Not good for the desert or the rain

By priebev116539 Ranked #178 - 3-Season Tents May 1, 2008

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.

View Details: Black Diamond Lighthouse Tent 2-Person 3-Season

Helpful Votes: 3 Yes | 2 No