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australia:onetigrisrockfortress

OneTigris Rock Fortress teepee style Hot Tent

see aso:

www.onetigris.com_media_wysiwyg_products_ce-yzp10_4-1.jpg

  • I don't sell any of these nor do I receive any remuneration if you buy them, and I have not personally reviewed all of them, they are listed here to give you perspective

Introduction

  • OneTigris tents are made in China
  • this tent is a “6p (2 adults and 4 kids at a push)” 4 season tent but really more like a 4P tent ;
  • 3.8m diameter, 2.4m centre pole; slant height = sqrt(2.42 + 1.92) = 3.06m; surface area = 1.9*3.06π = 18.3m2 (ie same area as a 4.5x4m tarp)
  • the pitch is thus ~52deg when guyed out and this approximately allows a central 1m diameter circle space to have 1.8m standing height assuming no inner mesh tent is used
  • 3000mm 70D coated nylon;
  • 10 sides each with guy outs and a snow skirts
  • 2 of the sides are doors (front and back) each with a single centre snag-free YNS®waterproofzippers zip which can be unzipped from the top or from the bottom; above the two doors are two gussetted meshed vents;
  • no inner mesh and no floor;
  • 4.2kg; packs to 58*20*20CM; $US289
    • TIP: if you know you can suspend the centre of the tent from a branch (which won't fall on your head - probably not so easy to find with Australian trees!) or similar, then you can drastically save weight hiking by not taking the heavy centre pole
  • fire retardant siliconised removable stove jack pre-cut with 3.3” by 3.3” opening which is near the centre pole so allows stove to be well away from tent material whilst providing a cooler chimney exit and more support to the chimney if you have not guyed it out
  • this tent is a great tent all year round, especially when mated with a mesh tent
    • HOWEVER, unless there is a cool breeze with both doors fully open and a tarp sun shade is used it will get very hot in the summer sun as it does not have a Blockout layer!
    • In addition, on rainy days when you would like to keep at last one door open, there is a good chance rain will enter the inner mesh tent as there is no awning option - a freestanding 2P mesh tent instead of the Inner Mesh tent gives more versatility for rainy days
  • optionally, use a freestanding 2P mesh tent or even a 2P hiking tent without a fly (does not need to be freestanding as long as it can be set up without a fly)
    • its a bit of a squeeze but you could set up with the optional Inner Mesh 3P tent on one side and a freestanding 2P mesh tent on the other side (without stove)
  • whilst the stove jack is fire retardant silicone fibreglass, the tent material, even if fire retardant, is flammable - it must be kept AWAY from flames and at least 30cm from the stove!!!
    • stove jack is 23x20cm inclusive of the velcro frame and has a pipe hole of 9.5cm (3.7“) - replacements are $US22 see here
    • fortunately it is designed so that the stove itself (not supplied) is near the centre pole and well away from the tent material while the part of the chimney that passes through the stove jack is quite high and thus cooler but you still must ensure:
      • chimney is fitted with a spark arrestor
      • the chimney segment passing through the stove jack should ideally have a heat shield segment but this is not essential if using a fire retardant stove jack
        • NB. the Winnerwell Nomad Medium triple heat protector has an external diameter of 120mm (5”) and thus the 3.7“ hole in the stove jack will need to be enlarged
      • ensure the tent doors when open cannot touch the stove if they get blown inwards
      • don't put flammable material within 1.2m of the stove
      • in strong winds, you may need to guy out the chimney (without too much tension) and take extra precautions that your tent will remain secure and not fall over!
      • do not sleep with a stove burning unattended (although in reality many campers do and are prepared to take this risk as long as they have minimised the risk of fire or smoke and in addition, they also need a combined smoke and carbon monoxide alarm - although a smoke alarm may be problematic!)

Pros

  • relatively compact and light for a tent of this size
  • fast set up with the outer going up first so the inside does not get wet in the rain when setting up
  • great for snow or winter storm conditions
  • allows a 2P mozzie tent to be set up inside and plenty of room to move it around as needed
  • stove jack position seems to be good although the walls need to be kept taut and guyed out to avoid the material hitting the chimney
  • no floor means less or nothing to dry out at home and less to worry about when using a stove inside it
  • looks good

