Customer Reviews

Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 Two-Person Ultralight Tent

5 star:		(10)
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First the bad news: this tent is a tunnel design, so it is not free-standing. This means that you have to pull stakes to move it. In all my backpacking I have *never* had to move a tent before I was ready to leave (though my companion and I awoke one morning to find our Clip-3 had been in the middle of a storm-started stream all night--the seals held, and we both slept through it!). Also, I have only occasionally camped where the ground was so rocky I had trouble putting the primary stakes down. I camp mostly in the Pacific Northwest--your mileage may vary, so ask friends who camp in your area. My conclusion: "free standing" means little to me.

So why buy a tunnel design instead of a geodesic? Because tunnel designs offer the best interior space to weight ratio. In human speak, you get more space and less pack weight. You can reduce the ~4 pound pack weight further by purchasing some premium titanium stakes from aftermarket manufacturers. Many newer "ultralight" tents from Sierra Designs and others cost twice as much and weigh over 6 pounds.

Some tunnel tents from Stephenson's offer even lower weight, but are custom made--cost is very high, you may wait several weeks to receive it, and I would worry about availability of replacement parts. Sierra Designs is common enough that most outdoor chains can quickly sell you spare poles or parts should accidents occur while traveling.

This tent is a breeze to set up--takes only a few minutes, and regularly garners compliments and amazement from other campers who watch.

I only wish that Sierra Designs would offer the very similar but larger Clip-3 tent again. Mine packed under 5.5 pounds (with spare stakes), and had 42 square feet of interior space. That's less weight than most two-person geodesics and more space than most three-person tents! And I find the three person version a lot less claustrophobic.

Before purchasing a tent, I suggest you consider carefully how you will use it. This piece of gear is one of the most expensive and heavy you'll take into the wilderness. Each feature adds weight, and you may decide some are not worth carrying. Backpacker Magazine has excellent annual reports on tents--compare features there (it is often available in public libraries).

I own an earlier model of this tent and bought it in 2001. First of all this tent is very well made, as evidenced by the fact that I have owned it for over nine years and that my tent has easily seen over 100 nights of use. The thing does not leak, period. The outer tent (only the inner is shown, it comes in two pieces) is completely water proof and keeps water vapor and condensation from entering the inner tent, where you sleep. Mine came with a bottle of seam sealer, which I applied nine years ago and have never had a problem with. I have used this tent in snow over a foot deep with no problems and have also slept in it during 12 plus hours of downpour with no leaking. I'm an Eagle Scout: I have seen A LOT of tents and believe me when I say half the tents out there cannot make it through a typical rainstorm without leaking, let alone a downpour or snowfall. This tent is on par with the best out there and is worth every penny. Only complaint I have is that it is difficult to put up in the rain, I would recommended practicing erecting the inner tent under the outer one so it can be deployed in a storm.

I've owned by clip 2 since 1996 - my typical use: three season with occasional overnighters in the winter; extended (4-5 nights) summer camping in Utah's high uintah wilderness area (lots of rain). I usually use as one-man with gear. In all, it gets 8-12 nights of use/year.

What I love: 1) this has got to be the lightest tent around - I love it for long and short backpacking trips. 2) it still sets up very tight - no sagging on the tent itself. 3) It never leaks - even with 24-hours or more of continuous rain. 4) super easy to setup and take down. 5) absolutely no mechanical problems with the fabric, poles, grommets, zippers, etc. 6) on nice nights I can leave the fly off and enjoy a great view. 7) very roomy for one man with plenty of room for gear.

What I don't like: 1) the rainfly has always felt a little loose compared to the tent - though it easily clips into place and always keeps the rain out.

That's it. I'm a regular camper with lots of nice gear, but this is my best investment yet!

This tent is very light and what is of utmost importance it can be set up in a minute which is a lifesaver when the rain starts. The inner length is a bit on the short side and if you are over 6'1 this tent is not for you. It is roomy enough for one big male and one smaller female person or dog. Overall 1st class product.

My Clip flashlight is 20+ years old and still the best tent I have in my camping gear. Lightweight and functional. Gotta like the other guy/gal a lot if you are going to use it as a 2-person tent though.

This is the best tent I've owned; very versatile (3 season), easy to set up/take down, light enough to carry for extended distances, and it breathes very well when you need it to.

I did a lot of searching before I purchased the Clip Flashlight 2, and my decision came down to either this tent (2 person) or the 1 person SD Light year. I ended up getting the Flashlight because I wanted the ability to fit an extra person should the need arise (which has happened 3 times so far ^_^). For the extra space, the weight really isn't too noticeable; as my brother went with the SD Light Year and we traded tents on a camping trip to see who ended up with a better buy..

The only drawback to this tent is that it is shipped with one less stake than you need to fully set the fly, so either buy a extra stake somewhere (the ultra light ones supplied are easy to match) or find a rock/log/tree to set the guy line near the bottom of the fly.

