Biographical Information

Name:  Andrew Henrichs
Age:  25
Gender:  Male
Height:  6’ 2” (1.88 m)
Weight:  190 lb (86.2 kg)

Email address:  a_henrichs@yahoo.com           
City, State, Country:  Carbondale, Colorado, USA

Backpacking Background

   Most of my backpacking has been in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, as well as the desert in the southwestern US.  I’ve gone winter camping several times, but I still prefer backpacking in the warmer months.  Most of my trips are 2-3 days, but I have taken several trips of 5-6 days.  This past summer, I was fortunate enough to have thru-hiked the 476 mile Colorado Trail over 35 days.  Recently, I have been leaning towards the lightweight side of the spectrum. 

Product Information

Manufacturer:  Sierra Designs (www.sierradesigns.com)

Year of Manufacturer:  2006

MSRP:  $289.95 US

Manufacturers Specifications

Stated Trail Weight: 4 lb 0 oz (1.8 kg)

Stated Packed Weight: 4 lb 7 oz (2.0 kg)

Stated Packed Size: 21 in by 5 in (53 cm by 13 cm)

Stated Floor Length: 83 in (211 cm)

Stated Floor Width (narrow side): 45 in (114 cm)

Stated Floor Width (wide side): 52 in (132 cm)

Stated Interior Area: 28 sq ft (2.6 sq m)

Stated Vestibule Area (each): 7 sq ft (.7 sq m)

Stated Peak Height: 40 in (102 cm)

Tester Measurements

Measured Weight (as delivered): 4 lb 7.5 oz (2.0 kg)

Measured Trail Weight: 4 lb 0.5 oz (1.8 kg)

Measured Weight (tent body): 3 lb 2 oz (1.4 kg)

Measured Weight (poles): 14.5 oz (411 g)

Measured Weight (stuff sack total): 2.5 oz (71 g)

Measured Weight (6 stakes): 3.5 oz (99 g)

Measured Weight (guy lines): 1.5 oz (43 g)

Measured Packed Size (uncompressed): 21 in by 6 in (53 cm by 15 cm)

Measured Packed Size (compressed): 15 in by 7 in (38 cm by 18 cm)

Measured Floor Length: 82 in (208 cm)

Measured Floor Width (narrow side): 45 in (114 cm)

Measured Floor Width (wide side): 51.5 in (131 cm)

Measured Interior Area: 29.3 sq ft (2.7 sq m)

Measured Vestibule Area (each): 7.1 sq ft (.7 sq m)

Measured Peak Height: 38 in (97 cm)

Product Description

   The Baku 2 Tent is a new addition to Sierra Designs "Ultralight Tents" category.  It is a hybrid of single and double-wall tents.  This free-standing tent assembles when the ends of the two aluminum Featherlight poles are inserted into the grommets on diagonal corners of the tent.  Small plastic "Clip Locs" are then clipped to the tent.  There is a short third pole for the apex of the tent.   This pole  inserts into two tabs located on the top of the tent, giving shape to the very top.  There is a larger "Clip Loc" on the apex of the tent.  All three poles are passed through the clip, and a short elastic cord is wrapped around the poles before locking into a groove.  The more wraps of the elastic cord, the more stability is created.  The tent body floor is roughly rectangular, and the two long sides of the tent feature a dual-zippered, full-circle mesh "stash door" as well as a fixed triangular vestibule.  With the four corners and the two vestibule tabs staked out, the tent assumes a hexagonal shape when viewed from above.  Regardless of which zipper one uses to unzip the mesh door, the zipper terminates in the upper-right hand side of the door.  There is a small mesh pocket inside the tent body where the user can tuck the door into when it is open.  Each vestibule features a dual-zipper that contours along the tent body from the floor to the apex of the tent.  The vestibule door can be rolled up and secured out of the way.  The tent features two vents; one on each of the shorter sides.  One vent is located midway up the wall, the other is located near the top of the tent.  Each features a small mesh opening which is propped up with a short internal pole and anchored into place with a hook and loop closure.  These vents are also anchored closed with hook and loop closures.  In addition to the "stash door" pockets, there is one medium-sized pocket located just above floor level.  There are also four loops on the ceiling for a gear loft, coffee sling, etc.  The tent comes with six metal stakes and four guy lines, each measuring 75 in (191 cm).  It also comes with instructions in English only.  The instructions include information about pitching the tent, site selection, ventilation, and several general maintenance issues.

Field Testing

    I've been fortunate enough to test this tent on many occasions already.  I've used this tent for one overnight backpacking trip, a five-day backpacking/climbing/mountaineering trip, and approximately six nights of car camping.  Settings have ranged from high desert to remote alpine basins to sub-alpine forests and meadows.  Elevations on these trips ranged from 4500 ft (1400 m) to 12200 ft (3700 m).  Night time temperatures ranged from approximately 30º F (-1º C) to 50º F (10º C).  Weather encountered on these trips has included clear skies, threatening clouds, moderate wind, no wind, graupel (small, soft snow pellets), light drizzle, and a torrential downpour. 