Cons

  • not so great in hot or humid conditions:
    • gets VERY hot in summer during the day - needs a sun shade cover such as a 4x4m tarp (or at least 3x3m tarp) attached to the peak
    • no side ventilation for hot nights or hot humid rainy days although can unpeg sides, lift and clamp them with your own clamps
    • no vent at the peak to let hot air out (only above the doors
    • lack of a waterproof floor means that condensation from ground water will form inside the tent overnight in summer if doors are closed overnight even with vents open and no-one sleeping in it
  • optional inner mesh tent is likely to get rain if leave a door open for ventilation or view
    • consider buying an elasticated curved tarp awning such as the Vango Adventure tarp to provide some rain protection of a door
  • standing height is confined to relatively small central area
  • need to bend over to get through the doors
  • material not as fire retardant as poly cotton options and more at risk of ember holes or melting but then it is much lighter

Setting it up

  • when setting up a stove, the stove jack is accessible externally thanks to its close proximity to one of the doors, you need to roll up the cover and toggle it in place then attach the velcro stove jack in place +/- an optional stove flashing designed to fit your chimney pipe and make it more weatherproof
  • it can be set up by one person:
    1. assembling the centre pole with the adjustable height section placed at the BOTTOM, while the pole bag is placed over the TOP of the pole to provide padding but also to provide a hanging point for the optional inner mesh tent
    2. ascertain where you want the centre of the tent (if using a wood stove, ensure that the ground for this will be level)
    3. if you have a piece of rope measured to the radius of the tent (1.9m), you can peg a curved top stake (so the stake does not damage the tent fabric) at the centre, attach the rope and use this as a marker to sequentially peg out each of the tent ground level pegs, otherwise just peg out the two peg points on each side of the door on the windy side BUT these must be firmly embedded to not pull out when under tension of setting up!
    4. taking the centre pole under the tent from the other side and erecting the pole in position - remove the centre peg if this method was used (if you only pegged out one door, pull the unpegged door out to stop the centre pole falling over and then pegging it in - you need to be carrying the 2 pegs!, and then peg out the rest of the tent)
    5. finally peg out the guy out points (it comes with 24 nice tri-blade short pegs)

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Optional OneTigris Inner Mesh Tent 04

  • 2-3P mesh tent; 4000mm waterhead tub floor; snag-free two-way YNS zippers;
  • 1.7kg; 3.32mx1.75m x 1.7m high;
    • if used alone with a 1.3kg 4x4m tarp, this would give a spacious mesh tent at a total weight of 3kg and a floor area of around 4sq.m.
    • for comparison:
      • a 3P hiking mainly mesh tent with fly is usually 172cm wide x 215cm long x 112cm high and weighs around 2.3-3kg with a floor area of around 3.7sq.m;
      • a 2P hiking mainly mesh tent with fly is usually 132cm wide x 215cm long x 105cm high and weighs around 2-2.5kg with a floor area of around 2.7sq.m;
  • packs to 7.5”*7.5”*15.7”/19cm*19cm*40cm
  • $US129
  • this has advantages over a 2P mesh tent of:
    • much larger floor space able to fit 3 people but realistically only 2P plus gear
    • much taller towards the dual entrances at 1.7m height instead of having to crouch down on knees to under 1m entrance
    • for it's size, it is lighter as it does not need the support poles of a 2P freestanding dome tent
  • the disadvantages compared to a 2P mesh tent are:
    • not freestanding so not so easy to set up in open air on warm nights - you will need to find a way to suspend it or use a 1.7m high tent pole and guy ropes.
    • needs pegging (rear corner pegs plus can fasten the inner corners to the Rock Fortress Tent's entrance peg), and suspension from the centre pole via supplied carabiners
    • may not be No-See-Um mesh to stop tiny biting midgees
    • attaches to each entrance door and is thus potentially exposed to rain if a door is zipped open
    • shape may restrict its use to this tent only or similar or bigger tents and requires you to set it up only on one side of the tent (a smaller freestanding 2P mesh tent or hiking tent could be set up in a range of positions within the tent to maximise cross-ventilation on hot nights)
    • no rear exit door (but this is not practicable when used inside the Rock Fortress Tent)
  • using the inner tent without the Rock Fortress Tent:
    • you could set up with a 1.7-1.8m tall tent pole and a couple of guy ropes, or,
    • for rain/wind protection, you could use a tarp:
      • in a lean-to tarp set up:
        • you need about 2.6m tarp from ground to ridge line and the tarp needs to be at least 3.5m wide, preferably 4m wide to allow some corner protection
        • you could set up a ridge line and use a 4x4m tarp over it pegged to the ground behind the mesh tent and draped over it then guyed out to provide a 1.4m x 4m awning protection

www.onetigris.com_media_wysiwyg_products_ce-hnz04_ce-hnz04-cb-2-1.jpg

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Adding extra rain protection when doors are open

