Hammock Tenting in Winter? OneTigris ROCDOMUS Scorching Tent Makes It Potential on a Price range

My again and my thoughts have two issues in widespread. They respect flexibility, and so they obsess over the small print. At house, meaning morning stretches and nightly articulation of an amorphous blob of pillows and blankets into the right cocoon. On the path, I usually use a tarp and hammock setup.

Granted, tents make morning yoga a bit simpler. However they merely don’t supply sufficient particulars for my ADHD to hyperfixate over. Caternary tarp or rectangular? Porch mode or tentified? With tarps, there’s a type for each journey and each situation, from summer time automobile tenting with the canines to winter island-hopping on a paddle journey.

Naturally, after I noticed that OneTigris provided a scorching hammock tarp tent (phrases I had by no means seen collectively), I needed to try it out. Buying and selling tent poles for bushes left it virtually ultralight (for a scorching tent). Between its beneficiant dimension, light-weight, and pullouts galore, it appeared versatile sufficient to be a gaggle shelter for warm-weather journeys.

So, I spent a month hauling the ROCDOMUS Hammock Scorching Tent by again, automobile, and canoe, tenting beneath it in a number of configurations by rain, shine, and snowy -10-degree Fahrenheit nights, to see how properly it flexed.

Briefly: The OneTigris ROCDOMUS is a jack-of-all-shelters, however a grasp of none. As a scorching tent, it’s among the many lightest and least expensive in the marketplace. However additionally it is draftier and fewer heat-efficient than some comparable (however dearer) scorching tent alternate options. For hotter climate, it’s heavier and extra complicated to arrange than most tarps. Nevertheless it has quite a few configurations for tenting and might simply shelter a number of folks with a sensible setup.

OneTigris ROCDOMUS Hammock Scorching Tent: Evaluate

A Totally different Form of Scorching Tent

Scorching tents are shelters designed to accommodate wood-burning camp stoves. In terms of scorching tents, 4 inherent hitches typically steer folks away.

First, scorching tents are typically heavy. There are some devoted ultralight choices just like the Search Outdoors Redcliff Scorching Tent. However typically, this type of tent leverages thicker materials than most common mid-level or high-end tents used for tenting. Between increased denier materials, sturdy tent poles, and range jacks normally constructed from fiberglass and silicon, most scorching tents run near double digits in weight.

With extra sturdy building and extra particular supplies, scorching tents additionally are typically dearer. Most good scorching tents begin at over $300 and run properly into the hundreds relying on how extravagant or techy they’re.

Lastly, whereas scorching tents are theoretically versatile, they aren’t sensible in lots of conditions. Increased weight and longer setup occasions normally imply they’re relegated to multiday cold-weather tenting adventures.

The ROCDOMUS tackles all three of those drawbacks by sticking to the only, lightest, least expensive, and most versatile type of shelter: a tarp. The second I noticed the $230 price ticket, 6.2 kilos claimed weight, and guarantees of four-season use, I used to be enamored. However I used to be additionally skeptical of how cozy this tent may really maintain me.

Testing in Chilly Climate

For the ROCDUMUS’s hardest take a look at, I had fairly the week lined up. Highs within the 50s. Lows round 10 levels beneath zero, with 40 mph gusts. The situations had been good for warm tent testing.

The ROCDOMUS is massive. An enormous shelter means an enormous range. Bigger wooden stoves are extra versatile than small ones. Nevertheless, with tent stoves, you both commerce value for weight with metal — or commerce weight for compromised warmth conduction and practically double the fee with titanium stoves. These can run wherever from $300 to $500.

Happily, for its coldest trials, I’d be capable of knock out two birds with one stone. To check how laborious it was to warmth, I grabbed my Search Outdoors U-Turn stove. Swapping the sides, I may range the quantity of my range between round 11L to 15L.

To see how it could carry for somebody working a scorching tent range, or packing it for days on, say, a backcountry hunt, I swapped my pack. I took out my ordinary inner body. I overloaded the exterior body of my trusty Terraframe 65 with the tent, range, and some days’ price of supplementary firewood, and set off for the woods.

ROCDOMUS Hammock Scorching Tent Setup

The ROCDOMUS presents 4 stake-out factors alongside both facet with thick shock wire loops. There are 4 pullouts on either side. And on both finish of the topmost factors of the tarp, there are two cinchable loops of webbing.

With 10 guylines, the meant setup was clear — run a ridgeline from both loop of the tarp to a tree. Nevertheless, with such a big and heavy tarp, I discovered a steady ridgeline was simpler. Merely pressure some low-stretch line with prusik loops between two bushes, clip the tarp into the prusiks, and slide them taut.

