Black Diamond Lighthouse Tent 2-Person 3-Season

Have used the tent for a five night backpacking trip so far in the high sierras. Upon rolling in to camp on night one, the skies began to cry and continued on for about an hour. I was forced to set the tent up in heavy rain. The set up worked great being that you set the tent up from the interior. Quick set up, about 5 minutes, including the vestibule. Setup will probably get quicker seeing as I had only done it once before. Minimal water got into the tent during setup, but I was being careful. After the rain stopped there were large puddles on the ground for about an hour. Because I used the ground cloth the water had gotten trapped between the tent bottom and the ground cloth. It stayed there for the remainder of the night. (Note: in my opinion the (accessory) fitted ground cloth is a little big being as it lets water puddle but is definitely necessary to help against punctures. You'll know what I'm talking about when you receive your tent. The silnylon floor is thin, very thin, but also seems to be durable in nature.) I slept with big puddles of water around my body and under my thermarest. No wetness ever seeped through... I was just blessed with a little extra cushion for the evening. The morning came, still puddles but no water had migrated through. The bottom is truly waterproof. Not a single drop of water or condensation came in through the walls of tent either. This was more reassuring after stepping outside to see the ground covered with due. This tent has great storm-proofness but is loud in the rain because it sets up so taught. The taughtness is a good thing though because this tent is very sturdy.

Cons: The tent is a tad on the tight side for two but then again Black Diamond was trying to shave weight, right? A great way to fix this problem is sleep head to toe. Then the tent becomes roomy.
Another semi con is the screen and door have two independent zippers. Adds a little weight. But its only kind of a con because if you only want to use one, the other can be rolled up at all times with the tie loops which are integrated at the bottom of the tent / zipper runs.

Note: When you get your tent, be sure to seem seal before using for the first time. You'll be sorry if you don't. Dust dirt, etc. will get everywhere and your seem sealer wont last as long. The best method I found for applying the seem sealer was to use the included syringe and then smooth over with your finger. Allow for several hours of time and a couple rolls of paper towels.

Tip: A lot of people have complained about the static of the fabric. I got concerned myself before buying this cause I didn't want a ton of dust sticking to the tent. I called Backcountry and the rep. recommended to rub dryer sheets over the interior / exterior surfaces of the tent. This worked like a charm. NO MORE STATIC. Try to use non scented or minimally scented sheets so the bears won't think your tent is candy. Another option to de-static the tent would be to buy the static spray. I'm sure that would also work great if not better.

Finally, the tent has three different stuff sacks, assuming you buy the vestibule. 1) Tent (ample space for the ground cloth as well) 2) poles and stakes 3) Vestibule. This is great for distributing your weight evenly over your pack.

All in all. Great tent, I'm very happy with it. It's pricey, but well worth it. When taking down be sure to leave zippers partially open to let the trapped air out.

I look forward to trying it this winter. My buddy has the ahwahnee which is 2" bigger in every dimension and is a 4 season tent, but it has the same exact floor plan and pole setup as the lighthouse. So I'll try this tent when I'm with him just in case I have to jump over into his tent. I gotta say, this tent is about a third the weight and way more compact in the stuff sack, about 3x more compact. In my opinion the only time the ahwahnee can be justified is in temps below 20F in the snow. Otherwise, its an overkill, go with the lighthouse.

We already owned an Ahwahnee and really liked it. We wanted a tent that weighed less and packed down smaller. So, this tent was the perfect alternative. It's light and packs down to nothing. The set up is fairly easy, but we've had practice with the Ahwahnee. It has pretty good ventilation. My husband took it on a one week kayak camping trip and he was very pleased with it. We were able to use the sane ground cloth from the Ahwahnee so that saved us some money. BTW, the product shipped very quickly to us and we used the free shipping.

