How to Choose a Backpacking Tent
REI Co-op Flash Air 2 Tent
This product is not available. Good news: we have a newer version.
Ounce-counters, meet our lightest 2-person yet: the REI Co-op Flash Air 2 tent. You can pitch it with its own poles—or use your trekking poles—and at under 2 lbs., you barely know it's in your pack.
Shop newer version- The nearly 90° hubbed roof poles give extra headroom; foot pole increases volume at the other end, giving your toes room to wiggle, for a comfy night's sleep
- Fly/vestibule protects your gear in bad weather, then rolls up over the roof for stargazing or pitches out to create a large awning in friendlier weather
- Designed to pitch with most trekking poles so you can leave the vertical poles at home to save weight
- Hybrid single-wall construction optimizes weight and livability
- Two large, easy-entry canopy-style doors
- Internal mesh pockets and gear loops allow for simple organization
- Packs down to 16 in. long, an easy fit in bike panniers or a backpack
- Guyout loops allow for tethering in inclement weather
- Comes with a stuff sack, stakes, guylines and tensioners, 2 long poles, 2 pole hubs and 1 foot pole
- The weight-saving design of this non-freestanding tent requires you to stake it out during setup
- Hybrid single-wall design, as with any single-wall tent, exposes the tent interior more directly to condensation
- Mitigate this by choosing a proper tent site (away from water, under trees and exposed to breezes), venting when possible and not bringing wet gear into the tent or vestibule
- Weighs 1 lb. 15 oz. if you leave the two vertical poles at home and use your trekking poles—with the included poles, it weighs 2 lbs. 2 oz.
- REI Co-op brand is certified to The Climate Label; we actively fund efforts to reduce carbon emissions across our business and support climate projects around the world
Imported.
View the REI Co-op Flash Product LineView all REI Co-op Backpacking Tents| Best Use | Backpacking |
|---|---|
| Seasons | 3-season |
| Sleeping Capacity | 2-person |
| Minimum Trail Weight | 1 lb. 15 oz. |
| Packaged Weight | 2 lbs. 8 oz. |
| Packed Size | 7 x 16 inches |
| Floor Dimensions | 88 x 52/42 (L x W head/foot) inches |
| Floor Area | 28.7 square feet |
| Vestibule Area | 16.8 square feet |
| Peak Height | 42 inches |
| Number of Doors | 2 doors |
| Number of Poles | 4 |
| Pole Material | DAC NFL aluminum |
| Canopy Fabric | Nylon mesh |
| Floor Fabric | Ripstop nylon |
| Footprint Included | No |
| Ultralight | Yes |
| Design Type | Nonfreestanding |
| Sustainability | From a Climate Label Certified brand |
Buying Advice
More expert advice
Better gear is built together
From feedback to field testing, all of our gear is dialed-in by REI Co-op members. Their adventures informed every stitch and detail—making for better, longer-lasting gear.
Review this Product
Adding a review will require a valid email for verification
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Great Lightweight Backpacking Tent for CHEAP
Matt L5 years ago
I bought this tent a couple days ago, right before the coronavirus forced the closure of all the storefronts and I'm so happy I did! I've been looking at UL tents for a long time now and when I saw that REI made a 2 person for only $300, I completely pivoted away from all the crazy expensive UL options and swooped one up quick. I pitched it in the backyard the day after bringing it home in hopes to test out the single-wall weather capability in the rain and it handled surprisingly well! It was super easy and quick to stake out by myself with a couple trucker's hitches and pegs. Had a little water in the corners after two days of raining but nothing that can't be wiped up. Really love the design of the trekking pole replacement option and will probably end up only using those. Overall a great option and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a well designed UL tent at a competitive price!
Matt L
Gilroy, CA
61 people found this review helpful
Most Helpful Critical Review
REI Co-op Flash Air 2 Tent - Less poles is more!
MtView_Mike5 years ago
Hi Folks!
I will start off by stating that I initially wanted a tent much like the Zpacks Duplex tent, which retails for $599. The Duplex is probably the benchmark for these type of tents, but is also very pricey. So, I was looking for an inexpensive alternative.
When I saw this new offering from REI, I went to my local REI store to check it out.
I was also able to set it up inside the store, with the help of one of the staff members. Great customer service! :)
My requirements:
1- Ultralight tent designed for two people.
2- A two trekking pole style of tent.
3- Simplistic design and easy to setup.
The Co-op Flash Air 2 tent met my first two requirements.
