Solitaire

Overview

This is another one of those "niche" items that is hard to catagorize: is it a tent, or a bivy sack? Answer: it's a bivy tent. Jeez.



Actually, it's a great bivy tent. The weight and pack size is minimal, and yet it feels much like a tent in function. In fact, it's all tent, except for the fact that you can't really sit up in it. There is really no way that two people can fit inside, hence the name.



Highlights

*Completely enclosed, allowing for privacy and comfort

*Low profile and design resist even high-level winds

*Full-length mesh allow for star-gazing without fly

*Fly integrated with main body for set-up ease



Caveats

*Not free-standing

*Overlapping fly design not sealed completely from air/dust/spindrift flow

*Fly roll-up ribbons flap when not used (need duck tape!)

*Lightweight zipper scares me (no trouble yet after 2-3 weeks worth of use)



Bottom Line

Use it the way it was designed, and you'll be happy. Can't beat the price.

I bought this tent because of the price ($69.95). For the money spent I was very happy with the quality. It is considerably less weight for backpacking than the Eureka 2-man dome tent i have previously used.

My first night we experienced high winds and heavy rains. The low-profile tent handled the wind well and the fly kept me dry. About all you can ask for from a $70 tent. The second night spent in the tent brought calmer conditions but temps dropped into the lower 20's (F). The temp inside the tent hit 31 (F). It is a 3 season tent so don't expect alot of insulation from cold temperatures.

All in all I consider this to be a great value for someone wanting a lightweight backpacking tent without spending alof of cash.

This tent packs small and light but performs like a heavyweight. Has enough room inside for a full-sized sleeping pad, extra clothes, essentials like a flashlight, knife, and lantern, and your boots as well.

It's not freestanding but it sets up and packs away quickly and easily.

It's a very sturdy tent. I used it in the Big South Fork in Kentucky during a surprise March snow squall and it kept me warm and dry. I used it in the Mammoth Caves National Park (at the Bluffs backcountry campsite) during a thunderstorm that blew down three trees near me. The tent held up fine and shrugged off the wind and rain.