Black Diamond

FirstLight Tent: 2-Person 4-Season

Great for car camping

I'm pretty much just a weekend warrior and go car camping. I used it when the weather dropped around 50°f and was pretty comfortable. The only issue I have is I wish it was an inch longer or I could stake out the back of the tent and pull it back some my. I'm 6ft 1 and I have no extra room between my head and the tent.

Fills all of my needs

Great tent, set up is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Extra canvas in the corners are great for preventing tent poles from punching through. I would definitely recommend it.

NOT WATERPROOF AT ALL.

I attempted a Mt. Baker/Kulshan summit on 6/26. It started raining when we got back to Hog's Back (basecamp) at around 11am. By 11:30, the tent had started leaking from the seams/poles (since they're on the inside). Water was dripping down on my face while I was napping, which is why I noticed. The rain stopped at around 1/1:30pm, but started back up at around 5. It rained from 5pm, through the night, and into the next morning. When I woke up at 7am, everything in my tent was wet. I mean everything. My backpack, my sleeping bag, my shoes... It was all soaked through. There were multiple puddles on the ground of the tent. I luckily had a dry bag with a few items of clothing and my big puffer, so I could put some dry layers on before heading back to our cars that morning. I would not have been able to stay another day on the mountain in the condition that the tent and my personal items were in. Another individual in our group had the same tent and experienced the same issues (not waterproof, woke up next to puddles and wet personal items), so this is clearly not an isolated experience or a single, defective tent that was sold to me. How can Black Diamond, in good conscience, say that this is a four season tent? It's not at all. Please do better. Seal the seams on this tent before selling it to people who are planning on using it in potentially extreme weather conditions.

bombproof Tent!

The lightest option for alpine mountaineering. Thank you BD for taking our adventures further.

the industry standard

this is still the gold standard bivy tent for climbers - light, weatherproof enough for most of the times you are actually out trying to climb something, and cheap enough to thrash. super quick and easy to pop once you do it a couple times. of course if you're over 6, then you're definitely touching foot and head unless you can sleep diagonally - which is a palace for one. BD - make a firstlight with longer dimensions please.

Great tent

Have a first light that is now about 10 years old. The poles have finally lost their elasticity but it’s a decade old. Have used in temps down to 30. Never leaks. Does get a little condensation when 2 are using it. By myself it does better. It’s a tight squeeze for 2 people but it keeps it light and simple. I can pitch this tent in about 5 mins and pack it away just as fast. You won’t regret spending the money on this one.

The worst tent

In cold climates, you wake up with an incredible amount of water inside your tent, in snowy climates, that water turns into ice, and you literally have a blanket of ice on top of you at dawn.

Bad tent for tall people

TMDL; Great tent for ANTS! This tent is a really great approach to a singlewall, four season and alpine tent. I bought the 2-person for use in fast and lightweight travel in snowy terrain. Since having the previous generation since 2014, I have 9 years with this tent and can give some perspective as 6'3" tall human. When I first got the tent, I was excited at the small format and light weight. The engineering is brilliant. The poles go up easily from the inside and stay in place with the velcro loops. Ventilation is good and works pretty well for such a small tent. The floor of the tent holds up well to dog claws and I haven't seen more than one small puncture in a decade. The challenge for this tent is the small length. Anyone 6 feet tall or more will likely barely fit this 84" at the floor tent. Since the walls are not vertical, they are probably closer to 80-81" long at the forehead when on a foam+inflatable mattress set up in extreme cold. You might be thinking, for someone 6' tall, that is still 8 inches, but even then, the loft off your bag and pillow at toe and head will certainly be in contact with the tent wall. In my 2-wall winter tent, this would not be an issue. In this tent, condensation is raining down the sides through the night if you add a dog or second human. The vents and vapor barrier wall cannot keep up in very cold temps. Anything on the floor should likely be in a water proof container so the moisture doesn't impact it. You may feel a little colder than usual if the humidity peaks in the tent. All in all, I am happy at the diagonal when using this 2-person tent alone. I am 6'3" and can get a pretty comfortable humidity and not have my head and toe touch the tent walls. Fortunately, my wife (5'3") has demanded we keep this tent for her to use in the case that we ever get a divorce.

Worked great throughout our hike on the Enchantments

This tent is a great backpacking tent. It’s light and takes up little room in a pack. It’s a little on the tight side for room. But does have enough space for two. Once the seams are sealed, it’ll keep the rain out. Recommend keeping the vent and door mesh open to keep air flowing and preventing condensation buildup.