Bushwalk Australia

Hello

Apologies if this is the wrong place for this request (v rare user!) - I'm interested in getting a Tarptent Bowfin 1 but reluctant to commit to a US purchase of a tent that I've never seen in the flesh.

Would any Bowfin owners in the Melbourne area be kind enough to let me have a look at theirs? (in exchange for a bottle of wine!)

I'm after a 1kg-ish 3 season tent double walled tent that's a bit bigger than the usual 1 man options. The Bowfin seems to fit the bill so keen to hear any other thoughts/experiences people have had with this tent (or other similar options).

Cheers

And Yacob
Please post your observations?
How tall are you?
John

Hi John, I'm about 6ft and weigh 70kg - am definitely after something with enough room to sleep on my side/spread out a tiny bit

Yacob,
If you look in the Bowfin product page you will find, under videos, two clips of the tent with a 6' dummy inside it on top of a 6' mat.
That dummy happens to be well proportioned so if your torso is longer than some , you will have less sit up room. On the other hand, if you have long legs you will have more headroom.
(sometime the above is the reason for conflicting headroom reports...)
Another point to remember is that you need to know where the reports come from.
A bivy user will find the Bowfin "palatial " but a car camping tent user could find it claustrophobic.

HI Yacob.
Just to throw in another option - I've met some guys (some >6ft) who are very happy with this one, including for Tassie:
https://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/big-agnes-copper-spur-ultralight-1-person-freestan/tcs114
Marginally heavier than the Bowfin I think. You can use cheaper, lighter Tyvek as a groundsheet instead of the one you can buy for it.

The BA specific footprint is designed to give the fly only or fly first option.
You can adapt a tyvek sheet to do that with a bit of DIY.
(The Bowfin is an integral pitch/fly only design so a simple groundsheet will do if you need one)

Hey Yacob,

I own a bowfin. Im in Sydney though..

The tent has been great. Ive had it for 4 months and used it for around 10 nights so far.

Its very flexible with the double doors and adjustable vestibule size. Holds up well to wind and rain. Does not leak or have issues with condensation etc. So far Ive had it in wind with 45kmh gusts and its been rock solid.(used extra guy rope and pegs). In light winds the standard two peg configuration works fine.

The bowfin pitches incredibly easily and fast. The makes a difference when you have multiple tasks to do like filter water and gather firewood in approaching darkness. Also rolls up small and into its sack quickly. (Note you cant stuff the tent you have to roll it).

Im 5'10 and there is plenty of room for me and my pack. Heaps of headroom and doesn't feel claustrophobic like some 1 person tents. I often sit up in the tent and cook/make coffee in the vestibule on a cold morning. Being able to roll up both sides for views is awesome.



You cant see it in the above photo but the space to the sides (triangles) is quite large and has enough room for a 50L+ pack etc. (and there is one on either side of you) I use one for gear storage and the other for entry plus shoes/water storage. I don't generally use the vestibules for gear storage as I prefer more inner space and to store my pack etc inside.

The only thing I didnt like was the pole supports on the A frame at each end of the tent. They are uncovered pole ends and they rest (with a fair amount of pressure) against the fabric of the A-Frame. (the fabric is reinforced with vinyl in this area but I was still getting abrasion damage on my first and 2nd pitching in my living room) so I made a simple user mod (rubber washers) that has fixed the problem for me. Pic below. I haven't heard of other people having this concern so I might just be paranoid.. but then again its not a cheap proposition to send the tent back to the US for repair if those pole ends did some damage.



All up Im very satisfied with my purchase. As franco said, if your used to one person tents then the bowfin will seem a airy spacious palace. If your used to large 2 person or family tents then it will seem small.

Wildwanderer, thank you!!

Wildwonderer,
that is an inspiring shot. I do something like that with the Notch. Have the stove on the right side and the food/bits on the left. Sitting up I can boil the water and prepare meals without moving .
To me the big advantage of that set up is that if it starts raining or the wind comes up, it takes no time at all to batten it down.

This looks like a very interesting tent design, not sure how I missed it's release. Like the one proper vestibule and another as a door/ventilation, especially given I like to store most of my gear inside where possible anyway. Also like the reduced weight as someone who owned a Scarp. Now how to justify another tent...

Robert H wrote:This looks like a very interesting tent design, not sure how I missed it's release. Like the one proper vestibule and another as a door/ventilation, especially given I like to store most of my gear inside where possible anyway. Also like the reduced weight as someone who owned a Scarp. Now how to justify another tent...

As someone who now owns said Scarp, and is now thinking about moving it on, what did you end up replacing it with Robert?

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Strider wrote:As someone who now owns said Scarp, and is now thinking about moving it on, what did you end up replacing it with Robert?

I ended up with a Nallo 2 for a bombproof tent that isn't too heavy, as I wanted something that was super reliable for walks with the Mrs. Wouldn't mind having a lighter 3 season tent for fairer weather. Bowfin seems to fit that criteria, but am also tempted to go even lighter with a mid or something. But without the capital it's all just theorising