The Power Lizard Ultralight weighs in at dead on 1 kg with its poles and pegs but without bags, which add a further 55g. At that weight it's up there with the leading ultralight's, whether 1 or 2 man, and it's not difficult to see where the weight's been saved. The transverse pole and two end poles are noticeably smaller diameter than most, guylines more akin to dental floss and the pegs not much bigger than toothpicks!
Pitching the Power Lizard is as simple as it gets, second time round, based on what seems to be the industry standard transverse central pole with small poles to keep the ends vertical. Where the Power Lizard differs from other tents is Vaude ditching the normal pole sleeve system in favour of an an external pole connected by clips - a trademark of Vaude's tents. The pole clips are two-part mechanisms with the grey part sliding onto the pole and a secondary, red, clip locking the grey clip in place once the tent's tension is adjusted. On first pitch it's simple to get this wrong by locking the clips in place too early and having to release the red clips to slide the grey ones along the pole to the correct place. By the time you pitch it a second time the lesson has been learned and the process is simple and straightforward. With the main pole in place it's a simple matter of sliding the end poles into place with a sleeve for the upper end and a brass hole at ground level.
With the poles in place it's time for the pegs and adjustments. The supplied pegs, as shown in the photograph, are probably the thinnest and lightest pegs we've seen and despite appearances actually do the job perfectly well. The pre-fitted guys on either side, however, have no adjustment at all and must be run out to full length and pegged for tension. The end guys, which attach above and below the end poles do have adjusters - essential as one of the most important aspects of keeping the tent correctly tensioned is to make sure the end poles are totally vertical. Failure to keep the end poles vertical leads to a loss of tension in the side panels. With the outer correctyly tensioned attention then turns to the inner. The inner tent, which comes pre-attached to the outer from the bag, has only two adjusters - both on the door side of the tent and the distance between tyhe fly and inner can be adjusted using a single grey strap and buckle in each corner. Again it's important to get this right as a poor adjustment here will lead to the inner touching the outer on the opposite side of the tent ( the side opposite the door). The final adjustment is just indide the door, next to the zip, with a tension band running transversely across the inside of the tent following the line of the pole. This adjustment completes the tensioning and results in a very stable setup.
The inner tent is almost silk like with a very thin, soft and smooth fabric that hangs in a similar way to the curtains of a four poster bed. Ventilation is excellent thanks to the fabric, but again with 2 people in the tent it's almost impossible to prevent the inner touching the users face during the night.
Overall the Power Lizard Ultralight is an excellent lightweight option for one person. The pole clips and internal tension cord make it easy to pitch and solid even in 40mph winds and the single porch is just big enough to store one person’s kit inside and out of the elements. As a 2 man tent, however, it's just not big enough with only a single porch.
Price: £375.00 Weight:
1055g (inc stuffsack, pegs and poles)
Colour: Sand, Green
Features:
- 1 entrance
- single arch construction
- very light construction
- excellent air circulation through mesh windows and vents
- laminated floor resistant against formic acid
Pros: Weight, pole clips, interneal tensioner
Cons: No side guy adjustment, Too small for 2 people
Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.