MSR 1 man tent
Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 10:42 am
I thought I would do a post on this since I mentioned a tent problem in a post I did this last summer.
Net is for solo backpacking, I switched from a 4 pound 2 man tent to a 1 man tent. The one I chose, in spring 2017 was a MSR Carbon Reflex 1. Its weight is 1 1/2 pounds. This is a huge weight reduction especially for a solo person who can't share common things with others. I carry a footprint that weights 6 ounces, so I add the two together and say my tent weight is 2 pounds.
The MSR tent worked very well for me in 2017, but on my first trip in 2018, the main rod broke. Specifically, the metal ferrule had slipped into the carbon fiber shaft such that the pole could not function. I was at Tunemah Lake... a lonnnng way away from a car so this was a big deal.
When I got back, I got ahold of MSR and they fixed the problem, so I was happy. In October, the same thing happened , at the same place in the tent pole. Another disaster. When I got back and got on the phone to MSR they told me that they would fix it, but I told them I wanted them to provide some form of root cause explanation...because I didn't want to take it anymore if I could not have confidence in it.
I didn't expect much on the latter, but I was pleasantly surprised when I both got the tent back AND got a letter explaining that the design was in fact improved and they sent both the old pole back fixed and a new pole. I was impressed.
I actually love the tent..(other than being somewhat claustrophobic!). It is very easy to set up and of course the weight is fantastic. The service was outstanding. Given all of the above, I give it a cautious thumbs up. We will see how it performs in 2019!
Net is for solo backpacking, I switched from a 4 pound 2 man tent to a 1 man tent. The one I chose, in spring 2017 was a MSR Carbon Reflex 1. Its weight is 1 1/2 pounds. This is a huge weight reduction especially for a solo person who can't share common things with others. I carry a footprint that weights 6 ounces, so I add the two together and say my tent weight is 2 pounds.
The MSR tent worked very well for me in 2017, but on my first trip in 2018, the main rod broke. Specifically, the metal ferrule had slipped into the carbon fiber shaft such that the pole could not function. I was at Tunemah Lake... a lonnnng way away from a car so this was a big deal.
When I got back, I got ahold of MSR and they fixed the problem, so I was happy. In October, the same thing happened , at the same place in the tent pole. Another disaster. When I got back and got on the phone to MSR they told me that they would fix it, but I told them I wanted them to provide some form of root cause explanation...because I didn't want to take it anymore if I could not have confidence in it.
I didn't expect much on the latter, but I was pleasantly surprised when I both got the tent back AND got a letter explaining that the design was in fact improved and they sent both the old pole back fixed and a new pole. I was impressed.
I actually love the tent..(other than being somewhat claustrophobic!). It is very easy to set up and of course the weight is fantastic. The service was outstanding. Given all of the above, I give it a cautious thumbs up. We will see how it performs in 2019!