STATION13 SAGE Tent
Additional Information
Click HERE to go directly to the purchase page
The SAGE can accommodate two people, so can be used as a cosy two person tent or a very roomy solo tent. With a floor plan of 200cm in length, 130cm wide at the head/entrance end going down to 110cm at the foot end, there is enough floor space for two full size sleeping mats, and room for two small - medium size packs and boots in the vestibule. While not quite as spacious internally as our SHARK 2 tent, it's worth bearing in mind that the SAGE is around half a kilo lighter.
Though not strictly storage space, the design of this tent does mean that there is also additional space at the sides underneath the flysheet between the flysheet and the inner tent should you need it. Though not readily accessible from inside the tent, the space can still be made use of if necessary. Just unhook the side tent peg and it's ideal for throwing dirty boots or wet clothes under (see the floor plan image below).
Unlike some tents, the full 200cm (6ft 7ins) internal length is usable as the foot end and head end of the inner tent are vertical. In practice this means that the SAGE will comfortably accommodate anyone around 6ft 4ins/6ft 5ins, and up to 6ft 6ins at a push.
Though not strictly storage space, the design of this tent does mean that there is also additional space at the sides underneath the flysheet between the flysheet and the inner tent should you need it. Though not readily accessible from inside the tent, the space can still be made use of if necessary. Just unhook the side tent peg and it's ideal for throwing dirty boots or wet clothes under (see the floor plan image below).
Unlike some tents, the full 200cm (6ft 7ins) internal length is usable as the foot end and head end of the inner tent are vertical. In practice this means that the SAGE will comfortably accommodate anyone around 6ft 4ins/6ft 5ins, and up to 6ft 6ins at a push.
If I compare this tent to my trusty Coleman Avior X2, which was also promoted as a lightweight 2 person tent... well, the SAGE definitely has some plus points.
To start with, although the SAGE only has a 5cm wider floor plan than the Coleman tent at the head end (130cm as opposed to 125cm), the SAGE has double the width (110cm) at the foot end. So whilst I would never truly consider my Coleman Avior X2 as realistically comfortable enough to sleep two people, the SAGE I certainly would. The internal height is far better with the SAGE than the Coleman tent and the whole tent feels far more spacious.
What the Coleman has going for it is that it has a full polyester inner tent as opposed to the SAGE's full nylon bug mesh inner, which obviously makes the Coleman a slightly warmer tent in colder weather. But then again the much roomier SAGE tent is 250 grams lighter than the Coleman.
To start with, although the SAGE only has a 5cm wider floor plan than the Coleman tent at the head end (130cm as opposed to 125cm), the SAGE has double the width (110cm) at the foot end. So whilst I would never truly consider my Coleman Avior X2 as realistically comfortable enough to sleep two people, the SAGE I certainly would. The internal height is far better with the SAGE than the Coleman tent and the whole tent feels far more spacious.
What the Coleman has going for it is that it has a full polyester inner tent as opposed to the SAGE's full nylon bug mesh inner, which obviously makes the Coleman a slightly warmer tent in colder weather. But then again the much roomier SAGE tent is 250 grams lighter than the Coleman.
With the inner tent being made up solely of high density bug mesh, this is a tent better suited to 2-3 season camping. The bug mesh inner tent has a very respectable ceiling height of 110cm at its centre (so plenty of head room for sitting up in the SAGE) and is permanently attached to the waterproof bathtub floor. You will note that the flysheet on this tent is slightly raised off the ground. This feature, along with two small air vents at the front and rear of the tent allows for good air circulation in order to help minimise condensation.
The Inner tent entrance features a two-way zipper, so can be opened and closed from the top or the bottom.
The Inner tent entrance features a two-way zipper, so can be opened and closed from the top or the bottom.
The SAGE comes with either ten 160mm x 5mm aluminium 15g alloy candy cane tent pegs and two guylines, or ten of our 150mm x 3mm Superlite classic shepherd's crook 5g titanium tent pegs, along with two guylines. There are multiple guyline points, but unless facing adverse weather conditions you are not likely to need them. Initially we guyed out the sides thinking that this would be needed to stop the fly touching the inner tent, but actually there is plenty of space between the two even without these guylines attached. We ultimately used the additional guylines with our walking poles just to set up the awning. The guylines included are black, this is because the tent can be used for stealth camping, but we've also thrown in a couple of Hi-Vis guylines.
The 8.5mm 7001-T6 anodised aluminium alloy pole frame creates a quite spacious interior, with a wide Y-section at the front end entrance and a smaller Y-section at the foot end. The pole sections are all shock-corded together, hence there is effectively only one pole that springs out to completely to form the frame of the tent. The inner tent is erected first and is free-standing once the pole and inner tent clips are located. This means that the inner tent can be used without the flysheet on any very hot summer nights.
One thing that sets our SAGE tent slightly apart from similar designs is that the end entrance fully unzips on either side and so can be completely rolled up out of the way over the entrance. This feature also means that the entrance can also be unrolled and used effectively as an awning by employing walking poles - or perhaps even sticks - to hold it up (see photo). This awning can hence provide a conveniently covered/shaded area for cooking.
The SAGE is inner pitch first, but is extremely easy and very fast to set up. Everything about erecting the SAGE is straight forward and logical, there is nothing that gives you pause for thought. However, for your convenience there are instructions to aid erecting the tent sewn into the tent bag... though it really is very unlikely that you will need them with this tent.
Erecting the SAGE: Lay out the inner tent, unfold the tent pole linking the sections together and insert the four pole corners into the four corner metal eyelets on the bathtub floor, clip the inner tent to the pole frame and it's self-standing, then peg down the four corner points pulling nice and square as you do so. The flysheet is then draped over the frame - make sure that the entrance is at the right end. Four corner points of the flysheet have buckle clips that locate into the corners of the bathtub floor. Two pegs are required to peg out the sides, with a further two pegs for the entrance, There is an internal toggle either side that attaches the flysheet to the inner tent, and two ties on the front end of the flysheet that secure to the front poles. That's it... the tent is up and ready to use. Tip: Make sure the entrance zips are fully done up before pegging out.
Please note that we can supply a 210cm x 140cm groundsheet to provide additional protection to the bathtub floor of the SAGE if you require it… or indeed if you expect to be pitching on extremely suspect ground.
Erecting the SAGE: Lay out the inner tent, unfold the tent pole linking the sections together and insert the four pole corners into the four corner metal eyelets on the bathtub floor, clip the inner tent to the pole frame and it's self-standing, then peg down the four corner points pulling nice and square as you do so. The flysheet is then draped over the frame - make sure that the entrance is at the right end. Four corner points of the flysheet have buckle clips that locate into the corners of the bathtub floor. Two pegs are required to peg out the sides, with a further two pegs for the entrance, There is an internal toggle either side that attaches the flysheet to the inner tent, and two ties on the front end of the flysheet that secure to the front poles. That's it... the tent is up and ready to use. Tip: Make sure the entrance zips are fully done up before pegging out.
Please note that we can supply a 210cm x 140cm groundsheet to provide additional protection to the bathtub floor of the SAGE if you require it… or indeed if you expect to be pitching on extremely suspect ground.
STATION13 SAGE tent. How the weight breaks down.