Tarp Tent Scarp 1

[andym]

My biking pal's Scarp 1 has arrived in UK. He's been "done" for £36 Import Duty.

You can avoid this if you have friends over in US who will: 1) re-wrap the tent in any old brown paper and: 2) hand-write your name and address and: 3) tick the "gift" box on customs declaration. I've been doing this for years with woodworking tools and never been charged duty.

I find that if it's sent by USPS that Parcelforce often don't collect the duty - as opposed to UPS who always collect it and charge you £25 for the privilege.

£36 is probably a bit more than the 20 per cent that he would have had to pay if he'd bought in the UK so not really a reason not to buy from the US if it's to get the kit you want.

 

[ZIZAG]

Many Thanks for all your Information . Tips ,hints . And a very good discussion /debate , on the Pro's & Cons .
The Terra Nova Competition 2 looks and sounds the best to me .
That Is just my own opinion.
Cheers All .

 

[Ticktockmy]

How long is the cable, Ticktockmy? If I were to lay my bike on the ground, I don't think I could get it close enough to allow my cable lock to reach under the vestibule to my panniers? My cable lock naturally coils up and this makes it harder to stretch it out to the required length.

I bought one of those curly ones from Evans, guess it about 2m long when stretched, but i normally wrap it through the rear wheel, and around the down tube pass it through the loop and then put the other end into tent after puting the bike next to the tent, and I find it reached far enough into the tent to fix to my panniers. ok it would not stop someone grabing the bike, but at least it would make it harder than if not fixed to anything

 

[nutility]

Hi, I bought a Scarp 1 and used it 3 nights so far. One night in driving rain & high winds, one night in still cold conditions and one in mild breezy conditions ( all Scotland ). Excellent tent and what I'd describe as an "Akto Plus".

Plus sides in no particular order:

Very roomy inner, longer than most with good head and foot height at the ends compared to the Akto. 2 porches give great flexibility for storage, cooking, access and views, packs really small and light. You shouldn't need the winter poles most of the time as its already in effect an 11 pole tent with the ends braced really well giving great stability.

Things to watch/tweak:

You'll need to seam seal it before use, no great hassle but essential as it leaks if you don't. Quite delicate in construction compared to Hilleberg and not as consistently finished ( but then its cheaper ) so you have to treat it with a bit more care.

Add cords to all zippers and a hanging line inside plus 2 guys for the main hoop and carry 2 extra pegs than supplied accordingly. Go for the solid inner as it still has upper mesh panels ( I'd have preferred a winter option to close the mesh completely but haven't used it in snow as yet to see how cold it gets.

Other than that so far its been a great tent to use, very impressed and prefer it over my previous Akto and Soulo I've owned in same category ( it falls somewhere in between in terms of breadth of performance and weight for all year round use ).

Lastly I had to ask Henry Shires for some advice and got amazingly quick email support-really refreshing and bespoke service compared to the "big brands" which is a nice touch too.

Hope that helps and dont hesitate to ask if you have any questions

Andrew

 

[jay clock]

I am not one for wild mid winter camping, but if you want farily light, small packing size, quite a bit cheaper, and a good size I can vouch for my Decatlon tent http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/t2-ultralight-pro-3244110/

Says 2kg but actually weighs about 1.8. My only amendment is to add some peg mounting points half way down the sides to allow me to tighten out the side walls and stop flapping.

 

[andym]

You shouldn't need the winter poles most of the time as its already in effect an 11 pole tent with the ends braced really well giving great stability.

[...]
Hope that helps and dont hesitate to ask if you have any questions

Andrew

Hi Andrew

Thanks for this. It definitely sounds like a serious contender.

So no problems with condensation?

I'm not quite sure what you meant by the winter-pole set. Is this the extra pole that makes it self-supporting. I was considering this as an option if only for areas where putting in tent pegs would be more difficult.

How did you manage to rig up the line inside the tent - did you sew in d-rings or something?

 

[dodss]

I have the Henry's Moment great piece of kit .You can get a liner with for warmth and coolnes as per season.