Tarptent - ProTrek (SKU: 411)

I’m 5’10” and wasn’t bothered by the interior space, so YMMV. I tend to use the HR because it’s easier to find a space that it fits in than the XMid, although the new tarptent seems intriguing. EDIT: The protrek is the tarptent i was referring to https://www.tarptent.com/product/protrek/

FYI: Since this post went up, Tarptent uploaded more/better pictures to that spec page (The old ones were taken at weird angles or with a wide angle lens or something that made the tent look weird/crooked and hard to understand). Anyway, my take is that’s a cool design that perhaps uses overly burly materials for its use case. A fair weather 3-season ~~tarp~~ tent like this yearns for a 10/15D fly, 10D noseeum and 15D/20D floor, no?

The more I study this design, the more I like it. I love the small footprint (and the fact it's a true rectangle), and as someone that only uses one pole, I like that it will only require one end pole (though TT should definitely offer a 28" carbon - vs aluminum - end pole). This thing has incredible ventilation options, and looks more wind worthy than the Protrail. I like that the roof hem is fairly close to the ground. Nice vertical ends with mesh (helps against wetting bag ends), and the offset pole design creates what seems to be a decently sized interior. I'm interested to see a video showing the entry options at work... I could see where the additional front entry might have some merit. We'll see.

Increased durability is a pretty good tradeoff if you ask me, personally. You’ll just going to patch a 15D floor and approach the 30d weight anyway.

Durable, functional, protective, and reasonably priced at $249. Looks like a winner. The only thing I'm not thrilled about is the tieout on the seam on the rear of the fly. It kind of messes with the geometry, but that might be a function of the angle of the photo. That's probably a prime spot to add bungee cord to the tieout and then attach the guyline to the bungee.

Dan has explained many times that what's unique about his design isn't the offset poles (there were other designs with offset poles before the X-Mid) but the diagonal floor plan combined with offset poles. If you think that the TT Protrek looks like an X-Mid then you basically have to take the position that the X-Mid looks like an SD High Route.

Get the new 1p tarptent protrek. 249$,easy to set up, stormworthy, and lots of ventilation

I think maybe you're confused about which tent I am talking about. As far as I know, there is only a silpoly protrek available right now. It is replacing the protrail as a ffront or side open version. [tarptent protrek](https://www.tarptent.com/product/protrek/)

Depends on the environment and weather you backpack in, imho. Xmid is roomy but not big and great in bad weather. Tarptent Protrek is more airy and versatile then xmid, but not as good in extreme weather. I'd recommend this first for good weather use. Sustained bad weather? I'd consider front entry, free standing/self supported, like BA Fly Creek UL1. Use a poncho or very small tarp to create crate a front porch for cooking/eating, etc.

love this design! **Pros:** a lot of ventilation options and configurations (I wonder how it performs with all doors down as shown in one of the photos, with just a top vent). Love that you can open it up on at least 3 sides. Only 4 stakes. Offset design. Ease of entry/exit (no pole in the way). Steep walls. Small footprint. **Potential cons:** seems like not much vestibule space. Only 84" long - the 88" or 90" is more common now in single pole tents. Needs two poles (at least one adjustable). 666g is a bit higher than I would have wanted - less than Lunar Solo and Lanshan Pro 1, but a bit more than REI Flash Air One (their old version, which I think was 20oz or 566g). Would love to see this design in DCF, could be very competitive. In Nylon it could be the "killer" of both Lanshan Pro 1 and Lunar Solo, if one is willing to add a second (maybe short) pole.

Is it just me wondering: who is this for? Like who asked for or wants this? If it used better fabrics and got the weight down to sub 24oz at $250, it'd be a good deal and would get more attention. But it seems smaller and heavier than many existing tents, without any perceive innovation (in terms of user outcome).

What is the weight of the floor? 30d seems excessive, the increased durability isn't necessary and unlikely to be a good tradeoff for the targeted audience. What's the weight of the 15d bug mesh? Is the cordage as light as possible? If the stake bag was sewn into the tent bag, you'd reduce the weight of it by ~50%. If you made the floor lighter and mesh lighter, what would be the decrease in weight, could you drop it ~70g? A 580g-600g tent, that only takes 4 stakes, would be a very solid option at $250 new. Weight to performance is a good starting metric, but it can potentially lead to having stuff much heavier than needed for desired use-cases. Like titanium buckles compared to plastic would be a good extreme example.

I agree with pretty much everything you're saying. The main disagreement I have is that +300 nights and +15 years isn't what the average person (especially ultralighter) is looking for or wants to compromise for. If changed the metric to +200 nights and were able to drop a few ounces, I think it would open up the market to more people and help set this specific tent apart from many it naturally will compete with upon release. Of course without the need to go to DCF and increase the price dramatically. I also realize my feedback is probably unwanted and is maybe coming across wrong, but I have had 3 tarptents (currently have 2) and do like/support the brand.

I understand what you're saying. My point would be that standards are changing because of other options, and the race to the bottom stops when someone goes too far. The plex solo-lite is a good example of seemingly not going too far, reviews are good and it's replaced many normal plex solos. Examples of standards: +32oz for a bag is considered unnecessarily excessive. +18oz for a 1p DCF shelter, the same. There are new standards being forged in UL around a slightly different metric than what you're using, and there's a hole/demand for a cheap sub 600g 1p shelter currently, that's closer to the 1p DCF weight "cutoff" than the normal 1p sil-poly weight of ~26oz. A nice/cheap ~20oz 1p tent would crush things right now, and it'd kinda be in a space of it's own. And if it could hold up to +200 nights, I bet it would pull a lot of attention. It seems like it would be the difference between just another tent and something special. Anyway, if you do end up offering a version with a lighter floor and mesh material, that brings the weight down to ~20oz for ~$250, I would buy one. Thanks for your thoughtful responses, I appreciate you taking the time to read what I wrote and respond with consideration.

i've seam sealed all my tarptents. not a big deal. I think they offer the service for a addon.