REI Chrysalis UL Solo Tent - '09 Special Buy

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

It may not be the lightest on the market, but it's much better than any 2-person tent. It's surprisingly roomy for an ultralight with lots of headroom. The odd shape allows for plenty of room at the front to tuck away items you don't want to leave outside under the fly. Also, there are 2 good-sized pockets in the front corners. There are loops at the top to hang a light or a triangular attic if you love storage space. Because it's not all mesh, it kept me plenty warm on cold nights but the mesh it does have prevented condensation in the morning. My only qualm is that while I love the fly, I would have made a square vestibule rather than triangular for even more space. But I guess that would also make it weigh more.

It's an overstock item now (last season's model), but if you get one before they're gone, I definitely recommend it. It's successor is the Quarter Dome T3 which is very tight with no extra room. If you count grams, go for the T3. If you like spacious ultralights, get the Chrysalis.

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

This tent is the best solo freestanding tent by any measure I can think of. It's tall (large head clearance), has a large vestibule (big enough to cook in during a storm), has plenty of room, and is light and small to carry. I'm 6' tall and 200 lbs and I fit comfortably in this. Could fit another small person in the tent in a pinch. Wouldn't mind sharing it with girlfriend. I went out and bought a sea-to-summit stuff sack (size XS) and packed the tent into it. Then carry the pole and steaks in the pole case and you can carry the tent, rain fly, poles, and stakes in a very small form.

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

After reading the reviews and seeing that it was on sale I opted to purchase this tent to try it out. Listed as a minium weight of 3 lbs with nice specs it's supposed to be 7.5oz lighter than my Big Agnes Fairview 1 and appeared to be just as roomy. Set it up at home and now I'm sad to say that it's going back to REI.
My biggest beef with the tent is the advertised specs. The footprint of this tent with is irregular so one side is longer than the other. The specs list the length as 81 inches, but that includes the vestibule so the tent is actually significantly shorter inside. At 6ft tall my feet tap the end and my head scrapes the top. I can't sleep in the middle of the tent, I have to migrate towards the longer side of it. It fits my Large thermarest prolite 4 perfectly but there really isn't any extra room for gear in the tent. Width is fine and height is excellent for entering and exiting the tent. I like to hike with my Golden Retriever and he likes to sleep under the vestible and fits pefectly.
My other issue was weight: I was unable to get the minimum weight to 3lbs. I ditched the guy lines, stuff sacks, and all but 4 tent stakes and my total weight came out to 3lbs 3.5oz. Really, not bad for the price, but for 4 oz more I'll keep my old roomier tent instead.
There are some things I do like about this tent and if I didn't already have my other I would keep it. REI tents are generaly built very well and this is no exception. The fabric is lightweight but strong, the setup is very quick and easy. Poles are very light, great lightweight stakes. Pockets built into the sidewalls by the head of the tent make it easy to keep personal items closeby such as a headlamp or in my case a revolver. The rain fly overlaps the tent body very nicely and I would have no reservations about using this tent in a rainstorm. As I mentioned earlier, the height is excellent for exiting and entering. You don't have to crawl out like many top entry tents, this one you have plenty of room to move around, sit forward and put on your boots without opening the rainfly (except in my case I have to move the dog first). I took a picture of the dimensions to give you a better idea of how the floorplan is setup.

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

This is an excellent tent. I looked for a nice light weight freestanding tent and they are hard to come by for a good price. I spent 2 nights in it with the temps around 10-13 degrees. I also had about 35mph winds the first night. I didn't have any condensation. I had the rainfly set up as well. Ground stakes are really nice, made of t6 aluminum so they are strong. The vestibule is big enough for my pack and boots.

