Terra Nova Laser Photon Elite Tent (2008 Model) Review

Those 1 gram pegs are a joke on a tent. I bought some to stake out my bivy bag, and found them annoyingly flimsy even for that. They bend, turn, and yes, they are incredibly easy to lose (I lost 3 the first time I used them). And you can't easily add a piece of cord to make them easier to spot.

There is a law of diminishing returns where the amount of material weight saved against the interior volume and floorspace lost, and the lack of vents isn't worth it. Especially at this sort of money.

The main plus point of this tent is being able to say:
"My tent is lighter than your tent."

I have my secondhand $80 Gatewood cape for that. And it has 35sq ft of covered area. I grant the Lazer is a lot cozier in cold breezy weather though.

Will, that review was all that a review should be. Thank you for highlighting the issues that an ultralighter would have. and thank you for comparing this tent to some of its competitors. (I, too, am curious about the new Tarptent – especially since I will thru-hike the rainy, new New England National Scenic Trail this summer.)

Very good review.
I am very pleased with the Scarp 1 I purchased, excellent stability in high wind (haven't had it in snow conditions yet), roomy, the vestibules and double doors are excellent additions, and minimal condensation issues.

"Its one thing to pare out weight to achieve a world record for the lightest two-skin tent commercially available, but it can potentially conflict with functionality……. The same philosophy applies to the lack of even a minimal mesh storage pocket inside and a storm flap over the zipper, which would add another ounce. And while we're at it, how about adding a high vent or two to lessen the condensation problem?"

I don't understand this remark Will. This whole site is dedicated to saving every gram you can squeeze out of your pack, even up to the point of madness (I remember a forum post of a guy proposing to use a snorkel to get rid of bivi condensation) and now there's a mainstream manufacturer going the length to create a truly lightweight double wall tent, cutting every gram that isn't absolutely necessary and now you want details that add weight. I mean do you really need a mesh pocket? When you go tarp/biving, does your tarp/bivi have a mesh pocket or can you live without it while you tarp/bivi? I can! And what about ventilation, yes indeed it's nice, but do you truly need it when every gram counts? Wouldn't you compromise for condensation in favor of saving a few grams?

If we are talking about normal camping, i.e. taking a normal lightweight set of gear, I agree you would want ventilation in your tent. And if you want ventilation take a look at TN's Laser model (altho I just saw it has an extra door this year, booooh!). Very ingenious ventilation on either end of the tent which can be operated from the inside. Yes indeed it's almost a pound heavier, but that's the price you pay for adding features. In your review you compare the Photon to the Akto, which is almost a full kilo heavier than the Photon. Wouldn't you agree that a fully featured Laser is a much better comparison to a fully featured Akto than the Photon is?

So my two cents to add to this review is a bravo for TN to make a double wall tent that is truly lightweight AND easily available through your local retailer (at least in Europe).

Eins

Hi all. The Laser Photon is indeed a very nice tent. But it was designed for adventure racers and needs some refinements for ultralight backpacking. The new Laser Elite can be dedicated for the adventure racing crowd.

Hendrik: There is no review of the Scarp 1 in the pipeline that I know of, but I am finishing a review of the Scarp 2 right now, and it will be published sometime in the next month. Great tent!

Daniel: I'm sure the ends can be rolled up some by not staking out a tieout or two, but the key issue remains – no high vent and not enough ventilation.

Einstein: My suggestions were meant to be weight neutral, but it gets down to a philosophical question of do you want a piece of gear with no features at all and absolute minimum weight, or do you want an "essential" feature set with a few conveniences adding minimal weight? Many people will opt for the second scenario.

Don't get me wrong, the Laser Photon is an excellent solo DW tent, the lightest to be found. My job as an editor is to challenge the manufacturer to make it suit our needs even better. For example, I can't buy into the idea of 1-gram stakes to lighten a tent, while using an aluminum pole instead of carbon fiber.

Happy hiking,
Will

Doesn't this also add guying points though?

Yes, as Greg says, the pole-hood does provide guy points

But I'm considering replacing it two Dyneema cords running over the central pole and connecting to the tie-points from which I can guy out.

That way the Dyneema cords would connect to all the same points as the pole-hood, spreading the loading from the guys through all the original points.

I've not finished thinking about it yet… ;)

Oh – and re. adding the tie out on the top out to one or other of the ends – I wouldn't be doing that: If the wind were to come from the end (TN advise pitching side on – it's a tunnel after all) then the hoop would move away from that guy (that being the idea!) but that tie-point was never designed to be loaded on its own and not from that direction.

I agree – the attachment points aren't anywhere near strong enough to take a guy on their own.

But all the pole-hood really does is spread that load through all the attachment points including the ones that are at the base of the pole. (I've spent some time staring at them early in the morning from my sleeping bag… ;)

As far as I can tell, it should be possible to spread the load through the exact same points with the two lengths of Dyneema. It may be necessary to have lateral links between them to keep them in place (in the same way the black material of the hood keeps the two cords that attach it in place).

I can't be the only one to have considered this – has anyone seen anything on this on a forum/blog posting?

Outstanding review, Will! IMO, this should be the standard by which all reviews are judged. Everything necessary to make an informed decision, including a concise comparison with similar products, is there. I hope there are many more to come.

I concur, fantastic quality review. I own a laser comp and can vouch that many of the points are equally accurate to that model also, wished you'd done this on the comp too to help me. I'd still buy one again though.

Re the hood & quoted weight: so that's it! I've always thought I'd just been fibbed to by the sales team. The actual weight was about 3oz more than the spec when I got it. You reckon it's because that doesn't include the hood. ahhhhh (penny drops).

but it gets down to a philosophical question of do you want a piece of gear with no features at all and absolute minimum weight, or do you want an "essential" feature set with a few conveniences adding minimal weight? Many people will opt for the second scenario.

Exactly my idea. My premium goal is to have the most enjoyable trip I can have. Lowering the weight of my pack is just a means to achieve that goal and not a goal in itself.

What the review concerns, I found it remarkable that the aluminium pole was earmarked as a 'not so good' feature. I could agree that replacing the aluminium pole by a carbon pole could be seen as an improvement to further lower the weight, but to conclude that this means that the aluminium pole in itself is a bad feature, is a bit exagerated.
I agree that it's a bit silly if you compare it with those 1 gram stakes but I don't take those stakes seriously anyway.