Mountain Safety Research Fling Tent

Initial Report
June 3, 2006

Tester Information
Name: Raymond Estrella
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 3" (193 cm)
Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Email address: rayestrella@hotmail.com
City: Huntington Beach
State: California
Country: USA 

Backpacking Background: I have been hiking for over 30 years, all over the state of California. I have also hiked in Washington, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona, and Idaho. I hike year-round, mostly in the Sierra Nevada, and put 555 miles (894 km) on my boots last year.  As I start my 4th decade of backpacking I am making the move to lightweight gear, and smaller packs.

The product

Manufacturer: Mountain Safety Research, Inc. (MSR)
Web site: www.msrcorp.com
Product: Fling
Year manufactured: 2006
MSRP: $269.95 (US)
Size: 2 person
Packaged weight (complete) listed: 4 lb (1.8 kg) Actual weight: 4 lb 5.3 oz (1.96 kg)
Minimum weight (body & poles) listed: 3 lb 6 oz (1.5 kg) Actual weight: 3 lb 7.3 oz (1.57 kg)
Interior height listed: 40 in (102 cm) Verified accurate but can change with setup
Length listed: 80 in (203 cm) Verified accurate but can change with setup
Width (foot & head) listed: 48 and 70 in (122 & 178 cm) Verified accurate but can change with setup
Packed size listed: 20 x 6 in (51 x 15 cm) Verified accurate
Color tested: Sunset (What I call MSR ultra-light orange)
Warranty: (quoted from company web site) “MSR warranties the materials and workmanship in every MSR tent we make to the original owner. If your MSR tent has received proper care, but fails due to a defect in manufacturing, the tent will be repaired or replaced at our discretion.”

Product description

The MSR Fling (hereafter called the Fling or tent) is a single-wall tent with an interesting design. At first glance it seems to be a double hoop, tunnel style three-season tent, and can indeed be set-up that way. But with the addition of a center pole it is a free-standing tent. Let me break it down.

The Fling arrived in a cardboard box containing the tent inside its stuff sack. Attached to the sack was a ten page color glossy brochure hang tag, printed in six languages. It touts the features of the Fast & Light series of tents (which the Fling is one) and of the Fling itself. Inside were six Owner’s Manuals. I tossed all but the one printed in English. The manual has use and care instructions, and setup tips. But the Fling, which is very new to the line, is not included. A fold out label on the 1.6 oz (45 g) main stuff sack does have setup instructions for the Fling. There is also a consumer tag attached to the outside of the sack that I cut off as soon as these pictures were taken. (I could not tell how much weight that saved me, my American Weigh AMW-13 digital scale will not go below 1 g :->)

The solid portions of the tent with the exception of the floor are made of 30 denier, 246 thread count nylon with a silicon treatment and a 1500 mm urethane coating. The red colored “bath tub” floor is made of 70D 190T nylon with a silicon treatment and a 5000 mm urethane coating. The netting used in the vents and door is 1.4 oz. (37 g) 20D polyester no-see-um mesh.

A 0.7 oz (20 g) pole storage sack contains three 9 mm (0.35 in) DAC Featherlite SL 7001 aluminum poles of varying length, and a short pole splint for emergency repairs. The two shorter silver poles are used in the set up of the Fling in the standard non-freestanding mode. They run through a sleeve at either end of the tent and plug into grommets at the corners. When setting up this way I thread the poles through the sleeves and arch them into place. I then stake the four corners, and attach a stake to the front and rear beak-like awnings to pull the tent ends away from each other, thus keeping it standing upright. Here is a picture of it setup like this.


To set up as freestanding I use the optional 8.7 oz (247 g) black center pole also. The pole attaches to a clip on the top of each hooped pole sleeve and into a grommet at the tip of the extended “awning”. The other end attaches into a like grommet at the end of the rear beak. The pole also clips on two inverted “V” supports in between the hooped poles. The addition of this “spine” as I think of it adds strength to the tent, and will most likely be the way I use it most. I think it will be especially useful for the possible snow I could encounter next week. Here it is like that.


Two vents made of netting run the full length of each side of the Fling. The netting is attached to the body of the tent, which is split lengthwise roughly 8 in (20 cm) up from the bottom. The upper tent body overlaps the lower section to keep it protected from the elements. Two guy points on this flap are connected to a single line, which when attached to a stake, will pull the flap away from the lower body exposing more of the vent to the big outdoors. MSR’s contention is that condensation that forms on the inside body of the tent will run down the sides and drop off through the netting between the upper and lower section to the ground below, instead of pooling on the floor of the tent.

