Mirage 1P shelter

Backpacker Gear Guide 2010 - Mirage 1P See Backpacker magazine's Gear Guide 2010 review: http://tinyurl.com/25goftd or http://www.backpacker.com/gear-guide-april-2010-big-sky-mirage-1p-tent/gear/13893

The Mirage performed beyond my expectations while hiking the AT for 1 month. Maine and New Hampshire had received a much higher than normal amount of rain in 2009. I had to put the tent up twice and take it down twice in light rain. The tent was packed up wet 7-8 times which was not a problem because I was able to shake off most of the rain before packing. Some time during the day we found a logging road or rocks/mountain top where we were able to throw all gear out to dry. The tent dried much quicker than my friends. Most rainy nights the temperature ranged from 50-60F. Condensation occurred but it was not any more that would occur on the inside of a fly. I received a little spray in the face on one night when we received over 4 inches of rain. I have occasionally had the same problem with other tents with flys though the tents with cloth usually absorb the spray. I didn't realized it had rained so much that night because I slept so well - when I did wake up I quickly found that everything was very dry inside the tent and under the vestibule. Other rainy nights produced almost no condensation. In the morning I easily wiped off any condensation with my fleece hat which I wore to dry out. The tent seems to be well ventilated for all uses except hot and humid with rain. However, all backpack tents that I have ever owned are hot under these conditions. The Mirage's 2 doors open partially or completely to allow air flow across its length to provide better ventilation than any other one door tent with fly that I have ever owned. The Mirage is not a warm tent. It tends to be a bit drafty even with light winds of 10-15 MPH. I zippered the tent completely on two 35F nights. I did not have any condensation problems even though the air was still. The Mirage is a light tent for all conditions except for rainy, hot and humid nights when the vestibules must be closed. Only heavier tents with awnings that allow two doors to remain open are suitable for these conditions.

I have been a guide in Utah and Colorado for over 40 years and am the author of the Canyoneering series of guidebooks to BLM lands in southern Utah. I have rarely unconditionally recommended a product. I spend six or more months a year backpacking. For all of those years we've been looking for the "perfect" one man tent: a tent that can live up to the primary requirement of a tent: a bombproof cocoon to crawl into when the weather turns to crap. Several have come along, but they were heavy or really heavy. I've tried and seen about everything on the "ultralight" market. Many, many abject failures. This past season I used a Big Sky Mirage 1P all season. And, I was incredibly impressed (as were the several others on trips this year with Big Sky tents, and one other Mirage 1P). It is as close to perfection as I could have ever imagined. In Utah, besides the torrential seasonal rains, wind is the biggest factor. The Mirage stood up to winds in excess of 60 miles an hour (properly anchored) with little lean and not much flapping. In winter conditions, with snow piling up, I had just a smidge of condensation above my head. Even setting up the tent in the wind was easy as the four corners are staked first, then the poles are criss-crossed over, and then simply clipped on. For the desert, we use 5-foot lengths of cord to tie onto boulders and rock stacks. There are plenty of hold-down loops on the tent, so one can truly make it bombproof. I'm 6'4", a big guy - and the tent is plenty big enough. The vestibules have enough room for boots and misc. and for a small pack. Most of my clients/friends come on trips by themselves and don't want to share a tent with a stranger. This IS the solution; a full-blown bomber tent at less than two pounds. Perfect for Sierra Club or similar trips. With its excellent ventilation and screening, it will also become my standard river tent in the summers. Congradulations to Big Sky for a truly great product. Steve Allen

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