Salewa Micra Tent Review

"Cost: £130.
Design: Two pole semi-geodesic.
Usable weight: 1.9kg.
Packaged weight: 2.4kg, includes both bags, repair kit, pegs,
and pole bag.
Carrying weight: 2.1kg.
Pitching: Inner first.
Porches: 1.
Groundsheet fabric: PU coated taffeta nylon, 4000mm.
Fly-sheet fabric: PU coated polyester, 3000mm.
Inner fabric: Breathable nylon.
Poles: 7001 T6 Aluminium.
Season rating: 3.

The Micra is of 1+ capacity. This means two people can use the tent, although conditions inside would be quite limited in size. However, the Micra is primarily designed as a solo tent for backpacking, cycle touring etc. Therefore when the tent is used by one person the accommodation is very roomy, and comfortable.
If two people were to use the tent their packs would have to be stored outside of the inner tent, under the large porch area provided. This is achieved by an extended fly-sheet. This porch is very large for a tent of this weight and is big enough for storing packs, and cooking. For one person, his/her pack could be left in the inner tent, with still lots of room in this area. This then allows more available space in the porch, for easier cooking, and additional gear storage.
The Salewa Micra is a semi-geodesic dome. This is achieved by using two poles that cross at each end. This design is probably the most stable available, for a tent that weighs only a fraction over two kilograms. Two guy lines are provided with the tent, and when tensioned correctly add more stability. However, the place where these guy lines attach to the fly, at each crossing point, is large enough to attach extra guy lines if desired.
The pitching of the Micra is inner first. This is made relatively easy by the use of pole clips. These attach the inner-tent to the poles. The use of pole clips, as a post to pole sleeves, allows pitching in high winds possible, and superior ventilation between the inner and fly, to keep condensation to a minimum. When the eighteen clips are in place, the inner is well tensioned, and a person can lie down with out fabric above their face. The fly-sheet is then put into position. At each corner of the fly-sheet there are eyelets, which clip under the eyelets at each corner, from the inner tent. The fly-sheet can then be tensioned by the use of buckles. This feature makes accurate pitching by one person much easier. This means the fly-sheet can be attached with out the use of pegs. However this should not be done under normal circumstances, and the fly-sheet should be pegged out using the loops, and pegs provided.
Other features of the Salewa Micra include four large pockets inside the inner tent, a removable internal gear loft, two collapsible ventilation flaps on the fly sheet, an adjustable mesh panel on the door of the inner, a mesh vent in the roof of the inner, a bath tub cut ground-sheet, a bag to carry the tent in, a larger bag to store the tent in, a repair kit, and very strong and durable aluminium pegs.
The only doubt I could have about the Micra is that the entrance to the tent only features a one way zip. This is not ideal but is not a major problem.
Overall the Salewa Micra is an excellent tent for £130, and has many features of more expensive tents. I would recommend it for back packing, cycle touring, or similar, for year round use in the UK. However a more substantial tent would be needed for use at high altitude, in a Scottish winter. Apart from this the Micra is perfect for use in the UK, for its desired purposes."

"I have now used this tent twice on Polaris Challenge cycling events and can offer the following comments:-

2 people in hot weather was a little bit on the warm side - boil in the bag would be fair I think.

2 people in cold damp weather - great with all the extra layers of clothing but make sure that you pitch the thing to avoid water ingress.

This tent was about as small as I can imagine it is realistic for 2 to share. If I believed I could avoid touching the inner I would be tempted by the 700g Polaris event tent or the 850 g SUP'air. In the real world, however, this make a great event tent for 2."

"If you are looking for a 1 man tent I would highly recommend this one. I lived in mine for the best part of a year and am now dedicated to this brand. At one point I left my tent pitched for 2 nights and a major storm (almost hurricane rated) blew through, when I returned, although the rest of the campground was littered with destroyed tents, my tent simply had one slightly damp corner (due to how I had pitched it). The double crossed poles design gives the tent extra rigidity which means even in high winds the tent retains it´s shape. Yes there are some minor problems such as when the fly is open there is no rain protection on one side so cooking in the rain is difficult, but for me advantages of the design of this tent far outweigh the disadvantages"

"i have used this tent for 7 years on cycle/camping tours through 18 countries.it has performed superbly, i have only punctured it twice but was able to repair it using puncture repair kit from bicycle. the only 3 gripes i have had are; no cooking area; the zip is hard to close/open from the inside; finally the white logo on the outside screams "illegally pitched tent" when you can't find a campsite...."