbon tiebacks are my only knock on the tent (minor).
All in all, the best all-around shelter I have ever owned!

Rating: 4 / 5

I was looking for a < 1Kg solo tent and tried to get the Gossamer Gear the One but that was unavailable. After much searching I settled for the Tarptent Moment since it seemed to fit my needs and was light, plus fairly cheap.

First impressions: I unpacked it and felt it up in my living room, I even set it up there. At first I thought "can this thin fabric really hold up?". I was however pleased to realize that my six foot frame was able to sit up straight in the middle of the tent without my head touching the roof, this is comfortable while getting dressed and so on.

The floor is thin fabric and although the entire tent gives the impression of being well-manufactured I would probably use an extra floor sheet when tenting on anything but snow or grass.

The ventilation holes on top of the tent seem OK for a tent this size, but I am concerned about the covers, they don't cover the vents by much and I imagine rain could blow in since the fabric in front of the vents seem to slope inward slightly and rain could land there and seep through the netting and into the tent. However, I have not fiddled around much with the tent setup and maybe it is just an issue of stretching it right.

I got the optional extra pole to make it freestanding and have not tried it without it. I seem to recall reading it was slightly below 200 grams, making the tent (810 grams) an even kilo. But I am not sure about the weight.


I have tried one night only so far. This night there was a blizzard and temp was around 7 degrees celsius (like 44 fahrenheit) and contrary to common sense I set it up with the side facing the wind. The night was noisy as heck but although wondering at times, I found the tent to hold up well in the wind. It moved and made noise but did not break. The small vestibule does not go all the way to the ground so your gear is exposed to the elements, I will sew an extra piece of fabric on to make it go all the way down (but I had planned this already when I ordered it).

Wind blows straight through the bug netting but this was expected and is not a problem. If you want a heavier, more solid tent, get one =). I expected some condensation in the tent in the morning but I could not see even the tiniest ice crystal anywhere in the tent. Probably the wind ventilated my moisture out before it had the chance to stick to anything.

The mesh pockets on the sides are OK, but I would like to have them located slightly further up the wall so cell phones and such can be stored further from the ground and the elements.

The size is just enough, on my side I can put some gear and clothes, and in the narrow vestibule a medium-sized backpack can be stored although I may want to use a trashbag or backpack cover to protect it from too much rain until I do my planned modification of the fabric here.

As for setup, it is extremely easy to get up quickly. To make it stretch out properly and make the poles on the edges touch the ground and stretch out, I found this difficult but it was late and I did not make much of an effort.


All in all, the tent lives up to my expectations and I am content. It is light as a feather in the pack....