  • the simplest way is to add a flying A-frame tarp (eg. 2.4×3.5m tarp) running from above the door to a reasonably tall tent pole at the other end.
    • one option is the Vanga Adventure tarp with a curved elasticated end which may fit better
  • this will provide a lot of extra shade and shelter as well

Summer camping

  • this tent will get very hot inside in the Australian summer sun on a warm day even with the doors and vents open it can get well over 50degC and over 43degC on a cloudy day!
  • sunshade options
    • attach a 3-4m x 3-4m tarp to the loop of webbing which is at the peak and guy out to create a separation from the tent - or even better, out to two tent poles for an awning and this would also provide rain protection for the door
    • place a curved protector such as a cut tennis ball over the peak to act as a tarp saver and then throw a 4-5m tarp over and guy it out leaving ventilation space between tarp and the tent
    • another option is placing it under a sun gazebo (eg. Coleman Event 14 or similar) but these are usually a fraction too short in height to cover this tent unless you lower the tent centre pole a bit or put the gazebo supports on blocks
  • works best with an insect proof inner mesh or a 2P mesh tent
  • has great rain and wind protection in storms making it an awesome cover for your mesh tent and provides plenty of space and height for excellent amenity - able to stand up, and cook inside the tent with the doors open
  • consider adding a PVC mesh awning flooring for more luxury
  • for added ventilation and ground level visibility, one could un-peg a side panel and clamp it up whilst keeping the guy outs pegged
  • for those very warm nights without rain, there is the option of taking the 2P mesh tent outside and you get to view the stars

Autumn camping with a Winnerwell Nomad Medium wood stove

  • this is a great combination when used with the Winnerwell Triple-wall Heat Protector Chimney 2.5“ medium to protect the stove jack part of the tent and the chimney damper left FULLY OPEN
  • main use is for boiling water and cooking, especially with the fantastic stove oven which rapidly gets to 200degC within about 15 minutes of starting your fire (using a fore starter with seasoned dry wood kindling) and then it is relatively easy to maintain it at 150-220degC range as long as you don't keep opening the oven door and you keep the flames going
  • the stove will heat up the tipi tent with both its doors widely open:
    • with minimal breeze and ambient temperatures of around 15degC and the stove burning well at around 300degC:
      • the air at 1m from the ground tends to be around 24degC
      • the air above this readily rises to around 40-50degC near the top
      • the floor remains about 2degC above ambient if not exposed to direct radiant heat
      • one could lie on the floor within about 30cm of the stove as long as you have no way of accidentally touching the stove - a 2P mozzie tent works well at this distance but only if there is no breeze and you have fully controlled environment - no kids/pets, etc.
      • using the triple wall shield for the chimney, this shield remains at well under 40degC and thus works really well to protect the tent around the stove jack
        • make sure the tent does not come in contact with other parts of the chimney or stove!
    • unfortunately to maintain this you need to be constantly adding kindling every 30min or so - when it goes out you lose that heat rapidly if the doors are widely open.
      • THUS NOT designed for keeping you warm all night while you sleep and doing so is not really safe anyway!
  • you can use a 2P mesh tent or, even better, a 1P version of the 3f UL Gear TC cotton Kangaro inner tents fits nicely and provides additional warmth options

Winter camping

  • great tent for cold conditions, storms or snow, the steep sides prevent snow build up and the snow skirts allow snow to provide less wind chill coming under the tent
  • don't need the inner mesh as there are generally very few insects in winter but you will need a waterproof tub floor (this could be a mesh tent or a hiking 2P tent) or a stretcher bed to get you off the wet cold ground - I strongly recommend a 1P version of the 3f UL Gear TC cotton Kangaro inner tents which fits nicely and provides additional warmth options and allows space for a stove
  • optionally take a stove to convert it into a hot tent
    • for hiking, an ultralight titanium chimney stove may be the preferred option if there is likely to be dry seasoned wood available
    • for car camping:
      • a wood stove such as the Winnerwell Nomad wood camping stoves would work brilliantly
      • a 5L kerosene heater/stove will keep it at about 17-20degC with some ventilation on full heat using 250mL/hr fuel even if temperatures are minus 1-2 degrees outside
  • for extra warmth, you can add a 2P full fabric inner tent
    • see https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005466518900.html - the white version is full fabric and at 2.4Lx1.2wx1.25H m it will fit the Rock Fortress when hung from the centre pole and pegged out leaving about 30cm from its edge to the centre pole for walking space and about 70cm to each door for additional storage space or perhaps a chair
australia/onetigrisrockfortress.txt · Last modified: 2024/05/30 21:30 by gary1

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