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Posted by Jon.C on June 25, 2008 at 5:48:24 pm EDT
In reply to 2-person Backpacking tent posted by StoneyClimber on June 12, 2008 at 11:38:28 pm EDT

I haven't used the tadpole but bear in mind the door slopes at the bottom. This can often lead to rain on the inner tent as the fly sheet is open for venting if you have to cook in the alcove. The porch in fact looks small on that tent for bad weather use. And if you want it to hold up well in the rain, you will want to be able to cook in the porch without having to put your gear outside and exposed or inside and contaminating the inner.
While three pole tents are often better than two which cross longitudinally, there are some with a good reputation for sturdiness in the wind and the doors are often larger and non-sloping, with larger porches at the side. Tunnel shapes using two poles are a problem in the wind however, being noisy and disturbing to watch; yet they often have good alcoves.
There is a similar tent to the tadpole in the UK called the voyager by Terra Nova, which has a better reputation than the tadpole, but it is probably expensive and you may as well be buying MSR tents at those prices.
Also the tadpole slopes at the back doesn't it, causing you to lie down with your face at the low end if you make a mistake pitching it on an incline and the door is at the wrong end? With more symmetrical shapes longitudinally, this isn't such a problem.
Never buy a tent that feels cramped for the amount of people you want sleeping in it. It is better to carry the extra weight and have the extra space if things are not going too well that day.

All the best.

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