Tato or Tensa4

[Dutch]

I just got my TATO gear stand from Dutchware last week, and just set it up in my living/dining room (it's pretty long so it stretched into a second room) and slept in my hammock last night. It was really easy to set up, and it is made to take a tarp, which is key for me. The major reason I wanted to get a hammock stand is so I can camp alongside friends and family in campground sites that may or may not have decent hanging trees (or may not allow hanging). The TATO gear stand is reasonably portable *only* for car camping. It can be easily stashed in the bathroom of my parents' RV van for example, but I'd never pack it in anywhere. Can you pack in the Tensa4?

The tensa is considerably lighter and more compact. That is where it shines the most. I still wouldn't backpack with it but I would take it a mile or two if truly needed. It is about half the packed size of the Tato stand.

[aikirunner]

My only concern with the Tensa is rigging the tarp. I guess I might need some extra shock cord.

I hadn’t thought about using it in a hotel room. That sounds clever, but how do you get that Orange Screw Ground Anchor into the hotel room floor?


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[mychal]

With forearms like Barry Bonds.

My only concern with the Tensa is rigging the tarp.

I hadn’t thought about using it in a hotel room. That sounds clever, but how do you get that Orange Screw Ground Anchor into the hotel room floor?


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[raftingtigger]

My only concern with the Tensa is rigging the tarp. I guess I might need some extra shock cord.

I hadn’t thought about using it in a hotel room. That sounds clever, but how do you get that Orange Screw Ground Anchor into the hotel room floor?


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Anchor on a door hinge or the foot of the bed. Latherdome sets his up on TOP of the bed.

[Shug]

My only concern with the Tensa is rigging the tarp. I guess I might need some extra shock cord.

I hadn’t thought about using it in a hotel room. That sounds clever, but how do you get that Orange Screw Ground Anchor into the hotel room floor?


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Not too hard......https://flic.kr/s/aHsmqvEMBd
Shug

[Misterk]

Takes a little practice but works well with a tarp

[Hangdang]

So on a Tato, how forgiving is it regarding uneven terrain, does it have to be perfectly flat ground?

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[Dutch]

So on a Tato, how forgiving is it regarding uneven terrain, does it have to be perfectly flat ground?

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No each leg has many increments it can be extended to. There is a limit to this but I thing there is about 20 inches each independent lag can be adjusted.

[sloanie]

I have both and like both. As some have said, the TATO is pretty straightforward to set up and doesn't take much thought to get in and out of. the TATO's drawbacks compared to the Tensa are, just in my opinion:
• The size/weight (which aren't bad considering how robust it is-- it's roughly as heavy and takes up as much car space as a Boonedox Drifter and way more versatile/useful for hanging.)
• The footprint... depending on anchor points, I can get a Tensa4 into a smaller space than the TATO (see the hotel room example).
• Lateral stability. I've opted to not set up my TATO on multiple occasions because of a firm warning in the instructions not to use it in windy conditions. This totally depends on where you live and camp, of course, so YMMV. I'd have had far less heartburn about the Tensa in those situations if I'd had it, but we'll have to wait and see the next time I end up in the desert on a windy day. You all know what a downer it is to go to ground

I think the TATO's strengths have been pretty well covered, but revolve around the design being a bit more straight-forward:
• Easy to learn to set up (requires no experience with UCRs, etc)
• Long ridge pole and built in, easy to use tarp connection points that easily accomodate 12' tarps and longer hammocks. Longer tarps still require some creativity for the Tensa for the time being.

I would just say the Tensa isn't as simple to deploy the first time. It feels a little more "advanced" in that way to me as an amateur. But man. Once you sleep in one... these are pretty rad, and I instantly wanted another one.

Also-- remember the screw is not a requirement. You may be somewhere you can anchor just with guylines since they're not load-bearing. A heavy picnic table, a fence pole, anything that's sufficiently heavy. I was beach camping at Carlsbad State Beach where camp sites are on a bluff overlooking the beach, and the ground there is either nigh impenetrable (no way I'm getting that screw in), or too soft (the dry sand where trees had previously been at the camp site was too loose-- those screws come right out of the ground). The fence and the picnic table I can work with, though! Or a small tree even. The TATO stand does have guylines to anchor each tripod, but it's just not as simple when you've got 4 lines and the ground is as unforgiving as it was in the situation I just described.

Still keeping that TATO stand though. It has it's place.

[Hangdang]

One more Tato question...maybe two...when will they be in stock again and roughly what would shipping to CA cost ($50 ish?)?

Okay I lied I have three questions ... is it possible to get the Tato kits?

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