Gear Review: Henry Shires' Rainshadow 2 Tarptent

Henry Shires' Rainshadow 2 Tarptent

Henry Shires makes a 3-person Tarptent dubbed the Rainshadow 2. The Rainshadow 2 is an adjustable Tarptent that can adapt to a number of different situations. The Rainshadow 2 comes in a stuff sack with four 6-inch aluminum stakes and a rear tent pole. One or two substitute poles can be purchased for the front of the tent if the user prefers not to use trekking poles in this fashion.

Setup with one front pole

Two pole setup

The height on the Rainshadow 2 is adjustable at the front. There is a short horizontal pole or strut attached to the sil-nylon roof of the Tarptent in the middle of the front side. This strut has three grommets, one in the middle and one at each end. These grommets use either trekking poles or a substitute pole to erect the front end of the Tarptent. If a single pole is used it is designed to go in the middle grommet. If two poles are used in the front (recommended for windy conditions) then the end grommets should be used. Reflective guylines from each end of the strut meet in a ‘Y’ formation at an adjustable slider which is then anchored with a single stake in the front of the Tarptent. A piece of sil-nylon comes off each front side of the shelter and forms a ‘beak’ vestibule at the entrance to the Tarptent. The beak drapes over this guyline and closes with a Velcro strip on each piece. Each side of the ‘beak’ can be rolled up and strapped to a side to open the front of the shelter and allow for better ventilation in good weather. The front wall of the Rainshadow 2 is mesh hanging off the sil-nylon roof. There is a zippered opening on the front but there are no zipper pull tabs on the entrance door.

Front Strut

Front Y-tensioner

At the front corners of the Rainshadow 2 are guylines with adjustable sliders. The guylines attach at both the silnylon corner and at the sewn in floor. The body of the Rainshadow 2 is mostly sil-nylon but there is a small mesh strip wall running the length of the shelter on each side which allows for some ventilation. The sewn-in flooring has plastic clips that attach to the corners to form a ‘cake pan’ enclosure when needed.

Front corner guyline adjustment

Rear guyline setup

The rear portion of the Tarptent has a pole sleeve along the back ridgeline of the tent. There are grommets on each side at the floor. When the pole is placed in the sleeve and locked into the grommets the pole arches to form the back ridgeline. The back wall is mesh and hangs off of the pole sleeve. A sil-nylon awing extends out further to protect the rear of the shelter in bad weather. The awing has three reflective guylines coming off of it meeting at a single point which means only a single stake is needed to guy out the rear portion of the Tarptent.

Beak in closed position

Beak attachment to front

So far I have used the Rainshadow 2 in the Wasatch Mountains, the High Uintas Wilderness, the Island in the Sky and Needles District of Canyonlands National Park and the San Rafael Swell Region. It has been the go-to shelter when not going solo. It’s lightweight, roomy and goes up quickly and easily. The Rainshadow is a great combination for any backpacking group of 2-3 people. The weight to size ratio is hard to beat.

Roominess of the Rainshadow 2

The roominess of the Rainshadow 2 cannot be understated. For starters is can actually fit three normal sized people in it without people having to be intimate. For two people it is a palace and has plenty of headroom. There is enough head room that while getting up I can get into a squat position without touching the walls or ceiling. The Rainshadow’s spaciousness makes it a great place to wait out storms. We were backpacking in the Uinta Mountains during a thunderstorm. We arrived in our planned campsite and were happy with how fast the shelter went up so we could get out of the cold and rain quickly. Once we were settled in we spent a few hours reading, writing in journals and chatting. We had plenty of room to maneuver around inside without having to touch the walls.

Roomy enough for 2 or 3 people

I really have two adjustments I would like see made to Henry Shires Rainshadow 2 Tarptent. First off I would like to see pull-tabs added to the door zipper. They are really hard for me to grip while wearing gloves and I think they would come in handy even when using bare hands as it would make it easier to get a hold of the zipper. I can of course add the pull tabs myself but I think it should be standard on any shelter door. The second thing I would like to see changed is the beak vestibule on the Rainshadow 2. The beak vestibule does not always do a good job of protecting gear in a rainstorm. How well the beak protects gear under it depends a lot on what angle the center guyline is pitched at. Sometimes ground conditions dictate what angle it can or cannot be pitched at. I doubt there is an easy solution (if one exists at all) for this. Extending the beak’s length would probably help but would reduce ventilation and slightly increase the weight. At the very least I would like to be able to keep my footwear from precipitation when stored under the beak.

From its simplicity in erecting the shelter to the spacious interior and given its minimal weight makes the Henry Shires Rainshadow 2 tarptent a great multi-person shelter for a wide variety of backpackers. It is my go-to shelter when going out with one or two other people. It is one shelter I expect to use for many years to come.

Manufacturer	Tarptent by Henry Shires
Weight	42.6 oz/1.21 kg (tent body only in stuff sack) 4.4 oz/124 g (rear pole) 2.8 oz/79 g ea (optional front poles) 1.4 oz/40 g (for 4 stakes in stuff sack) 8.4 oz/238 g (Tyvek ground cloth)
Materials	Sil-nylon, one rear pole
Price (MSRP)	$265.00 (tent body plus sack, rear pole, stakes plus sack)

This story was originally posted March 27, 2011.