Although the Skyledge 2.1 is classed as a lightweight tent it's not in Terra Nova Laser territory with a fully packed weight of almost a kilo a person. The extra weight comes from the extra space available in the Skyledge, with it's porch to either side and more than reasonable 224cm length. More weight is shaved with a slightly tapered shape; 127cm at the shoulders reducing to 102cm at the feet, and plastic clips and grommets throughout.
Pitching is simple with the Skyledge 2.1 with no pole sleeves to guide poles through; simply locate the two main poles into the moulded attachment points and clip the plastic hooks in place along the poles. With the two main poles in place attach the short cross pole that forms the Evolution Tension Arch and slip the central plastic ring around all three poles. Close the wire gate over the centre ring and adjust the tension of the cross pole using the tension band above the door and all that's left to do is slide the flysheet over. The whole process takes less than 2 minutes with the chunky plastic clips even manageable with gloves on.
With a mesh inner and doors to either side condensation's kept to a minimum, although at the expense of 4 season use as mesh inner based tents are noticeable colder than traditional twin skinned tents. Overall the whole tent feels lightweight to the point that 1910g came as a shock, but despite appearances the fabrics are surprisingly durable and abrasion resistant with The 70 denier floor a polyether coating that's 3 times as abrasion resistant as standard PU!
It's when you get down to the fine details that you see the Mountain Hardwear touch, with attention to every detail from two way zips on both doors, reflective guys and the innovative Evolution Tension Arch. The fly and perimeter seam get the full taped treatment and every pressure point from the corners to the anchor clips are welded. See through windows have been getting increasingly popular over recent years and the Skyledge follows the trend, giving both a• outside view and extra light. rather than just sticking a window in the middle of the door Mountain Hardwear have positioned the window on the panel to the right of the door but in the perfect position for viewing out from the comfort of your sleeping bag.
Overall the profile is quite low and at just 99cm in the middle the Skyledge 2.1's not a tent for sitting up in for hours on end, but the profile combined with the Evolution Tension Arch makes it a very stable tent even in bad weather. Despite the low height, however, there's plenty of space for kit thanks to the twin vestibules and mesh pockets inside. You can add an optional gear loft if you want but unless you really need it you may find it impinges on the already limited head height.
Price: £420.00
Weight: 1910g
Colour: Grasshopper
Features:
- All new superlight fabrics reduce this proven design's weight by 14 oz.
- Fully taped fly, taped perimeter seam, welded corners and welded guy clip anchors. Rain room tested with 1200" of rain in 24 hours
- Atlas UL poles
- Proprietary Evolution Tension Archâ„¢ stabilizes tent using fewer poles
- Pitch Light configuration allows user to set up a superlight shelter using only the tent fly, poles and footprint (sold separately)
- Double doors with double-slider zippers and mesh panel
- SVX Window on fly allows for a view and extra light
- Welded zipper flap construction is lighter and drier than a sewn flap
- Welded vestibule zip flap
- Mesh pockets for interior storage
- Reflective guy-out loops, starter point and zipper pulls for easy set-up at night
- Optional rectangular gear loft stows gear off the floor (sold separately)
Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.