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The Black Diamond Skylight 3-Person Tent is an extremely versatile, lightweight shelter for spring, summer, and fall. The Skylight does battle with downpours and wins every time, while providing plenty of ventilation so you don’t get that nasty clammy feeling. The vestibule gives you ten square feet of storage for anything that you want to keep dry and out -of -the way. In warm weather you can pull back the fly and open up the mesh canopy to the stars. The versatility of the Skylight makes it a good choice for camping in almost any weather condition.*
Bottom Line: *Not recommended for use during volcanic eruptions.
Meg, check out this link to trailspace.com. It has ten more reviews on this tent that will help you get a better opinion on the tent and condensation. http://www.trailspace.com/gear/black-diamond/skylight/
As with all single wall tents, you will experience condensation. Whether it's a big problem or not will vary with each person. I own a 2 person single wall and whenever it rains or is cold and humid, I will have some condensation on the inside. When this happens, I use the MSR Packtowel to wipe down the condensation, or I just wait until it evaporates. If I'm expecting to spend several nights in the backcountry and expect more than 1-2 night of rain, I pack my double-wall tent.
If you are expecting to use your tent where it will be raining frequently and/or humid, you will be a lot more comfortable getting a double-wall tent.
Used for car camping, just used a tarp for footprint, cause I hadn't gotten the actually BD footprint for it. Thought the mesh was nice for ventilation, but the fly was really great and kept the rain off all night. This is a single layer tent, but the layer pulls on and off the mesh. Pretty easy to assemble ( I did it by myself in the dark) and light to pack in a pack. Got it for a deal on SAC. Mine is the yellow standard BD tent color, it looks more green in the pic.
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How does everyone feel about this tent? It's between this tent and the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2. I use my tent quite often and am looking to replace an older tent with something a little bit lighter for backpacking. It will be for 2 people and the occasional dog.
I spend a lot of time in my tent and I am ok with carrying extra weight for a GREAT tent. My priorities are Likability, ability to avoid condensation, durability, then space and weight. Although a lightweight tent is a pro I'm more concerned with likability, pockets, weather resistance, durability, etc.
Agreed with Eli - this tent will condense much worse than the copper spur. Go for the Copper spur 3 (barely any weight penalty over the 2) before the Hubba Hubba with Gear shed (read: pain to pitch) though.
Also, None of the above mentioned tents are exceptionally durable - the Skylight features THIN nanoshield that isn't waterproof. The Hubba Hubba and Copper Spur both feature the same pole system that doesn't do too well in wind, and ultralight fabric for the rainflies.
And now for my suggestion - I noticed you didn't mention "price", "availability on backcountry.com" or "freestanding" in your criteria. Have you considered a Hilleberg Nallo 3?
Likeability - These remain totally dry while being pitched in the rain, Pitch super fast, come in 2 colors, have multiple pockets plus attachment points for a clothesline or gear loft, and will garner you total respect from all who frequent the mountains. What's not to like? No Condensation - Double walls and tunnel venting prevent condensation. Durability - Proprietary fabric and tunnel design yield a tent that can withstand legitimate 4 season storms. Gusts to 60mph+, no kidding. Space - 64"x88" + Vestibule Weight - 4lb 10oz min/5lb 5oz trail. Compare to 4lb 2oz min 5lb trail for this tent.
The downsides? It isn't free standing (but pitches quickly), and its $625.
Hi Megan,, For your priorities of avoiding condensation and durability, I would lean towards the Copper Spur UL2. Any single wall tent will have condensation after a downpour or in high humidity & cooler temps.
As far as another recommendation, I think the perfect tent for you would be the MSR Hubba Hubba 2 person tent, combined with the Gear Shed vestibule. The gear shed provides tons of extra room for outings when your bring the dog Especially when it's raining and you don't want a wet dog crawling around your sleeping bags and gear. It's going to be a little pricier, but I'm sure you can find a great deal online.
I just bought this tent recently and was a bit disappointed. I really liked the design and the concept, but it just doesn't seem to work out. The big issue with condensation in this tent is because this tent doesn't breathe! I've only camped in it once, but it wasn't raining, it was hot and sunny. The inside of the tent never cooled down. I slept with the door completely open and my head practically hanging out I was so hot. Another issue I had was the velcro for the poles. I set the tent up and took it down three or four times, and every time the velcro snagged the mesh and messed it up. My last complaint is with the footprint. It really is too small. The corners of the tent all hang off the footprint. I really wanted to like this tent so it's a shame I wasn't happy with it. All in all, not a bad tent, but for the price it should be a great tent.
When I first got this tent I loved it!!! Lightweight, roomy and holds up in wind and heavy thunderstorms in the mountains. But now that I've had the tent for 5 years, I am disappointed. I'm an average user. I used the tent on summer/fall weekends and long backpacks 1x a year. The tent is falling apart now!!! Zipper doesn't work and holes are appearing in the fabric, especially where the tent fabric attaches to the bathtub floor. I have taken care of the tent - cleaned it out and never put it away wet. Washed it with a hose 3x. Durability on this tent stinks. With a price this high, a tent should last longer! Finally... I called Black Diamond asking if I could send it in for zipper repair and pay for it myself. NOPE Black Diamond doesn't repair it. Don't buy this tent if you want it to last 10 years.
Does anyone know if you can completely seal off the elements in this tent? In other words, does the vestibule zip to the insect mesh or is there a separate piece that does this? Hoping to push this tent to mellow'ish four season use.
You can't quite seal it all the way off. The vent at the back has no zipper but is pretty well protected. As for the vestibule...the front part comes down and buckles into place on either side and then has a hook on either side at the front pole as well. Staking it out brings everything very close to the ground, essentially sealing it off. You could pile just a bit of snow along the two edges to make it seal if you really needed to. This tent actually won Backpacker Magazine's lightest mountaineering tent award too so you should be set! http://www.backpacker.com/gear-guide-april-2010-gear-review-black-diamond-skylight-mountaineering-tent/gear/13904
John, I have a Nanoshield Highlight and have yet to camp in it. I did however set it up in my driveway during a huge rain storm (un-seam sealed) and sprayed water from a hose on it at the same time. I too was curious about Nanoshield. After an hour or hard rain and 30 mins. of me squirting it, I found about three drops behind an interior pole. It was virtually floating in water. I was shocked! I will seal it and will have no problems taking it out on the trail.
I am going to ask the same question. I liked this cool tent, but comparing materials I think a MSR hubba is better choice. Nanoshield only supports 900 mm column of water, hubba 1500 and the floor 2000 whereas the hubba 5000. Could anyone give his oppinion?
Used for car camping, just used a tarp for footprint, cause I hadn't gotten the actually BD footprint for it. Thought the mesh was nice for ventilation, more...
I just bought this tent recently and was a bit disappointed. I really liked the design and the concept, but it just doesn't seem to work out. The more...
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