Hi guys and gals.
I thought some you of you here might be interested in the new Sputnik from The North Face, a light-weight, breathable single-wall, single door, dual-vestibule 2P shelter. I was able to set one up, look it over, shoot some pix and spend an over-night in it. Here are the details:
The shelter uses a new utilizes a new breathable fabric TNF calls "Drywall", which is supposedly very strong, light-weight, waterproof and breathable with a robust DWR. That, along with multiple venting options, is supposed to help the Sputnik reduce or eliminate condensation.
The Sputnik appears to be the love-child of TNF and Henry Shires (Tarptent), and in fact utilizes the same strut-type, two-point stake out corner design as his Sublite, Moment, Hogback, etc.
These struts appear to be made of aluminum and remain permanently in the tent. You cannot remove them. The Sputnik + poles weighs in at 2lbs, 14oz exactly and will pack down into a 13 x 6 stuff sack fairly easily. The included compression sack is quite a bit larger, but is made of high-quality sil-nylon and weighs in at 2.4 oz. Eight high-quality DAC aluminum stakes are provided, as are sacks for the poles and stakes, which are made of standard nylon, not sil-nylon.
The Sputnik uses a 2-pole design (main and brow) which are constructed of high-end DAC Featherlite NSL aluminum, with the main pole having a unique taper to it – wider in the middle, narrower at the ends.
According to TNF, this was to help facilitate the very tight bend of the design. The poles together weigh in at 7.6 oz. Interestingly, they did not include a pole repair sleeve.
The tent is not free-standing, but still goes up rather quickly if you first stake out the two loops which receive the pole ends, attach the main pole, which you then attach to the tent. Once that is done, stake out the 4 corners, followed by the door and back vestibule, tighten up the two-point struts at each corner, followed by a final tug on each the door and back vestibule again. Took me about 5 minutes the first time to set it up. I tried two other times, and got it down to about 3 minutes or so, with each time resulting in a tighter pitch.
TNF specs 82" x 56.5" floor dimensions, 30.7 sq ft, and a ceiling height of 39". This specs like a true 2-person tent, but nothing exceptional. But inside, it feels much larger than I expected (it dwarfed my two Thermarest prolite pads, 20 x 46 each).
The brow pole and the steep vertical multi-panel walls allow two full-sized adults to stretch out and fit comfortably. You could certainly squeeze 3 in a pinch. 4 people could easily enjoy a game of cards inside due to the already mentioned vertical walls and a ceiling height that remains very spacious across a large portion of the roof line. You can't help but be surprised when you first go inside. Once there, you'll notice loops for attaching a gear caddy, as well as two pockets for storage in opposing corners.
It is a very good thing the Sputnik is so large inside, because the two vestibules are very small. TNF specs 3 sq ft each and I'm sure that is about accurate! To make matters worse, you only get a very small doorway on the non-door side vestibule to access gear.
I'm thinking a pair of boots or trail runners is about all you could squeeze through. Even a partially full pack will have difficulty passing through the doorway, unless you are going ultra-light with an appropriately sized pack. Maybe this would be a good place to put a small pooch, cat or possibly store your cooking gear? All joking aside, I'm thinking a pair of boots is the ticket. One other thing, and this is a real stickler for me, the door and vestibule are situated so that rain will absolutely fall into your tent during inclement weather. I really wish that tent designers would address this in their fly designs. Seems a no-brainer to me. Just saying…
Ok… so what about venting options? Along with the already mentioned breathable Drywall fabric, you have several additional options to keep condensation at bay. Aside from fully opening and tacking back the main door fly, both it and the back vestibule allow you to fold up the bottom portion about 5 to 6 inches and stash it up to an elastic loop, thus increasing the potential for air flow.
You can easily raise the vestibules and put them back down from inside the tent. The door's dual-zippers also allow you to open from the top to create additional venting.
It works, but the door and the vestibule's top flap lack a leg and velcro to prop up the vent, so its effectiveness is somewhat lacking. There is nothing stopping you from propping something in there to create a more effective vent, but I think TNF dropped the ball here. The did include a small window, however, so you can check on the weather from inside the tent.
Another area they blew it (IMHO) is the color choice. What were they thinking? Light gray and silver-ish colored walls, dark, cement gray floor, bright, 80's era neon green and mis-matched neon-yellow accents? Really? Come on guys! Maybe this would look good on the moon, or maybe in some really bad episode of Miami Vice, but out in the back country? Not a chance. Seriously, it is not a good looking tent. But… looks aren't everything, right? Bottom line: don't expect to impress your friends with your Sputnik's ability to "blend" into the wilderness!
Ok… so I put in a backyard overnight in the Sputnik, just because I could. The night was cool (about 38 degrees) and the early evening winds had died down to maybe 1 or 2 MPH, if at all. I had the vestibules raised up for max ventilation, did not utilize the door's upper venting option, but rather had it fully closed for the night, specifically to test the breath-ability of the Drywall fabric. When I awoke in the early morning, the grass in the yard was very damp and there was clearly condensation on the non-breathable vestibules. I checked all the internal Drywall fabric and found it nearly 100% dry. Only in a few small places did it feel slightly damp, and even then, it was more cold than anything. I was impressed, as similar backyard conditions have left other single-wall tents I own (and a few double-wall as well) dripping with condensation by morning. I am wondering about the Drywall fabrics ability to be 100% waterproof AND breathable for extended periods of rain. Seems a good trashing in the back country might be in order? I'll see what I can muster up!
Ok… There you go. TNF has an intriguing tent design with the Sputnik 2P. It is seriously light in weight for space it provides, packs small, is simple and quick to set up, and the Drywall fabric seems promising. On the downside, the color is horrible (IMHO), the door vent needs work and the small vestibules are a serious limitation. But at 2lbs, 14oz, this would be a sick single-person palace, and you would have more than enough room to store all your gear AND still flop around inside like fish out of water.
Let me know if you have any questions.
