One Planet Goondie 2 or Tarptent Scarp 2?

[vapoureyes]

Hi All.....My first post here after using this great site for researching purposes.

I'm after my first hiking tent, and from my researches, have narrowed it down to either the OP Goondie 2 or the TT Scarp 2. There may be other tents out there that are similar, but these two seem to stand out the most for praise and mostly fit my requirements.

I want the tent to be flexible enough to be used for either 1 or 2 person situations. I believe the Scarp 2 wins out in the interior space department, but on the other hand, the Goondie appears to be using more durable materials - especially for the floor. However I like design of the integrated pitch of the Scarp. The fact that both tents have two vestibules and two exits is a big PLUS. As my tent will be required for just about any weather that Tassie has to offer, both tents seem to cater well for 4 season use. The optional mesh interior on offer by both companies is good for the occasional hot weather excursion that I may do in future - though I haven't contacted OP on the price of the mesh interior on its own. Both seem to have reasonable ventilation even if using non mesh interior material. Weight is a concern, however I think I'd prioritise durability first.

At this stage I'm leaning more towards the Goondie 2 (with 30D for the extra toughness) rather than the Scarp 2 because of the price - especially when you factor in US postage cost and the extra task of needing to seal the seams. I'm not sure whether Tarptents has frequent sales or not, but I've noticed a variable price on the Goondie.

If anyone has experience with both tents, I'd love to hear your comments on which you prefer; or if anyone has any negatives or positives of either choice, please add those as well. I'm open to any other equivalent tent suggestion that roughly falls in the $400-$600 price range.

[Franco]

Hi Vapoureyes,
I can't tell who has the longest lasting/strongest fly (I don't know...) but for your info the TT silnylon is 30D ripstop nylon.

[corvus]

check out this thread viewtopic.php?f=15&t=18978

[kitty]

Hi VP,
Sorry I cannot help you with which tent to pick, however, regarding "the extra task of needing to seal the seams."
Tarptent can seam seal for you for about $25. Franco can help you with the link if you cannot find it online.
TT seam sealed my Stratospire 2 and I was very happy with the job they did and happy that I didnt have to do it myself
Enjoy your shopping.
kitty

[vapoureyes]

check out this thread viewtopic.php?f=15&t=18978

Thanks for that link corvus, I seemed to have overlooked it. The intention is to do my hiking in Summer and Autumn, but still need to be prepared for any type of weather the South West of Tassie invites along. However I anticipate my encounters with snow to be minimal, at least until I'm confident and skilled enough to tackle the highlands, so till then I'll be sticking to low to moderate elevations. I'm planning on doing Frenchman's Cap next Summer (a revisit after close to 40 years), but would like to start buying gear for a Maria Island hike this Easter.

The issue of the lack of an integrated pitch for times of very inclement weather is holding me back from buying the Goondie; and I'd probably buy the Scarp 2 if the price were a little less. I could wait several weeks longer and see if any Scarp 2s go on sale. It's the dropping AU$ that is the problem.

How do both tents floors compare? I'm sure it was mentioned in a post somewhere, that the Goondie's floor was substantially thicker and stronger; this is important as I don't want to carry a separate ground sheet.

[vapoureyes]

Hi VP,
Sorry I cannot help you with which tent to pick, however, regarding "the extra task of needing to seal the seams."
Tarptent can seam seal for you for about $25. Franco can help you with the link if you cannot find it online.
TT seam sealed my Stratospire 2 and I was very happy with the job they did and happy that I didnt have to do it myself
Enjoy your shopping.
kitty

Thanks kitty. Yes I know they are offering the seal treatment - its US$30 now. I would probably get them to do it, but this all adds up to the total cost, as I would like to include the cross poles as well, for in cases of high winds - I don't really consider it a free standing tent without those.

[corvus]

Quote How do both tents floors compare? I'm sure it was mentioned in a post somewhere, that the Goondie's floor was substantially thicker and stronger; this is important as I don't want to carry a separate ground sheet.
vapoureyes Quote.
The Scarp floor is more than adequate however I personally have never used any of my tents without a "ground sheet" as it protects it from poo ,pricklies and mud,Tyvek weighs s*&^%$#a so give that some consideration as a ground sheet.
The Scarp may be more expensive initially but really worth it and as an owner and user of several Tents over past years the Scarp does tick the box for me.( have a 1 And 2)

[vapoureyes]

...hmm, now you got me even more conflicted...Does Tarptent ever have sales..or are they lucky enough to be keeping up with demand?

