The Bowfin 1S (“Stargazer”), new for 2019, offers the fly first setup storm protection and simplicity of the Moment DW, and adds full interior only setup. Partial solid wall interior adds splash protection and cold wind blocking at sleeping level. Free-standing, double side entrance, and double wall, you can perch this sanctuary and sleep comfortably just about anywhere.
Your order includes:
- Bowfin 1S fly
- Partial solid interior
- Carbon fiber arch pole
- Two 6” aluminum stakes + stake bag
- Silnylon stuff sack
John Addison (verified owner) –
I have had the bowfin s1 for over year now and have put around 500 miles on it. Some big week long trips in the Appalachians and a few out west. This is an excellent tent and has performed well for me (6′ 1″ – 215lbs) and my trail beast (70-80 pound female black lab). Sure the vestibules could be a bit bigger but for an individual seeking a 1-man tent that is both lightweight and double wall this is a nice solution. The tent is strurdy and unlike the other user above I have had no issues pitching it taughtly into “Storm Mode”. In conclusion this tent is lightweight, breathable, keeps bugs out and has kept me bone dry through many nights of rain, wind and even a little hail.
Catherine Read (verified owner) –
Got this tent over this past winter and have used it twice now, once in cold weather and once in more normal high altitude summer weather. (Neither in humid climates though)
TL;DR: I love this tent and would recommend it to others but it has some quirks I still need to get used to and modifications I need to put in place.
Pros:
+ The space inside is very pleasant to hang out in if it’s buggy or raining and sitting in the tent is comfortable. (due to height of tent, can open the tent up on both sides, good floor space)
+ There are SO many little adjustments you can make depending on your climate and needs. The ability to trade vestibule space for interior floor space is very neat and has been super handy. This means I can make one side my backpack and shoes storage side and the other can be my inside-the-tent storage side. Being able to choose which side to use for which makes set up and site choice less complicated as well.
+ I’ll always be a double wall tent kinda gal so that’s a pro for me. There’s also a whole lot of ventilation options too. My personal favorites are the head and foot ventilation windows. I like to leave the rainfly in place but just open those up because then I know when I (inevitably) get cold in the middle of the night, I can close those from the inside.
+ High solid wall on the tent body. This does a nice job of keeping cold drafts off you whilst lying down (unless you have the head/foot vents open obviously). I get cold easily, if you haven’t gathered that yet.
+ More affordable than most one person tents with this weight/space ratio.
+ Similarly, very good weight for a one person with that head height AND two entries! The two door aspect is just so luxurious. Great for ventilation, you don’t have to think about which way you need to put the door when you set it up, etc
Cons:
– THE POCKETS. I also have a double rainbow and have the same issue with that one. From what I can tell, all Tarptent pockets are disappointing. The edge of the pocket isn’t tapered at all and the pockets are horizontal so anything larger than a contacts case just kinda falls out often. There are clips on the ceiling of the tent so you could rig something up for that space.
– There’s always extra fabric on the tent floor, partly because of being able to extend/retract the sides (when one is retracted for more vestibule space, that naturally creates extra floor fabric). This means that the floor slides around on the ground cloth a lot and if you’re on a slight slope, you will slide to that tent wall no matter what you do, even if your sleeping pad can grip the tent floor just fine. See the pro tip below for a possible fix that I have not tried.
– This is related to the previous point. When you retract the tent floor for more vestibule space, the wall on that side becomes slack, so if you lean your pack against the wall in the vestibule, it encroaches on your living space pretty heavily. I’ve mostly solved this issue by bringing a stake or using something to stake the tent wall in place wherever it lands so that the tent wall has more support to hold the pack up. I’m not sure if there’s really a solution to this other than getting rid of the adjustability of the vestibule space.
– I’ve never been able to get the fly totally taught for some reason, even just setting it up in my backyard with ample time and stake spots. Perhaps if you use 6 stakes (one on each corner and two for the vestibules) you could pull it off but they only supply 2. I have extras I can pull from my other Tarptent so I’m going to just get in the habit of carrying 6. Loose/saggy parts in the fly make for noisy nights when there’s any kind of wind. This could totally be user error so take it with a grain of salt.
– One more thing, this tent is technically free standing but it’s not going to stand freely for long if there’s any kind of breeze. This is just because of how tall and narrow it is without the two sides staked out. To be able to actually sleep in it, you will have to secure the two sides somehow but some rocks would probably do, in a pinch.
Pro tips:
This is just a typical issue with the fabric but the floor is SOOO slippery. I put stripes of slightly dried seam sealant on the inside of the floor so my sleeping pad would grip better and that was helpful, but the floor itself slides around a lot on the tyvek ground cloth. This is fixable, I think, with sealant stripes on the bottom of the tent floor. If you put sealant stripes on the inside floor, you should put them on the underside of the floor too.
Bring 6-7 stakes if you want the rain fly to be taught. 3 stakes if you want to pull back the interior on one side to make vestibule space so you can stake the tent wall down on that side. 2 stakes if you just want it to physically be standing and usable.
Caleb Bond (verified owner) –
After much looking for a new tent I landed on the Bowfin 1S. I liked the mostly free standing design, weight, color, and doesn’t need trekking poles. Just my criteria. I purchased the tent and after a few days hadn’t seen a shipping notification. I called with no response then emailed Tarptent. Turns out they had a power outage, no big deal. I was given a call back and email (awesome!) letting me know and my tent was out that day. A few days after I received the tent I went to seam seal and noticed a couple small straps for the fly missing. It was a Sunday, I emailed Tarptent and the next day went out on a two night camping/fishing trip. Tent held up great in around 20mph gusts. The first night I had condensation with the fly fully covered. I was about 30 yards from the river so no surprise. The next night I pulled the fly half back and it was great. Small condensation on the inner tent walls from my heavy breathing. I got back from my trip today and in the mail were the two straps. OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE. So far my favorite feature of the Bowfin 1S is the double entry/vestibule. This allows me to pitch the tent easier regarding slope as there is no dedicated head/foot side or entry. Can’t wait to use the tent more this summer. Thanks!