Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 by Nutnfancy04:33

This is a well-proven and popular tent. That’s because it provides some amazing room for its 4 lb total pack weight. The Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 is one of my favorite high speed backpacking tents for 1, maybe two people. I think one dude or dudette and maybe one “dogness” will be about its limit to be comfortable. But if you adhere to that formula expect to be comfortable within its roomy 7’4″x4’4″ floor. That’s 32 +7 square feet of living space in this lightweight tent, made even better by and a tall interior height for clothes changing. For such a light and windproof shelter that’s a lot of room. This size to lightness ratio comes at the expense of a free-standing pitch (which would take more poles and couplings). You will need to tightly stake out the Clip Flashlight 2’s floor for a good pitch. Once that’s done, the setup is a snap. The fly is outstanding, extending low for maximum weather proofness and stretching tautly to repel wind and rain. It attaches via fast and secure “Jake’s Foot” connectors on the perimeter and has some tightening cords too. Stake loops on the fly will help it pull away from the tent body and maximum air interchange. If properly staked out, even with the fly, the Flashlight 2 breathes exceptionally well with its mostly mesh body. Under the fly ventilation is superior due to clip-only connectors. These features prevent a muggy and condensating moisture buildup that soaks your clothes and sleeping gear. I was amazed that even in heavy snow and in freezing conditions, no moisture buildup was noted from a night of “heavy breathing” was seen. Inside you will find gear handing loops and storage pockets. The whole tent body and fly have SD’s awesome factory seam sealing tape applied, saving you an afternoon of work closing those seams to water ingress. Waterproofing is 1500mm polyurethane won the fly, 3000mm on the tent floor and the tent will keep you very dry in driving snows and rains (tested). It is technically a 3.5 season tent but I found it can shoulder modest snow loads if you manage the buildups. The poles are SD’s DAC 7000 series aluminum which is strong with high quality, slick anodizing. The 7 sq ft vestibule is adequate and provides boot, gear storage with perhaps a small cooking area in a downpour. I recommend upgrading to MSR Groundhog stakes (or similar), making your own footprint (shown), and including better guylines (like Kelty Triptease reflective line) to really make your SD Clip Flashlight 2 ready for wilderness adventures. With these changes, actual carry of the TNP CF2 is 4 lbs 12 oz. Value is high for this high quality tent featuring perfection in stitching, quality, design, and materials. This is a quitenscential backpacking tent. The Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 continues to sell because of this design elegance and tremendous quality for the money. It’s a TNP favorite. ////////////////////Nutnfancy Likability Scale: 10 out of 10 (in the grey/green coloration shown)/////////////////Music licensed from Jason Shaw