I was surprised that I had to seal the tent seams myself (for the price it should be factory seam taped), but I followed the directions to the letter. There were no leaks during 4 or 5 nights of rain in Patagonia the month after I got the tent.
The following month the zipper malfunctioned after the wind in Utah blew that red sand into the tent. I called Black Diamond and was told that the zippers are not covered by a warranty and that they should be cleaned after every trip. To prevent the problem I had, I would have had to clean them during my trip. Black Diamond gave me the phone number of Rainy Pass
Repair, who replaced the zipper pulls with some sturdier ones for about $75.
The next time I used the tent about 5 months later it rained for 2 days. The tent leaked at the top seams, and I had to borrow a tarp to cover the tent. I wrote a letter to Black Diamond about the zippers and leaking seams and received no response.
I called Rainy Pass Repair about taping the seams, but they said they can't do it if the seams have had seam sealer on them. If you really want one of these tents because of its light weight and want to avoid problems, you should send it to Rainy Pass before you use it or put seam sealer on it and have them tape the seams and replace those flimsy zipper pulls. It will probably cost you about $150, but it will be lighter and a lot less trouble than carrying zipper cleaner to clean the zippers if the wind blows and a tarp to cover the tent if it rains. Rainy Pass Repair's phone number is (800) RIP-STOP.
Don't expect Black Diamond to stand behind this product.

The only good thing I can say is it's light- but when you're tent-bound, and soaked, that's little comfort. Took the Lighthouse climbing (based on BD's website implying it's being used at altitude) and it became a sponge after one wet night at basecamp. Higher up, it was plagued with copious condensation when even partially zipped up. If you ever have to set it up in a hurry (i.e. stormy condtions), there's a good chance you'll rip the floor/ walls with the poles. Considering the price, lack of a vestibule, and the time wasted sealing seams, I feel this was the worst tent purchase I've ever made.

I spent 14 hours in this tent in a driving Sierra rain storm at ~8,000'. Winds gusting to 50-60 mph, rain coming down in buckets and this tent was dry as could be inside.

In the winter, camped at ~9,800' on a cold cloudless night. A little snug for two, but sleeping sardine style helped a lot. Barely noticed the other person in the tent.

I'm pretty confident this tent will suit my needs in the high Sierra for some time to come - for all seasons.

I Bought this tent for my son who is involved in scouting. He is 13 and has no problem setting this tent up. He can pitch this tent in 2 to 3 minutes tops. It was spacious enough for him and a buddy. It held up quite well in some pretty nasty thunderstorms and it did not get too stuffy on a warm humid night. My son indicated he got it dirty and would need to wash it off when we got home. This was not a problem as the dirt just seemed to roll off the fabric. This tent packs down very small a nice feature when space is an issue. I am very pleased with this tent. I don't think I could find a simpler tent for my son and a quality one at that!

Used this tent on numerous occasions in the past 8 weeks: Smith Rocks, Shasta, Leavenworth. The tent excelled on all occasions until Squamish. After 2 hours of normal rain, water started to seep through the fabric and drip. Fourteen hours later practically everything in the tent was wet. Most water initially penetrated through the very top (above the seams) and the sides about a foot to 2 feet off the deck gave out later. The silicon impregnated nylon vestibule did much better!!! I would not consider this anything but an alpine tent unless I was going to bivy within the tent, then it would go further.

Great tent, super light, easy to put up and take down - surprisingly roomy too. Give yourself time to seal the seams before use!

Pretty roomy for an extremely light tent. I also don't understand why the seams couldn't have been sealed at the factory (a nuisance), but after completing this chore I didn't have a problem in the Colorado high country. Condensation is a bit of a issue (as with any single layer tent), but tolerable. Setup is more difficult than with most of my tents because the poles are on the inside. (The pretty young gal in the store who told me that this was an asset because you could be sheltered inside the tent while setting it up had obviously never tried it. You can't do it from the inside.) Setup in a wind is also challenging. All things considered, this is my favorite tent (because of the light weight) when significant rain is not in the forecast. (The odd shower is not a problem.) When it does rain, because the tent is so taut, it sounds like you are inside a drum, but the tautness is an asset if it is windy.

