($430; www.bdel.com) is an exceedingly interesting tent. Most of it is a single-wall tent that uses Nextec聮s Epic fabric, an almost-waterproof breathable material that is cheaper than other fabrics used in single-walls, yet can hold up to all but the very worst rain. The front third is a mesh-and-fabric construction like regular tents, so you can roll back the fabric and watch the stars through the mesh. Very clever. It聮s also light (just over 4 pounds) and can sleep three, or two very comfortably.
Black Diamond Skylight Tent
Black Diamond Skylight
Here are two issues to consider. One, while it has a lot of mesh around the head of the tent, the Skylight is otherwise solid-body. So on a warm night you might not get much 聯flow-through” venting. Not having used one in warm weather, I cannot tell you whether this really would be a problem. And for winter use, well, single-walls simply aren聮t as warm as traditional canopy-and-fly tents, which can take advantage of a trapped air layer to add a little warmth. Again, under certain conditions that may not be an issue. As for snow, it will hold up as well as any other tent聴meaning you聮ll need to kick the snow off if it聮s falling continuously.
The alternative is a traditional 聯convertible” tent such as Marmot聮s very fine Swallow ($360; www.marmot.com). But alas, the Swallow also weighs just over 7 pounds, which makes the Skylight even more appealing. In short, the Skylight offers a very attractive feature set with some very minor drawbacks. So overall, I think it聮s a winner.
The votes are in: , including the Skylight.