Kelty Salida 2 Tent
The Kelty Salida tent is designed for 3-season use and is a great all-around, lightweight backpacking tent. See details
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The Kelty Salida tent is designed for 3-season use and is a great all-around, lightweight backpacking tent.
The Kelty Salida tent is designed for 3-season use and is a great all-around, lightweight backpacking tent.
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The Kelty Salida tent is designed for 3-season use and is a great all-around, lightweight backpacking tent.
- A quote from the 2011 Backpacker Editors’ Choice awards:
- “Tents tend to seesaw between weight and price: As one goes up, the other goes down. The light-load, low-cost Salida 2 turns that equation on its head”
- With over 10 ft. of vestibule space and a spacious interior, this tent offers a comfortable backcountry escape
- Freestanding design with color-coded clip construction is easy to set up and maneuver around
- Mesh walls encourage good cross-ventilation
- DAC® Pressfit aluminum poles offer durability and longevity
- Polyester rainfly won't sag when wet; adjustable webbing/side-release buckles attach rainfly to tent
- ArcEdge™ catenary floor/wall design keeps seams off the ground and watertight; taped seams ensure weather protection
- Kelty Salida 2 tent features internal storage pockets, gear loft loops, noiseless zipper pulls and multiple guyout points
- Includes stuff sacks, guyline/tighteners and stakes
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Item 819973
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- Backpacker Magazine 2011 Editors' Choice Winner
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Related items
- Kelty Salida 2 Footprint$34.95
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Kelty Salida 2 Tent
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Kelty Salida 2 Tent is rated
out of
5 by
18.
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Realfstkid from
Durable, Dependable, and Watertight
First of all, I'll start by saying I'm compelled to write this review after multiple camping trips and about 2 years of ownership. Bottom line up front: this tent is bombproof and watertight, and I recommend it to everyone as a cheap, relatively lightweight, dependable backpacking tent.
The first trip I took it on was a 5 day trek on the Ozark Highland Trail in June 2011. Long distances, humid nights, and no issues besides being a little stuffy with the rainfly on, which is no fault of the tent itself, you can't have it all.
Next was a 4 night trip to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico in September 2011. It was windy, and one night it rained, absolutely no issues.
Flash forward to March 2013, after being stored in a storage unit in northern Texas throughout the 110+ deg northern Texas summer, I dragged it out, and went a camping for 8 days along the Kalalau trail in Kauai. It rained every day, one of those days being more like a tidal wave than a storm. So much so that the camping area at Kalalau beach was deserted in the morning because flash floods had turned most campsites into lakes, and we stayed an extra day because the rivers were uncrossable (read small creek turned into 6 ft deep rushing rapids). Not once, during that entire trip, did I experience a drop of water in my tent. This is not an exaggeration. The morning after the great flood, half the tent was sitting in a 3 inch puddle. I don't use a footprint, and my feet were FLOATING. But the inside was bone dry. I asked around, and not a single other camper remained dry that night. It was this experience that compelled me to write this review.
Last week, I completed another 5 day trip to Hinchinbrook Island, with great weather and tons of Mosquitos and ants. It was a great barrier from the bugs, and it was nice to be able to sit up and cook dinner (I backpack with it solo) with all my gear inside the tent, not in the vestibule. I'm 6'3", and lying on my back stretched out, my feet and head barely brush the ends. Sleeping on my side, or diagonally, I have no issues.
It's of note that I take very good care of my gear, properly drying (when possible on the trail - and always when I get home) everything out and cleaning and carefully folding etc. I was very impressed that I could pull this tent out of storage and take it on a trip through the rain on Kauai (the rainiest place on earth is on Kauai - something like 450" a year on average), and be perfectly dry.
I would highly recommend this tent for a solo backpacker looking for a little comfort along the trail, with the benefit of stand alone and simple setup, extra room for cooking and gear storage, and rugged dependability.
Date published: 2014-04-15
Rated 4 out of
5 by
Tom the Biologist from
Great tent for its price
My bottom line up front, if you are comparing this tent with any others within one hundred bucks or less of its price, buy the Salida 2. I would have liked to give it a rating of 4.5 but will go with 4. I have used the Kelty Salida 2 for backpacking with my wife (5'7") in SoCal for approximately two years and by myself (5'10") for a six-month gig as a wildlife biologist in the forests of NorCal. For backpacking with my wife, the tent is a good size for the two of us and anything we may need in the tent in the middle of the night. This only includes items needed in the tent, nothing else. The gear loft has become my favorite place for socks, headlamps, and glasses. Footgear and a few other items go in the vestibule. I tend to suspend packs in the trees out of critter reach. Placing two packs larger than daypacks or one person's backpack plus boots in the vestibule could be tight and make getting in and out of the tent interesting.
In my wildlife gig, I camped with this tent every week for almost six months. Sometimes, I would have to setup and teardown the tent multiple times in one week. I can set up this tent in the dark by headlamp in under three minutes by myself. I am not that skilled; the tent is that easy. It is a freestanding tent; in the morning I would empty it, remove the fly and stakes, fully open the door, pick up the tent to shake it out upside-down to remove any leaf litter or debris, and leave it assembled upside down with the bottom facing into the sun to dry any condensation. Speaking of condensation, in colder weather with the Salida buttoned up, I would get a lot of condensation on the inside of the fly. The fly would spend as much time as feasible upside down in the sun in the mornings on the ground or truck hood.
Whether the tent needed it or not, I seam-sealed it before the wildlife season. The tent never leaked. Slept under the stars without the fly a few times on hotter nights, wonderful. The opposite side of the fly from the door needs a tie-down. The tent does have a short webbing loop there to attach a guy line. I secured a short length of gutted paracord that I adjusted for length based on temperature to change how far to pull the fly away on that side.
