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Tips for using tent vestibules?

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  • Tips for using tent vestibules?

    Hello,

    For those of you with experience with vestibules, do you find them annoying to use?

    I've never had a tent with a built in vestibule. From the pictures it looks many are at a fairly steep angle. They seems like they would be difficult to close from the inside and maybe even the outside too.

    Do you have to crawl down on hands and knees to close them? Do you just leave them partially unzipped? Any other tips you can give regarding vestibule usage?

    FYI - the Marmot Halo 6p has the type of vestibule I'm thinking of here.

  • #2
    Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

    I have the Kelty Palasade 6, same hoop configuration little larger vestibule. I find it useful to store gear out of sight, take off wet coats shoes when its raining.

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    • #3
      Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

      Originally posted by yogiyoda View Post
      Do you have to crawl down on hands and knees to close them?
      I have a one person tent that has a vestibule that's got to be about 4 feet long. It used to really annoy me when I had to do just that - hang out of the tent, basically holding myself up on one hand and still have to stretch a bit to open or close it. I solved that problem with a zip tie and a hole cut near the end of a small sturdy branch. Loop the zip tie through the branch and the zipper pull and you've got a handy extension pole.

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      • #4
        Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

        I have big ones on my Sierra Designs Bedouin 6. They're not hard to open or close from the inside or outside, and they can be folded back on one or both sides into "stays" that retain them from flapping around. I think they have double self-repairing zippers as well.
        “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
        ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

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        • #5
          Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

          I have a vestibule on my Eureka 4 man Timberline (Alpine Meadows actually, but few people know that dicontinued model). and I love it

          Good place to keep dirty stinky boots. You can make coffee/tea in the vestibule with an alcohol stove. It bad weather, point the vestibule into the storm and give your tent an extra layer of protection

          Vestibules weigh almost nothing, but add extra space. What's not to like

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          • #6
            Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

            I have a Marmot Halo 4 and love the vestibules.

            First, I have a "no-boots, no shoes" rule inside the tent, so the vestibule is a place to put shoes, boots, sandals, outside the tent, but protected from the weather. Also a great place for backpacks, if necessary. And, duffle bags, tent bags, etc. Just general stuff. I have all my car camping gear organized and stored in duffle/sports bags. Once for stove and cooking, one for the tent and tarp, etc. One for sleeping bags and mats, etc. Just grab them and go, coming and going. I store these under one of the vestibules. Easy access while setting up and tearing down camp. And, it allows you to open up the tent for max airflow while still protected from rain, by partially unzipping the vestibule door and tying it back. If weather is not a problem, then just partially zip the door and there's no reach at all to unzip it. Heck, if you don't like vestibules, just don't close the door at all and then you don't really have a vestibule -- or anything to unzip!

            I've got a sand-free mat that I put down under the front vestibule. It sifts sand and dirt thru it stays relatively dirt free:

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            • #7
              Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

              Originally posted by MacGyver View Post
              Loop the zip tie through the branch and the zipper pull and you've got a handy extension pole.
              That's a great idea. A carabiner through the hand loop on a hiking pole. The zipper pulls on marmot tents are loops of reflective guy line, so a carabiner would clip right to it.

              Thanks for the tip!

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              • #8
                Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

                Originally posted by hwc1954 View Post
                Thanks for the tip!
                You're welcome! I get a real kick out it when a little "MacGyvering" works for someone else. I see you've already figured out your own adaptation, so kudos to you, too!

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                • #9
                  Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

                  I find vestibules an almost necessity on small tents. I have a North Face Tadpole 23 (a slim 2 man tent) - and if I'm backpacking - I don't know what I'd do without the vestibule.

