Tarptent Dipole 1 DW

[el manana]

Pitched for seam sealing and to check it out.



Pitching took a couple of minutes and is really easy (not quite Notch easy which I found to be the easiest tent I've owned but still very easy)

The corner pegs need to be pulled out at 45° to the corner so the end panels are taut but thats it basically, nothing else to fettle.



One thing noticeable when putting the poles into the grommets is how secure they are from just the corners being pegged. With the Notch I used to grip the pole tip in the grommet and pull out and peg the door wing to secure it. Not needed with the Dipole, it secures straight away, i can understand why the side apex guy is sort of optional, although I will always use them.



Apex's do feel more stable than the Notch, closer to the Stratospire, really rigid, they don't budge at all. Will see.



Porches - it was mentioned they were long and narrow but with the doors points pulled out i couldn't see any difference to other solo tents - loads of space. Definitely enough room to cook enclosed, care required as usual. I always pull the groundsheet back a bit when cooking as a matter of course on all my tents.



Interior space is impressive, its really noticeable how you can sit up straight in most of the inner and dont have to be positioned in the centre. Palatial.

The floor narrowing a little bit at the centre isnt noticeable when in the inner, i reckon on a typical uneven wild camp pitch with bathtub sides it won't be relevant.



Unlike some Tarptents, this one fits in its bag no problem at all, left the struts attached (folded). Will fit bagged across most packs, easily fits in the top of my Liteway Gramless.

I knew something like this has been in the pipeline for a couple of years and I'm glad I've waited. To say its like a Notch 1.5 doesn't really do it justice, space and headroom are really impressive and it pitches really taut and neat like Tarptent always do (for me). It feels really stable, can't wait to use it.

I thought after the Notch and Stratospire there was no new designs left, but Henry continues to surprise and innovate. Very impressed.

 

[WilliamC]

If its a DiPole DW with no end vents I'm definitely buying....

Good to see you put your money where your mouth is
The Dipole design grows on me the more I see it and read about it.

 

[Robert P]

Pitched for seam sealing and to check it out.

View attachment 46375View attachment 46376View attachment 46377

Pitching took a couple of minutes and is really easy (not quite Notch easy which I found to be the easiest tent I've owned but still very easy)

The corner pegs need to be pulled out at 45° to the corner so the end panels are taut but thats it basically, nothing else to fettle.

View attachment 46379

One thing noticeable when putting the poles into the grommets is how secure they are from just the corners being pegged. With the Notch I used to grip the pole tip in the grommet and pull out and peg the door wing to secure it. Not needed with the Dipole, it secures straight away, i can understand why the side apex guy is sort of optional, although I will always use them.

View attachment 46380View attachment 46381

Apex's do feel more stable than the Notch, closer to the Stratospire, really rigid, they don't budge at all. Will see.

View attachment 46382View attachment 46383View attachment 46384View attachment 46385

Porches - it was mentioned they were long and narrow but with the doors points pulled out i couldn't see any difference to other solo tents - loads of space. Definitely enough room to cook enclosed, care required as usual. I always pull the groundsheet back a bit when cooking as a matter of course on all my tents.

View attachment 46389View attachment 46388View attachment 46387View attachment 46386

Interior space is impressive, its really noticeable how you can sit up straight in most of the inner and dont have to be positioned in the centre. Palatial.

The floor narrowing a little bit at the centre isnt noticeable when in the inner, i reckon on a typical uneven wild camp pitch with bathtub sides it won't be relevant.

View attachment 46390

Unlike some Tarptents, this one fits in its bag no problem at all, left the struts attached (folded). Will fit bagged across most packs, easily fits in the top of my Liteway Gramless.

I knew something like this has been in the pipeline for a couple of years and I'm glad I've waited. To say its like a Notch 1.5 doesn't really do it justice, space and headroom are really impressive and it pitches really taut and neat like Tarptent always do (for me). It feels really stable, can't wait to use it.

I thought after the Notch and Stratospire there was no new designs left, but Henry continues to surprise and innovate. Very impressed.

Looks good - interesting about the porches as I'd wondered if they'd be OK to cook in. Like most Tarptents it is nice to see how it pitches so neatly. Will it pitch down to the ground or will there always be a bit of a gap for the wind to get under? You've compared it with the Notch and Stratospire, so I wondered how the height at the ends compares (lets say for someone of around 5ft 10)? I found the Notch quite good (largely because it is very long) but the limited headroom at the ends is the one thing I don't like so much about the Stratospire.
Is it correct that the outer door has a single way zip? I'm guessing a 2-way zip would have less benefit with this design as the door would not naturally open for views and ventilation if unzipped from the top?
I'll be interested to see some reports of how these fare in the UK hills, though I have no reason to doubt they'll be very good.

 

[el manana]

@Robert P - yeah it can pitch much lower on the side doors, I only had it like that for seam sealing, feels like a Notch porch in this position. Obviously you will lose a bit of porch space by pulling it lower. I like how its flexible for ventilation/weather conditions.

The height at the ends is one of the most striking features. Clearance above feet and head is huge. In one of those pics i sat towards the end to take it and didn't feel that hunched.

Its a one way zip. I don't think a two way zip is possible (or needed) as theres a hole at the top where the door vent is.

 

[Robin]

Looks really nice. I wondered about porch space but looks good. Another great design from Henry.

 

[echo8876]

super impressive.
sad that i've already settled on a mid system, and came to terms with it, but today i would've picked dipole dw without thinking much.

 

[tallest of pauls]

Aw gawd don't start now. You made me buy a phreeranger I didn't really need 5 years ago.

 

[cathyjc]

Must keep hands in pockets - I have too many tents already .......

 

[stalemate]

I like it. I wonder how it compares to the Xmid in terms of inner space. Maybe roomier.

