Review of our Skylar tent
by Mountain Leader, Darrell Harris
Firstly can I thank Stephen for giving me the opportunity to have a closer look at the Skylar. It arrived very quickly, well packaged and with clear pitching instructions.
Out of the bag it was true to weight and small – however if using long term I would separate the pegs and short pole and reduce the size further by using a dry bag. I personally prefer this as it keeps the rest of my kit dry on multi-day expeditions due to the tent inevitably getting wet through the British weather or simply morning dew.
On first pitching the tent is super easy to put up. It comes with standard length guys which you simply reduce to the required size and once attached leave on the tent. The line loks are of good quality and once in place hold their position.
This tent pitches inner first with the fly being thrown over the top and then uses the same peg points for both inner and outer thereby reducing the need for excess pegs and weight.
The instructions suggest setting the walking pole (not included unless you purchase the package) at 125cm. This means the outer fly sits close to the ground (which is good) but does reduce the headroom in the inner part of the tent.
Personally I found setting the walking pole at 130cm was a much better compromise as it gave better head clearance in the inner but only marginally raised the fly. This had the added advantage of increasing air flow through the tent thereby reducing condensation. I also slightly off set the pole to increase the area of the inner as demonstrated in the images.
Unlike similar Chinese models of this variety the Skylar can only be accessed via the main (left side) entrance. This is due to the need for a guy to hold the inner prior to securing the fly. I did try putting up the tent without this guy but it was quite tricky and a pain to get into the correct shape. The only disadvantage I can foresee with this design is it reduces the storage area within the fly. That said, the whole reason for this tent is to reduce weight so the user will most likely have a smaller rucksack/gear which should be able to be stored in the smaller (right side) entrance.
Once in the tent (and lying down) there is plenty of space. I used a Sea to Summit Ultralight pad which is 183cm in length, 55cm width and 5cm depth and this fit with room to spare ( I actually stored my spare clothes down the side). My only reservation is when sitting up. Due to the inner/outer design of the Skylar there really isn’t much room. It is a struggle to get changed without touching the outer fly meaning in bad weather water could seep through. I should stress when I used the tent it was a lovely July evening/morning with no moisture in the air so this observation is purely speculative.
Bottom line this is a good tent. It does what it is designed to do which is be an ultralight one person tent. It is certainly better than a single skin or a tarp/bivi but there are the minor disadvantages of a lack of headroom and not being able to use the small section as an entrance which is a shame.
Darrell Harris
Mountain Leader MTA: 183323
Out of the bag it was true to weight and small – however if using long term I would separate the pegs and short pole and reduce the size further by using a dry bag. I personally prefer this as it keeps the rest of my kit dry on multi-day expeditions due to the tent inevitably getting wet through the British weather or simply morning dew.
On first pitching the tent is super easy to put up. It comes with standard length guys which you simply reduce to the required size and once attached leave on the tent. The line loks are of good quality and once in place hold their position.
This tent pitches inner first with the fly being thrown over the top and then uses the same peg points for both inner and outer thereby reducing the need for excess pegs and weight.
The instructions suggest setting the walking pole (not included unless you purchase the package) at 125cm. This means the outer fly sits close to the ground (which is good) but does reduce the headroom in the inner part of the tent.
Personally I found setting the walking pole at 130cm was a much better compromise as it gave better head clearance in the inner but only marginally raised the fly. This had the added advantage of increasing air flow through the tent thereby reducing condensation. I also slightly off set the pole to increase the area of the inner as demonstrated in the images.
Unlike similar Chinese models of this variety the Skylar can only be accessed via the main (left side) entrance. This is due to the need for a guy to hold the inner prior to securing the fly. I did try putting up the tent without this guy but it was quite tricky and a pain to get into the correct shape. The only disadvantage I can foresee with this design is it reduces the storage area within the fly. That said, the whole reason for this tent is to reduce weight so the user will most likely have a smaller rucksack/gear which should be able to be stored in the smaller (right side) entrance.
Once in the tent (and lying down) there is plenty of space. I used a Sea to Summit Ultralight pad which is 183cm in length, 55cm width and 5cm depth and this fit with room to spare ( I actually stored my spare clothes down the side). My only reservation is when sitting up. Due to the inner/outer design of the Skylar there really isn’t much room. It is a struggle to get changed without touching the outer fly meaning in bad weather water could seep through. I should stress when I used the tent it was a lovely July evening/morning with no moisture in the air so this observation is purely speculative.
Bottom line this is a good tent. It does what it is designed to do which is be an ultralight one person tent. It is certainly better than a single skin or a tarp/bivi but there are the minor disadvantages of a lack of headroom and not being able to use the small section as an entrance which is a shame.
Darrell Harris
Mountain Leader MTA: 183323
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Above photos courtesy of Darrell Harris, Mountain Leader.
A big thank you to Darrell for testing a Skylar and providing an independent review of the tent.
Darrell's point about setting the walking pole to 130cm is very valid, we too have found that increasing the walking pole length from anywhere between 125cm and up to 130cm will indeed better tension the inner. As Darrell rightly points out this also slightly raises the flysheet off the ground, which in turn will increase air flow and hence help reduce condensation, which any tent this compact will be prone to under certain conditions.
I should just to point out that the 'small section' that Darrell refers to in his write up (the small flysheet section to the right of the walking pole which features a high air vent), was never meant to be an entrance on the Skylar. This section of flysheet is designed to be fixed and provide a small storage space.
Thank you again to Darrell for taking the time to review our Skylar tent and to provide an independent and honest review.
Darrell's point about setting the walking pole to 130cm is very valid, we too have found that increasing the walking pole length from anywhere between 125cm and up to 130cm will indeed better tension the inner. As Darrell rightly points out this also slightly raises the flysheet off the ground, which in turn will increase air flow and hence help reduce condensation, which any tent this compact will be prone to under certain conditions.
I should just to point out that the 'small section' that Darrell refers to in his write up (the small flysheet section to the right of the walking pole which features a high air vent), was never meant to be an entrance on the Skylar. This section of flysheet is designed to be fixed and provide a small storage space.
Thank you again to Darrell for taking the time to review our Skylar tent and to provide an independent and honest review.