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

I purchased this tent for section hikes on the AT, and perhaps to use for a 2010 thru-hike. I had looked at the other "usual suspects", including the Hubba and the Seedhouse SL1. I thought the Hubba was like sleeping in a coffin and didn't like the complete lack of privacy and the draftiness of the 100% mesh bodies of the Seedhouse and the Hubba, and the new tent from Sierra Designs.
After using it a couple of nights into the 40s, I can say I like the comfortability of the mostly fabric body, and feel the non-drafty flow-through ventilation works well. I like the little vent in fly, over the ceiling, but can't comment on whether it does any good to stop condensation, since I didn't get any. Also, with the fly off, you still have some privacy, which helps adjacent to an AT Shelter if you don't want to use your fly. I can see how it might not have enough ventilation on a hot, humid night; but how many of those do you encounter on the AT? I don't know.
The fly is a nice color, however I am going to tie some reflective cord to the guy out points, to find it after nighttime nature walks. And my only complaint is a very minor one: you have to pass the two center hook/loop fly attachment ribbons through the circular pole hubs to keep the fly aligned. Other than that, setup is child's play!
Finally, I think previous comments about this tent being "small" are absurd. Compared to a Hubba, the floor space of this tent is palatial. Yes, if you are over 6 feet tall, you might feel cramped; and there is not enough room, really, to stow your pack inside. But you can't do that in the other tents, either. I am 5'11' and 220# and I could sit up, turn around, curl up my knees when sleeping, keep tomorrow's clothes inside, etc. So from my perspective, the Chrysalis is a great tent at a great price nowadays. Grab one!

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

I use this tent year round. Great for backpackin'. Lite, easy to set up and stays dry on the inside. I have a condensation problem with all my tents. Heavy mouth breather. This one seems to handle it better than most. Handled torrential rain as well as bitter cold (-13)winds. Footprint is a nice lite protective piece. Have 3 other tents but use this one the most.

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

This is the best deal on a solo tent out there. It's just big enough for me and my gear. The odd shape gives room to have my back right next to me, and plenty of room in the vestibule for boots and other gear. The over-sized stuff stack with straps is sweet. I don't have to waste time folding it to fit in a small bag. Just cram it in and cinch it down small. I love the one pole design, makes putting it up easy. I'm always the fastest putting my tent up, which means a lot when it starts to rain.

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

The first time I used this tent was mid-April and it unexpectedly snowed a foot during our overnight. I was worried the first time I was using this tent I would have to pitch it on the snow and it was dumping snow. It did amazing. The snow would build up a few inches and I would shake it off from the inside every couple hours. I'm not positive that was necessary but I was concerned the fly would start touching the tent walls. It was heavy Oregon spring snow. In the morning there was only a little condensation on my sleeping bag at the feet. I stayed dry and warm.

The second time I used this tent was for a 5-day backpacking trip. It rained every night either sprinkling or serious downpours. I stayed perfectly dry. No condensation this time and my sleeping bag stayed dry.

I'm 5'8" and could sit up comfortably and not touch my head. The length is fine I think it may be cramped if your too much taller. It's designed to sleep at a diagonal for the greatest length.

Overall I love this tent as a solo backpacking and it's super affordable. I wish the vestibule was a little bigger but it easily fit my massive backpack under it and it stayed dry in the rainstorms. There is a clear plastic peak hole on the vestibule that when you are lying on your back in the tent still lets you see the stars on a clear night.

Sets up quick.

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

Was in the market for a freestanding 3 season and selected this after a bit of research. It has been great. Very easy to set up, no leaks, was solid in the wind and is fairly light. I am not a gram counter but am conscience of what I carry. I am 5-10" and am comfortable in it; not a lot of room for extras in the tent if that is important to you. The only issue, and I new this when I bought it, is getting in and out is not as easy as some of the side entry tents I tested.

Comments about REI Chrysalis UL Tent - '07 Overstock:

This is not a bad tent, but it's not a great tent, either. It sure looks good in the picture, and it is very lightweight. Set up is fairly easy, but not really easy. It requires dealing with a spiderweb of poles and pole joints that attach awkwardly. It's not just one pole here and another pole there. You have to put the whole pole contraption together. Did not like that much. Most annoying -- and the reason I returned the tent -- was that it's just too cramped. Even for one person, which is the whole idea, I touch both sidewalls while lying down. If you have even the slightest need to move around in your tent, I would not get this one. I don't think I could sleep in it. Finally, there's not a lot of mesh to look out of (adding to the general sense of claustrophobia), just a few upper mesh panels. So, you're touching both side walls and there's no view. How is that pleasant? I'll find a better solo tent, tarp, or anything with a little more space and some sort of view outside.