Whereas they added weight, the tarp’s cinchable loops at both finish had been appreciated. An hour or two in, tarps stretch. On chilly nights, pulling a strap to retain the tarp was a lot simpler than stripping my gloves to fumble with prusiks in the dead of night.

Likewise, whereas the tarp comes with a light-weight zip bag, I rapidly discovered myself opting to pack it right into a “snakeskin” or tarp sleeve. It took a little bit of shoving. However a repurposed Hennesy Hammock two-piece snakeskin allowed me to rig the tops and bottoms of the tarp one finish at a time, in excessive winds, with out wrestling a shelter-turned-kite.

In cover mode, the toughest half is just discovering sufficient area at a campsite to string up a virtually 11-by-15-foot tarp. When in porch mode, the doorways, which might be both prolonged or tied up with cinchable loops, supply the choice of extra safety from wind and rain, or a extra open shelter.

In tent mode, significantly for warm tenting, issues obtained attention-grabbing. With trial and error, I discovered that staking the loops of the doorways straight down first made all of the distinction in checking my work.

If the tarp’s backside was nonetheless a number of inches off the bottom, I’d have a drafty hole between the shelter’s backside and the bottom. In milder climate, this was positive. Nevertheless it made for a chilly night time when temps dropped, particularly sleeping on a pad or cot. To repair this, I may decrease the tent’s peak. That means, the warmth wasn’t escaping from beneath the partitions.

I hadn’t found out this trick the primary night time, although. The solar was setting quick, with the temperatures chasing it down into the negatives. And that’s how I melted one thing I shouldn’t have …

Highs and Lows at Double Under

I at all times preach, “By no means hit the path with untested gear.” Sadly, a busy week and a late begin left me organising camp far too late, with blood sugar far too low. I hung the ridgeline too low. I staked the bottom too broad and drew the pullouts too taut. That left a drafty hole on the backside and made the doorways laborious to zip.

Worst of all, my trembling arms didn’t correctly roll again and safe the rain flap that covers the jack for the stovepipe. Finally, whereas sitting on a sleeping pad, I seen the odor of burning nylon and realized the flap was melting in opposition to the new metallic.

I solely stoked my 11L range 4 occasions all through the night time. The tip of the tent nearest the range was 30 levels hotter than exterior. Nevertheless, there was a big variation in temperature throughout the tent. Between the range and the top farthest away, there was a stable 15-degree distinction in temperature.

Nonetheless, for a small range and drafty setup, it wasn’t too unhealthy.

I discovered my classes. I fastened a drafty hole within the backside for the subsequent few nights of below-zero temps and opted for the 15L range.

With the range on excessive, the range finish of the tent was rapidly working 55 levels hotter than the surface temperature. With the dampeners on, that dropped about 10 levels on either side of the tent.

A number of occasions, I let the shelter get chilly whereas I used to be out on a day hike. With the ROCDOMUS’ sheer floor space, the frost that had shaped on the within partitions turned to rain when it thawed.

Fortunately, I had my hammock in a snakeskin, a Nomadix bandana to wipe the partitions, a roaring hearth, and the solar overhead. So, drying it out wasn’t too laborious. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than I used to be sitting in a heat, dry hammock lodge on a 20-degree night.

12 months-Spherical Versatility

On hotter days, I discovered myself kicking again beneath the ROCDOMUS in porch mode. My first thought: This shelter is huge. At the same time as a scorching tent, it may probably sleep 4 folks. In porch mode, I had my hammock tucked away from the rain within the 3.5-by-11-foot pocket of the staked-down facet. I may sit and prepare dinner steak and eggs beneath the 11-by-7-foot overhang.

Like most hammock tarps, it was straightforward to place the ROCDOMUS into porch mode with both trekking poles or lengthy branches. Nonetheless, 70D nylon is a comparatively heavy material, and the overhang is giant. On windy days, I wanted a tauter overhang. I discovered that tethering the guylines of all 5 stakeout factors to the prusik loops of one other ridgeline achieved this simply.

Given the huge footprint of the tarp, it’s no stretch to say that as much as 4 folks may use the ROCDOMUS because the bones of a camp, just by tossing a mix of hammocks, cots, or tent inners beneath its auspices. It may be cozy, and also you may be sleeping on high of one another (actually). However for a gaggle, at barely over 6 kilos for a comparatively beefy denier nylon, that’s a reasonably light-weight basecamp.

Quirks, Cons, Options, and Bombs

The ROCDOMUS is way from my first choose for a solo three-season journey. Nevertheless, as a fan of tarp tenting, for bikepacking journeys and group outings, it may be my new go-to. Figuring out that regardless of the climate situations or what gear they’ve, I’ve a shelter that may maintain my bike and firm alike dry and comfy, makes it greater than definitely worth the weight.

