Have you slept in a Tentsile?

[stryder]

Many threads about the Tentsile Stingray hammock / tree house / spaceship tent.

I am interested in all feedback, but especially from someone that owns one or has used one. Most of the other threads are "have you seen this, what do you think" - here I am nmore asking "how is it working for you"

I am working with a group of Venture Scouts, a new Crew, and they are exploring shelter options. Sure they can go traditional and get quality tents. Easiest/cheapest path. I really have been thinking about hammocks but that sort of changes it to personal gear and after adding up hammock, tarp, bugnet, and insulation I may be scratching $150(?) per sleeper. The Tentsile now retails for $675 (used to be way more I understand) and is a group gear purchase...

And of course it is "way cool".

I'm concerned it is way cool right up until they are "way cold" or "way wet". Not to mention the "way 8" [weight - trying to be hip here ;<)].

Still, it is actually a great potential recruiting tool. A different type of camping. I could see hanging 3+ kids in it - 3 inside and a few hammocking underneath and still being under the 880lbs. And one of the focus areas of our Crew is Leave No Trace so any hammock camping is a plus there. Our Crew is CoEd so it could alternate who bunks inside and who hangs outside

Questions:
- I find that the more storm-proof a tent the happier the camper. This design spooks me a bit. Sure you are up off the wet stuff but the actual dome of the tent is sort of flat at the edges. Potential water issues?

- Up in the air so similar concern about heat loss as with a hammock. But the fly folds under forming a buffer and the interior is flat - might lend itself better to traditional pads and such? Does that ring true? It looks like you could order an extra floor and double it up making a sandwich layer.

- Advertised as 4 season. Usually I see that with tents with extra poles, winter ventilation options, etc. But google shows a lot of snow photos. Any thoughts on what makes this a 4 season?

- Not lightweight @ 20lbs but the 3 buckles can be separated. Poles, Fly. etc. The usual split it up to pack it in. Make sense?

Thanks

John

[hipbone]

I've slept in one and have set it up multiple times. It is not the one with the new rain fly with extra coverage that you can hang 3 hammocks under....it was the cheaper rain fly version that had less coverage. A few things...it takes a pretty big area to set it up; you can't tuck this thing in the woods like you could the equivalent 3 person tent. also, i agree with you about the storm proofness... i don't like the way the rain fly hooks through the 0 rings where the tent comes to a point; i think it could have been a little smarter design. That said, i've done lots of research on them and i haven't read one word about the rain fly not being effective. also, the weight can be split up, but by far the majority of the weight comes from the tent part, so whoever carries that part of the tent won't carry much else.

the good: man this thing is FUN. my girlfriend and i came home after seeing a band that night; we decided it would be a good idea to set the tentsile up at 2 am after being out and watching music...this is the first time we had set it up of course...We had the whole thing up in maybe 15 to 20 minutes in the dark. I slept like a rock. they're super comfortable, it's almost like sleeping on a couch or a bed, but it cradles you. We did use thermarest prolite torso sized pad and sleeping bags and we stayed warm. it was cooler fall weather and we stayed warm. We didn't use the rain fly either that night.

The version we had was the Tentsile Stingray 3 person. In my opinion I would not consider this version 4 season. It only has a 2 pole design, and I feel that any 4 season tent should have enough poles to withstand snow pack. Unless this design totally sheds snow I'd question it's use in winter conditions.

I might attend the hammock hang at Grayson Highlands at the end of September...we're hiking in so we can't carry it, but if I can figure out a way to get it there i'll bring it

if you have any specific questions post them and i'll try to answer them. i have easy access to it so if i don't know the answer i can get it and try to figure it out...

hipbone

[stryder]

Thanks, that was great. and Grayson Highlands looks awesome.

Have you slept in it with the fly on? It looks like the fly can be rolled up for the front door. And of course there is the bottom hatch. Wondering about ventilation.

john

[hipbone]

Thanks, that was great. and Grayson Highlands looks awesome.