[Franco]

We cleared a few models in December at $20 to $40 off , that was the first time in several years that we offered any discount.
The reason why we don't have sales is simply because we do not have a mark up that allows for discounting.
Recently all of the current line up has gone up a bit in price because of increased labour and material cost so we had to pass that on to the consumer.
Keep in mind that our shelters are made in Seattle with US made materials too (fabric/poles/cordage)
franco@tarptent

[icefest]

Bear in mind that 30D PU polyester is unlikely to be stronger than 30D silnylon. It's also more susceptible to mildew and tears easier (but comes pre-seamsealed).
Nylon is not as UV stable, but usually starts off stronger which IMHO balances the two.
The Scarp with crossing poles is IMHO the stronger tent, and should also last longer.

[vapoureyes]

Thanks guys for all your replies. Well the scales seem to be tipping in favour of the Scarp 2, unless I hear comments otherwise.
Anyone know roughly the estimated time they take to deliver if in stock via USPS Priority? The website default USPS delivery time is 6-10 days, but I know in reality this can vary greatly. I'll be leaving the country on the 24th February for two weeks and there will be no one to receive parcel delivery (Auspost usually just dump USPS deliveries at the front door, which is a worry). I guess it would be safer to order after my return. I'll also get them to do the seam sealing - that will also add more time before dispatch.

[Franco]

6 to 10 days is about as accurate as it gets.
Most of the parcels sent to me by TT have taken 6 to 8 days, some 4 or 5 and in 2 or 3 case 9 or 10.
(to Melbourne, add a day or two in a rural area)
Seam sealing ,depending on the weather in Nevada City (they are done in the open, no space inside the office/warehouse for that) does add from 2 to 6 days.
All TT parcels are signature required so if you are not at home you will have to collect the parcel from the nearest depo or local Post Office.
TT will give you a tracking number so that you know where the parcel is

[vapoureyes]

.....thanks for all that info Franco. Glad to hear TT require signatures for delivery.

[Scottyk]

I'll have to put in a vote for the goondie 2!
I own one and have been using it in tas for the last couple of years. It's a great tent and I don't have any plans to replace it.
I really like the scarp tents, I guess I get a little nervous about a tent that uses the same material for the floor and the fly. Maybe I am just paranoid but I have woken up in the goondie with water running under the tent and the floor was dry. Not sure the scarp would be ok with that, site selection would be more critical I would think

[Scottyk]

I'll have to put in a vote for the goondie 2!
I own one and have been using it in tas for the last couple of years. It's a great tent and I don't have any plans to replace it.
I really like the scarp tents, I guess I get a little nervous about a tent that uses the same material for the floor and the fly. Maybe I am just paranoid but I have woken up in the goondie with water running under the tent and the floor was dry. Not sure the scarp would be ok with that, site selection would be more critical I would think

[vapoureyes]

Scottyk......I believe that you've got the Scarp 1....although not quite the same as the 2, its still similar in design and the way it pitches. What do you see as being the advantage of the Goondie over the Scape other than possibly the quality of the floor?

I quite like how the Scapes have the raised front and back walls using PitchLoc. I imagine this design gives more distance for ones head from the pitch of the roof. The Goodnie doesn't appear to have quite this advantage from looking at the few pics I've seen. How different are they in this respect?

From the specs it seems the Goondie 2 is longer but narrower by about 20cm than the Scarpe 2. I guess the extra width of the Scarp 2 would make quite a comfortable difference when accommodating two.

[Franco]

Here is the floor plan of those two tents :



the lowest point of the Scarp 2 (the ends of the inner) is about 15" high.
There is a 3D clip in the Scarp 2 page (under videos) that shows the room 2x 6' persons have on top of a std 20'x72" mat
(the yellow mats above)

[simonm]

Franco - I think I remember reading the floor of the Tarptents is a silicone/PU blend coated nylon whilst the fly is a straight silicone coated nylon is that correct?

[Franco]

We used a slightly different silnylon for the fly till about 2010 .
It had a thinner coating than the current type however the floor has always been the same, the type we now use on the fly as well.
I have the Scarp 1 with the old type as well as one with the new.
The hand is different but you need to have them side by side to tell.
No PU content according to the manufacturers.

[vapoureyes]

From the specs it seems the Goondie 2 is longer but narrower by about 20cm than the Scarpe 2.

...sorry I stand to be corrected (nothing worse than faulty memory batteries that need replacing!) That should be 32cm NOT 20cm.....that's a significant width difference.

EDIT: This distance is however at the tapered narrower end only, so the difference is only 10cm at the one end - presumably where the heads should go.

[simonm]

We used a slightly different silnylon for the fly till about 2010 .
It had a thinner coating than the current type however the floor has always been the same, the type we now use on the fly as well.
I have the Scarp 1 with the old type as well as one with the new.
The hand is different but you need to have them side by side to tell.
No PU content according to the manufacturers.

Oh well I will wipe that from the memory banks. Thanks.

[Franco]

Just to fill everybody in, Simon's memory is not faulty .
At some point I was told that there was a small amount of PU within the silicone coating of our floors, apparently that info coming from the manufacturers, however they now state that there isn't.

