Black Diamond Firstlight Review

"This tent is NOT waterproof, period. In the same way water resistant jackets soak through, so will the Epic fabric. It is marketed by black diamond as a lightweight alpine bivy, and it is stellar for that purpose. Other than high winds collapsing the tent, it is superlight and is more secure than a bivy."

"I seem to be one of the few people who've had a negative experience with this tent.

Black Diamond continues to be one of the few tent makers who don't tape the seems on their tents. At these prices there's no excuse for this.

Despite seam sealing the tent leaks like a sieve. And not at the seams but right through the fabric. I believe that the problem is caused by the shortness of the tent. The foot of your sleeping bag rubs against the back wall of the tent. I don't know if this rubs off the coating or what but it sweats right through the fabric in a heavy rain.

I couldn't recommend this tent for anything except as a lightweight winter tent or for alpine climbs. But in the rain, this tent doesn't cut it."

"For the price you are paying, the tent is not waterproof. The EPIC Nexis material soaked through entirely when it showered for 20minutes. Totally drenched my sleeping bag and other camping gear, even with seam sealing.
Under cold condition with no wind, condensation takes place."

"I first used this tent last Sept. in the hill country of Texas (Llano river) in one of my canoe/camping trip. I did spend a good couple of hours seam sealing this tent before the trip. It did rain hard one evening for several hours and this tent performed marvelously. I did notice some condensation but as far as leakage, it didn't happen to me. I like this tent for the fact that it is light and set up is fairly quick. It is a bit pricey still in my opinion."

"Unlike the other reviewers I have not had any serious problems with this tent in the rain. I've slept in it in the rain about 10 times, 4 in really bad storms. The tent is not waterproof...but in my experience it is pretty close. I've never had more than a few drops of water inside the tent, and condensation has been minimal with the back vent and the door a 1/4 open. Black Daimond doesn't seam seal it, but its a 25 minute job to do it yourself. Plus, it weighs basically the same as a tarp and the event fabric is great for the summer as well as the winter in most areas. I'm 6'1" and I am just about at the height cutoff for this tent, but for 2 lbs I don't mind if my feet touch the door. I would highly recommend this tent for any weight concious solo camper. eVent fabric will probably go out of production in 2006 (not fire retardent) so if you're looking at it I would grab it soon."

"I was in Red Rocks, NV, camped in the main wash 1.0m from the visitor center during the tremendous Apr. 2006 thunderstorm. Heavy west wind and Houston-style downpour. The FirstLight sweated a bit and there was some dripping on the upwind rear window, but aside from that it was very, very comfortable. I used rocks instead of stakes (deep sand). The crossed poles flexed over 20 degrees in the wind, but the shelter was excellent. I had applied seam sealer when it was new in 2005. At 3 lbs, better than any bivvy except LightSabre."

"I used this tent for a week in the Pecos Wilderness area of New Mexico during the start of their rainy season. The rain was never what you would call heavy, nor was there any wind to speak of. I, and my gear were completely soaked every morning. Condensation buildup was very heavy even with the maximum allowable venting. Rain drops would strike the tent and simply be separated into many more micro-raindrops. This tent should only be used as an "inner tent", that is, placed inside of a real tent!! Oh, it's very light.."

"For the past year, this has been my preferred, lightest weight, roomiest solo backpack tent for use in the typically dry Rockies. I, too, have experienced minor condensation inside during and after rainstorms, but rain did not leak in. However, I suspect condensation would be much worse in more humid climates, e.g. Appalachians where I used to live & camp. Although effective, seam sealing was tedious and slow. I agree that, for this price, Black Diamond ought to factory-seal their tents as did the manufacturers of my older, cheaper tents. Good access and ventilation through large door, but awkward that the screen door panel is inside relative to the solid door panel--if you've got only the screen up during the night but it begins to rain, you must first unzip the screen panel to reach out and grab a 2nd zipper to close the waterproof solid panel. Screen should be outermost so that weather panel can be more quickly and easily closed, from the inside,over the screen. Check eBay for a more palatable discounted price on a new or used model."