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Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Black Diamond Distance Tent and Poles > Test Report by Brian HartmanBLACK DIAMOND DISTANCE TENT WITH Z-POLES CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT TESTER INFORMATION
I have been backpacking for over 20 years throughout Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and most recently in Western USA. In addition to backpacking I enjoy family camping with my wife and kids and being outdoors in general. I would describe myself as a mid weight backpacker. I use fairly light weight equipment and gear but still like to bring more than the bare essentials with me while on the trail. INITIAL REPORT Product Information Manufacturer: Black Diamond Distance tent with Carbon AR trekking poles Year of Manufacture: 2019 Manufacturer's Website: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com MSRP: $399.95 US Listed weight: 2 lb. 4 oz (1.03 kg), includes poles Measured weight: 2 lb. 6 oz (1.08 kg) Tent dimensions: 58 x 95 x 41 in (147 x 241 x 104 cm) Tent area: 26 sqft (2.4 sm2) Distance Tent details: Capacity: 2 Person Doors: Single door Poles: Uses BD AR trekking poles for sidewall support Pack size: 5 in x 12 in (13 x 30 cm) Range: 3 season backpacking Flysheet and Floor: High tenacity 30D Polyester with taped seams Waterproofing: PU / Silicone coating (1500 mm) Ventilation: Vents at peak, door and foot allow for cross ventilation Pockets: Headlamp pocket in peak and one single sidewall pocket Guylines: Reflective polyester / Dynex Color: Distance Blue One year warranty Distance AR Trekking Pole details: Weight per pair: 13.7 oz (388 g) Usable length: 41 - 49 in (105 - 125 cm) Collapsed length: 15 in (38 cm) Construction: Ultralight carbon Locking system: FlipLock One year warranty Product Description
The Black Diamond Distance tent (hereafter called the Distance or BD tent) is a three-season, ultralight, single-wall tent that Black Diamond describes as "built for weight conscious backpackers, thru-hikers and mountain adventurers". It's designed as a fast pitch shelter, using four stake-out points to anchor the tent, and the Black Diamond's Distance AR trekking poles (along with a small DAC cross pole) to form the structure of the tent. That's it, aside from two optional guy lines. At 2 lb 4 oz (1.03 kg) including the trekking poles, the tent is incredibly lightweight for a two-person tent, and even more so, considering the tent poles double as trekking poles. The exterior of the tent measures 58 x 95 x 41 in (147 x 241 x 104 cm). The flysheet and tent floor are made
of high tenacity 30D polyester that's been coated
with polyurethane / silicone to give it a 1,500mm waterproof rating.
In addition to the waterproof coating, all seams are taped.
As mentioned above, the main supports for the tent are the
AR trekking poles, which have a hole on the top of their grips that
allows them to receive the cross bar shown in the photo above, which
transforms them into structure poles for the tent. When the
trekking poles are not being used to hold up the tent, they can obviously
be used for their original purpose on the trail. Trying It Out
Setting
up the Distance was quick and easy. It took me less than 4
minutes to unpack the tent, stake it out, unfold the poles and adjust
them to the proper height to pitch the tent. Once pitched, the
trekking poles were slightly wobbly, but I'm sure I could raise them
further or add guy lines to the sides of the tent to provide
better stabilization. Once pitched I crawled inside the tent and
found it plenty big for myself and my gear. The door zippers were
easy to use and didn't catch while opening or closing.
SUMMARY What I like: This concludes my Initial Report for the Black Diamond Distance tent and poles. FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS During
the past two months I took the Distance on three multi-day backpacking
trips for a total of eight nights. My first trip was to the
Hoosier National Forest where I spent two nights in the tent. The
weather was cool and overcast with a high of 39 F (4 C). My
second outing was three nights in the Cuyahoga National Forest where I
covered 11 miles (18 km) across moderately hilly terrain. My third trip
was to Northern Wisconsin where the weather wasn't as nice with mostly
mist and light rain. I also used the Carbon AR trekking poles for numerous hikes. Location: Hoosier National Forest Location: N Ohio, Cuyahoga National Forest Location: NE Wisconsin, Devil's River Trail PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD SIZE/WEIGHT: I really like the small size and weight of the Distance tent. It fits in a 6 x 12 in (15 x 30 cm) nylon stuff sack, minus stakes and poles, and is incredibly lightweight at 2 lb. 4 oz (1.03 kg). I also like that the tent poles can be used for hiking when they're not holding up the tent. SETUP: I found the Distance tent quick and easy to pitch, but somewhat harder to tension properly so the fabric was taut. As can be seen in the photos above and below, the tent fabric was slack between the ridgeline and the ground and that caused it to sag in the middle. I think I was more aware of this because my other tents are very taut, since they have an exoskeleton, formed by curved tent poles that pull the tent body out. I tried raising the height of the trekking poles and moving the corner stakes out, but it only helped minimally so I will probably need to add guy lines to get the results I'm looking for. The tent has held up well in fair conditions, but it hasn't seen heavy winds or rain yet so I'll reserve comment on its structural rigidity until I have the opportunity to pitch it in bad weather. Since the Distance tent has a small footprint and no rainfly, I was able to pitch it in under four minutes. Taking it down was quick too; I simply unclipped the tent body from the trekking poles, removed the poles and tent stakes, then folded everything up. I wish the stuff sack was larger in diameter and its inner fabric was slippery to help get the tent into the sack more easily. Right now, it's a pain to get in the stuff sack. INTERIOR:
The inside of the tent had plenty of room for one person to sleep
comfortably. I was able to fit my sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and
backpack with no issues. I was also able to sit up and maneuver
inside the tent thanks to its high center poles. This allowed me
to changed clothes and get dressed without much hassle. I wish
there was a vestibule so I could leave my boots and wet raincoat
outside the tent, but I understand that's not how it was designed.
