KAZOO Waterproof Backpacking Tent Ultralight 1/2 Person Lightweight Camping Tents 1/2 People Hiking Tents Aluminum Frame Double Layer

Ok, I JUST received my KAZOO Venus 1 person tent, set it up in the yard for inspection, and I can already tell that this was a prudent purchase.I am just getting into backpacking and I had my eye on another tent (MSR Hubba Hubba 1) until I came across this tent. Seeing as how I'm a newb, I really didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on something for an activity that may not be for me, so after reading up on the materials, the weight, the features, and all of the reviews (here and elsewhere), I decided to pull the trigger on this tent.PROS:1) It only weighs 3.5 pounds (on my bathroom scale) with EVERYTHING - inner tent, rainfly, stakes, pole, and all the individual stuffsacks. That's pretty light. If you leave the individual sacks at home, you can shave off a little more weight. Maybe not as light as the other tent I was looking at, but this is 1/5 the price.2) It's polyester instead of nylon - This may not be a pro for some, but for me it is. Polyester is hydrophobic, (repels moisture) whereas nylon is hydrophilic (absorbs moisture). When nylon gets wet, it will often sag/stretch as it absorbs moisture. Polyester won't really do that. Nylon IS lighter and the inherent stretchiness will keep it from tearing as easily, but I'm willing to bet this tent will be fine, seeing as the fly is made from 210T Ripstop polyester and the tub is made from 150D Oxford polyester.3) It is VERY quick and easy to set up. The design is intuitive and I doubt most people would even need to read the instructions. I had it pulled out and set up in less than 5 minutes, and that was in a good breeze without staking it down first.4) Inner mesh will keep out all the noseeums, and if the weather doesn't necessitate the use of the rainfly, skip it and you'll be able to see all the stars.5) Rainfly has two vents and a zipper flap with velcro. It's also easy to adjust it very low to the ground to minimize any rain splatter or let it sit higher for more ventilation.6) Neon-colored reflective guy lines will keep you from tripping over them in the dark.7) Every seam seems to be well-stitched and taped.CONS:1) It seems just a tad short in length. I'm just over 5'8" and while I DO have a little extra space at my head and feet, while lying down, without any kind of pad under me, the tips of my toes touch the inner mesh. It's not completely terrible but 3 more inches in length would have been nicer without adding much weight/cost.2) It doesn't come with a footprint - Kind of a bummer but still a good bargain.3) The vestibule is not very big. I have a TETON Hiker 60L pack and the vestibule looks like it will probably JUST fit. I doubt there will be any room inside once I have my sleeping pad, quilt, etc. in there, but we'll see.FINAL THOUGHTS:All in all, this seems to be a great tent that will most likely punch above its price. It appears to be very well made, it's pretty lightweight, seems roomy enough as long as you're not much taller than, say, 5'10", and it has a waterproof rating of 3000mm, which seems fine, but I may give it a good spray with some Nikwax for insurance.Once I get it out on the trails, I'll report back with updates.EDIT - 9/2/23 - I've used this tent several times now and can confidently say that it now carries the Charles Atlas seal of approval.The last outing was up above 12,500 feet and this little tent did just fine. In fact, it was actually 2° warmer inside the tent than the outside temperature. So far, I've only experienced one moderate rainfall in it, and it was dry as a bone inside. With cooler weather there will definitely be a little condensation on the inside of the rainfly, but so far, it has been minimal.The vestibule does just barely fit my pack under it, but on the last outing, I decided to see if it would fit inside. With my height, I was able to stash it down at my feet with no problem.There's not much room inside, but plenty for sleeping and it hasn't felt cramped, which I was a little worried about.

I purchased this tent specifically for a September 2023 camping trip to Banff National Park, in Canada. The tent "performed well" on this maiden voyage, but because my base camp remained in the same location over the duration of the 3 day hike—and the weather remained stable—,I didn't consider that trip to be a true test. But, I did find the tent very easy to erect, and comfortable to sleep in.A few days ago, I returned from a second trip with the tent: an EPIC 4-day, 30 mile hike through Wyoming's Wind River Range, in which I had to both carry the tent on my back for between 7-10 miles per day, and erect/take it down each day. Although it was still August, my first night at the trail head was marked by a long-lasting thunderstorm that included strong winds, frozen rain...and even a dusting of snow! The tent held up magnificently in those conditions. Not a single drop of rain entered the tent. Thankfully, a couple hours of sun followed this freak storm, and the surface of the tent's rain cover was able to completely dry, before I rolled everything up to move on.Each of the following three mornings, I woke up to frost and condensation on the tent. Again, no moisture seeped into the tent itself, but remained on the surface of the rain cover.The tent is light...my sleeping bag (non-down filled) is heavier. It is well constructed and, when combined with its rain cover, is strongly anchored into the ground. I never worried about it keeping its integrity in the face of strong wind. I imagine that only tents that cost up to five times what this tent cost could boast that they are "better," but by "better" they probably mean that they weight, maybe, a half-pound less. This is also because those expensive tents require/integrate one's hiking poles to contribute to their frame, rather than come with/utilize their own framing poles, which is why they are able to shed that half pound. But I have seen plenty of YouTube videos of "professional" backpackers complaining that those expensive tents' material broke down after a couple of years of exposure to the elements. In other words, their material is no more "elite" than that of this cheaper tent. Because I don't regularly take such walking sticks with me on hikes, I don't have the option of using them to double for a tent's framing poles. And to be honest, the shedding of an additional half pound from my pack, which already weighed 40 pounds, would not have make any noticeable difference to my comfort.In summation, I highly recommend this tent. It is likely to contribute to years of joy on epic hikes.

This tent is well-made. All the toggles and attachments are sewn in, so there is no glue to fail down the line. As another reviewer noted, it is on the short side. I'm 5'6 and found it difficult to lay n the tent without my feet touching the wall. Two sides of the hexagon for the 2 person tent are shorter than the others, so I initially laid out the ground sheet incorrectly; I wish that they had marked those short sides in some way to make it more obvious but I can easily do that myself to save time for future setting up. My biggest complaint is that the inner tent cannot be set up alone for when you are camping in hot weather and want a lot of ventilation. Because it doesn't attach to the poles itself, there is also some drooping of the inner tent, which makes it feel smaller and more closed in. The three pockets are nice for storing items in the tent, as is the hook for hanging a light. A nice and inexpensive tent for some one beginning camping or camping occasionally.