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Owner Review: Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD Tent
Personal Biographical Info:
Name: Todd Martin
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 145 lbs.
Email Address: todds_hiking_guide (at) yahoo (dot) com
Location: Phoenix, AZ USA
Date: October 1, 2002
Background:
Thru-hiked the AT in 1994. Moved to Pacific Northwest 1996 and enjoyed day
hiking excursions in the Columbia River Gorge area, followed by some backpacking
along the Pacific Crest Trail. Moved to the desert southwest in 1997 and have
been actively day hiking most weekends. Generally take 2 week long backpacking
trips to the Grand Canyon each year, plus several shorter 2-3 day trips
throughout the state. Backpacking philosophy has been rapidly moving towards
ultra-light gear. Have also been participating in caving and canyoneering since
1997. Web master for Todd's Desert Hiking Guide at:
http://www.ToddsHikingGuide.com
Other shelters used: GoLite Cave 2 and Nest 2 system
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Sierra Designs (http://www.sierradesigns.com)
Year of Manufacture: 1994
Listed Weight: 3 lbs. 13 oz. (trail weight)
Weight as Delivered: 3 lbs. 12.8 oz.
Style of Product: 2 person, 3-season tent
Field and Test Information:
Location(s) of test: The entire Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia (1994)
and miscellaneous other locations including sections of the Pacific Crest Trail
in Oregon and the desert southwest.
Terrain: Mountainous with elevations from 2000 to 7000 feet, and rocky desert
Weather Conditions: Everything from pleasant to snow, sleet, wind and rain
Description of Experience and Comments on Product Performance:
The Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight is a 2 person, 3-season tent made of 2.0 oz.
Ripstop Nylon (canopy) and 2.6 oz. Polyurethane Coated Nylon Taffeta. The
rainfly is made of 2.0 oz. Polyurethane Coated Nylon Taffeta. The tent is
supported by 2 DAC Featherlite ™ Aluminum poles and is non-freestanding. The
tent floor is 32 square feet with an interior peak height at 43 inches. The fly
provides a 6 square foot vestibule when set up. The zippered door and foot panel
are constructed of no-see-um netting.
Set Up:
The tent can be pitched on bare ground in under 3 minutes. This is accomplished
by staking down the four corners, threading the two poles, then tossing on the
fly and tying it down. I have found that the strings provided to tie down the
fly increased the set up time and made it difficult to get the fly taut.
Replacing the strings with medium gauge elastic cord eliminated this problem.
Two additional stakes are required to secure the vestibule & door.
The drawback of a non-free standing tent is that it is more difficult to pitch
than a free standing tent in areas where stakes are impractical (such as on a
wooden tent platform, or in sandy or rocky soil). I have found that the tent can
be anchored very securely by using cord to secure the anchor points of the tent
to fixed objects. I have used rocks, shrubs, trees, roots, the wooden slats of a
tent platform and sticks weighted by rocks for this purpose. Having to tie the
tent down typically increases the set up time by 2-10 minutes, depending on the
effort required to find or build a suitable anchor.
Shelter:
When pitched, the tent makes a very comfortable shelter for one person and gear.
The large zippered door makes entry and exit simple. While not exactly roomy,
the space is large enough to stave off claustrophobia and the head of the tent
is tall enough to allow most people to sit up. Donning and doffing clothes
requires some maneuvering, but this is something you get used to. There is a
small pocket attached inside the tent that is useful for storing small items
(like a flashlight or glasses) so that you can easily locate them in the middle
of the night.
As a two person shelter, the tent is best described as cozy. There is little
room in the tent for more than two people, pads and sleeping bags. The remainder
of your gear must spend the night outside. Since there is little room beneath
the fly for storing additional items, I have made it a practice to stack the
remaining gear in a pile and cover it with a pack cover or trash bag to protect
it from the elements.
Fly:
The fly fits very snugly around the back and sides of the tent, eliminating the
opportunity to store gear beneath it at night. The vestibule is small as well,
and I find I typically only use this space to store footwear. If camping in
inclement weather, it is possible to operate a stove within the vestibule, but
it is not recommended. Extreme care must be taken to ensure that the fly and
head of the tent do not come into contact with the open flame. In addition,
vapors from the stove are channeled directly into the tent due to the shape of
the fly. My main complaint with the tent is the size of the vestibule which
could be redesigned to provide more area with little impact to weight. It is my
understanding that Sierra Designs has addressed this issue and increased the
size of the vestibule on more recent versions of this tent. Ventilation within
the tent is good, particularly with the vestibule door open and the tent pitched
so that the head or foot is oriented into the prevailing breeze. On warm, dry
nights the fly can be eliminated altogether, improving ventilation. On cold
nights, the fly traps body heat and moisture, providing some additional warmth.
Though it is not uncommon to find that the trapped moisture from respiration
accumulates as frost on the inside tent walls.
Weather Resistance:
I have camped with this tent under all sorts of weather conditions, from
snow to sleet to rain to wind. I have found the tent to perform exceptionally in
all cases. In high winds the tent may be pitched very tautly to eliminate
flapping which makes sleeping difficult. In all manners of precipitation, I have
found the tent to be extremely weather proof. On one occasion, in a pounding
thunderstorm, rain drops were hitting the ground so hard that they were
splashing under the fly and forming droplets on the outside of the tent walls.
After a full night of stormy weather I found items located around the periphery
of the tent to be mildly damp, though none were soaked or unusable.
Parting Thoughts:
I have spent considerable time carrying and using the Clip Flashlight tent as a
shelter. I carried it the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, then continued
to use it on excursions in the pacific northwest and desert southwest. In all
that time the tent has never developed a rip or a tear and though I have since
switched to backpacking with a tarp, I have no doubt that there is still life
left in it yet. The Clip Flashlight is among the lightest of the dual walled
tents and certainly performs well under a variety of conditions. Those that like
the security and ease of set up of a tent will find the Clip Flashlight to be a
functional, durable and light weight choice.
Read more reviews of Sierra Designs gear
Read more gear reviews by Todd L. Martin
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