Tarptent Stratospire Li

I think that the tarp tint Stratospire Lithium is a solid tent. It's well made and it served me just fine on the Pin Hote trail.

We just fit inside the SS Li inner tent for our overnight trips, tall person's bag is usually touching some part of the mesh. It's fine, but I wonder if more room on a thru hike would be better. We used to use an Ultamid 2 but did not like how the wall slope made it impossible to sit up without wiping shoulders against the tent. The two separate peaks of the SS Li are great for that--good on Henry at Tarptent.

* Stratospire Li *(double walled, spacious, expensive, and large packed size)*. * XMid 2P *(saves us $300+, lots of room, double walled, but relatively heavy in comparison to other options +1 lb)*.

The bivy was nice because it adds a bit of warmth, cuts drafts and kept my quilts (I used two, one on top of the other) in order. That said, I'm thinking of getting a solid liner for my TarpTent stratospire just so I have have a larger totally dry and protected from snow and wind area. But, for this particular use, the bivy works great.

It was so much better with condensation compared to nearly the same conditions as before, I guess because of the double wall design. I had wanted to buy a Zpacks Duplex (single-wall) and was pretty set on it, but I since I am moving back to the British Columbia and will most likely be backpacking in super wet conditions again into the fall, I am now considering either a Tarptent Stratospire Li or Notch Li (double wall).

Looks like the stratospire Li is supposed to be back in stock in July, so plenty of time for next summer and even this summer trips! I’ve only got experience with the non-Li one but it’s an awesome rainy/windy tent, tons of room if you get stuck in there for a bit, super sturdy once you get the hang of pitching it well, plenty of room to put gear inside the actual tent if it’s too rainy to put stuff in the vestibules, never had any trouble with anything inside the tent getting wet in any conditions. And of course you can set it up tarp first and take it down interior first and keep them separate so the interior never get wet.

They are expensive, but they are lighter, stronger, and more waterproof than the tents you have there. The notch Li is about 21oz (packed weight) and the stratospire li is 30oz (2person). Both are modular, and have a bathtub floor that would do a lot better in a real downpour. As for freestanding vs non-freestanding tents.

I currently have the Tarptent Stratospire Li but I don't think it can withstand 60 mph winds. Considering the Slingfin Portal but would love to save some $$$ and get something cheaper.