[Son of a Beach]

I've used 1 person variety of both tents and both are excellent. I would not consider a scarp without adding both the crossing poles AND a ground sheet. The floor is as flimsy as most other flimsy tent floors. This is a deal breaker for me.

I never use a ground sheet and require a tent with a tough and fully waterproof floor. The Goondie has proven excellent in this respect.

For other people, integral pitch is a deal breaker. However, I've had no problems erecting the Goondie in rain, snow, wind, etc. The amount of water on the floor after setting up in terrible conditions is tiny and if you're terribly fussy, it is easily mopped up with your forearm if you're wearing an absorbent woollen thermal (and doesn't leave your thermal wet enough to be a problem).

Mine is the 15D and has proven strong enough in substantial wind (no serious storms yet though). It handles significant dumps of snow very well.

I've seen people discuss how the Goondie fly doesn't come as close to the ground as some tents. However, what they fail to mention is that it is quite close to the ground at the head and foot. It is only further from the ground where it is also further from the tent. This turns out to be excellent for ventilation.

The other point with the ground gap is that a Goondie has a proper bath tub floor which reduces the need for the fly to reach the ground. Again, this allows for a fly with better ventilation.

You may have already seen my Goondie 1 15D review. I guess much of it would apply to the 2P version.

[vapoureyes]

Thanks for your feedback SoaB. Re the Goondie; do you find that you have enough distance between your head and the interior sheet when lying down for it to be comfortable/unobtrusive? How does this compare to the Scarp? Given that the Goondie is longer, I guess an option is to move your whole body further down towards the middle, body length allowing. Have you ever experienced any water leaking into the Scarp?

I read your very good and detailed review of the Goondie.....it's why I'm considering purchasing it. However the Scarp also looks great, and so its a difficult decision. Having feedback from those who have or have used both is priceless.

[Strider]

Also note that the Goondie is much narrower at head height, due to the Scarp having vertical walls.

[vapoureyes]

Think I'll just have to visit the One Planet shop and try it out for size.

[Son of a Beach]

Also note that the Goondie is much narrower at head height, due to the Scarp having vertical walls.

The Goondie side walls are fully vertical. There is a panel between the side wall and end wall, that has a small taper inwards on it, but it's very minimal. No significant loss of width that I've noticed in real use.

Edit: At least that's the case on the 1P version. I've not used the 2P.

Thanks for your feedback SoaB. Re the Goondie; do you find that you have enough distance between your head and the interior sheet when lying down for it to be comfortable/unobtrusive? How does this compare to the Scarp? Given that the Goondie is longer, I guess an option is to move your whole body further down towards the middle, body length allowing.

You've only got to look at the 2 photos of the Goondie (1P) inner nest pitched without the fly to see that this is a non-issue (scroll down a bit in the first post of that topic). The end walls are not perfectly vertical like they are on the scarp, but they are close enough to be not a problem, unless you're very tall, and need every centimetre of that length. I'm an average height and the walls do not come close enough to either my face or my toes to be a problem. (Again, this is based on the 1P version. Perhaps somebody with the 2P version could confirm, or otherwise, if the same applies there.)

Have you ever experienced any water leaking into the Scarp?

I've only used the Scarp (1P) on one trip, for two nights. I had no real problems with it of any kind (it was a dry, warm and calm two nights).

I have used several tents with similar floors and have had plenty of problems with water seeping through the floors on those, despite spraying the floor with silicon (NB: I don't use ground sheets, but would never use a flimsy-floored tent without a ground sheet in future). This doesn't mean that it would be a problem in the Scarp, but it is enough to put me off any tent with similar floors. I guess its a case of guilt by association for me and the Scarp.

In any case, both tents are excellent, and you've really got to decide on the basis of your own personal preferences. Either tent would serve you very well. I guess you've got to weight up the pros and cons of both. Eg, do you care more about integral pitch, or the need for a separate ground sheet, or weight or cost, etc.

I suspect that most people (including me) will simply recommend the tent they ended up getting for themselves and will flaunt its virtues above all else.

[Son of a Beach]

oops, double post

[horsecat]

I have a Goondie 2 (two person) and there is heaps of room (I'm a touch over six foot high). Interesting comments about there not being enough room at head height . I can't say I agree with that, SoaB is correct. Anyway, I love my Goondie

[Snowzone]

I'm also a Goondie 2 owner and I have never had problems with the height above my head, I can easily read with the book held above me or prop my pack behind my head for further elevation and have never found myself brushing the inner. I'm about 5'6.
I walk solo most of the time but occasionally have shared with people I don't mind getting close with. Since purchasing my tent, two of my friends have also got the Goondie 2 and have been just as happy with them as myself.

I have not had any experience with TT to compare.