Kelty Salida 2 Tent

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 Tent:

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.

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 Tent:

My six year old son and I had this tent up in a jiffy. It was easy to set up and seems to be very durable. We camped in it for two nights and we were comfortable and protected. Aside from the bulkiness of the tent once it's packed up, it is a great camping tent. I'm taking it backpacking in June and that will be the ultimate test. It's not the lightest or most compact tent, but It'll probably serve it's purpose. For the price, it's a bargain!

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 Tent:

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.

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 Tent:

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).

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 Tent:

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.

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 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.

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 Tent:

I was in the market last fall for a light weight tent to replace a bulkier tent that I had for some years. Did a lot of research. Needed something under 5 pounds, somewhat long (I'm 6'3), was windproof and easy to set up. I do most of my backpacking in the forest of the Midwest and the Great Lakes so I never know what the weather will be like day to day. This tent was far too easy to set up and pack down. The material seems to be high end. The size it packs down makes it comfortable an roomy in my backpack. Great tent. The only knock I have is the zipper on the fly. It kind of sucks when it's the middle of the night and you need relieve yourself and the zipper gets stuck. This has happened a few times. But I would not trade this tent in because of it.

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 Tent:

I needed a tent that would last in all kinds of conditions for a month long road trip with tons of camping. After taking the Kelty Salida 2 on that trip, I can say I made the right choice.

We had several extremely nasty thunder storms but everything stayed perfectly dry unless it was pushed up against the 2 shorter side walls. The wind was pretty strong and the rainfly could touch the tent wall sometimes, permeating a very small amount of moisture onto anything up against the wall. The affected items only got slightly damp and it might be possible to keep the rainfly off the tent on these sides if you stake it down really taught. If it's still a problem, i'll just add a guy line to the bottom to keep it pulled farther from the tent, but it was a very minor potentially user caused problem, though it's worth being aware of. The longer sides stayed perfectly dry though!

My fiancé and I are both on the skinny side and just under 6' but the tent was just fine for the both of us to share it. If you're really tall it might be a problem, but it fit us just fine. We were in bear country and could not keep much in the tent as is, so we didn't have to fit a lot of extra gear.

The pockets near the head end are perfect for car keys etc and held everything just fine. We hung a Black Diamond Orbit lantern off one of the gear attic loops without any issues.

We used a groundcloth and never had issues with the floor of the tent.

We were set up at Craters of the Moon one night when a massive storm was blowing by in the distance and winds were easily gusting 40-60mph. The tent was blowing and making too much noise to sleep at first, but after I staked down the 4 extra tie downs on the outside really taught, it calmed down significantly and handled the wind like a champ.

Light and small enough that i'll be using it backpacking too!

It was super easy to set up though the included stakes are junk and bent way too easily. It's actually easy to put this tent in its bag too!!

For the price you can't beat this tent.

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 Tent:

Great tent, would certainly work for two people but I used just for myself and all my gear which worked quite well. The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because of the bottom, it's really thin and definitely requires using a footprint, not a big deal but good to know. It takes me less than 5 minutes to put this tent up which was important with some rainy nights. Overall, great - use for two people with little gear but light enough to use as a one person!

Comments about Kelty Salida 2 Tent:

I have been searching for the perfect inexpensive(ish) light(er) weight 2-person tent for weekend and multi-day backpacking trips for the last year. In my search, I've borrowed about half a dozen iterations of the "lightweight backpacking tent" from my very understanding hiking buddies, and had almost sold myself on one of the REI brand tents.

But then, I met a very lightweight, expensive, 2-person tent with side-entry on a 2-night stay on the coast near Neah Bay, WA, and I fell in love.

So, I went to my trusty local REI (Seattle flagship), and begged a friendly employee to help me find an affordable (I'm a grad student) alternative to the pricey masterpiece.

He suggested the Kelty Salida 2 - it had everything I wanted: 2-person, 3-season, side entry, full rain fly, trail weight under 4lbs, easy set-up, and freestanding.

I've used this tent on a couple of trips now, and so far, so good. It kept me completely dry during a damp 4-nighter in Oregon, and it was barely noticeable in my pack. So far, I've been solo, so the tent has been both light enough to carry myself, and the interior has felt very roomy! It seems like it has plenty of space for two sleeping pads, and the vestibule is great for airing out stinky hiking boots and storing my pack.

Even in persistent Oregon rain, the ground under the vestibule was bone dry!

Bottom Line: If you're on a budget, buy this tent. It's not perfect (it could use another door), but it's really good!