Kelty Salida Camping and Backpacking Tent, 1 Person

I love this little tent, it is the perfect size for my full grown boxer and I. These Salida 2 tents are not perfect rectangles, like many 2 man tents built for hiking they save weight and space by narrowing on one end where the occupants feet would be. As I sleep in the tent alone I have no concerns with space, but were I to want to sleep 2 in a tent this tent would not work for me.I'm a bigger guy, a bit heavy with very broad shoulders. I'm 5'7 and about 220lbs, I wear a size 52 jacket, and always have to get a tremendous amount of tailoring done to suck the gut in as my shoulder girth does not match my belly girth (I still have plenty of that too). As such I cannot use a traditional mummy bag. I am using a Big Agnes bag (Buffalo Park 40) which is 5 inches wider (ish) than a standard mummy bag. This bag fits me while allowing some slack for me to toss and turn at night (a must for me). The bag requires a 25" pad, which, again, is wider than standard. Because my bag is wider than standard I would never be able to fit a second person (other than a child or very small lady friend) in the tent with me. Even with a smaller person the standard pad would just not fit alongside my Big Agnes pad in this tent. This is NOT in any way unusual since my Agnes system is wider than standard. I only bring it up to point out that the tent is listed as a 2 person, but it will be a tight fit with standard bags and pads. Keep in mind with the door on the side like it is, one person would have to crawl over the top of the other to exit the tent, so if you have someone in the tent who has to get up frequently at night put them by the door. I don't see anyway the person who is not by the door could get out without disturbing the person by the door.Setup was easy, took me less than 5 minutes alone to get it pitched. The bag it comes in is neat, but a bit larger than I would like. It takes up more room than I expected in my pack, but once you plan for it it's not a big deal. I don't have any similar tents to compare it to, so I could not say if it's larger or smaller than other tents of the type.I will update if/when I take it out and have to endure some weather, so far I have only slept without the rain fly on beautiful clear evenings.Pros:Light WeightIncludes a nice travel bagGoes up and down very quicklyOn a clear night (without the rain fly) you can see the starts through the mesh topCons:2 person, JUST BARLEY if they are normal/smallish folksTakes up a bit more space in my pack that I would likeSide door means sleeping two could result in some disturbed sleep for the person not by the doorAll in all I am very pleased with this tent, and don't believe the cons take away from the overall value. I only mention them just in case those issues matter to someone! I will buy the 3 man version of this same tent if I can find a gal who will hike with us!

This is my second salida 2, I previously owned a 2014 model, which I loved. But these one has several upgrades and only 1 con at least for me.Pros.The new cube shaped bag gives you more options when packing (you can pack the old one like this as well as they are mostly identical) but you can either pack everything separated and into the bag when car camping or ditch the bag and roll everything into a 12 inch roll an put the poles outside the bag for backpacking.still weighs the same over 4 pounds with everything.(You can drop the weight to 3 pounds and change if you only take 4 stakes, remove unneeded guide chords and not adding the loft. And ditching bag)The msr groundhog Y stakes that come with it are even lighter they the groundhog themselves and work beautifully.the extra fabric gives you a little bit more privacy when the vestibule door is opened. Also protects you a little bit more from direct wind.the pole connectors are the TN model ones where they don't hug, but sort of screw in and then clamp in. Really nice ones.The pull tab for the guide lines is a triangle model like the hillemberg tarps.The poles are shorter wich ands more rigidity to the tent stability, it truly does feel sturdier now.I like the color but that part is personal.The consNo gear loft??? It's ok since hey made other improvements and had to keep price down. I order the Kelty gear loft wich fits well except for the color. Wich I don't care for really. But I lee my gear loft really tight. So you don't see it until you put something in it.the new pole length, wich is like 2 or 3 inches shorter is a problem if you are used to put your poles in the side pockets with your backpacks. Since my upper compression strap is not reached. And therefore they might fall off when scrambling :(still I found a way to fold it into the tent roll itself and use the outer pocket for food now.I love this tent. You can get some that are lighter but I love this one :)Love the brand and when I had a problem, Kelty has my back. Not as amazingly as osprey and their warranty. But Kelty won't leave you hanging.As for practical use.This thing has performed outstandingly on strong winds (not storms... Yet)Waterproofing is top notch sufficient to say. You will stay dry as long as you set it correctly. And don't camp on the deeper side of any camping spot.be carful with fire, holes will be made by embers. So don't be a hero.I tried cooking in the vestibule while I strong winds but had to abort. It was an alcohol stove and was getting out of hand.I usually keep my entire gear including this tent inside my pack (osprey stratus 34) and it also fits inside water food, klymit V sleeping pad. Layers.I live in panama so this is humid as f$&ck...this is a good tent, no lie.