Focus On The Trail Because We Focus On The Gear
There are plenty of challenges when it comes to designing products and this is especially true in an ultra-competitive marketplace where you really cannot afford to miss the mark.
When developing products it is easy to spend too much money and overshoot your target market, let alone the challenge of getting the best materials, parts and quality to get a great product. The making of our tents is no different and we constantly deal with these challenges.
However, we wouldn't have it any other way!
With the Rakaia Design tents, we have focused on the sort of gear that gives you "uncomplicated peace of mind". Yes, we have looked at other brands much larger than ourselves and we have closely compared our product with theirs.
With the ability to cut the middle man out, this has definitely given us certain advantages against the big retailer.
The first thing that we have executed on with the 2 Person Backpacking Tent is creating a real all-weather tent, so that you stay dry and so that you can stay focused on the trail.
I have spent nights in damp leaking tents and those that can attest to the discomfort and resultant poor nights sleep. We could have gone into lighter weight nylon fabrics, which would reduce the weight of the tent. The pitfalls with lightweight nylon are the expense of fabric, the durability and the waterproof qualities of the fabric.
We have found that with thicker fabrics, when a waterproof coating is applied at heavier rates, (like our tent), the waterproof coating is absorbed more effectively by the thicker fabric and acts as a more effective rain barrier than some thin nylon tents. This means that when you have a 5000mm waterproof rating on the tent floor and a 3000mm waterproof rating on the tent fly, the product holds up better in teeming rain after years of use and abuse, as thick fabrics are more durable over the test of time and less likely to leak or tear.
On the other hand we have big name brand tents with massive marketing budgets that use lightweight fabrics and low waterproof ratings all for the sake of a few grams.
As a result, the gear no longer lasts the test of time. Sure you may get a few years out of it, but this is why I would personally rather own a product that strikes a balance. I want my gear to be on the lightweight spectrum, but there comes a point where too much is sacrificed for weight, especially with tents. So even though we produce lightweight tents, you can be assured that it is a waterproof bomb shelter that can hold up in the high wind, driving rain and even snowfall.
With this design, we have created the highest waterproofing to weight ratio on the market, giving you the freedom to explore further.
Another key feature with the Rakaia Designs tents is the color coordinated one piece skeleton pole system. This single pole has been selected due to its simplicity to use.
Customers constantly report back saying
"This is the easiest tent to set up...ever"
The advantage is that when a high quality aluminum is used in the design, it provides a lot of strength throughout the body of the tent. It also allows the tent fly to connect easily with simple hooks that connect to the frame, which makes the setup of this tent a breeze. Coupled with a colored pole system, you never have to worry about which end goes where, taking all of the frustration out of the set up after a long day on the trail.
Zippers are an integral part of keeping you dry and warm, so we topped the design off with the strongest SBS zippers we could find.
These guys are a real up and coming manufacturer of zippers that now competes with YKK and are now a giant in a marketplace that was dominated by only one brand for such a long time. Both of these brands lead the market when it comes to zippers and no one touches them. We only use the best, so you can comfortably trust the gear.
There is nothing (and I mean nothing) worse than bent tent stakes when you get your tent out of the bag. In the words of Peter Griffin, when tent stakes bend “it really grinds my gears’’.
This is why the Rakaia Designs Single Latch Aluminum Tent Stakes have been so popular. Not only are they shaped with a multi beam design for structural strength, but the stake has only 1 latch which greatly increases its yield loading, reduced the likelihood of bending and in turn reduces tent tantrums.
All of this, and we have also beefed up the thickness a touch from other similar brands to further remove the likelihood of bent stakes without making them too heavy. It absolutely sucks when you pull a new tent out of the bag, go to use it only to find out that it has cheap tent stakes that you know will look like used nails in no time flat!
If you want to learn more about the best waterproofing to weight tent on the market, just click the link below.