Photo: Travis Burke Photography via Tentsile
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With a Tentsile tent, the beauty is in the simplicity. I’m a firm believer in the saying “less is more,” and Tentsile definitely keeps the number of parts at a minimum.
The equation is simple: less parts mean less to break and less to worry about. The result is an incredibly sturdy, easy-to-use design.
Hands down, the greatest benefit of the Tentsile design is the elevation of your campsite. And coming in three styles —available alongside a variety of additional product from hammocks to drinks holders — there are multiple ways to go about getting that elevation. The positives of being off the ground are obvious, but my favorites are comfort and cleanliness. I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with feelings of nostalgia from childhood campouts on the trampoline in my backyard. There was definitely something enchanting about getting into the Stingray ($650 new; $500 “pre-loved”) and cozying up for the night — I almost want to set it up in my bedroom and get rid of my bed all together!
Photo: Prentice Hanes
Here’s another leg up on tent sleeping: easy entry and exit. There are two points of entry to the Stingray – the middle hatch and the main entrance. Instead through the awkward process of crawling into your tent and removing your boots/shoes all without bringing in excess dirt, you simply hang your legs over the edge and kick ‘em off.
The only downside is the weight. The kit weighs about 35 pounds, so it’s not going to be coming with you on a multiday backpacking excursion. However, if you’re traveling by car, horse, motorcycle, river raft, etc., this is THE way to camp… provided you have trees to tie up to. You can even hook the straps to the trailer hitches of three cars and take a Tentsile anywhere.
And if I had kids who wanted a tree house, they’d be getting a Tentsile instead. Tree houses always get rotted out and nasty after a couple of years, and once kids outgrow them you just have a hunk of shit hanging from a tree in your backyard (unless you’re a treehouse master like that guy on TV, in that case have at it). The benefits of a Tentsile tent here are clear: take it down for cleaning, add to it and accessorize it, pack it up when you want to go camping, no splinters or any other negatives of woods. It’s a no brainer. I’d even put one up in a backyard for a party.
Photo: Prentice Hanes
The Setup
The Stingray is easy to set up, the first time is trial and error as you familiarize yourself with using ratchet straps — the secret is understanding that the longer the strap gets, the higher you must place it to even out the lag-under-load. Therefore, when you pick your trees, it’s best to keep the “sag effect” in mind. We ended up with two straps that were about the same length, with the third being 30% longer. This was the point opposite the entrance of the tent. Once we set it all up and hopped in, the rear of the tent sagged below the front because of the longer strap. The point: when you have a longer strap on one end, you need to position it slightly higher on the tree than the others to compensate for the sag effect.
The tent will look a little uneven when empty, but it evens out when under load.
If I did it again with all this in mind, I’d have it set up in about 20 minutes. This all might be common knowledge to someone who does a lot of slacklining, but for a total noob it only takes one setup to get the hang of it.
Photo: Courtesy of Tentsile
Pro Tips
1. Don’t get attached to a spot. If it doesn’t fit it doesn’t fit, chances are there is a good spot nearby.
2. Get experience with the ratchet before you do anything. Understand you have to thread the strap through the ratchet until there is only a little slack left, then start tightening the ratchet. This avoids overcrowding within the ratchet.
3. Make sure you compensate for sag effect, but don’t overcompensate either. I’m no mathematician, but I’d say move the strap up a foot for every 1.5 feet longer the strap is than the others.
Photo: Courtesy of Tentsile
For more information on the Tentsile, head on over to their website. And don’t forget to Like them on Facebook as well as follow them on Instagram.