In reasonable summer time climate, cover mode may match many combos of hammocks, bivies, tent inners, cots, and extra for a small group. In shoulder season, porch mode with the again in opposition to the wind ought to do the identical.

For decent, humid areas in the course of the form of driving rain that calls for tent mode, air flow would take a success with a number of folks inside. Nevertheless, between leaving a niche between the tent and the bottom, and propping open the home windows at both finish, the ROCDOMUS may nonetheless supply sufficient contemporary air to get me by a Louisiana summer time storm.

The steep temperature distinction between the range and the far sides of the tent may very well be a priority for group winter tenting, as properly. The condensation didn’t evaporate rapidly or evenly.

The temperature distinction between the perimeters of the tent may additionally result in extra infighting than a sport of Uno when it comes time to select your sleeping spot.

There was lots of taking part in round required to optimize the ROCDOMUS Hammock Scorching Tent’s setup. Finally, I settled on an oddly uneven configuration. I used all of the pullouts on the range facet to maintain any excessive winds from blowing across the tent partitions (and by extension, the exceedingly scorching stovepipe). However that was solely achieved by utilizing two pullouts on the non-stove facet

Value, Development, and High quality

Save for the odd positioning of the range jack, I couldn’t discover a single wayward sew on the ROCDOMUS. Every thing concerning the tarp’s building screams high quality.

I can’t say the identical for the included tent stakes. The pullout loops for a number of stakes had been tied loosely and unraveled when attempting to drag the stakes. Someday I frivolously kicked a stake caught in frozen floor to loosen it. I used to be pleasantly stunned at my very own energy after I casually sheared it in two.

The guylines had been about common for the value level. Nevertheless, a reflective line and higher tensioning gadgets could be good touches.

For $230, swapping out the stakes and line was properly price it. The ROCDOMUS Hammock Scorching Tent prices lower than half as a lot as a number of the hottest scorching tents in the marketplace. And it offered the coziest winter hammock camp I’ve ever had. For hammock campers, bikepackers, and group backpackers, the ROCDOMUS is a very implausible worth.

Equipment and Issues

Many of the few issues that maintain the ROCDOMUS Hammock Scorching Tent again have little to do with the shelter in any respect. They’re the issues not standing beside it.

OneTigris doesn’t supply any tent poles lengthy sufficient to arrange the tarp in porch mode. I used one other hammock firm’s snakeskin to pack and arrange the tent. It’s a beautiful summer time shelter, however the firm doesn’t have a appropriate bug web which you could rig to it. Nevertheless, Onewind has one that may very well be made to suit. You could possibly use a tent interior or a bug bivy, however OneTigris doesn’t supply any of its personal.

No biggie. There isn’t a scarcity of workaround and different devices. Nevertheless, hammocking powerhouses like ENO, Hennesy, Hammock Gear, Onewind, Dutchware, and Warbonnet do properly by being a one-stop store for every thing somebody wants to really optimize hammock tenting. A number of extra equipment may make the ROCDOMUS a extra versatile, year-round shelter out of the field.

It’s additionally price contemplating in the event you’d be capable of leverage the ROCDOMUS’ versatility. For those who primarily solo camp in locations the place it doesn’t get significantly chilly, the place you’d should pack in your firewood, or primarily choose floor sleeping — then it won’t be the most suitable choice.

OneTigris ROCDOMUS Hammock Scorching Tent: Conclusion

OneTigris’ ROCDOMUS Hammock Scorching Tent is an creative jack-of-all-trades with unrefined versatility. It labored properly with totally different fashions of hammocks, and it saved me dry and heat throughout winter outings.

It’s quirky and explicit to arrange. If an individual is skilled with hammock tenting and tarp tents, I’d completely advocate the ROCDOMUS. If, nonetheless, they’ve solely pitched a freestanding tent a number of occasions, primarily camp solo, and/or aren’t hammock folks, I’d advocate trying out a number of the different choices on our Greatest Tenting Tents listing. 

With a number of equipment and expertise, although, I may have this Scorching Tent arrange in all of 10 minutes on any given day. If you already know what you’re doing, arrange and use are easy.

Choosing a scorching tent, firewood, and range means rather less time on the path. Nevertheless it was simply the perfect winter hammock sleep I’ve ever had. For solo summer time journeys, this tent is overkill. However for individuals who see the outside as a spot to convey family and friends, it’s a malleable, spacious, and cost-effective four-season shelter.

So, the place does it sit for me? After this winter, in my handlebar bag on my bike. I choose two wheels to 2 legs. And for my bikefishing journeys, I’ll take a shelter that may maintain me, my bike, fishing poles, tripod, and fully too heavy camp kitchen cozily underwing, whereas I sleep like a king.