Tarptent - StratoSpire 2

I got the ProTrail Li, only used for one trip that was 6 days but I love it. Getting used to single wall however. Next time I'm bringing a sweedish dish cloth to dry, hoping that helps. I also have Stratospire 2 Sil. I'm debating the Li as my tent is from when the SS2 first came out (like 10-15 years?) and has like 500 nights on it, just starting to see some failures here and there. I'm a slim 6'1" and can easily use either of these tents happily.

I put 6’4” man, 5”6” woman, and 20 lb dog in a stratospire 2 and it feels super roomy. Plenty of headroom even for tall guy. Even with a big dog there’s plenty of room, but the small dog barely takes up any space honestly. Either way, the dog typically either cuddles up to one of us, or sleeps at the feet of the shorter person. No issues with touching the mesh.  I guess to be fair we don’t typically bring our packs into the tent, we put them in the vestibules. We do bring them inside if it’s pouring rain, and it’s a little cramped with 2 people, 2 packs, and the dog, but it’s doable. And there’s always the sidecar option. 

Do people typically put their packs in the tent? I have a tarptent stratospire 2 and it feels super roomy with 2 people and a dog. Im just curious as to whether I have low standards for space or I’m the weird one for leaving my pack in the vestibule. Especially because this is r/ultralight and it’s vanishingly rare that I’m more hardcore than the average commenter here. 

I had a stratospire 2. I will say it’s a bullet proof tent but I personally hated the pitch lock system that prevents it from really folding/rolling as small as its competitor.

I've owned and used this tent multiple times. I have zero complaints. After practicing setting it up in the backyard a couple of times, I had no issue with the tent. It kept us warm and dry.

I have a Stratospire 2 and my hiking buddy has the Durston 2P, and we've used both. The Stratospire is a palace, especially when you consider the huge vestibules. It is excellent if you have a dog, for instance, or plan to be inside the tent for longer periods of time. When my 2 boys were young, I fit my 25 inch pad and both of their 20-inch pads in the Stratospire no problem. Setup is fine. The Durston is the one we carry now on our trips. It's lighter and roomy enough for us since we don't stay in it very long.

I'd recommend looking at getting a used , or stretching out and getting a new StratoSpire 2 from Tarptent, or others in there 2 person line up. There's also the durston x mid 2. Of course it is lucky and a faff to try and find one used and initial cost new is more, but great tents.

Lists the requirements, then lists a bunch of tents where literally only one (CS2) nearly fits the requirements! Hubba Hubba ( or similar design), plus tarp sounds ideal for your needs. Modified door porches are pretty limited for rain protection in any sort of wind. We are in the often wet n windy UK. These tents don't fit your freestanding criteria , but are roomy and light for lots of space and protection. As a couple we have got on well with Tarptent Stratospire 2 (solid inner) and the Durston Xmid2p solid. Used 100s of nights between them. The SS2 has very protective porches in particular Not done a huge amount of woodland camping, but have pitched on sand and shingle beaches ok.

All those tents are water resistant. What’s the point of having a tent otherwise? Both the X-Mid and the Stratospire are not freestanding. The idea that the Stratospire is more complicated to pitch is a myth in my eyes. I’ve owned both. I still own the Stratospire, just because I favor some aspects of it over the X-Mid. They both are great tents for what they are. Why is freestanding so important to you? And if you don’t plan to be out in bad weather why not just use a (large) tarp, just in case weather is worse than expected? [Edit] Some more words on X-Mid vs Stratospire. The Stratospire has a larger footprint, especially the 2p version. That could be something to consider since in the alps sometimes you might want to squeeze into smaller places. The Stratospire on the other hand has much larger vestibules.

I get that tarptent isn’t always thought of as the most ultralight tent company, but their engineering is certainly among, if not the best, amongst ultralight tent makers. I’ve used a stratospire 2 for years now, and it can take anything I can throw at it. As I’ve lowered my pack weight, I mostly bring the stratospire along for canoeing trips where I appreciate the great design, wind/rain shedding, and increased headroom for two people. And the fact that they’re made mostly of 30d should help them outlast many ultralight tents. Tarptent is definitely worth looking at, imo.

Setup is easy with two people. I can set it up by myself, but it’s a little more challenging to balance the two trekking poles while I set up the main ridgeline. Even solo, it goes up easily in under five minutes. If it was super windy and I was setting it up solo it would be a little frustrating but still doable. Once you get the ridgeline and then the other main perpendicular line through the struts staked in it’s an absolute breeze to finish staking up and tensioning. Personally, I really like the look and function of a nice tight pitch, which is easily achievable with 30 seconds of walking around a tensioning the different linelocs after getting the 8 stakes in the ground. Harder to get as tight and consistent of a pitch with a lot simpler design, so I consider the small amount of extra complexity well worth it. Then again, I also enjoy setting up a tarp and playing with the different tautline hitches to get it just right, so linelocs are a breeze.

