I have slept in the BD First Light. Worked well on a regular cloudy night. However all over the web are mixed reviews on how waterproof the tent really is (it is sold as water-resistant).

Everyone always says Biblers are bomber. How good are they? I have thier tripod bivy, and it is pretty damn nice.

I'm also glancing at the BD firstlight. It's listed as a 3 season, but I hear it can be used for more than that. Any opinions?

Hello, we took the lightweight Mega Mid and Firstlight with us to the Ruth Gorge (along with much older BD gear) in April this year.

Thanks for making the lighter weight version of the Mega Mid. It served us well as a cook tent. We used the Firstlight as our 'route tent' on Peak 11,300 on the West Fork of the Ruth. It did well all three nights we used it (during two attempts). We had frozen condensate on the inside but I expected that during the cold nights. To have such a packable, lightweight tent, I see no reason to ever take a bivy sack (unless the route didn't allow a tent). I had a rock under my head at one bivy and the material held up. Thanks for making this little gem!

I just thought I would let you know how your gear did in the hands of the average joe. Didn't get a chance to attempt our original goal, the Harvard Route on Huntington, but have plans to head in next season for a go. Cheers.

—John Fitzgerald testimonial on www.bdel.com

2-person, single-wall tent

A Bibler I-tent. If you are really tall, get a Bibler Eldorado instead. Share the cost with your partner. Single door (saves weight). Seam grip it using the syringes and the seam-grip provided by Bibler, but make sure you wipe off the excess, so that you are adding minimal weight to the tent. You do not need a tarp (see discussion of this below). The weight of the Bibler I-tent is approximately equal to the weight of two bivy sacks, but you get the added benefit of sharing heat. For light-and-fast or carry-over type climbs, leave the tent poles at home and use the tent as a two-person bivy sack. The little aluminum tent stakes that come with the tent, can be put in a drawer and forgotten. You will likely never need them.

I've been experimenting with using the Black Diamond Firstlight tent. It weighs about 1.5 lbs less than the I-Tent, but has the same footprint. It's light weight makes it appealing for use in alpine climbing, but I'm not sure I would recommend it all situations. For example, I would not recomment it as a a tent for Mount Rainier, or for a many-day trip when a large amount of rain is expected. However, it makes an excellent choice as an emergency bivy sack, which I used recently after breaking my leg on Mount Baker.

http://www.speakeasy.org/...y/climbing/gear.html

I have slept in the BD First Light. Worked well on a regular cloudy night. However all over the web are mixed reviews on how waterproof the tent really is (it is sold as water-resistant).

Shop Talk: Lighter than two bivy sacks with better foul weather protection and more usable room. This tent has performed without flaw in Alaskan alpine weather. But, if you plan to punish your tent or hang out in pouring rain, the micro fiber will get over whelmed.

The question is, how waterproof is this water resistant tent? It has survived a meter of snowfall in the Range, and several overnights in the wet Chugach snowfall and drizzle.

http://www.alaskamountaineering.com/Product.cfm?id=487

You should really find a cure for your North Face fetish. The Tad Pole is best suited for travellers, and should not be advertised as a mountain tent in any respect.

I don't have any kind of "north face fetish" Stain, I've just had a couple of their tents in the past and been very impressed with them. So naturally they were the first company I looked at. I know they're a sellout trendy company now, and I woulden't be caught dead in one of their jackets, but I still like their tents.

Anyone Have any experience with the Kelty Ledge Tent??

I think a 4-season tent is designed for use in snowy conditions where weight isn't too big of a deal and wind isn't too strong. Most with vestibule for cooking. Comfort is important.