It's a little bulky, but the weight to size ratio is amazing! I'm 6'3" and have no problem stretching out without butting into the sides, and there is more than enough room for me, my wife and our 3 large dogs.Last weekend we were in a torrential downpour with gusting winds in every direction at 12,000', and everything inside the tent and vestibules stayed bone dry. Some of the user photos make the rain fly look loose and flimsy, but there's no problem cinching it down tight as a drum.Aired it out in advance and no bug issues. The only criticism, as others have noted, is that the vestibule doors seem to be on the wrong side in relation to the tent door, so you have to open the tent door completely to get through the vestibule door. No big deal, but I would expect BD to reconfigure the set up.Highly recommended!

Where to begin...I put off buying this tent for a long time but kept coming back to it during my shopping and am glad I did. At first I was put off by the color of the fly as I normally like to keep a low profile but after re-routing my thinking I now don't see the orange fly as a negative. Instead it gives me peace of mind when I'm camping somewhere where someone might be hunting. If I want to be a little more stealthy (weather permiting)I just remove the fly. A light/lighter on/lit inside the tent illuminates the tent if seen from the outside at night. I solved this by using the red filter for my light. Okay, moving on to more important issues. The pole system is really great and saves alot of time setting up. I found that if your tall enough or have something to stand on you can simply hold the "hub" with one hand and lift it up so the poles are not touching the ground. A simple jiggle in this position and the poles snap together, well most of em. Size wise the tent is huge. Usually me+gf+dog but last time just me & dog and had so much extra room it was great. The fit of all components is excellent especially once everything is tightened,staked and guyed. We camped lakefront last weekend and had 80 degree weather but with gusty winds. My friends in their tent next to me declined to stake their tent down and ended up with a tent-kite (good laugh if you've never seen one). My Vista tent a few feet away (staked/tied) barely moved, inside the tent the wind couldn't even be felt (fly on).I bought the footprint also and have nothing but good things to say about it too. I haven't exp. rain in this tent yet so don't feel as I can fairly give a review on water resistance. Ventilation was good with no condensation (my dog even went swimming not too long before coming to bed, wasn't soaked but wasn't bone dry. It got really cold over night so I woke up and closed the vents. The tent retained me and my dogs body heat very well after that. I will be seam sealing it hopefully this weekend for an added measure. I probably missed many things but in summary this is a well made tent even though it is made in China (sorry China, I respect your country but not most of your manufacturing quality). I would recomend it in a second to someone looking for a good tent. Also I didn't notice the bug thing that everyone seems to talk about exept for the usual spiders that end up under the fly. Thanks for reading a long coffee fuled review...will review more once wet weather is experienced.

I bought the Vista after a lot of research, and I could not be more pleased it was just what I was looking for it's lived up to my expectations and beyond when it held up to a crazy strong wind storm I thought would just destroy it, it held like a rock. It takes less than 5 minutes to set up and take down with great space and weight, and great for star gazing with the tarp off.

Bought summer of 08 and took on 8-10 backpacking trips. Held up well in Alaskan summer/fall, hiked Kesugi Ridge with this on a rainy weekend and this tent kept me, my dog, and my gf all nice & dry. The weight of this thing vs. interior space is awesome.

7/31/11 - additional review...have had this tent in multiple expedition (7+ days) trips into Wrangell St Elias and its still held up fairly well. My 2 qualms - compared to more "technical" tents it doesnt pack down as nice. Secondly the fabric after a couple years seems prone to ripping & tearing...I carry a tent repair kit and expect a bit of wear & tear, but my rainfly at this point is just pattern of my patchwork. Still a good tent for the price/space & average use.

Its roomy enough for four and its easy to set up no matter what the conditions are. I spent an unexpected rough snow storm out in it and it held like a champ, staying warm and dry. Its not cheap, but a quality investment. I'd buy it again with no hesitation

Perfect for a family of 3 and a big dog--Loads of space inside- 50 sq. ft.- and 2 good sized vestibules for gear--Incredibly easy setup w/ hubbed pole system--Less than 2-lbs per person if backpacking.

I am elated with my Black Diamond Vista, what a tent. It is huge, it is light, it is strong and it is a rectangle! Wow! I pulled it out of the box and had it up in my yard with full fly in under 5 minutes without looking at any instructions. Construction is superb and minimal to NO condensation with two adults in harsh weather! I highly recommend this tent to anyone looking for a lightweight backpacking tent with a little extra room... everywhere! Full Retail price is a bargain for everything you get with this baby

Bought this tent last summer, first time out I used it up in the Uintas in early July. Plenty of space. It rained a little and we stayed dry. The next time I used the tent was Valentines Day weekend this year. We were in Canyonlands National Park in the Island in the Sky District. It got down to about 20 degrees, it got a little cold in the tent, but then again this tent is not meant for that temperature. Frost formed inside the tent, but still it was pretty comfortable inside. The last time I used it was a week ago in Arches National Park, stayed nice and warm, it blocked the wind nicely. Haven't had any problems with it and I plan on using it for a week long hike in September in the Wind River Mountains.

Not at all pleased with the performance of my Black Diamond Vista. During a recent storm on Lake Powell, tent pole broke during a storm puncturing a hole in the fly. (I have been in much worse with other equipment without a failure). Perhaps the unique design of the pole structure was the cause. Now waiting to see how Black Diamond will resolve this

This tent was a lot heavier and bulkier than I anticipated. The fly did not fit properly on the tent, there was so much slack, even when tied down, the fly rested on the netting so when it collected dew it would drip through the screen. The floor of the tent also soaked up a lot of moisture from the ground so it was always wet in the mornings. I'd keep shopping if you are looking for a good tent.