My observations of the Sierra Designs Baku 2 Tent are as follows:

1.   Ease of Set-Up - This tent is very easy to set up.  I don't have to struggle to get the pole tips into the grommets, and there are only six stake-out points, making it easy to anchor the tent down.  I haven't had to set the tent up in the dark, but given my experiences thus far, I'm not too worried about it.  After locating the appropriate grommets, it's just a matter of clipping the "Clip Locs" to the pole.  Setting the tent up in high winds concerns me a little bit, particularly if I'm alone.  Once both poles are inserted into the grommets and clipped to the "Clip Locs", the tent has a substantial side profile.  This acts as a moderate-sized sail until I get a couple stakes to anchor it down.  The tent hasn't blown off any ledges so far, but I've had to be quick and careful when setting it up in the wind.  I'll have to see if this continues to be a concern. 

2.   Living Space – I like the living space provided by this tent.  When I've used it solo, it's been near palatial.  When used with two people, it's very adequate.  The double vestibules play a big part in providing enough living space.  I have noticed that if I don't have the tent staked out taut, either the head or foot of my sleeping bag touch the end walls of the tent.  This isn't a problem if I'm solo, as I can sleep diagonally, but it does pose a problem when sharing the tent with a friend in wet weather.  On my longest trip, I shared the tent with a friend with a build similar to me.  We were definitely cozy, but neither of us felt cramped. 

3.  Vestibule – I'm pretty impressed with the vestibules, provided they are staked out taut.  I could easily fit a 4000 cu in (66 L) pack under the vestibule.  I also had spare room for hiking shoes, a rock climbing helmet, and my camp sandals, all the while leaving me plenty of room to get into and out of the tent.  My friend was able to fit the same under his vestibule.  One small quibble that I have with the vestibule actually pertains to the ball and loop used to fasten the vestibule out of the way when it's rolled up.  It would be nice if each strap were just a little longer.  I've had problems unhooking the vestibule when I'm rushed, have only one free hand, or cold hands. 

4.   Breathability/Ventilation – This is my first experience with a single wall tent.  So far, I have mixed feelings.  When it's dry out, the tent is fabulous.  When I'm solo and there is a light rain, it's pretty good.  When I have a friend along and there's some form of precipitation, I'm less than thrilled.  The two small vents are great as long as there is wind to ventilate the tent.  When the weather looks like it will cooperate, I'll unzip one or both of the zippers from the top to increase ventilation.  In these situations, there is no condensation at all.  If there is no breeze and I'm solo, sleeping with the vestibules completely closed, there is some condensation in the morning.  If there is no breeze and I'm with a friend, sleeping with the vestibules completely closed, there is more condensation in the morning.  Any time that it really rains and I have to leave the vestibules closed, there is a lot of condensation in the morning.  Unfortunately, this condensation likes to drip from the ceiling onto me any time the tent is bumped.  This makes entering and exiting the tent a tenuous dance to avoid getting wet. 

5.   Waterproofness – The siliconized 40-denier nylon is very waterproof.  All of the moisture that I've encountered on the inside of the nylon is condensation.  I haven't found any leaking seams yet.  After my first storm (without a groundsheet under the tent), I looked at the floor and thought "Oh no, the floor is soaked!"  Upon closer inspection, I realized that the underside of the SuperSeal floor must be soaked, but the moisture never penetrated into the tent itself.  Regardless, I have started using a thin plastic groundsheet to protect the floor from punctures, if nothing else. 

6.   Stability – The Sierra Designs Baku 2 has not let me down in the wind.  I experienced several strong gusts, as well as a moderate sustained wind when camping above treeline.  I decided to guy out the windward side of the tent when initially faced with this wind, but I soon realized that it wasn't necessary.  Once staked out, this tent is rock solid in the wind. 

7.   Durability – The tent seems very durable so far.  Even after approximately eight nights use without a protective groundsheet, I never experienced any holes in the material.  As for zipper durability, the only problem that I've noticed with the zippers is that the vestibule zippers tent to get caught on the material covering the zipper if I'm not careful. 

8.   Packability – The Baku 2 fits into my backpack very well.  It's packed size seems fairly similar, if not slightly smaller than, other tents I've used.  I do wish that the provided stuff sack had a small handle sewn onto the bottom.  This minor detail makes it much easier to pull the stuff sack out of a stuffed backpack. 

9.   Organizational Simplicity – I'm fairly happy with the gear pockets.  I find myself using the "stash door" pockets more for gear than the door itself.  The medium-sized pocket located just above the floor is nice, but it would be really nice if there were one more of these pockets, particularly when there are two occupants in the tent. 

10. Smell – Well, call it habit, but I haven't been able to make myself store this tent wet to test the “Tent Guard with Ultra Fresh” fungistatic agent.  If it's any consolation, this tent has been wet a lot and I haven't noticed any funky smells.  I'll see if I can bring myself to commit this wet-tent storing sacrilege in the next couple months.  

Thank you to Sierra Designs and BackpackGearTest.org for giving me the opportunity to test this tent.