Great tent. It has a great weight/space ratio and is free-standing. Plenty of room for 6 footers. The Epic material compacts well and is very breathable/water resistant. The first couple of times setting it up was a challange due to its internal pole system and placement of pole pockets [there is a slight possibility to tear the floor if the poles don't catch in the floor corner pockets]. My only gripe is that the netted door is seperate from the Epic door, not allowing you to access the door when the netted door is closed. Overall, great tent.

okay, I'm feeling kinda stupid now. I'm remembering that I did wash it, and I think a added a little bit of detergent. I just read that washing epic with detergent takes out the silicone. I guess you are just supposed to wash with water. So I don't know about the longevity of the fabric

Just used this on a week long trip and was very impressed. In many ways I liked it better than the Bibler Ahwahnee I have had for years.
Light, spacious, and storm worthy, this may be the best value for a high mountain ultralight shelter.
The nysilk floor is very slick and even Thermarest's latest "sticky" pad (Prolite 4) material crept around a bit but it wasn't too bad. Just pick a level spot when you set it up.
I loved the huge door and window for cross ventilation which kept condensation to a minimum. My only complaint with single wall tents - and I have slept in a half of dozen of them from various manufacturers, is the frozen condensation that drips when it melts as the sun warms the tent. ToddTex fabric is a little better in that regard but it only becomes a problem when the wind blows and you have to really button the tent up. A vestibule would be nice but I have learned to live without one so it isn't a big deal.
If you are going high and light you could spend more but may actually get less.
Overall a very nice shelter for the money.

All reviews target the possibility of getting wet in a tent. All tents leak eventually to some degree. It is a matter of fact. I spent ten hours in the "Best Little Tent" in continuous rain in the Sierra Nevada 2006 October. I got a little wet. It's not a double wall. For three pounds, I'd do it again. I have a North Face Expedition double wall that stays much dryer and it's ten plus pounds. I have a Sierra Designs double wall and it keeps you dryer and it's six pounds. You can't have it all. Also, both of those tents have vestibules which I love. "The Best Little Tent" at three pounds has no vestibule but I will not take another tent unless I go to the rain forest.
It has room for two, plenty of headroom, good ventilation, freestanding, easy setup, a giant door, darn near four season, packs micro small, cheeeery color when hanging, water tight floor, and finally my only beef, only one door. Another door would increase the weight by several ounces. Can't have that! If ya don't have the Lighthouse, ya don't have "The Best Little Tent", period.

I was impressed with the tent's ability to keep out the rain and to keep the moisture from forming inside the tent. Can't wait to see how it works over time.

Setting up the tent is easy, but I would not want to set it up for the first time in the middle of a driving rain storm.

I used the Lighthouse at Yosemite at the beginning of October. Unless you are an extremely small person I would definitely opt for the larger Lighthouse over the Firstlight. If you wanted to fit two people in it you could, but the extra space for gear, my dog Jack, etc. is nice. The tent can be erected easily with one practice run. I did rather object to the extra step of self seam sealing, but it really wasn't too much trouble and it's not going to leak. The tension involved in the framing did cause me some concern. That is, a concern of having one end come loose with tension while you are putting the tent up and having it rip the side. I put a very small piece of electrical tape over the ends to obviate any concerns for sharp edges and I think it worked fine. I used it with a ground cover which I pegged in place with the supplied pegs. Why spend so much for a tent and not buy the ground cover? The tent kept me warm and dry and is amazingly small and light. Hiking Yosemite Falls was absolutely no problem. Didn't even know the Lighthouse was there. I am extremely happy with the Lighthouse. It's worth every penny.

I have been backpacking for over 30 years and have always tried to get my pack load down to as little as possible. I guess you may call me minimalist. I do take a few luxeries along on a trip, but at 50+ I now NEED to keep my pack weight load down.

This tent is the best purchase I have make in many years for my trips. It weighs little, sets up in a wink and kept me dry in a downpour for a couple of hours down in the San Juan Mountains on a trip just after purchasing the tent. I was amazed at how this single wall tent stayed dry even after the rain when condensation should have been a problem.

The footprint is somewhat small and two may find it somewhat tight. I found it roomy for just one. But if I look back on my old a frame tent from the 70's - it was small too.

I would recommend this tent to anyone who can enjoy the outdoors and keep the equipment to a minimum weight.

The tent was great, right up until I found a small rip in it. I'm not sure if it was the fabric, but it looked like a run in the nylon. It eventually got bigger. Since I only used this on grass, I was very surprised to see such a rip. It seemed like it was a defect that was there and probably got bigger when the tent was used. However, the actual tent itself was great and I am sending it back for another one of the same.

We were in heavy rain for about 8 hours in the Lighthouse Tent. The first two or three hours were fine—lookin' good, but after that rain started to mist through the tent fabric. It stopped raining for about an hour in the middle of the night and it quit misting inside during that time. We were soaked come morning. Condensation was only a slight problem. We did like the wide door and roomy interior.