Moving on, the door opening was large enough so I could get
in and out of the tent with whatever I had. Although the Distance
is a two-person tent, it would only fit two people if their gear
was left outside. I had my kids crawl in for a few minutes and
lay next to each other. Afterwards, we decided we would
forego the weight savings and bring a double-wall tent with a vestibule
if camping together for more than one night. CARBON AR POLES: I've gotten a lot of use out of the BD trekking poles and really like them. They're comfortable to hold and super lightweight. In addition, they're fully adjustable to the proper size based on my height, and they fold up nicely when not being used so they take up very little space outside my backpack. I've used them on hard packed surfaces as well as loose dirt and gravel and they always grip well. They have some scratches and marks on them from use but are otherwise fine. SUMMARY So
far, I am pleased with the performance of the BD tent. It's
lightweight, compact, and quick to set up. There's enough room
for one person and their gear, but I don't think I would try to fit two
people in it since it doesn't have a vestibule to store backpacks and
shoes. I haven't yet experienced high winds or hard rain in
this tent so I cannot comment on its structural rigidity and/or
waterproofness in poor weather, apart from what I described above. LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS During Long Term testing, I used the Distance tent on two overnight backpacking trips. My
first trip was to Franklin County where I encountered dense
fog and temperatures ranging from the upper-20s to mid-30s
F (-2 to 2 C). My second trip was to the Charles Deam
Wilderness area in the Hoosier National Forest. This time skies
were clear, but temperatures were colder with a high of 24 F (-4.4 C).
I hiked approximately 21 miles (33.5 km) overall across mainly forested and hilly terrain. Trip One: 2 day, 2 night backpacking trip in Franklin County, Indiana (IN) PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD During this test period I slept in the BD Distance tent for four more nights and it performed well. Pitching the tent was quick and easy, like my previous experiences, and taking it down wasn't difficult either. One thing I did differently, though, on these last two outings was add guy lines to either side of the tent. The guy lines kept the tent fabric from sagging on either side of the main poles and stiffened up the tent body. Adding the guy lines made a big difference in windy conditions as they helped sturdy up the tent. On my trip to Franklin County I had no problem pushing the V pegs into the ground to stake out the tent, since it was soft from previous rainfall. However, the misty, foggy weather made me wish the tent had a vestibule where I could stash my wet backpack and shoes rather than bring them inside. On the plus side the Distance had plenty of head and shoulder room for me to stretch out, even with my backpack right next to me. The door opening was big enough that I could easily get gear into and out of the tent. The vents at the peak and foot area provided enough ventilation so there was little moisture build-up inside the tent and only minor condensation. On
my second outing I drove up an old fire road, parked in a gravel lot,
and then set out on foot to the trailhead. The trail was
hardpacked, thanks to several weeks of cold weather,
not muddy like it'd been the previous month. After several hours
of backpacking I found a nice campsite a few hundred feet off the trail
and started setting up the tent. I used a rock to pound the
pegs into place since the ground was frozen. After pitching
the tent, I hiked down to the lake to see how far out it was frozen.
I had brought enough water for two days, so I wasn't concerned
about busting through the ice to get more. After hanging out by
the lake for an hour or so I headed back to my campsite where I
gathered firewood and then made dinner. I
turned in for the night around 10pm when my fire died down and slept
well till early morning. Late the next morning I packed up and
headed towards a peninsula I knew of that had great views of the lake.
Getting the V pegs out of the frozen ground took some work, but I
finally got them out. It only took a few hours to get to the
peninsula, so I was there by mid-day and had the rest of the afternoon
to relax before setting up camp. The second night was like the
first, calm and uneventful. Overall the tent and trekking
poles performed well and were durable and I had no problems with either. SUMMARY The Black Diamond Distance has been a fun tent to test and one that I will continue to use in the future thanks to its lightweight design and compact size. I found it had plenty of room for me and my gear and was stable in the conditions I experienced during the last four months. Unfortunately, I experienced no high winds, heavy rains, or snow storms during testing, but if I get caught in those conditions in the future and the tent has issues, I'll post them in an addendum to this report. In the meantime, this concludes this test series. Thanks to Black Diamond and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this tent. Read more reviews of Black Diamond gear Read more gear reviews by Brian Hartman Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Black Diamond Distance Tent and Poles > Test Report by Brian Hartman |