Has anybody used the Black Diamond Betalight tent?

I own a Betalight, along with the Betabug and the seperate floor.

The Betabug is very heavy in comparison to the Betalight but does allow for a versatile system, turning it into a conventional, relatively lightweight tent. It could really do with a lighter weight floor.

The seperate floor is a waste of money and weight. It’s only a couple of ounces lighter than the Betabug, so don’t bother. You’re better off with a tyvek, or other lightweight, groundcloth if you are using the Betalight without the Betabug. The only advantage is that it is a bathtub floor, but it doesn’t attach very well to the Betalight, so kinda sags into the mud sometimes.

If I’m solo and in bug country I often use the Betalight with an A16 Bugscreen and a tyvek ground clothe. I need to make some sort of bug screen that is lighter and easier to pack than the A16, but the A16 sure is convenient.

The Betalight sheds wind and snow impressively and is ideal for snow camping because you can dig as deep as you want and you can suspend the 2 apexes from a tree or use longer poles on the inside.

I’ve used it in moderate snow that was heavy and wet. The snow just slid off, but it collapsed 2 other conventional 3-season tents on that trip.

The beauty of using trekking poles for the poles is that you can drop the canopy to the ground in cold snowy conditons or raise it up high in warm muggy conditions.

It’s roomy for 2 with gear on the inside (no vestibule space to speak of it you’re using the Betalight with the Betabug)and will take 3 in a pinch if you’re really good friends. The poles need to be set at an angle for 3 people, which compromises it’s stability in bad conditions. The poles seperate you and your tent mate, which is bad if that’s your wife and you like to cuddle but good if it’s your climbing partner who doesn’t like man-flesh pressed up against him. The poles can be a pain because they’re inside verses something like the MSR Missing Link which makes the placement of the poles a non issue. The Missing Link is another viable option that you may want to look into, if it’s still made.

The Betalight suffers from severe condensation on cool nights, but that’s to be expected with this design.

If you are using the Betalight and Betabug together, the great thing is that you can just roll the doors back on the Betalight or you can roll it back nearly 1/3 of the way allowing for great ventilation and star viewing.

I replaced my Walrus Trekker Tarp with the Betalight, which was a good decision for me. The Betalight is much better at handling wind and weather, whereas the Trekker Tarp became a sail. The Trekker Tarp was much roomier though and had the option of opening the whole side to make a covered porch.

After saying all that, though, I may try to get rid of my Betalight/Bug and go with a Henry Shires TarpTent Rainshadow which has a lot more room for my wife and daughter.

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.

I have a very slightly used one for sale if you are interested…

What are you asking for it?

Given that it has hardly seen the light of day, I’m asking $100 shipped. I can’t go much lower than that – I’m a poor law school student and can’t afford to lose too much more than I already will (sigh….).

Kenneth, thanks a lot for the answer. Funny you mention the TarpTent; I’m also considering The Squall 2 :)

If you would like to sell your setup let me know.

– Abdon

Abdon,

I might be interested in selling the Betalight and Betabug, but the seperate floor is in a storage unit on the other coast. If you’re really interested we’ll talk.

Ken

Please go ahead and email me with the condition and any other pertinent info. I’m still pondering if I should go for the Black Diamond but if the price is right, I would go for it.

I don’t think I care much for the separate floor. I do need the betabug; what the wife would put up with on the field does not include bugs in the middle of the night. For my personal use a poncho as ground cover would work just fine.

– Abdon

I have both a Betalight and Megalight. I like these Black Diamond tarp tents because they are easy to set-up. None of the finicky guyline adjustments like conventional tarp tents. Also bombproof!

I use the larger Megalight (pyramid) for not so-UL outings where we want to bring all of our gear in. For 2-3 people. Have using for 11-day backpacking in Philmont 2008 where it rained 10 of 11 days. This was an August of unusual near-monsoon rainy conditions – not just the occassional short afternoon thunderstorm.

I use the smaller Betalight for solo or 2 man outings where saving a little weight is desirable. Sets up conveniently with trekking poles.

I tend to use just Gossamer Gear Polycro ground sheet or medium weight floor cover from hardware store.