Yama Cirriform SW

Note: I was lent a Yama Cirriform SW Cuben prototype by Gen for my NOBO PCT thru-hike this year (May 19th – Oct 29th), I am under no obligation to report on it here — and these are my personal thoughts.

I LOVED this tent. Had it on windy exposures, rainy nights, sunny buggy evenings, and even some snow (switched to a winter tent for the last 250 miles since i was hiking with two other guys and needed all gear to be similar). Slept in this tent every night, with the exception of 8 nights of open camping in the desert. Used a Euroshirm/Birdiepal Chrome Trekking umbrella (like the GoLite Chrome Dome) as my foot end support, and used a single Komperdell UL carbon-fiber trekking pole for the head end support. WAY more internal space for its footprint than other styles like it (ie. Tarptent Contrail or a MLD Patrol w/ inner tent). Liked that it had more LENGTH and WIDTH that was usable, and a high footbox design meant that I could move my feet around without touching the footbox walls.

LIKES:
–> Great internal space to footprint ratio
–> Good ventilation and condensation control
–> ROOMY and nice length width (I used a 6'6" long, wide width quilt on CCF torso pad and then a Xlite Large mat)
–> Good wind stability
–> Fast set-up and break down (about 3 min for a fast set-up)
–> Great vestibule space (could store my cuben pack out in the vestibule with my shoes)
–> FAST drying (10 minutes in the sun), small pack size
–> DURABLE (no zipper issues or any tie-out or material failures)

DISLIKES:
–> As with all cuben gear, the $$ is expensive, but worth every penny

ANY CHANGES I'D PREFER?
–> MY personal preference would be to have the vestibule extend closer to the ground, and the bottom half of the tent door have more mesh and less silnylon (would risk splashback in high wind/blowing rain situations). However this would lead to its own set of possible set-backs and disadvantages, so take this as simply an idea I'd like to try, and not a short-coming of the tent as it's made.

WOULD I USE THIS TENT AGAIN ?

–> I would not hesitate to use this tent again for another thru-hike. Durability is still there, and it is a fantastic design and cozy to sleep in. I liked having it as my home for months on end, and think that Yama Mountain Gear quality and workmanship on ALL their gear is comparable to the industry standards for UL cottage gear (for me the standard is Mountain Laurel Designs)