                  We also have a Mountain Hardwear Casa 6 for the family...and I would tend to agree that the vestibule becomes less useful for a tent that large. Still, it is nice to be able to keep shoes out of the tent - yet dry when the storms come at night. In this case, I see the vestibule as a necessary evil.
                  Nights camping in 2014: 18
                  Nights camping in 2015: 24
                  Nights camping in 2016: 20

                  North Face Tadpole 23 - Mountain Hardwear Casa 6 - Guide Gear 18x18 Teepee

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                  • #10
                    Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

                    My old tent had a very small vestibule and it proved to be quite useless for anything other than keeping light rain off the door. My new tent has a sizable vestibule where I can stash gear and even sit with my wife in a couple of camp chairs and enjoy shade or stay dry in the rain. When I started my most recent tent search a vestibule was high on the list of requirements. I think they bring a new level of usability to a tent. JMHO

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                    • #11
                      Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

                      Okay, so I bought the Marmot Halo 6 as a second tent. In many ways, it’s great tent; but it is annoying and I will be exchanging it. I’m 6’3” and my main tent is the palatial Paha Que Pamo Valley 6. So my opinion my be very different than someone shorter or someone upgrading to the Halo 6 from a smaller tent of similar design where one has to crouch or crawl. They would most likely like the tent.

                      The front of the inner tent has a mesh window that can’t be closed and it has fabric with no weather resistance. So basically, with the fly open there is no privacy and no protection from sun or rain. We get a lot of sun and rain where I camp, and I like privacy.

                      The annoyance is from dealing with the vestibule door when entering and leaving the tent. The vestibule door comes up to my belly button if the inner tent is closed. So to close the outer door fully, I have to open the inner tent door and then get on hands and knees to stretch my arms way out with hands on the ground. In the mean time, I’ve let a lot of bugs or rain into the tent. If I instead leave fly partially closed, it flaps around in the wind and can make a lot of noise. It also rubs against the ground which can’t be good for the materials longevity. If I strap the vestibule door open, it can’t be partially closed. Super annoying.

                      As per McGyver, I suppose I could try to create some kind of folding pole and carabiner setup to try to open and close the fly while standing inside the tent. But it would have to be more than 8 feet long. Seems kind of hokey. Since I bought this at Backcountry, I’m thinking about swapping this for the North Face Kaiju 6. Only wish there was some reviews on this tent.
                      Last edited by yogiyoda; 05-08-2014, 12:02 PM.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

                        Oh, and I forgot to mention. I've noticed some people criticizing the value-priced Coleman tents for being made in China. Marmot is considered one of the higher-end tents. The Marmot Halo 6 is also made in China. I noticed a couple of hanging threads, but overall the construction quality seems pretty good.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

                          Yogiyoda's complaints are common across much of the high-end dual-wall high-condensation control designs of modern tents. They are there for reasons that don't make sense unless you realize why they're there. The flys are designed to be attached and he mesh to maintain breathability without sacrificing dual-wall warmth. "It is what it is". The alternative is to open your wallet wide and go with a 4-season tent.
                          “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
                          ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

                            The Halo tents at least give the option of zipping a panel to close the low level mesh panels in the sides of the tent. Makes a big difference in cooler temps.

                            It won't rain in on a Halo 6 even with the vestibule door complete unzipped -- unless it's wind-driven raining sideways. The halo pole makes an small awning over the door.





                            On my Halo 4, I just unzip the door and roll it up into the little shock cord retention loops to keep it out of the way. I only close it when it's raining or when I'm turning in for the night. It's got a double zipper. If I'm just sneaking out in the middle of the night, I just unzip it a bit from the top and slip out.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Tips for using tent vestibules?

                              If your sending it back and searching for a different tent check out the Kelty Palasade 6, very close to the Halo different fly design. I'm not even close to your altitude so can't give you any feedback there. Also the orange tents drive me crazy in the sunlight.

                              Can be had on a big sale for under 300 clams.

                              Oh BTW great camping spots in both photos.


                              A couple of videos

                              http://youtu.be/4_hYRfhSuxg

                              http://youtu.be/lcjYW6HT0_c
                              Attached Files
                              Last edited by gr8brew; 05-14-2014, 05:43 AM.

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