As with any single wall, the lighthouse is good and bad. It is a nice tent with ample room for two people and gear. We spend most of our time in GSMNP which in notoriously wet and humid, and it shows with a lot of condensation inside, but we had that problem with double wall tents too. The light color keeps the interior light. At a little over 3lbs, it helps keep pack weight down. It has held up well so far, and appears sturdy for the long term. The pole set up takes some practice, but then it is quick (we stake the tent out first, and then insert the poles). In heavier rain I insert small pole, jump inside, zip up, and then assemble the two long poles. Black Diamond/Bibler: Please seam seal your tents.

I loved this tent the first year I had it. It was superlight, and I loved to zip down the door all the way in the morning and be able to look out at ground zero. When I first used it, rain would only come in if it was driven by a very strong wind. Moderate, even hard rain was fine, if a little came in (it usually didn't) I would wipe it off with a pack towel. It had some condensation, but it wasn't bad.

After a couple years, about 3 months of use, the fabric had degraded to the point of dysfunction. A moderate rain would drench it. The last time I used it I was soaked. Our 2-night camp turned into a 1 nighter as we were too cold and wet.

I used the lighthouse on 8-day Baja motorcycle trip, and it worked great. Packed small, quiet in the wind, and easy set-up. I have not tried it in rain. I packed the footprint also because of the price of the tent, which I usually would not have. This makes it close in size and weight to a two-layer tent, so did I actually save any space?

Best winter tent I've used. If you're worried about the rain getting through, bring a silnylon tarp and drape it over the tent, or guy it out overhead. The tent plus a tarp still weighs less than a normal tent, and you can always use the tarp for a vestibule. The tent packs down to the size of two Nalgenes. On clear nights, you can unzip the entire wall for ventilation (though this does end up with a lot of unruly fabric). Lots of headroom.

Vary stable and roomy for a light weight tent. I think two would be vary comfortable as long as the liked each other, I use the space for my dog who deserves his own bed at the end of the days trail. It stood up will to a spring snow storm with lots of wind. In the morning the height inside is vary welcome and I think the extra volume helped it stay dryer then the other two smaller BD models my friends had on this trip.
The only down side to this family of tents is getting the poles into the vary small snaps in the tent floor pockets.

Absurdly light. Absurdly small. My first single wall, but I can't believe how small this is. Ordered this for solo camping cause I'm 6'4", instead of Firstlight.

When shopping, wanted smaller front door to save weight, but I find I like the big one--both for ventilation and breathtaking views.

Very breathable, though I haven't tested in EXTREME conditions.

At 4 plus lbs with ground cloth, not as light as had hoped, but still 2 lbs lighter than old MH ultralight tent. But it is ridiculously small. Made conversion to lighter but not ultralight hiking, this tent makes room in my pack.

Not easy to pitch. MH double wall faster and easier. As poles go inside, impossible to pitch in heavy rain w/out getting interior soaked. But I can't see how they could make it easier, and this minute of annoyance is worth it to shave lbs and cubic inches. You don't get something for nothing, and this minor headache well worth it.

Won't hike without a freestanding tent, this is the best option instead of bivy or tarp.

Best tent I've ever owned, bar none. HIGHLY RECOMMEND, though haven't tested extreme heat or cold yet. Don't know about condensation yet, but this beast is DEFINITELY waterproof.

This lightweight tent is great for times when you know the weather is going to be not so bad, and you don't want a full on heavy four season tent. It'll handle a bit of snow or rain, but I wouldn't take it out if I expected to get dumped on. I also hear it's a great tent for higher altitude mountaineering, where you need some protection from the wind and snow, but again need to go light. The big front door makes it feel roomy and is perfect for warmer weather.

I got this tent a couple of years ago when it first came out and have really enjoyed camping with it. Living in Utah we don't get a great deal of rain, but on the occasions when I've been tent bound for up to eight hours during a rainstorm, I didn't have any problems with the tent leaking. Water was even flowing under the tent and still no problem. The tent is rather small for 2 adults plus gear, so the vestibule is a nice addition. The main drawback I can see is the price, at $300+ it's rather hard to swallow.

I love this tent. I was very sleepy when I used it and I fell right to sleep.