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What does everyone think of the sierra designs clip flashlight 2 tent?? I kinda like it. Am I missing something? Would love to hear about it from you all.
Jim Adams
02-06-2012, 18:44
Back in the day it was the most used tent on the AT....good tent....newer designs have replaced it but it is still a good tent.
geek
Bags4266
02-06-2012, 18:46
I own one and it is one solid tent. Been through some heavy down pours and no problems of leaks or condensation. Only downfall is its a little on the heavy side.
quilteresq
02-06-2012, 19:22
I still have mine - not planning on using it as it's heavy for the AT, but it's been around 22 years or so. Good tent - a little tight for two.
Ok if 3lb 14 oz is heavy,, can you give me other options. Henry shires maybe??
Nemo makes some interested new designs all under 3 lbs but in the 215-300 dollar range. Also the carbon relfex 1 or 2 are under 3 lbs not bad choices either but still pricey.
swjohnsey
02-06-2012, 20:27
Big Agnes Fly Creek, 2 lb 2 oz.
bigcranky
02-06-2012, 23:26
We had a similar Sierra Designs tent for a while, a 3-person, maybe the Comet? Not sure. Anyway we used it when our daughter was young. These are very nicely made tents. However....
Take a good long look at the Clip Flashlight and imagine what you'll do when you need to get in or out of the tent in the pouring rain. Note the shape and design of the door while you do this.
Ok if 3lb 14 oz is heavy,, can you give me other options. Henry shires maybe??
Will you be using it solo, or will you have a hiking partner?
Yes, Henry Shires (www.tarptent.com (http://www.tarptent.com)) makes good tents. For a solo hiker my favorite tent for non-trekking pole users is the Moment (so named because of how fast it sets up). It's a marvel of tent engineering.
A close second is the Lightheart solo tent www.lightheartgear.com (http://www.lightheartgear.com) for folks who use trekking poles and like the idea of more mesh for views rivalling those of "cowboy campers" when it isn't raining.
The other manufacturer most mentioned on this site: http://sixmoondesigns.com/ Killer ultralight tent for low budget solo hikers.
Feral Bill
02-06-2012, 23:42
I got one when I got fed up with bugs one trip. Great tent for one, tight for two big people. The newer model has a mostly mesh body, which I don't care for.
RetroGear
02-07-2012, 01:18
There are 4 versions of the Flashlight that I'm aware of:
The original Sleeve Flashlight: The poles are captured by sleeves rather than by clips. As you would expect, a little slower to set up. Total weight (tent, fly, poles, pegs, peg bag, stuffsack) 60.9 oz (add 12.8 oz for home-made footprint). Sorry, no pix.
The original Clip Flashlight: The door is mesh as is the back of the tent above the bathtub floor. The tent top and sides are ripstop nylon. Note that there is one clip above the front arch. Probably not as stable in heavy weather as previous model.
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The Clip Flashlight CD 2: A wide mesh strip has been added to the sides. Note that there are two clips above the front arch. Total weight (tent, fly, poles, pegs, peg bag, stuffsack) 71.4 oz (add 11.4 oz for SD footprint).
15140
The current incarnation of the Clip Flashlight: Everything above the bathtub floor is mesh, and there are fewer clips securing the tent to the poles. Probably not as stable in heavy weather as previous models.
15141
Like many/most "2-person" tents, they’re comfy for one, but tight for two. You can usually find an older model in decent shape on ebay for $80 or so. They were really good tents in their day, but these days, 5 pounds is heavy for a one-person, 3-season tent.
Tarp Tent Contrail-25 oz.-4 months on AT-Great
garlic08
02-07-2012, 09:34
My wife and I used a SD Flashlight on many trips in our early days of traditional backpacking and bicycle touring. We wore that good old tent out, and we have a newer one for car camping. We just used it last week.
But it never goes on the trail anymore, since we discovered Tarptent. My Contrail has over 6000 hiking miles on it and I'm getting it ready for a 4,500 mile bicycle tour this summer. I have nothing but the highest recommendation for Tarptent. Henry's newer models (Moment, Notch, etc) look excellent too.
All single wall shelters have some learning curve issues, and probably the toughest one is dealing with condensation directly in the sleeping area. It's definitely a trade-off between pack weight and skill.
Drybones
02-07-2012, 09:46
I started hiking two years ago and made every gear mistake you can make and have replace most of my gear. I normally hike with a 108 lb doberman...better than a gun...and started with a 2-man, 5 lb tent. Went to a Eureka Spitfire 1 (3lb, 2oz) which is a great solo tent for the money but was cramped with a tent hog dog. Then got the Tarptent Double Rainbow (40 oz) which works great for the two of us with a lot of room left over. This tent is great in high winds. Very roomy tent especially for tall folks. I just got the new Tarptent Notch (29 oz with long stakes & seam sealed) for a thru hike I'm starting in March. I've used it a couple of times in rough weather (had to delay a hike a couple of hours until a tornado passed) and it does okay if you have 8" tent stakes. It is a double wall tent which some folks like to have. Having said all that, for normal solo use, not a thru hike, I'd get the Spitfire 1 ($80). I'd still get the Tarptent Double Rainbow for 2-person (I consider Ruger a person) use.
This is all great info.. I like the low wt. Of the tarp tent, but I think I would like a tent with a little more room & a real sewn in bath tub floor, double wall, gear loft or other means of hanging a sml flashlight or headlight, great -large vestibul or 2. Sorry I'm not a speed hiker but still need to keep wt down to somethink I can carry with out killing this old man. Already picked out low wt. Gear, or so I think.. wish there was a gear checker thread where folks like me could list our stuff and get a thumbs up or down on it. Really, I can't thank all of you on this site for all your input. Might save my life!!
