Favorite Piece of Gear Purchased? Last 6 Mo.
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I purchased a Black Diamond Oneshot earlier this week and I am excited to get out in the next couple of days to give it a "shot" in the field. I set it up in my yard to get an idea of design, space, etc. Here's a photo with the Oneshot, Big Agnes insulated Aircore wide and long pad, and Marmot Atom long bag.
My initial impression of this tent is that it will be a very attractive alternative to any of the three-season bivys on the market today. I suspect it will also appeal to those who like the full coverage of a tent in a relatively light weight package. It has far more interior space than any bivy I have used, excellent ventilation, an amazing view out the front door, reasonable weight, and a small packed size. The design is such that the covered mesh windows provide excellent airflow, even when the large front door is fully zipped. This is in addition to the Epic fabric which consistently ranks near the top of the list of waterproof/breathable fabrics. The lack of a vestibule could be a problem when cooking in the rain, etc. but there is room inside for a small pack and your shoes/boots. Again, compared to a bivy, it feels palatial. Compared to some of the other lighter solo or two-person "tarp tents" on the market today, it might feel a little cramped. I will have a better sense for that once I have spent a night or two in it.
I did notice the 85-inch length is somewhat compromised by the relatively shallow pitch to the head and foot, effectively reducing the interior height at both ends, though it is still manageable for my nearly 6ft 2-inch frame. My quick test in the yard revealed that either my head or feet would likely hit one of the walls. This was with a quick test only, and may not be accurate once I take more time to stake properly and play around a bit with the position of the mattress. My wife, at 5ft 6 inches, said after laying in the tent for a few minutes that it was "perfect” and now wants one of her own.
In short, I am very excited to get this tent in the field. I own its much larger brother, the Skylight, and have found it to be the tent I grab most often for family backcountry trips. I am confident the Oneshot will gain an equally trusted position for my solo backcountry adventures. I will post an update once I have a chance to put it to the test.
Craig
Craig, that is a beautiful tent, and the photo shows the tent and interior well. I am eagerly awaiting my Hilight, which is basically the two person version of the Oneshot. The vestibule for my tent might fit your model; consider giving it a try. The Oneshot is 9cm shorter, but 8cm longer, so the circumfrence of these tent doors (and thus an appropriate vestibule) would be about the same. You can buy it from REI and return it if it doesn't fit?
Im hoping my Hilight will replace two other tents, a Quarterdome and a Lightning; thus allowing me to return them both and pay for the Hilight! : )
The wide side door and large vestibule, which appears to be suitable for cooking in, were strong selling points for this tent.Ben,
Thanks for the clarification on the Epic fabric. You are exactly right, it is billed as water resistant and not waterproof. A late-night slip of the keyboard on my part. I apolgize for any confusion. It has been my experience with the skylight that the fabric really is quite remarkable in repelling rain for much longer than the stated 5 hours. For example, last September I took my BD skylight on an overnighter in the High Uintas Wilderness. It was raining hard when we left the car and was still going when we made it back to the trailhead the following day. I pitched the skylight in a small valley near a high mountain lake at 4:00 in the afternoon and left it up until 10:00 the next morning. I awoke several times during the night to the sound of pounding rain, fully expecting to feel water dropping from the ceiling. It never did. I was especially concerned because I had neglected to seal the seams before the trip. I did notice one or two drops of water starting to push through at the stitching but it never amounted to any water on the floor of the tent. I took this photo the next morning after more than 12 hours of almost constant rain.
I am not suggesting the fabric wouldn't have eventually failed, but I was impressed with its weather resistance given the amount of rain. It sounds like my experience is fairly consistent with yours
With three young children at home, most of my backcountry trips are getting increasingly short, with most averaging one to two nights. For those conditions, I wouldn't hesitate to bring the oneshot or skylight, even if I expected some rain. If I were going longer than that and/or expected lots of rain, I might opt for something better suited for sustained wet conditions.
Thanks again for the clarification.
Craig
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