Have you slept in it with the fly on? It looks like the fly can be rolled up for the front door. And of course there is the bottom hatch. Wondering about ventilation.

john

we have slept in it a few times but never with the fly on...again though, the one i have is an old model with an older style fly. i think the way the fly hangs way over the edges now can be staked out for ventilation. i think you can also roll the front part of the fly up at the front door on the new flys. the hatch at the bottom was pretty small, so i wouldn't count on it for a lot of ventilation. the hatch is the easiest way to enter the hammock; since its in the middle the tension is a little lower, so you can pull the hatch down and hop in. the front entrance is along the part of the tent that has high tension, so its a little hard to climb into it if the tent is high. the tent itself has a ton of mesh, so staking the sides way out would be a lot of ventilation.

[old creek]

do any of the members or their parents sew? DIY would be pretty cheap per kid other than UQ's and even that could probably be done on the cheap if the talent is available. I am not very skilled with needle or thread or I would be making most of my own gear.

just a thought.

creek

[stryder]

Yes, we may pursue DIY hammocks as a near term goal. If they wish to work towards a Tentsile more power to them. They find it stunning, and I think it is pretty neat too. If they put together a plan to fun done, execute it it is a huge success all in itself. My role is to advise them and discuss alternatives. It is actually pretty cool:

Me: You know you can't really backpack with that.

Them: We sometimes make a base camp in the Adirondacks and peak bag with day packs. So you, er, ah, I mean we would not have to carry it that far...

[old creek]

I can picture it.

[stryder]

My problem is I'm a big kid myself.

But you hit the nail on the head. I can DIY with Derek's great instructions at Ultimate Hang and get a tablecloth hammock for under $20. Add straps and suspension But I have to add a tarp and bug net. Unless I want to listen to a blue poly tarp crackle in the wind all night I think the combination of those things is around $100. Then as you mention the UQ.

I think I am scratching $200.

$200 * 3 = $600. Pretty close to Tentsile cost.

I will spend some time in the DIY areas to fine tune my numbers and think about it. We may just do the table cloth option to see if they like hanging out

[jamaulwall]

I agree that some DIY hammocks could be a great way to go but if you want to look into the Tentsile some more Derek Hansen does a pretty good review on his website, here is the link if you are still interested.

[dirtwheels]

When you buy your tentstile, you should call Paul & Missy for a custom quilt for it to keep you good and warm. Wonder what a good 0* quilt would cost for that?

Many threads about the Tentsile Stingray hammock / tree house / spaceship tent.

I am interested in all feedback, but especially from someone that owns one or has used one. Most of the other threads are "have you seen this, what do you think" - here I am nmore asking "how is it working for you"

I am working with a group of Venture Scouts, a new Crew, and they are exploring shelter options. Sure they can go traditional and get quality tents. Easiest/cheapest path. I really have been thinking about hammocks but that sort of changes it to personal gear and after adding up hammock, tarp, bugnet, and insulation I may be scratching $150(?) per sleeper. The Tentsile now retails for $675 (used to be way more I understand) and is a group gear purchase...

And of course it is "way cool".

I'm concerned it is way cool right up until they are "way cold" or "way wet". Not to mention the "way 8" [weight - trying to be hip here ;<)].

Still, it is actually a great potential recruiting tool. A different type of camping. I could see hanging 3+ kids in it - 3 inside and a few hammocking underneath and still being under the 880lbs. And one of the focus areas of our Crew is Leave No Trace so any hammock camping is a plus there. Our Crew is CoEd so it could alternate who bunks inside and who hangs outside

Questions:
- I find that the more storm-proof a tent the happier the camper. This design spooks me a bit. Sure you are up off the wet stuff but the actual dome of the tent is sort of flat at the edges. Potential water issues?

- Up in the air so similar concern about heat loss as with a hammock. But the fly folds under forming a buffer and the interior is flat - might lend itself better to traditional pads and such? Does that ring true? It looks like you could order an extra floor and double it up making a sandwich layer.

- Advertised as 4 season. Usually I see that with tents with extra poles, winter ventilation options, etc. But google shows a lot of snow photos. Any thoughts on what makes this a 4 season?

- Not lightweight @ 20lbs but the 3 buckles can be separated. Poles, Fly. etc. The usual split it up to pack it in. Make sense?

Thanks

John