HeartFire
02-07-2012, 10:36
This is all great info.. I like the low wt. Of the tarp tent, but I think I would like a tent with a little more room & a real sewn in bath tub floor, double wall, gear loft or other means of hanging a sml flashlight or headlight, great -large vestibul or 2. Sorry I'm not a speed hiker but still need to keep wt down to somethink I can carry with out killing this old man. Already picked out low wt. Gear, or so I think.. wish there was a gear checker thread where folks like me could list our stuff and get a thumbs up or down on it. Really, I can't thank all of you on this site for all your input. Might save my life!!
check out the LightHeart SoLong 6 or the Solo. www.lightheartgear.com The Solo is fully double walled, plenty of room inside for your gear, hang a light from the ridge pole. The SoLong 6 is bigger inside, but a hybrid, single/double wall, with ridge vents. both tents have deep bathtub floors. (7 - 8 inches)
Judy - of LightHeart Gear
Tipi Walter
02-07-2012, 12:54
Back in the day it was the most used tent on the AT....good tent....newer designs have replaced it but it is still a good tent.
geek
You're right about popularity. It used to be the main backpacking tent on the AT.
Ok if 3lb 14 oz is heavy,, can you give me other options. Henry shires maybe??
Don't worry about a four pound tent. My standard-load all-year tent is 8 lbs 10 ozs. I don't know the sq footage of the Clip but four pounds gives you some room.
RetroGear---cool fotogs. Do they still make the Clip Flashlight 3? Bigger version?
WalkinEagle
02-07-2012, 15:23
I was interested in the clip flashlight as well but decided to go with the SD Vapor Light 2 instead. It's free standing and tough as nails in wind, and at 3lbs 4oz its nice for solo
I just recently used my old Clip, the same one I used during my 1998 AT thru... still as fantastic as ever.
stranger
02-09-2012, 01:08
I think a great compromise is something like the Big Agnes Fly Creek, under 2lbs, fully double walled, no trekking poles needed, additional waterproof coating to the silnylon which means factory sealed seams and no misting, great all around tent.
RetroGear
02-09-2012, 02:59
RetroGear---cool fotogs. Do they still make the Clip Flashlight 3? Bigger version?
Thanx for the compliment, but I didn't take the pix ... the first two came from ebay and the third came from Sierra Designs' website.
I don't recall a "Clip Flashlight 3." However, at about the same time SD made the Super Flash (blue and white tent below), which I understand is a derivative of TNF's Westwind (yellow tent below; both pix from the internet). The Super Flash is basically a 3-hoop, 4-season version of the original Clip Flashlight. It's OK for two, a palace for one. My weights (tent, fly, poles, pegs, peg bag, tent stuffsack -- no footprint) are: Clip Flashlight CD 2, 71.4 oz., Super Flash 85.5 oz. That extra pound buys significantly greater living space and "weatherability."
1516715168
I live vicariously thru your long trip reports on TS ... keep up the good work.
If you like the Clip Flashlight, take a look at the Sierra Designs Light Year. They seem pretty similar, but the Light Year is a solo tent and is a bit lighter. Plus it has a side entry.
pepkbell
02-21-2012, 16:58
a friend of mine swears by it
Tarptent double rainbow. 40 ounces. Good for two. Very roomy for one.
Bought the clip flash light 2 tent ! Making a tyvek 1443r ground cloth for it tomarrow. I will use this tent for week end trips sec. Hikes and the like...just can't make up my mind on an ultra lite tent. Tarp tent double rainbow is nice but so are some of the others I've looked at on line.
Anyone know where I can get a double rainbow cheap ??
take a look at the Tarptent Moment DW http://www.tarptent.com/moment.html
Not UltraLight but at 34 oz it is a a double wall/two doors/two vestibule very fast and easy tent to set up.
It sets up dry, (integral pitch ,inner and fly together) and does have a protected entry so that the floor does not get wet during ingress/egress.
Very good ventilation all around too.
The other day I shot a couple of videos on how the Tarptents set up fast and "dry", this is on the Scarp :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwXCBKGFGNA&list=UU0PuLUKvG7Fxxex5BMVK4vw& index=2
the Moment sets up faster than that (stands up with two stakes )
(I look after TT in Australia)
Drybones
03-04-2013, 09:47
Ok if 3lb 14 oz is heavy,, can you give me other options. Henry shires maybe??
Henry makes some good products, I have two of his tents, check out the videos on his web site.
I still have an older original clip flashlight. It is a great tent but I had a problem one time when it started raining and then the rain turned to freezing rain and temps dropped to the mid 20's by morning. The aluminum poles were frozen together and the soaked shock cords were frozen solid. I had a very tough time getting the tent packed up that morning and almost got frost bit hands!. It took a little help from the stove and more than an hour to pack up that day!
Feral Bill
03-04-2013, 13:21
I still have an older original clip flashlight. It is a great tent but I had a problem one time when it started raining and then the rain turned to freezing rain and temps dropped to the mid 20's by morning. The aluminum poles were frozen together and the soaked shock cords were frozen solid. I had a very tough time getting the tent packed up that morning and almost got frost bit hands!. It took a little help from the stove and more than an hour to pack up that day!
Would another tent have done better? I guess one using trekking poles might.