 

[Robert P]

I like it. I wonder how it compares to the Xmid in terms of inner space. Maybe roomier.

It will be interesting to see what people who've used both tents think about the interior space. However, I suspect there will be different perspectives because the space is configured very differently in the two tents and different people are looking for / prioritise / perceive space in different ways. The X-Mid 1 gives impressive end-to-end headroom, with the apexes at over 110cm more or less above head and foot and a level ridge running between them. The Dipole has struts which increase headroom at the ends, but not to the extent of the X-Mid; but on the other hand there will be more space at the top across the width of the inner due to the ridgeline running across the tent (the X-Mid has a narrow apex running roughly along the length of the inner).
Personally I tend to lay on my side to cook in the X-Mid and really like the headroom at the ends, partly for that reason. I very rarely sit up in the inner with my feet facing out into the porch, where greater space across the top of the inner may feel more valuable.
Either way, both designs look to offer much more inner space than most trekking pole supported tents on the market.

 

[MattK]

I've just hit the button.

I found Henry's points about robustness quite interesting especially in view of how much stick the Dipole got for apparent storm worthiness when the first version came out.

Piecing it altogether it seems to me that the Dipole has echoes of the Scarp in terms of lines of tension and the fact that the ends do all the work and apex lines are only needed when conditions get bad. It certainly seems to have a floor plan that is closer to the Scarp than anything else so I wonder if Henry wanted to create a trekking pole version of the Scarp like he did with the Moment and Notch.

The fact that Henry sees it as strong as the Notch with just the ends, and as good as the Stratospire with the apex lines as well bodes well for the sort of conditions I'd need it to cope.

Obviously it won't have the snow loading capabilites of a Scarp, but it's rare I camp in those conditions anyway. So has Henry finally come up with a shelter that trumps "the shelter I said I'd never sell"..... There's only one way to find out.

Quite possibly I will have a PyraOmm Plus for sale soon, and maybe even the previously unthinkable - a Scarp too....

 

[echo8876]

I use my pyraomm without inner most of the time and i dont think i would sell it even if i pull a trigger on dipole. Most shelters on the market are designed with inner in mind, unlike pyramids.

 

[stalemate]

It's a real Xmid competitor.

 

[hshires]

Here is a 3D model comparison between the interiors of the Dipole 1 DW and X-Mid 1. The models are 6fit 6in / 198 cm tall and both designs will accept that height sitting up. The 12 in / 30.5 cm red contour lines represent a typical boundary for feet pointing up and heads resting on pillows. Note that for taller people on long pads the Dipole 1 DW is much more accepting without hitting any end walls. Note also that the overall footprint of the Dipole 1 DW is noticeably smaller (84% as much area).

 

[Jaco]

Note that for taller people on long pads the Dipole 1 DW is much more accepting without hitting any end walls.

Out of curiosity, what height is this? 198cm is about 2 1/2 standard deviations above the mean for western adult men meaning such heights are rare, and very rare among both genders and other regions. The longest inflatable pads are shorter than this. Nice looking tent, by the way.

 

[MattK]

I use my pyraomm without inner most of the time and i dont think i would sell it even if i pull a trigger on dipole. Most shelters on the market are designed with inner in mind, unlike pyramids.

Well as I already have a PyraOmm Duo and a Pioulou XL something has to go to make way for the Dipole and the PyraOmm Plus is going to have to be the one.

 

[Robin]

The more I see of the Dipole, the more I like it. @MattK ’s point about being a trekking pole substitute for the Scarp is a good one. Does it trump the X-Mid? For me, it’s swings and roundabouts. I think I will keep my X-Mid (and Scarp and Notch). If I was buying from scratch, it would be a strong contender. It will be interesting to see how it fares from trip reports.

 

[cathyjc]

The one place the Xmid is better is the extended sitting up head room.
It's restricted to the center in the Dipole but reaches out towards the ends in the XMid.
As a "shortie" the extra head/feet space is less important.
I guess you takes your pick ........

I'll be keeping a watch out to see how the Dipole does in the wild.

 

[stalemate]

I think Robert P's point is correct. A lot depends on how you want to use the space. I'm a more sit in the middle with feet in the vestibule while doing stuff type so the Dipole is preferable to the Xmid. Or maybe not because there's a pole in the way. Also it has a smaller footprint and a stronger groundsheet. Almost the same weight. I prefer how the vestibule space is distributed with the Dipole too. I guess it has overall less internal volume but that space is in more useful places for me.

The Dipole 1 DW could probably replace two of my three shelters and do a better job than both at less than half the cost. Which is a little annoying.

 

[stalemate]

hshires, please could you tell me the software you're using for these models. They look good.

 

[el manana]

@stalemate re "Or maybe not because there's a pole in the way"

I test pitched with the poles vertical like they are in the Notch or Strat. I then tried to angle them so they were diagonal following the inner zip line as per the Tarptent demo. Very easy to do this with the tent erected.

I imagined i would have them diagonal when cooking etc and reposition vertically for through the night but it felt so stable diagonally I suspect I'll leave them like this all the time.

 

[deejayen]

Does it take a maximum of 6 pegs?

How do you think it would work with fixed-length poles (for cycle touring) - do you think it needs the adjustability of trekking poles?

 

[Odd Man]

Does it take a maximum of 6 pegs?

How do you think it would work with fixed-length poles (for cycle touring) - do you think it needs the adjustability of trekking poles?

Durston Z-flick poles are adjustable.

 

[deejayen]

Durston Z-flick poles are adjustable.

Thanks - they seem to be a good option, and they pack up quite short.

 

[deejayen]

Does it take a maximum of 6 pegs?

I've just read in the other thread that Henry Shires said you can add an additional guy to each of the end poles, making 8 pegs in total.