I would be cautious about the rhinos. I used one this past spring festival break in heavy rain- didn’t go so well. The rain osmosed through the walls (though luckily it didn’t drip too much) and the floor had puddles. Ironically some friends bought a cheaper rhino (1800NT, versus mine for 2500NT) which worked out fine. I asked about this at the store where I bought mine (Deng Shan You’s neighbor) and was told that mine was more expensive because the material was more durable (and I think more breathable). My friends’ tent was apparently just made of plastic.
Zhaoyun: It is possible it was leaky due to the terrain or maybe not pegged taught enough, but then you said it rained heavily, so drippage is really hard to avoid regardless. My two cents.
On the higher end, I have a 3 season Big Agnes, and I love it. Super lightweight, and lots of ventilation.
I also recommend Rhino, especially if you want to watch how much you spend. I have had good luck with Rhino. Even in moderate rain (but not pouring rain as Zhaoyun mentioned)
NT2500 is still pretty cheap. Also, in heavy rain few tents are going to be completely waterproof. Lastly, that might have been humidity in the tent and not rain leaking through. If you bought a small tent it is almost certainly going to have humidity problems in taiwan.
glaikit, one of the venders on Ruten is selling the REI Camp Dome 5 for a little less than NT$7000. A very reasonable price given the quality and markup on exotic imports.
goods.ruten.com.tw/item/show?11080906526188
rei.com/product/781042
I figured it was partly the torrential rain, but the main thing was its poor performance versus my friends’ cheaper plastic tent, which was dampish but didn’t have puddles. If it was humidity that was a problem I would have thought the plastic tent would have been wetter.
That said though, I haven’t yet tried it in anything other than pouring rain, so perhaps I am being too harsh!
I’d second zhaoyun in that Rhino does leak. I bought ours some years back, can’t remember how much it cost exactly, would think it was around 6-7000NTD for a 6 person tent; well, there was a downpour, and water sipped in from beneath, dripped from the lining above, and before you knew it, we were floating on our air mattresses.Granted, it was heavy rain but ours was a roofed campsite.
I just got back from camping and was using my little one man Rhino in a major downpour last night in Miaoli.
It didn’t fare very wall, and I had to abandon it around 4am from seepage from both the floor and lower sides. Granted, this was 4 straight hours of really heavy rain, but my big Kelty has taken much, much worse and stayed bone dry.
It was this one
I use a turbotent made by a Taiwanese company.
tw.page.bid.yahoo.com/tw/auction/e18569926
Very heavy duty, great poles, and with the thickest fly I have ever seen.
I have yet to try it out during heavy rain, however if it leaks it won’t be due to the fabric.
They are a bit pricey though, however quality costs.
The inner tent goes up in 1 minute, alone, I can pitch it in 2-3 minutes.
Mr He,
the turbo tent looks like just the right tent for our family, thanks for the lead.I am on the verge of getting a Marmot Halo (three season) , now this one looks even better.
However, it does cost quite a bit, do you mind posting back once you have it tested in heavy rain?
Will do, however I have cancelled the dragon boat camping trip I usually do in favor of a week in Phuket, so won’t be before August.
DJ Tents, serving the Expat Community of Taiwan.
Prices listed on our English website are in Taiwan Dollars, they are 30%-40% below retail price.
Visit http://derjinn.com
