Argali 2p/4p Pitching Tips

[hunthikecamp]

To those out there running the Rincon & Absaroka, what are some tips or things you've learned in your time using them that make life easier?

I spent about 2 weeks throughout the year in a Rincon last year and decided to upgrade to an Absaroka this year, have spent a couple nights in it getting used to it, burning in the stove, etc.

One thing I struggled with on both tents is getting a corner that would bow inward and really kill my interior square footage, and no amount of stake movement or line lock adjuster would get rid of it. Something I've noticed after watching and re-watching Brad's pitching video here is that I think I'm tensioning it up way too much during the pitch. I've been pulling the corners tight before staking in, and then really making the pole super tight to start, so user error that I'm hoping to correct.

The only other thing i've learned so far is to just replace the piton stakes right away. I bent 3 on my stove burnin trip last weekend in relatively soft ground, I would have been in a real pickle if i was in the backcountry.

Both the Rincon and Absaroka have been great tents and I'm really happy with the purchases. The items above are feedback/things I've learned, but far from something that would keep me from buying either tent, love them!

Planning to take this out for CO 2nd rifle and get some good use out of it, would love to hear what others have learned along the way.

 

[BroccoliRob]

I've owned both, still have the Absaroka. Adding & using guylines makes a huge difference to the interior volume, well worth the couple ounces that they add to the total package.

I use full-size MSR Groundhog stakes for the 4 corners and the doors, then some smaller lighter stakes for the other points.

 

[BigSkyHntr]

My brother and I both have Rincons with half inserts. I’ve noticed the same issue- seems like there is always 1 ‘saggy’ corner haha! Usually where I want my head to sleep! Not a big deal as it has a lot of room for 1 person. I should try adding guyouts further up. I’ve discovered it seems to work better to pitch it on a steeper angle/ more head room vs. not as steep/ bigger footprint.
If I had it to do over I’d get a full insert vs the half but I do like it over all.
Pic was taken on my sheep hunt in September with a few other standard tents.

 

[hunthikecamp]

I've owned both, still have the Absaroka. Adding & using guylines makes a huge difference to the interior volume, well worth the couple ounces that they add to the total package.

I use full-size MSR Groundhog stakes for the 4 corners and the doors, then some smaller lighter stakes for the other points.

Ill have to give this a go. I havent been in any weather thats really warranted guy lines, but the extra space is a good point and maybe worth guying out regardless.

View attachment 950920
My brother and I both have Rincons with half inserts. I’ve noticed the same issue- seems like there is always 1 ‘saggy’ corner haha! Usually where I want my head to sleep! Not a big deal as it has a lot of room for 1 person. I should try adding guyouts further up. I’ve discovered it seems to work better to pitch it on a steeper angle/ more head room vs. not as steep/ bigger footprint.
If I had it to do over I’d get a full insert vs the half but I do like it over all.
Pic was taken on my sheep hunt in September with a few other standard tents.

I had the full and half insert for my Rincon. Used the half for solo archery hunting and my wife and I summer backpacked in the full insert. Definitely eats away at the square footage a bit but with a nice tight pitch its not really an issue. Im just using no insert for now in the Absaroka but will probably snag an insert next year, not sure which

 

[Brad@Argali]

To those out there running the Rincon & Absaroka, what are some tips or things you've learned in your time using them that make life easier?

I spent about 2 weeks throughout the year in a Rincon last year and decided to upgrade to an Absaroka this year, have spent a couple nights in it getting used to it, burning in the stove, etc.

One thing I struggled with on both tents is getting a corner that would bow inward and really kill my interior square footage, and no amount of stake movement or line lock adjuster would get rid of it. Something I've noticed after watching and re-watching Brad's pitching video here is that I think I'm tensioning it up way too much during the pitch. I've been pulling the corners tight before staking in, and then really making the pole super tight to start, so user error that I'm hoping to correct.

The only other thing i've learned so far is to just replace the piton stakes right away. I bent 3 on my stove burnin trip last weekend in relatively soft ground, I would have been in a real pickle if i was in the backcountry.

Both the Rincon and Absaroka have been great tents and I'm really happy with the purchases. The items above are feedback/things I've learned, but far from something that would keep me from buying either tent, love them!

Planning to take this out for CO 2nd rifle and get some good use out of it, would love to hear what others have learned along the way.

View attachment 950873

A couple quick thoughts. 1. If you have one saggy corner that tells me you don't have your 4 corners square. 2. if you do have a saggy corner, there should be one corner that is tighter than the others. Try loosening it with the line-loc and then tightenting the saggy corner. 3. It looks like you've got it done well in the photo, but pulling the tension down the seam is important for proper pitch. 4. Guylines do help with interior head space. 5. if you tension your insert super tight on the inside corners, it can make the fly walls collapse in a little. Try keeping the insert snug but not super tight.

And thanks for the feedback on the Piton stakes. They should not be bending like that.

 

[hunthikecamp]

A couple quick thoughts. 1. If you have one saggy corner that tells me you don't have your 4 corners square. 2. if you do have a saggy corner, there should be one corner that is tighter than the others. Try loosening it with the line-loc and then tightenting the saggy corner. 3. It looks like you've got it done well in the photo, but pulling the tension down the seam is important for proper pitch. 4. Guylines do help with interior head space. 5. if you tension your insert super tight on the inside corners, it can make the fly walls collapse in a little. Try keeping the insert snug but not super tight.

And thanks for the feedback on the Piton stakes. They should not be bending like that.

Thanks for the input Brad! I'll have to keep an eye about an over tight corner, that's a good point.

I'll avoid saying saggy but more so bowed in, if I have a problem corner it's usually pretty tight but the seam line bows in noticeably rather than sags loose. And yeah I probably should have clarified, the pic above is just one of my better pics of the Rincon, not necessarily highlighting any issue or what i thought was a bad pitch.

Thanks again, and appreciate the ideas from other folks as well. I'm definitely learning tighter is not always better...haha

 

[hunthikecamp]

Update here, took the Absaroka out this last weekend to try out a few changes and wanted to report back.

-guy lines, definitely improved interior space even just with 2 lines, 1 on each non-door wall. Turns out I ended up needing those guy lines, and more. It was a windy night in the mtns, steady winds 15-20 and gusts in the high 20s I would bet. there was some pucker factor being in there when it was whipping but the tent held and all my stakes were solid.

-stakes, I bought some Paria Needle stakes and a set of Eastons from Outdoor Vitals. the ground was tough so I had to hammer the stakes in with a rock and the Paria stakes suffered a bit, a few of the tops bent over and broke off. The Easton stakes were great though, i'll probably buy another set of these and keep the Paria stakes for known softer ground.

-pitching. WAY better pitch after i stopped putting so much tension in the tent during pitching. Like referenced in the video I pulled the corners tight then slacked them a bit, and staked in there. Also inserted the pole to where it was tight, but not super tight and i could still lift it off the ground. From there, tensioned down using the line lock adjusters and the pitch turned out great! Amazing what happens when you follow the manufacturers instructions. lol.

Looking forward to giving this thing a good workout in 2nd rifle.