Ultralight tents have been all the fad by means of the previous decade or so. It appears that almost each out of doors model makes one. The issue with slicing again and going minimal is that, if not achieved proper, you could find your self in the midst of nowhere wishing you had extra.
The Search Exterior Silex has every thing you want and nothing you don’t. It’s easy and provides you choices between going ultraminimal and floorless or giving your self the consolation of the nest.
I’ve used this shelter for the previous two seasons. It’s seen in a single day journeys within the Adirondacks and chased bugles within the Colorado Wilderness. Your shelter is your property within the wild. It could possibly be some of the very important items of substances in the case of defending you and your tools when the weather turn into hostile. The Silex makes a strong backcountry residence.
In brief: There are some unimaginable ultralight shelters on the market, however the Search Exterior Silex stands out by way of innovation and flexibility in an ultralight bundle.
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Kind
Tent/Shelter -
Weight
Cover 17 oz. | Nest 16 oz. -
Path weight
2.3 lbs (Cover, nest, stakes, stuff sack) -
Doorways/Vestibules
2 -
Sleeps
1 -
Flooring space
49 sq. ft. | Nest: 17.9 sq. ft. -
Top
50″ -
Supplies
30D double-coated silnylon
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Ultralight -
Zipperless -
Finances-friendly
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Simply builds condensation
Testing the Silex
The Silex Tent
Looking solo was my impetus to discover ultralight designs. I wanted a structurally sound tent that was light-weight and easy to deploy. The Silex appeared purpose-built for my utility.
It’s primarily a trekking pole shelter, however Search Exterior affords carbon poles must you go that route. You should buy simply the cover and put it to use as a floorless shelter. I opted for the nest, which supplies you the additional benefit of safety from bugs and condensation.
The design is tremendous minimalist. It’s completely different from the freestanding Eureka dome tent I grew up with. The Silex has a range jack possibility for these searching for to increase their season.
Who knew some catenary lower silnylon, weatherproofed seams, 4 major stakeout factors, and a few trekking poles had been all you wanted? Oh, and no zippers.
The Silex Nest
Search Exterior affords a nest for many who don’t wish to go floorless. It attaches to the within of the cover. It doesn’t require any further stakes.
It’s constructed with a 3-inch bathtub flooring and mesh partitions. The highest layer is Sturdy Water Repellent (DWR) nylon for cover from condensation. Entry and exit can be found by means of zippered doorways on each side.
Regardless of the extra weight, I’ve discovered the nest provides that layer of consolation within the backcountry {that a} conventional tent supplies. The footprint of the nest simply accommodates your sleep system with room to spare.
Distinctive Function
The cover’s zipperless characteristic is a proprietary design, and it’s sensible. Zippers are inherent fail factors in most shelters. They’re beneath rigidity in tightly pitched tents.
Search Exterior’s technique overcomes this with vestibule doorways that open and shut vertically on a staked line. You may alter it with the road lock rigidity fastener in any place on the road. You may shut the vestibule near the bottom in increased wind circumstances.
This characteristic on this tent type makes a conventional zipper out of date. Gear entry couldn’t be sooner, both. When you’re not shifting camp, you elevate the road lock, after which seize your bow, the day’s value of meals, and pack, and also you’re off.
Versatility
Your shelter is your mountain residence. Looking out west, typically discovering an acceptable campsite is a problem. Not solely would you like a flat space to sleep for the evening, however ideally, you need that spot not inside putting distance of any beetle-kill tree tops.
In contrast to a freestanding tent, you possibly can pitch the cover over floor particles. When you select the floorless possibility, you’re solely restricted by the sq. footage you want to your sleeping pad. The nest requires little by way of house as properly.
Having a shelter this gentle and easy to deploy makes breaking down camp a fast process. The Silex is the proper sunshade for these glassing atop uncovered ridgelines and mitigates the necessity for a separate tarp.
Making the Silex Higher
There aren’t any obtrusive weaknesses within the design. It’s light-weight, and for those who nonetheless wish to save an extra 4 ounces, Search Exterior runs the cover in Dyneema Cuban Fiber (DCF) twice a yr. This weight financial savings does include decreased sturdiness. DCF is a higher-tension material in comparison with silnylon.
The setup is easy. There’s some nuance to it that you do not need to wrestle with after you log a tough day attending to that first glassing level or at the hours of darkness. As with all gear, follow at residence earlier than you are taking it to the sphere.
Condensation does are inclined to accumulate. You need to use the vestibules to handle airflow to cut back this. The one time I discover the condensation is that early morning exit when the damp silnylon brushes the again of my neck. Good morning!
Search Exterior Silex: Conclusion
Ultralight shelters can rapidly set you again upward of $700. The Silex cover and nest value $400. You may compress each in a stuff sack about twice the width of a Nalgene bottle.
If it’s dry, I’ve additionally simply stuffed it within the backside of my pack, too. Sturdiness is at all times a consideration for backcountry gear, and the Silex’s supplies and development will see you thru a number of seasons of onerous use. Its geometry additionally makes it extremely resilient to windy circumstances.
As this overview would possibly counsel, this shelter is my go-to for solo ventures into the wild. Mountain climate could be unpredictable, and there isn’t a lot this ultralight tent can’t deal with. I’m wanting ahead to many extra seasons with the Silex. It’s going to take one thing nice to make me swap to the rest.
