New BD Nano Shield FirstLight Tent

Hey! Who you calling gear geeks? :(

Nice deal you got! Can't wait to read about its performance in a prolonged rain. Should be alright now, correct? Please hurry with the pics! And oh, enjoy your new tent. :)

Great stuff – curious, are the seams taped or is this a 'do it yourself' job like the last one?

You might want to look at some lighter stakes if yours are really about 1/2oz each. There's lots of nice stakes in the 1/4-1/3oz range.

This tent looks impressive as a 4-season tent for sub-3lbs. It will be interesting to see if it lives up to the hype.

Well I have a lot of questions about this new tent, but priced at 240, it's too good a deal to pass up… I just ordered one. My main question will be "will I be able to live with the color?". I figure I can return it if it's hideous, but compared to the price of an I-Tent or ID mk1, the bad color might be worth going along with. A side by side with the yellow epic version would be great while I wait for mine to arrive.

I think that is great that you are hanging on to the previous model for the comparison and I'm stoked to hear some observations on performance. We should of course keep in mind that the previous one is certainly not up to it's original standards of waterproof and strength due to general wear and UV degradation.

To those of you who have mountaineering experience with this tent: how does it stand up to wind + alpine environments compared to the MK-series and I-tent versions of this design? I have noticed that quite a few people use these in the cascade mountains and other rugged and exposed environments but have heard neither disdain or praise in this area for this tent (or the hilight + lighthouse for that matter)

David – Like the old version this one is not seam sealed. It comes with a tube of Silnet. Bummer.

My twin FirstLights. The one that is a deeper yellow is the old version in Epic and the one that is "wasabi" color is the new one in Nanoshield.

As you can see the dimensions are identical.

The new one definitely has that new tent smell. Nice!

Nice photo!

Curious, Kristin, do you (or would you recommend) using this as a "year round / go to" tent? Or can it get sultry hot even with window / door partly open?

Also, do you use a "regular length" sleeping bag — being sized up to 6'? If so, does either end of your sleeping bag touch the end?

I'm looking at getting a FirstLight for winter next year. I'm glad the new one hasn't changed much but I'd wished they'd change the door and 'hinge' it from the side so you could crawl in 'dry' during heavy snow, like on the Rab Superlite.

This photo has a full length pad and a regular length sleeping bag. As you can see its tight, but doable. At a length of 82 inches, there are a few inches on either end, but not much.

Here are some setups that have worked well for me in different weather:

Head sticking out of the open door on a clear night for star gazing. Works perfectly for this as there is no vestibule. If weather rolls in I just pull in my head.

Open fabric door, but closed netting door on a warm, but buggy night. This allows for great ventilation as well as views.

Both fabric and netting door closed to protect from the rain. My feet are at the door end, and if they brush up against anything it's the netting door, not the potentially damp fabric.

Thanks, Kristin.

Sleeping at a slight angle with a 'long' bag might work as well.

Great pics – thanks.

Thanks for the heads up on the basegear.com deal. Placed my order yesterday around 4pm and it arrived here at noon. Talk about fast!

(I am in seattle, and they shipped from portland)

I will add my thoughts after I can get out and use it.

Me, John and now Mathew. Looks like we'll have a little cadre of testers. Any rain in the forecast where you guys are?

PNW? Rain shouldn't be a problem. Kristin, isn't rain forecasted (or maybe already happening) in the Bay Area?

We're expected an entire weekend of rain here in So. Cal. I'll be happy to help you test. :)

We're actually having our annual February dry-weather treat here right now in the PNW. It seems to happen almost every year – it's 56 and Sunny out and supposed to be that way through the weekend and into next week. It hasn't rained for a few days now. It is just such bum weather for tent testing.

I'm tempted by the Hilight, but am holding back because of the dimension change. I also would like to hear about Alpine experiences in both of these (Firstlight and Hilight) tents. They both seem like they should be comparably wind-stable. Any thoughts?

Well at least the Hilight is one inch longer than last year…..

Aaron – I don't have a lot of experience with winter / expedition use but here is my take on it. The FirstLight is really just an I-Tent in a different fabric. It should do fine for four season use. Some of the things that might set it apart from a three season tent.

Fabric instead of mesh will keep the snow out.
Steep walls will shed snow.
High vents.
Sturdy poles.
No staking needed to keep the tent standing, but additional guy-out points provided to add stability in high winds.

I'll let someone else chime in on the HighLight.

Kristin (or anyone else who owns a Firstlight):

Have you rigged a vestibule? I love the simplicity of this tent but wish it has some kind of vestibule — but a simple, UL one and not the Bibler-type contraption that requires an additional pole, etc.

I've never had a need for a vestibule. Here is why:
My pack goes underneath my full length pad to elevate the pillow end.
My shoes go in a corner, if they are muddy I use my pack liner to put them on.
I've never been stuck in bad weather long enough to even contemplate cooking in the tent.
So what do I need a vestibule for?

Besides the lack of vestibule means that an open door provides a full scale view, plenty of ventilation and the opportunity to stick my head out and admire the stars.

If you really did use the FirstLight as a tent for two adults, I admit it would be a bit cramped with shoes and packs, but I use mine as a solo most of the time, so there is plenty of space to spread out.

Thanks again, Kristin.

Cooking an evening meal in your vestibule during a heavy rain is a very rewarding experience!

I just resurrected this thread about vestibules with these tents:

Vestibular Lenticulitis

I wish the free shipment from BaseGear was as fast for me as it was for some others. Tracking info says it will be here towards the end of this week. Unfortunately, right now is optimal for testing, with temperatures around 35 with snow on the ground but rain and drizzle coming down. I have high hopes that the new fabric type will give this model a better reputation as being completely waterproof, because I put off buying the epic version for a long time for that reason. Considering that my criteria for a tent of this type are; freestanding, waterproof, light, small footprint, and single wall, this new tent may be the only one in existence that isn't priced at twice the amount, plus it can go into ultralight territory with the carbon poles. Like I said before though, they had to ruin it by using a color that is not in my desired palette. I think the gray silnylon used on the tarptents is a much more livable shade.