August 20, 2007
We have this tent from Big Agnes that we just love. It's almost perfect for us: the body is 90% mesh so it's great for hot-weather camping, humid-weather camping and star gazing. Plus, it keeps out the bugs. It's also a very light weight tent: a factor not to be underestimated when we have to carry it over mountains. David had his heart set on it because even though it's a three-person tent (we're big fans of extra space), it's only about 2 pounds.
The only downside to the tent is summed up by a notice printed in bold on the tag inside the tent body. Along with warning the user not to set the tent on fire, always a wise precaution, the notice states: Synthetic fabrics are damaged by overexposure to UV light. Well great, I've always wanted to have to camp indoors. But because shade's a little difficult to come by in desert areas, we've now experienced the damage done to synthetic fabrics by UV light.
On Nosy Nato one of the innumerable times I was futzing with the rainfly just after yet another drizzle, I noticed that the fabric just over one of the cinch points where we stake the fly into the ground had torn just above the seam for about the length of my forearm. It's actually just fine: I sewed up the area a few days ago with the white thread David put in the repair kit. (Don't ask, he somehow thought it was white that goes with everything, which looks great on the seam of my black pants I also stitched up.) David's now going to put a fluorescent-orange patch on and we should be just fine. And if not, I found out from the very nice people at Big Agnes that we can buy a new rainfly and have it shipped anywhere in the world. Oooh, mail while traveling!
