Fine Lines

The definition of Lightweight is interesting. The most obvious to me is this:

Being lighter in weight … than another item or object of identical use, quality, or function

In my pursuit of items that satisfy these qualities, there is a risk of equipping yourself with stuff that falls under this much less desirable definition:

Without seriousness of purpose; trivial or trifling

There is a fine line between the two. I don’t expect the extra 120g of a Laser Competition would have done me any harm, and if the reviews I’ve read are anything to go by, the Laser Photon might not last quite as long either. But then that’s not really the point – my intended use for this tent is exactly what it is designed for: adventure racing where grams count.

My first impressions of this tent are: “Wow, that’s really thin”. And I don’t just mean the fabric, everything is thin. The flysheet is a super fine slightly translucent material – the sort you might expect to use to cover the wings of model gliders, but a lot stronger. Nevertheless, its thinness sort of commands your care when handling it “just in case”. The inner is a similarly tightly woven thin fabric with a half mesh double zipped door allowing easy access to the ample porch. Two (nonadjustable) triangular mesh vents at each end help keep condensation to a minimum. It’s stitched neatly to the bath tub floor fabric, again specced for its light weight. A coarser rip-stop fabric is used here sufficient to keep ground moisture at bay but not sharp rocks. The poles are cool blue anodised with DAC Featherlite lasered onto each section. At 8.55mm diameter, they’re all of 0.29mm narrower than the previous versions. The pegs are titanium, naturally. Twelve thin wires, coated in orange powder coat for identification, rattle in the bottom of a small bag made from the same material as the flysheet. They flex easily between you fingers but quickly return to their original shape. They pushed into the ground quite easily, finding their way around rocky obstructions fairly easily.

Once erected (in the garden) it’s more or less identical to my old Laserlite, but just a good deal lighter and less bulky when packed. In fact, it’s so small when packed up it’ll fit into a Number #1 size Granite Gear Air Bag. Once I’ve made it out into the hills I’ll give you a proper review with some photos of it pitched in a suitably remote location.