I would look through Tarptent’s options, as a lot of your preferences sound a lot like the way they build their tents. Well built, double wall options, and silnylon keeps the cost down. I personally use a stratospire 2 in Quetico/the boundary waters every year. It’s a trekking pole tent. The double rainbow could be a great freestanding option if that’s a sticking point.

it's basically a modded strat 2? I've had a strat 2 for 10+ years, only the zippers have failed which I fixed myself, otherwise perfectly fine still, it's a fucking gangster tent

I’m 6’4” and have been comfy in the stratospire 2. I share the tent with my wife and we use the side car sold by tarptent to give our dog bug/water protection in the vestibule. If I was purchasing again I might go for the hogback bc I don’t really do solo trips (can just tarp/cowboy anyhow) and if we got a second dog it’d be cramped

Tarptent statrospire 2. Can fit 3 under the tarp with no inner easily and it is a straight up palace for 2. It does take up a good amount of space when you set it up but once you get the hang of it site selection isn't too bad. Took it on the Appalachian Trail and it is still in great condition.

StratoSpire 2 Li is the best. It's light, wind proof, and we can sleep 2 people w/ no condensation whatsoever. No condensation means you have more space, since you can touch the sidewalls comfortably. I have no idea what people are saying about struts. The struts have been no issue at all. They've never been any kind of hassle or packing challenge, I don't know where this is coming from at all 🤷

I have the XMid Pro 2 and backpack with one of our huskies almost every trip. Mika is 45lbs, Max is 50lbs. Just one dog and me fit easily with extra room for gear. Two people and one of our dogs would work but be tight. (replaced a Strat Li but below applies to both tents) To protect the floor, I bring a full size z-fold pad (generic z-lite). I cut it into two pieces - about 1/3 and 2/3rds. I place them together to put where the dog will be sleeping. I cut it into two pieces so that I can use the 2/3rd piece under my pad in the event I get cold. They can still use the 1/3rd. I lay a costco quilt over the top of the pad. The like to "dig" sometimes. Between the pad and quilt, it protects the floor long enough until I can tell them to stop. For just casual walking in and out of the tent, laying down etc, there would be no need to protect the floor. Kneeling on a sharp rock or stick would probably do more damage than a dog stepping on the floor. We also have a Big Agnes UL2 and UL3 we've used for people and dogs. Only damage to any of the tents (first time out in a brand new UL3) was when I walked away with the dog in the tent and she paw'd at the screen and ripped it. Luckily, she hit the pocket so it didn't affect the door.

The Stratospire and X mid 2 are your best bet - just get a couple of CCF pads to protect the floor.

Stratospire 2 have huge side vestibules that they have little tent inner that can sell to fit inside. The vestibules are very big on my older version Stratospire 2, not sure what the current version is like. Also the sides drop down so if you have a few short kids in there you can fit more lying sideways. Though our situation was different as we were looking at a trip with one parent two kids and no dog.  Agree w other comments to look at getting two tents vs one huge one.  Editing to add, I just reread your post and see you want one big tent. Keep in mind for when they are a bit older multiple smaller tents will work well. By the time we’re kids were teens they each want their own small tent. 

All the various Mids, MLD Trailstar, Yama Swiftline, your Stratospire. Honestly I want my minimal summer shelter be able to deal with rain. Wind is of course a spectrum.

Agree with the Tarptent recommendation, great tents. StratoSpire is excellent.

What is your main drive for a 1p tent? If it is mainly due to weight savings, I’d urge you to rethink and go with a 2p for a minor increase in weight. If it is mainly because you’re going to be backpacking in areas that have minimal space and you’re worried you can’t fit a 2p, then maybe go with the 1p, but even still a 2p will likely be fine. This is coming from a guy that had the Tarptent Notch Li, then changed to Double Rainbow, then to Stratospire. I’ll never use a 1p coffin again…the minor increase to weight and volume is well worth having space to dry out wet clothes / gear, or bring a partner.

I’ve had good luck with my silnylon TT Notch, which uses only 4 stakes, and doesn’t put a lot of stress on any of them. It’s easy to either use rocks or tie on extra line and use stakes in the ground next to the platform. Also consider Stratospire, which I think can be made somewhat free standing by using poles to spread out the canopy on both ends. Have fun!

Models like the Notch, Scarp and Momment have a strong following in the UK where strong winds and plenty of moisture is to be expected. The Stratospire is also a proven wind performer. Worth comparing east coast USA and the UK on the [global wind atlas](https://globalwindatlas.info/en/) as not everyone has normally benign conditions.

StratoSpire is amazing. The vestibule space is incredible and I really like the nice aesthetic shape of the tent. Way more interesting than the X-Mid that everybody seems to have nowadays. :-)