This tent has been through Florida, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, and the Pacific Northwest on backpacking trips and has yet to let me down. The rain of Florida and Washington (Hoh River/Hurricane Ridge) was repelled beautifully by the fly and washtub sides. The dust of the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde were somewhat repelled by the fly (ehhh not really). Really, the Flashlight is a great tent for what you'll see in a three season environment. The tent also fits very well in my bag, and really compacts down with a good compression bag assist. The poles break down into a manageable size and do not add much bulk or weight as well.

This tent is definitely a smart choice if you're in the market for a 1-2 person tent, I would definitely buy it again should anything happen to it!

I have slept happily in the clip flashlight over many seasons and no zipper problems or material failure except the rainfly was destroyed by storage in a hot climate. The material was folded and fused to itself over a 2 to 3 years storage period. The tent itself was stuck together but was restorable except for some stains.
I still use this tent but suspend a cheap tarp overhead if weather threatens. Even with no rainfly, this is a nice fair weather tent which is very durable (care needed when storing). I may get her a new fly and hand this down to my grand daughters.

I bought this tent in 2009 and have used it on 10-15 backpacking trips. I bought this to replace a VERY small tent that I couldn't sit up in. In making this purchase, I added about a pound to my pack weight, but in most cases, it's well worth the added comfort. On trips when pack weight isn't an issue, I take this one.

This is called a two person tent, but I don't think I would ever use it that way. It may work for two skinny people in a romantic relationship, but this tent definitely isn't big enough to share with anyone who isn't a romantic interest. As a solo tent, there is so much room that I almost feel guilty. If needed (such as during a storm), I could fit most of my gear into it and not be too cramped (but I don't carry a lot of gear). For a six-foot person, it's possible to sit up to change clothes, get gear situated etc. The vestibule is big enough to store boots, my camp shoes and other small gear. For a six-foot person, the tent is plenty long enough.

I've not had this tent in a storm, but the design looks like it would do a good job keeping rain out.

There is one complication with attaching the fly to the tent. On the back (small side of the tent), the fly attaches with snap-in clips. On the very front, the fly is staked into the ground. No problems at either of these places. However, on either side of the tent at the first pole set, there are Jake's Feet attachments on the tent fly that snap onto a plastic clip on the bottom of the tent. These attachments are crap. Putting them on is not a big deal, but taking them off is a problem. It's hard enough when temperatures are warm, but when the temperatures are cold, it's downright painful on the fingers and can't be done with gloves on. On a recent trip when I Knew I would be waking up with temperatures in the teens, I made a fix to get around this. On the fly, I tied a loop of thin cord through the plastic Jake's Foot. Instead of clipping the Jake's Foot to the bottom of the tent, I simply put a stake through the loop of cord. This requires carrying two extra stakes, but it pulls the fly out a little further from the tent to give better ventilation and also makes it to where you don't have to fumble with a crappy clumsy attachment in sub-freezing temperatures. It's an easy fix, and if, like me, you're concerned little enough about pack weight to use this as a solo tent, adding two extra stakes shouldn't be a big deal weight-wise. The Jake's Feet problem is the ONLY thing I don't like about the tent, and with using stakes instead, I'm completely happy with the tent.

With the fix described above, I absolutely love this tent for a solo tent when pack weight isn't an issue. It's comfortable enough for car camping, and small/light enough for someone just spending a night or two in the backcountry. It's bulkier and heavier than a lot of solo tents, but it's durable, well-priced for what you get and it provides a luxurious place to sleep.

I've used my Clip Flashlight tent since 1985, so mine is the earlier version with a little less mesh and a different door design. I've used it in a wide variety of conditions and have never had a problem. Really got tested for waterproofness one week when the weather service reported over 7" of rain. It never seemed to stop either day or night. The tent was left up the whole time and stayed nice and dry inside. It's gotten lots of use every year and still pitches nice and taut, the zippers work fine, and no issues with any seams.

As mentioned, it's not freestanding, but in a pinch it can be erected without stakes as long as you can run a couple lines to anchor points such as rocks, picnic table legs, trees, etc. The plus side of not being freestanding is that it saves on weight by only needing two fairly short poles. I've used this tent for both backpacking and bicycle touring. The short pole sections are nice since they let me fit the packed tent into my panniers (many other small tents have longer pole sections and require that they be packed outside the bags). As with many other backpacking tents, the 2-person rating requires that the two people are willing to be cramped into a rather small space. I've usually used this as a solo tent which leaves plenty of room to take all my gear inside.

If the Clip 2 is anything like the old Clip 3, it is a terrific tent. I bought my Clip 3 in 1992 and after not using it for 18 years and buying a new tent by a different manufacturer, I decided to see if the old Clip 3 was still viable. Not only is it viable, but it is roomy and comfortable. After putting up both the new tent and the old Clip 3 and alternating sleeping in them, I chose the Clip 3 over the other tent for comfort and a general sense of well-being that I felt while in the tent. From what I have read about the new Clip 2, the ventilation is superior to the older Clip tents. It would be wonderful to have the Clip 3 back with the ventilation of the newer Clip 2.