The optional footprint is not the same shape as the rectangular tent floor. It is wider on the top than the bottom. However, it serves its purpose well. For superlight packers, this systems can be setup as the fly, poles, pegs, and footprint, sans tent. The entire system packs up easily and is not "fussy." I have not experienced a zipper malfunction, mesh tear, or any other problems. I had the tent staked out and went through a wind storm with gusts of 50 mph without issue.
My negatives:
I wish it was 3 lbs or less, vice 3 ¾ lbs. (I am in my fifties and finding I prefer to carry less weight than when I was in the Army jumping out of airplanes.) I wish it had a second door since the tent does become instantly small when the inside person needs a late night "pottie" break. (An issue not faced in tents with a single door at the end instead of the side.) There is minimal to no ventilation with the fly on the tent and the vestibule zipped. With one side of the vestibule rolled back, there is still no true cross ventilation and then the large vestibule opening is overkill. A small side window on the fly opposite the vestibule would be a great addition. (If get motivated, maybe I will make one. It will require additional material since the flap must be larger than the cutout.) The packed size of 7" x 22" is a little large on the backpack. I wish the vestibule was large enough that I could sit in it during inclement weather and run my backpacker stove. (Yes, I could sit in the tent with the door open while using the stove in the vestibule.) The stakes are cheap and bend easily when they hit small rocks or roots.
Date published: 2014-04-14
Rated 4 out of
5 by
girl and boy and dog from
Does what it's built to & does it well
Have used this little guy wildcamping in Europe as well as along Superior's North Shore, and on several less adventuresome outings. It has survived and exceeded expectations in a variety of terrain and climate, including sand/beach camping, rocky forest floor, extreme heat (90+ degrees F), severe thunderstorms including hail, and moderate cold (overnight lows 20 degrees F). It has stood up well - no obvious design flaws, no needed repairs, and still looks brand new.
My husband (a big dude), our 75 lb dog and I all 3 fit rather comfortably...usually storing our packs in the vestibule area.
Our campmates are always impressed at how quickly we have our tent set up and are ready to help them with their own - I can very easily have it up and ready to go by myself within 5 min.
My only minor complaint - the rain fly works well in that it is waterproof and keeps us dry in rain or frost, but we have had some condensation issues. I think this may be because it's difficult to use the guy lines and get the fly to fit perfectly. I've gotten better at it with time, though, and this could absolutely be due to user error.
For the price, I've yet to come upon a higher quality lightweight tent option. Unless or until there are other options available, I'd buy the Salida 2 again and again - (but don't think I'll have to, as ours has held up so nicely across several adventures).
Date published: 2014-04-13
Rated 4 out of
5 by
Justin N from
Fantastic Tent lacks one feature
I bought this tent as a lightweight tent to go camping with for two. I wanted something light and durable and it seems the lighter you go the less durable. I found this tent to be an excellent comprimise and it was on the cheaper side as well. I have taken this tent camping in the rocky mountains and have yet to have a problem with it. very simple to set up and roomy for the weight. the vestibule is slightly odd to open once zipped shut but does provide enough room for our packs when we are not sleeping on them and our boots.
We camped in dominguez canyon where we set up camp and it rained the entire night. we woke up dry, the boots in the vestibule area were dry. The fly does gather some condensation but that rolled off onto the ground when the fly is pitched taut and correctly. I am glad i bought this tent.
The only improvement that could be made is if the footprint had buckles so this tent would have a fast fly setup option.
Date published: 2014-04-13
Rated 4 out of
5 by
kjexplore from
Good Product
I used this tent when I got stuck in a Hurricane. Everyone elses tents flooded. I had mine set up in a low area and woke up with water under me but my tent did not leak at all. The fly covers the seams of the tent which is perfict for when it rains at an angle. This tent can be kinda stuffy on warmer nights. The vestibule is large enough for 2 peoples gear and stays dry in the rain. This tent is very easy to set up and tear down. It also packs up to a good size. It's a little heavy for longer trips.
Date published: 2014-04-14
Rated 4 out of
5 by
Jessa the novice explorer from
Great little multi-use tent
I car camped with this tent in Northern Vermont for 3 weeks in August while doing conservation work there. The tent was perfect. It rained a lot and there were some days with wind gusts of 40 mph and there were never any issues.
I purchased it b/c I wanted enough room to car camp out of it comfortably, but something lightweight enough to backpack with. I've yet to take it on a hike, but so far I'm impressed.
However, I can't see 2 people sleeping in it comfortably unless they don't mind being very cozy and have minimal gear. The tent also gets VERY little ventilation with the rain fly on, which was perfect for staying warm on chill Vermont nights, but would not be comfortable on balmy stormy nights in a warmer climate.
Overall, I'd highly recommend it.
Date published: 2014-04-13
Rated 4 out of
5 by
FreeziePop from
Works for me
Used this in a big rain storm and was very pleased. Only a few drops of water came in from splashing up in the rain fly. Handled the wind very well. Was very easy to set up and it's pretty light weight for the price. Enough room to sleep with one other person and possibly a dog (didn't try it). Very pleased with this purchase.
Date published: 2014-04-14
Rated 5 out of
5 by
ATHKR from
Solid Performer for the Price
After comparing many lightweight two-person tents I finally settled on this one due primarily to value. For a lot less money - you can still get all the features of a more expensive tent for half the price.
It packs and sets up well with minimal effort. The vestibule is average. It comes with a mesh gear loft which does reduce sit-up height; but it's flexible in terms of how you attach it.
With two 20-inch sleeping pads side-by-side there's not much wiggle room left over. So, if you insist on a little more floor space and two doors/vestibules you might want to consider an alternative.
Date published: 2014-04-13
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