It is very lightweight at about 2 1/2 lbs.(including All of the 5 poles provided), and could also be used with my own two trekking poles.
Here's where things got a little 'tricky'...
Out of the 5 poles provided with the tent, there are THREE POLES which must be used to setup this tent:
2- 'roof poles w/ plastic insert caps'
1- small 'foot box' pole
Note:
The 2 other 'longer sectioned poles' can be replaced by your own two trekking poles.
Again, the 'THREE POLES' provided with this tent are necessary to properly set up this tent. This is where they LOST ME, as my 'Simplistic design' requirement was unfortunately NOT met here. :(
Note:
The 2 'roof poles w/ plastic insert caps' seem to be provided to create a rigid roof line, and the plastic insert caps attached to these poles can accommodate either the 2 'longer sectioned poles'(incl. with this tent) OR the tips of your own trekking poles.
So, the plastic insert caps work for either configuration mentioned.
The smaller, 'foot box' pole took me over 5 minutes of wrestling to get the pole tip into the grommets of the tent. So, it took a lot of effort to get this tiny pole to fit, and I was afraid i might end up ripping the tent body in the process. This was the most frustrating part of the tent setup too!
In contrast to this new Co-op Flash Air 2 tent...
The Zpacks Duplex tent OR even the bargain priced 3F UL Lanshan 2 tent, both ONLY require your two trekking poles for setup(along with 6 stakes). Simplistic and easy peasy! :)
So, after spending some time with the setup of this new Co-op Flash Air 2 tent, and all of the poles provided with it, I decided to unfortunately pass on this tent.
The pole design, for a minimalist tent, seems to be 'over engineered'.
I will say that I think REI is on the right track with this new ultralight tent. It's super lightweight for two people, and can use trekking poles to save a lot of extra weight too.
But, again they should really rethink the pole design requirements for this one!
Just because I passed on the REI Co-op Flash Air 2 tent, it doesn't mean it might Not be right for you. So, if you're interested check it out for yourself.
Thanks for reading and hopefully this helps in the decision making! :)
MtView_Mike
San Jose
46 people found this review helpful
Customer Images
Matt L
Gilroy, CA
Great Lightweight Backpacking Tent for CHEAP
5 years ago
I bought this tent a couple days ago, right before the coronavirus forced the closure of all the storefronts and I'm so happy I did! I've been looking at UL tents for a long time now and when I saw that REI made a 2 person for only $300, I completely pivoted away from all the crazy expensive UL options and swooped one up quick. I pitched it in the backyard the day after bringing it home in hopes to test out the single-wall weather capability in the rain and it handled surprisingly well! It was super easy and quick to stake out by myself with a couple trucker's hitches and pegs. Had a little water in the corners after two days of raining but nothing that can't be wiped up. Really love the design of the trekking pole replacement option and will probably end up only using those. Overall a great option and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a well designed UL tent at a competitive price!
Yes , I recommend this product
Joe G
Melbourme, FL
Excellent but can condensate
5 years ago
I decided to get this tent because the Zpacks was too expensive, I am very happy with this tent and I haven't even tried using trekking poles yet. I am 52 and wanted to get the Helinox cot so I needed a lighter tent to offset carrying my cot (what a backsaver!). The Pros: - As a 2P tent, it has a fair amount of space. - The sides each have a rain fly which can be closed or opened for ventilation. - This tent weighs only 2.5 lbs with the poles. - It sets up quickly and easy (after you figure it out) - The guy lines glow in the light at night. Some concerns: - The floor is very lightweight and I wonder if it will rip. After 3 trips it hasn't yet. I did purchase the footprint but that's extra carrying weight. - The center area has no rain fly and thus condensates on me sometimes. I would hate to buy a tarp, I feel that it would defeat the purpose. Overall I highly recommend this tent for backpacking. When I'm camping on longer stays I'll bring my big Kingdom 8, but this is my choice for the trail. Joe
Yes , I recommend this product
Vince
REI Flash Air 2
5 years ago
Just finished my first backpacking trip. I love this tent. I wanted a tent that was light to replace an older tent. I mostly hammock camp but still use a tent given the area backpacking. Camped on a ridge line with a good breeze most of the night. No condensation the next morning whatsoever. This is a roomy 2 person tent. I am 6ft 1 and do not come close to touching either end. I also purchased the footprint which is well designed also. I leave it attached to the tent when packing up. Overall REI has done a great job.
