Macpac Microlight Questions & Answers

I bought 2nd hand Microlight about 20 years ago and it has been great. Very fast to put up and down and very strong in winds despite only one pole. Recently I have just used the fly as it creates lot more space so , yes the inner tent is fairly confined but I haven't noticed sag and I will continue to use it as fly; and with the tent in really colder, wet conditions. The packed fly means it's VERY light and compact for such a roomy shelter. Son and I shared fly on bike tours. Also faultless build ie NO faults/ breakages. Good luck with plans Of course there may now be better designs. And I'm looking for light 2 person tent mostly for base camping to give me more room.

Thanks Iandekam. Because I need to use both the fly and tent together for a winter snow overnight trip the sag issue is my biggest concern. A one pole tent lengthwise is liable to produce more sag than the horizontal type tent pole and in winter I'll have it all closed up, hence if there's sagging, I'm likely to get that condensation buildup touching the sides of my sleeping bag. Lots to like about the tent though with it's deep bathtub and the fact the fly extends right down to the ground to prevent snow spindrift getting in.

Have owned 2 microlights along with the Bush Cocoon, Celeste, Olympus and Minaret (showing my age!). Mostly alpine in NZ where I needed reliability in gear. One was polyester (delaminated eventually after heavy use) and now have the newer silnylon. There are variations in every batch often based on raw material availability. The beauty of all these 'multipitch' style tents is the ability to pitch the fly ahead of the inner. After a day in the rain, you can get cleaned, cook etc ahead of getting out of your wet clothes and keeping your bed gear dry and vice versa on pack up. My tip is to store the fly in a handy spot separate to the inner as a goto first. Under the fly you can sleep 2, with inner one. I like their tub floor, was thicker than most for those wet ground / snow campsites. I still used an alfoil groundsheet. Easy to set-up. Good in a storm. I remember often keeping the vestibule wide open sleeping under a starry night with ventilation (no condensation). An inner will add 5C warmth but in NZ it also keeps the sandflies out if you're bivvying below 800m. Good vestibule space for storing gear. From my experience you can't go wrong with it. I think MSR could be another option, bibler but very very $$ ... but I'm a Macpac fan albeit these days they ain't what they used to be when they were first being made in someone's garage in NZ. I wouldn't even bother to review this tent if I needed another. The minaret if still available is a tunnel type but ideal for 2.

Thanks Michael. Appreciate your lengthy post. Alfoil groundsheet? You mean you take alfoil literally or one of those car windscreen alfoil looking thingys????? Any issues with the inner sagging in the one pole design?

Alfoil is a bit like that. probably overkill but it doubles as a sheet to pack/unpack. Coloured (e.g. red, blue one side), foil the other. Some of the ultra lighters use Tyvek?? builders alfoil. Never noticed the sagging issue but mine is 8 or so years old so not worth comparing. It could come down to the setup. There are tensioners at the bottom inner corners where it clips to the outer and now I recall, I might have knotted each to get added tension. Its not that bad and to be honest, you're there to sleep and not spend the day in it though I have and didn't care too much. Its compactness, reliability, lightweight, ease of set up etc outweigh this. It's not for glampers, it's for those carrying everything.

Just to clarify the outer doesn't sag - its tight as drum if set up right. The inner is then suspended from the single pole along top and stretched to corners. Never had a problem with condensation with this tent.

Thanks Michael. Yes, it's the inner sagging that I read reviews about but I do wonder if it's just the way in which it's been set up. Great to hear re the condensation not being a problem. Have you camped in it when there's been a significant snowfall? The alfoil you mention - are you talking about the stuff you buy in the supermarket?