The single door opens up the entire front end of the tent. It has a double-ended two-way zipper running all the way around. It looks huge when it is open! A mesh backed nylon window at the top of the door can be opened to help vent the tent and to look at an awning-obstructed view. The zippers are complemented with reflective pulls on the ends of all of them.

Inside the tent are two mesh gear pockets that are formed by sewing the side mesh vent a bit lower at the front of the tent. At this point I do not know that I would jeopardize the integrity of the tent by using them. A rip and I will be fighting the skeeters all night!

It came with eight “Ultralight Needle” stakes. These 6 in (152 mm) stakes are listed as weighing 9.9 g (0.35 oz) each. I get a total weight of 2.7 oz (77g) for an actual weight of 9.6 g (0.34 oz) each. The weight of these is quite impressive. I normally carry titanium stakes that only weigh 0.8 g (0.03 oz) less than the needle stakes. A 0.5 oz (14 g) storage sack is provided for the stakes. I will be leaving this at home most of the time. Here is a shot of the rear awning and vent.


Test Conditions

We are going to attempt to climb White Mountain in the Bristlecone Pine Forest in May. The temps should be down to the teens F (-10 C) and we will be hiking 44 miles (71 km), on snow for most of it. This will be a combination hiking, snow travel, mountaineering trip, and should see some major condensation.

I am taking my twin children on their first backpacking trip to San Jacinto State Park in July. Their cousin Kendall and my brother-in-law (her dad) will accompany us. I will take the Fling and a 3 person tent for the trip.

We have a permit for a 4 day trip in August for Kearsarge Pass to Cottonwood Lakes. This trip will take us over three passes, including Forrester, the highest in the Sierra. And we will be doing the Southern half of the John Muir Trail at the end of September.

The average temps for my three-season hiking vary wildly because of the areas I hike. I have seen 27 F (-3 C) and snowing in August, and 118 F (48 C) the month before. I am usually above tree line, between 8,000’ and 14,000’ (2,438-4,267 m) elevation in the summer. Lower elevations in the spring.

Initial Observations

I am a little disappointed in the weight of the Fling. 5.3 oz (150 g) is a lot to be off when you are marketing something to the gram-counting “Fast & Light” crowd. That is an 8.5% difference. I can see many ways that it could have been lessened though. The pole and stake sack certainly do not need to have thick cords with cord-locks. The sacks that I use most of the time weigh 2/5 of the MSR equivalents.

That said let me expound on what I do like already. This tent is the roomiest lightweight tent I have ever used. (And trust me, I have used a lot.) I may be able to put both my children in this two man tent with me. And the head room with the center pole engaged is great. After spending last season in a tent that cleared my head as long as I did not move more than six in (15 cm) to the side of center, this is spoiling me already.

The Test

Most of my hiking is in my favorite area, the Sierra Nevada. As I like to include peak bagging with my hikes, I spend a lot of time above tree-line. So this tent will have to prove its wind-worthiness.

Most of last year I used a hybrid single-wall tent, and in winter use a Bibler Fitzroy, a true single-wall, so I am aware of the limitations and concerns faced with their use. I do not share my tent as a rule. I am pretty tall and like the extra space. So for most of the test I will be solo in the Fling.

When we take my nieces hiking with us I do share my tent with one of them. And my son will be with me a least one night. I will see how comfortable it is with two people in residence on those trips.

How easy is it to set up, especially if I am caught in one of the Sierra’s notorious afternoon thunderstorms? With the one piece design it should go up fast. I will time it under normal conditions, and see how much faster it goes up under pressure. (Aaah, it’s pouring…)

And how will it hold up in said storms? Will it catch the wind? Will the front act as a big wind sock if the wind changes direction to come at it head on? Will it get flattened if it does so? Will it snap the awning pole off in that situation? Will I become a big orange kite?

Will water come over the low upturned floor near the door? Will the taped seams leak? Since they are factory taped I will not do anything else to them unless forced to. (Why is my sleeping bag wet?)

Single wall tents are notorious for condensation issues. How will it handle the moisture? Will it vent adequately? Or will it be raining inside? Will the design of the moisture transferring wall/vents work, allowing condensation to run out of the tent?

I like the awning. Will it provide enough coverage to let me actually make some cocoa when it is snowing or raining out? If I chose to forgo the center pole, can I still use it with a line to a tree or rock?

I would like to thank MSR and BackpackerGearTest for the opportunity to test this tent.