Yes , I recommend this product
Awstin
Austin, TX
Spacious and light but mesh issues
5 years ago
This is my first non-freestanding backpacking tent, replacing my 10 year old (and no longer waterproof) Sierra Designs Vapor Light 2. This tent is more spacious, a pound lighter, and has two doors vs the vapor light's single door design. I also really like that it can be set up with trekking poles. I'm mostly pleased with it. However, when I was testing it out in the backyard I noticed that the mesh arrived with snags (not holes, and they don't seem to compromise its integrity). Arriving with snags having never even been set up before makes me question if it can handle trail life. I've heard durability issues are a risk with ultralight tents so I guess time will tell.
Yes , I recommend this product
MC2Squared
Colorado
Excellent Tent!
5 years ago
Got to use this tent on two separate 2 night car camping trips in the past week. I would rate this tent as a 4.5 star. It is light, and easy to setup once you get some practice with it. Overall it is a solid tent, however, I would not recommend bringing this tent for areas that may be super rocky because it highly depends on being able to stake out multiple guy lines to stay stable and upright. I got a great deal with 25% REI brand coupon, so with the footprint I believe I only paid $270 for everything! I highly recommend practicing setup in your yard or a park before using this at camp for the first time. To make setup easier for real use, I attached the footprint to the tent to save time and one less step later. The foot pole is tight at first because the pole is just a tad bit too long. But the material will stretch. I just left the pole in when I took it down and folded the tent around that pole. After staking out gray guy lines first, insert the side upright pole, and immediately stake out that side vestibule door to hold up that pole, then do the same to the other side. Then go around and tighten the tent floor gray guy lines. After that readjust the two vestibule door guy lines. The more symmetric you tie this, the better. Gray guy lines like an X shape, and tie vestibule door guy lines out straight out in line with the top of tent and downward pole. This will keep the rain guard and vestibule doors nice and tight so it won't flap in the wind. Once that is all adjusted and nice and tight, stake out the four corners of the rain gaurd. I also used the extra guy lines to attach from the top of the foot pole loop and the top of the head box to keep the boxes fully open and added more support and stability. I also attached guy lines to the two other vestibule doors so that way you can choose which door to open or stake out, depending on weather. It's nice to not have to stake out the vestibule if you go full star gazing! I did add 6 extra ultralight stakes and a couple extra guy lines to have some extras and to use for the extra added guy lines that I added to the tent. Having this tent fully staked out, it is very stable. We got hit with a good Rocky Mountain afternoon storm with wind gusts over 40mph and the rain was coming down hard and fast, at times seemed like it was coming in sideways. The tent held up nicely! The wind was pushing pretty hard on the side of the tent, and the sideways rain was splashing a bit from under the vestibule doors onto the netting. I had to close the top tents as rain started coming in through there, but other than that. The tent stayed dry inside. It also stayed stable thanks to staking it out. Other more expensive tents at the campground got blown away and twisted poles. Mine got questionable a few moments, but it held up. The outside of the tent dried quickly after the sun came back out. I didn't have any condensation issues. I kept the doors open a couple nights and got great views of the milky way! The cooler nights when I had the doors fully closed, it stayed warm but was nice to get the breeze come up from under the doors and vent the top! Overall, I highly recommend this tent. I bought the 2 person for solo backpacking or camping with my dog. I am 6'2" and had plenty of extra head and foot space. I could comfortably sit up and not hit my head. I have wide shoulders, so with two people it would get a little tight. But for two smaller people, this tent is perfect. If REI comes out with a flash air 3 person, I will buy it to use as a 2 person! But for just me and my dog, it was roomy and had extra space to put my gear. I made sure to bring an extra foam sleeping pad for the dog so her nails didn't get into the tent floor.
ChrisR
Brentwood, TN
Very happy, came with snags in mesh
5 years ago
I’ve used this tent several nights. I didn’t have heavy rain yet, but it held up well with condensation and a light shower on a bald mountain on the AT. It dried very quickly. The foot pole is impossible to insert so I’ve given up on that. The mesh came bunched up in a few areas. I decided to keep it anyway since getting it on sale was significantly cheaper than the other options I was considering. I first used it with the poles it came with and was very pleased. Then, I took it on a 30mile AT trip and decided to use trekking poles to keep my pack weight as low as possible. I forgot to bring the 2 Small roof poles needed to set it up with the trekking poles. I was still able to pitch it adequately with trekking poles without damaging it. I used the guy lines and my socks to cover the tips of the poles under the tent. It worked so well, I did it that way again on purpose.
