The REI Flash Air 1 Tent (new in 2023) is a single-wall ultralight pyramid-shaped tent with a deep bathtub flooring and a big entrance vestibule. Weighing 27.2 oz / g, it’s an reasonably priced ($299) ultralight trekking pole tent (non-compulsory pole included) designed for backpacking that’s fairly livable, spacious – even for tall folks, and wind worthy. The setup could be very easy because the vestibule and inside tent are joined collectively, the tent has wonderful air flow and is properly appointed with line loc tensioners within the corners to get a taut pitch.
REI fully botched the Flash Air 1 product description on its web site, apparently reducing and pasting the descriptions of a number of tents collectively, so I hope you’ll discover this overview clarifying. I truthfully assume the Flash Air 1 is a fairly nifty shelter and I actually like the truth that it’s competitively priced so that folks with no belief fund can afford it. Ultralight backpacking was by no means meant to be costly and elitist and I’m appalled that it’s turn out to be simply that.
Specs at a look
- Size: 1 particular person
- Type: Single-wall
- Structural: Trekking Pole Tent (non-compulsory pole included)
- Actual Minimum Trail Weight: 1 lb 11.2 oz (non-compulsory pole provides 2.3 oz extra)
- Minimum variety of stakes to pitch: 6
- Doors: 1
- Actual Bathtub Floor Dimensions: 85″ x 35/27″ (L x W head/foot) inches
- Vestibule Volume: 8.4 sq ft
- Peak Height: 47 inches
- Seam-taped: Yes
- Fabric: 20D ripstop nylon
- Hydrostatic head: NA
The REI Flash Air 1 has a pyramid-shaped rainfly and a rectangular-shaped bathtub flooring (though the top finish is wider than the foot finish). The two are linked internally by slender mesh panels, though the rainfly extends out previous the bath flooring partitions creating additional awnings which can be deeply curved (referred to as catenary curves) to enhance wind worthiness, stop rain splashback, and save weight.
I’ve examined this tent in 30 mph wind and whereas I did add a couple of additional guylines to take care of the rain fly quantity, it did remarkably properly. The rain fly may use a couple of extra gear loops for additional guylines on its extra expansive rear panels and seams which catch the wind, however their absence is not at all a showstopper.
The tent comes with an non-compulsory middle pole (2.3 oz) measuring 47″ (119.4 cm) which might be changed with a trekking pole. The deal with of a trekking pole suits into the strengthened peak, whereas the sharp finish suits right into a grommet on the entrance midpoint of the bath flooring. It’s a really safe and structurally sturdy setup. If you decide to make use of the included middle pole (coloured black), it has 4 shock-corded segments, with a most phase size of 12″.
The inner bathtub flooring requires a bit of extra clarification. It is wider on the head and narrows on the foot, however with these dimensions: 85″ x 35/27″ (we supply a tape measure to make our personal measurements), it’s large sufficient and lengthy sufficient to carry a large sleeping pad or a tall particular person with loads of additional flooring area for inner gear storage.
The again wall of the inner bathtub flooring is taller than the entrance wall, to dam chilly wind and dirt from blowing beneath the prolonged awnings. The corners of the again wall are augmented with 16″ aluminum poles to create distinct corners and hold the again from collapsing. The design of those corners is harking back to the “pitch-locs” that the corporate Tarptent makes use of on a lot of their tents for a similar function. There’s no have to take away these 16″ poles from the tent corners when packing the tent (though you possibly can) and I’d suggest leaving them alone.
Comfort
Ease of Setup
Weather Resistance
Durabilty
Weight
Packed Size
Affordable Ultralight Tent
The REI Flash Air 1 Tent (new in 2023) is a single-wall ultralight pyramid-shaped tent with a deep bathtub flooring and a big entrance vestibule. Weighing 27.2 oz / g, it is an reasonably priced ($299) ultralight trekking pole tent (non-compulsory pole included) designed for backpacking that is fairly livable, spacious – even for tall folks, and wind worthy.
These nook aluminum poles have one other profit, which is that they improve the space between your face and the rain fly. This is commonly a problem with steeply angled pyramid-shaped tents and tarps (typically referred to as “mids” – quick for pyramids) the place the fly passes just some inches above your face and the tops of your toes. These nook struts tackle this concern by creating extra quantity and distance between you and the rain fly.
It’s price mentioning that the 16″ pole size of the nook struts received’t match horizontally in some backpacks, which is one thing to think about in the event you insist on packing your tent horizontally in your backpack. A most nook pole phase size of 12″ or 13″ would have made the Flash Air 1 extra appropriate with a bigger variety of backpacks, significantly ultralight backpacks, the place pack width tends to be narrower.
When you zipper the entrance vestibule closed, it creates a really massive space for storing in entrance of the tent, for any gear you don’t wish to deliver inside. It’s a one-way zipper, so you possibly can’t go away the highest open like a transom for extra airflow, however there’s a peak vent with a kickstand to assist launch moisture, significantly out of your breath, or in the event you deliver moist gear inside with you.
If you need, you possibly can open the left or proper facet of the vestibule and there are tiebacks on both facet to safe them. My recommendation is to tie one of many additional reflective guylines that include the tent to the loop on the apex of the rainfly, so you possibly can roll again each side of the door and have one facet of the tent fully open, with simply the entrance mesh for insect safety. This is my favourite truthful climate configuration.
For additional credit score, you may additionally wish to add a Zpacks double hook equipment to the doorways, which helps you to use one guyline hooked up to the apex, to roll again the left vestibule door, the correct one, or each on the identical time with out having to re-stake the doorways individually.
Just a few extra particulars:
- The rainfly has fairly a couple of additional man out loops sewn into the seams, however none on the bigger panels. Those could be useful in excessive wind to assist preserve the inside quantity.
- When organising the tent, the corners of the bath flooring have fixed-length traces, whereas the corners of the rainfly have line loc tensioners. You can use one stake for each traces, however some re-staking could also be crucial.
- The head finish of the mesh has two facet pockets sized to carry electronics or private gadgets.
Recommendation
The REI Flash Air 1 is an ultralight trekking pole tent that weighs 27.2 oz and is made with extra typical supplies (ripstop nylon) to maintain its value affordable. The inside of the tent is kind of massive, with loads of area above the top and toes and alongside the edges. It has an enormous vestibule for gear storage and wonderful air flow for a single-wall tent in the event you can hold the vestibule partially open. The tent units up quick as a result of the rainfly and bathtub flooring are all one piece so you are able to do it within the rain with out getting the inside drenched.
There actually aren’t that many aggressive tents to the Flash Air 1, in the event you solely contemplate single-wall tents, made with extra typical supplies, and never Dyneema DCF:
- The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo (26 oz) is its closest competitor. Made with low-stretch siliconized polyester, it’s additionally a single-pole, single-wall tent with good air flow, however has considerably much less climate safety as a result of its flooring isn’t as deep. $260.
- The Gossamer Gear “The One” (17.7 oz) is a spacious single-wall tent with a two-pole design. Made with Sil/PU coated cloth, it additionally has much less room above the top and foot ends in comparison with the Flash Air 1. $299.25
- The Durston Gear X-Mid 1 (28 oz) is a double-wall tent requiring 2 tent poles to arrange that’s made with low-stretch siliconized polyester. While it additionally has loads of non-screened space for storing, the inside is relatively cramped. $240.
Disclosure: REI donated a tent for overview.
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