Originally Posted by
Jude
...Question about the Contrail - how's the shelter the vestibule provides? I don't currently own a tent (hammock camper on the east coast) but at some point I will and one of my big concerns is cooking/eating in the rain. Is there room for that?
No way. There's barely room for a pair of shoes, and you'd better not care if they get wet. I would not cook in the Contrail and your concern is one great reason I go stoveless--I can always eat inside, no matter the weather.
Originally Posted by
tarwheel
Do the tarp tents have mosquito netting? That is a must, IMHO. Too many bugs in the Eastern US to go without.
Yes, tarptents have no-see-um netting.
The Contrail is more like a 1.5 person shelter. Some small, very close couples have successfully slept in it. Plenty of room for gear.
One of the issues with a tarps or tarptents is that they generally need more real estate to pitch. That can be a problem in site selection, but it's also an advantage because the shed area is so large. Rain is shed pretty far away from the sleeping area and the tent floor tends to stay drier.