Weight:250–275 lbs.
Yes , I recommend this product
Mike
NY
I give this tent a thumbs up
5 years ago
I have another vendors 1 man tent , but needed 2 person tent so my wife can go backpacking with me . The sale price and the weight ( will be using my trekking poles ) convinced me to give this tent a try . Its large enough for both of us and is a easy set up . The only issue is the foot pole it is a bit tough to get in and out .
Yes , I recommend this product
MtView_Mike
San Jose
REI Co-op Flash Air 2 Tent - Less poles is more!
5 years ago
Hi Folks! I will start off by stating that I initially wanted a tent much like the Zpacks Duplex tent, which retails for $599. The Duplex is probably the benchmark for these type of tents, but is also very pricey. So, I was looking for an inexpensive alternative. When I saw this new offering from REI, I went to my local REI store to check it out. I was also able to set it up inside the store, with the help of one of the staff members. Great customer service! :) My requirements: 1- Ultralight tent designed for two people. 2- A two trekking pole style of tent. 3- Simplistic design and easy to setup. The Co-op Flash Air 2 tent met my first two requirements. It is very lightweight at about 2 1/2 lbs.(including All of the 5 poles provided), and could also be used with my own two trekking poles. Here's where things got a little 'tricky'... Out of the 5 poles provided with the tent, there are THREE POLES which must be used to setup this tent: 2- 'roof poles w/ plastic insert caps' 1- small 'foot box' pole Note: The 2 other 'longer sectioned poles' can be replaced by your own two trekking poles. Again, the 'THREE POLES' provided with this tent are necessary to properly set up this tent. This is where they LOST ME, as my 'Simplistic design' requirement was unfortunately NOT met here. :( Note: The 2 'roof poles w/ plastic insert caps' seem to be provided to create a rigid roof line, and the plastic insert caps attached to these poles can accommodate either the 2 'longer sectioned poles'(incl. with this tent) OR the tips of your own trekking poles. So, the plastic insert caps work for either configuration mentioned. The smaller, 'foot box' pole took me over 5 minutes of wrestling to get the pole tip into the grommets of the tent. So, it took a lot of effort to get this tiny pole to fit, and I was afraid i might end up ripping the tent body in the process. This was the most frustrating part of the tent setup too! In contrast to this new Co-op Flash Air 2 tent... The Zpacks Duplex tent OR even the bargain priced 3F UL Lanshan 2 tent, both ONLY require your two trekking poles for setup(along with 6 stakes). Simplistic and easy peasy! :) So, after spending some time with the setup of this new Co-op Flash Air 2 tent, and all of the poles provided with it, I decided to unfortunately pass on this tent. The pole design, for a minimalist tent, seems to be 'over engineered'. I will say that I think REI is on the right track with this new ultralight tent. It's super lightweight for two people, and can use trekking poles to save a lot of extra weight too. But, again they should really rethink the pole design requirements for this one! Just because I passed on the REI Co-op Flash Air 2 tent, it doesn't mean it might Not be right for you. So, if you're interested check it out for yourself. Thanks for reading and hopefully this helps in the decision making! :)
No, I do not recommend this product
rilomart
Ventura, Ca
satisfecho
5 years ago
Girlfriend and I bought this as our shelter of choice for our 2020 PCT thru hike. We’ve been on it for a while now and have put it through sun dry weather, heavy rain, heavy wind, and snow and it has held up past our expectations. Once you get all the stakes taught out tight it feels very sturdy even in the heaviest winds. She is 5’11” and I am 6’3” and we have enough room for the both of us to wiggle around at night without bumping into each other. Only downside is with the single wall design the condensation can build up quite a bit but if you pitch it out to dry an hour or two before you call it a night It’ll be mostly dry by the time you get in. Highly recommend.
Yes , I recommend this product
Juan
Reasonable 1 person tent with caveats
5 years ago
Spent a week with my 21 yr old son in the Sierras in this tent. Knew it would be tight going in, and having a non-free standing tent could generate some "moments"., so after the experience, it can make a reasonable 1 person tent, condensation is a problem even with vents open, difficult to setup in high wind situation (had to put it up in a late afternoon thunderstorm... would recommend getting the extra stakes/lines), above timberline can be problematic getting stakes in between the rocks, or tying lines onto rocks....on the positive side, it is very light and got it on sale! One can make it work, although my buddy in his free standing tent looked quite comfortable.
1 - 10 of 145 Reviews