The search for an appropriate shelter is never easy and can really depend on personal preferences and conditions of use.  We considered many different styles and types in our search for a shelter for our Appalachian Trail hike.  We needed something light-weight, large enough for the both of us and easy to set up.  Gossamer Gear’s Squall Classic Tarptent fit our requirements nicely.

The Squall Classic was a collaboration between Gossamer Gear and Henry Shire’s Tarptent.  The Squall Classic is made with spinnaker sail cloth for the top material and silnylon for the bathtub floor.  The front door, back wall and sides are all mesh.  The rear support is a single 4-segment pre-curved pole that slides into a sleeve and fits into a grommet on each side of the tent, arcing through the sleeve.  The front support is either a pole (available as an extra purchase and subsequently extra weight) or a trekking pole (which many backpackers have and use).  The Squall Classic requires a minimum of four stakes to hold the tarptent up with two more optional stake points at the center of each side.  Both the vestibule door and the mesh door have zippered access.  The front of the vestibule has a small beak that sits above the vestibule door for added ventilation.

Spinnaker material is a very strong, light-weight, highly water-resistant material with low porosity and little stretch.  Given that sewing through this or any material can create a weakness for water to enter through the Squall Classic Tarptent needs to be seam sealed before using the tarptent in wet or humid conditions.

The footprint of the tent is wider at the front door and tapers down near the back.  From mesh to mesh, the dimensions go from 80 in. (203 cm) in the front tapering down to 51 in. (130 cm) in the rear.  The sides of the bathtub floor does reduce these dimensions a little.  The tent length is 81 in. (206 cm).  The height of the tent at the vestibule is 42 in. (107 cm) dropping down to 21 in. (53 cm) in the rear.  In our hands, these aren’t spacious dimensions but they were roomy enough to fit both of our mats plus some small stuff sacks in the front corners and along the door.  Because the tarptent widens near the front door, there is available space in each corner for storage.  In both front corners there is a small internal pocket hanging from the top spinnaker material.

The Squall Classic is a very light-weight two person tent recommended for three season use.  Gossamer Gear also recommends this tent as a solo shelter for long-distance hikers.  The majority of our use of the tarptent has been on the Appalachian Trail which can be quite humid at times (especially while we were there).  We have also had several trips in the desert of Utah.  Except for a few chilly nights or in high humidity conditions, we really haven’t had any condensation issues with the tarptent.  We do try to tension the sides of the tarptent fairly tight to avoid the potential for any interior dripping.  In rain, we didn’t notice any leaking or entry of water through the bottom mesh panels unless we placed something against the side of the Tarptent which touched the walls in which case that was due to our carelessness.

The tarptent has been very easy for us to set up at the end of a long day of hiking.  The set up is easy for one person and a breeze for two people.  The rear pole slips easily into the rear sleeve and a trekking pole fits nicely into the front grommet.  The pre-bent pole helps make it easier to fit the end into the grommet as well as easing some of the tension on the pole while bending it to fit into the grommet.  The corner tension points are generous enough to give a fair amount of play in the corner stake point helping find a location free of rocks.  In very rocky terrain this has been very useful for us.  The corner tension system is a two-fold system.  The top line tightens the top of the tarptent while the bottom tensions the bathtub floor.  The line is looped around the stake and will self-tension by moving around the stake to prevent too much tension in one location over the other.

The Squall Classic has been a great tarptent for us when weight savings is an issue.  While it is a little tight, there is enough space for the two of us without feeling overly cramped.  We don’t store many things in the vestibule making it easier to come and go from the tarptent.  The vestibule has easily enough space for our shoes and sit pads.  The Squall Classic is quite spacious for one person with plenty of room for gear as well as the backpacker inside the tarptent.  We have had the chance to use the tarptent as both a two person and a solo shelter and have been amazed with the amount of room available as a solo shelter.

We have been quite happy with the tarptent both in terms of weight and ease of set up.  The interior is a little tight for two but we haven’t had too many issues with this.  The small footprint does make it fairly easy to fit the tarptent in rather tight places.  The Squall Classic has been our go to shelter for long-distance trips when weight-savings is crucial to comfort.  We don’t feel like we are sacrificing much in the comfort department when we reach for this Squall Classic Tarptent.