CrossBow 2 Four-Season

Writing the first critical review of the Crossbow 2 Four Season, speaking to its points of failure. We will see if this critical review gets left up with the 9 positive reviews. Nice bells and whistles on the crossbow, but in relatively little time the fabric is tearing and leaking, and the pole joints are fusing. At the end of the first season of use (in 2022, 5 months kayaking the coast of BC and Alaska), the web truss tore. Taped it back together, and it has torn in one other place since. Midway into the second season (another 5 months paddling the northwest coast in 2023), water began pooling up inside the tent, and I was using my kayak's bailing sponge frequently to drain the pool I was sleeping in. Note that I've always used a footprint to protect the floor, but despite this, water leaks in from the corners of the tent floor, and no alterations of fly sheet tension and guy-lining to cover the corners has resolved the water ingress, so I infer that the leak begins in the fly sheet. Furthermore, midway into the second season of use, the joints of the tent poles fused together. I had to buy a few new segments and am hoping for no further inseparable fusion issues on the original segments. At the beginning of the third season of use (pack rafting the Stikine River 2024), even light rains found their way into the tent and an entire corner of the floor ripped apart when put under normal tension of the pole setup. It's all taped together to squeeze out one more summer on the water, but considering that I use this tent in the rainforest, I'm anticipating a soggy season. Little pinholes are opening up throughout the floor, again, despite using a footprint and dedicating time to clearing a tent pad at each camp. Additionally, the zipper heads on both doors failed midway into the second season, and I got to use one of the bells and whistles I do admire about this tent--the backup zipper heads. There are some nice design features that the other reviews speak to, but those features don't make up for the failing integrity of the tent fabric and poles, as I the purpose of the tent is to stay dry and possible to setup and breakdown without issue. While I understand that Sling Fin doesn't manufacture "price-point" tents, I still have to factor in the high end cost. I invested in this expensive tent figuring it would last me longer, but in 13 years of full-time transient living out of a backpack and sleeping in various tents most nights of the year, I've had better endurance from cheaper brands, and could buy four of a certain store-brand tent for the cost of one crossbow. Furthermore, the one expensive ultralight tent I've ever bought has also outlasted the crossbow, despite the lightweight material (intentionally avoiding naming other brandnames and trademarked materials in this review, but one could hazard a guess) feeling flimsier. I actually still use the ultralight tent for my winter adventures, desert hiking and freight train hopping and bike touring, as opposed to paddling, because the crossbow hasn't held up to Alaskan summer. If you have plenty of disposable income and use your tent only on occasional outings, the bells and whistles in the crossbow's designs will likely feel wonderful--there are some truly thoughtful aspects of the design that attracted me to this tent in the first place, you can read the positive reviews to avoid redundancy here. But as a year-round, tent-dwelling, dirtbag bum, I need a better value on endurance and cost, not to mention weight. Until I get sponsored as a pro-hobo to test out the failure points of gear, I am seeking better shelter from the storm than the crossbow.

I got this tent with winter in mind. I've used it on several trips in the White Mountains of NH. I make YouTube videos so if you search out Rachel White Mountains you can see the tent in action in snowy conditions. I've been learning as I go, about best practices for setting it up securely, adding many snow stakes to my routine. I have grown to love the tent so I recently ordered the add on summer mesh body, which is waiting until that season comes around again. For now it's a good time in the winter tent. There is adequate ventilation so even in cold temperatures I don't get too many ice crystals inside overnight. There is enough space for me, my big winter sleeping bag, and all my gear tucked around the corners inside the tent. I have not yet tried fitting my husband in there as so far I've been going out for one night camps on my own. Might be tight with two so the gear would have to be outside. I like how secure the tent is. I like the colors. I like the pockets. I like the windows. If I could change one thing, I'd make this tent two inches longer so my head would stop touching the wall sometimes when I'm in my big winter bag. Maybe that won't happen in the summer. I am 5'9".

I was the first reviewer in 2018.
I have both the crossbow 4 season and mesh body of the original Crossbow, not the 2021 version. I love the tent. It has been in snow storms, high winds with 40 mph gusts, summer heatwaves, hails storms and everything else we get in the High Sierra. The tent has never failed me! We have always remained warm and dry.
Here are some nifty things that I discovered after using the tent:

The fly doors are designed so that you can enter and exit the tent or just open the doors to throw stuff in, protected and dry during rain storms. At first I thought, (when all was dry and calm,) “How annoying and in my way this fly is when staked.” … Until my first storm with that tent. “AHHH, That is why the fly is staked like that! Complete access without ANY rain getting into the tent!!” Now, when it is fair, I release the fly doors from their stakes and just secure them open and out of my way.

When you have light, polite rain, (coming down vertically without wind,) you can keep the fly doors open completely to let in air and stay totally dry.

The hang loops inside are great! I have hung wet gloves, towels, parkas and more from them and they were dry by morning.

Since 2018, this tent is used about 30 days a year or more in all seasons except the dead of winter. I keep it hung open in my closet during storage. The fly has seen LOTS of UV and, indeed, it is beginning to sag and the seem tape is peeling. I thought, at the end of this season, to send it back to SlingFin for maintenance care, after all, the forecast for my last trip was totally fair weather. HAH! We got PELTED with heavy rain and hailstones the size of marbles for 14 hours!! All that with an old fly sheet and we were warm and dry!!
LOVE THIS TENT!
The service at SlingFin is wonderful. They are patient, helpful and always pick up their phones. My fly sheet and ground cloth (the ground cloth has shown almost no wear and neither have the tent bodies but I sent it back for a new DWR and retaping.) are on their way to them for maintenance and, I would guess, another 5 years of great service.

In many storms in this tent- heavy snow, extreme wind and relentless rain. Pros can breathe in this tent, good air flow in winter- keeps condensation low, good vestibule to keep gear dry. Weight to strength is pretty good for long hikes. Cons- fabric of fly is super loud in wind such that it disrupts sleep. Poles bend significantly in aggressive wind. Even with tie outs and internal guy lines- wind can bend the poles. Rec different fly fabric and consideration of poles. Will buy more tents from this company however.

I got the updated 2021 version of the Crossbow 2. I got this tent because I'm tired of taking tents out of storage and smelling the unmistakable stench of polyurethane (PU) waterproof coatings that are peeling off due to hydrolysis. I religiously dried out my tents before I put them away, but it happens regardless. The polyethylene waterproofing on this tent is MUCH less susceptible to hydrolysis, which means it won't rot out nearly as fast (if ever). I just took it on a winter camping hot spring trip, and I absolutely love it. I particularly love the web truss, which makes a taut pitch easy. Rather than repeat all the great things about this tent, I will suggest some usage notes. 1. A footprint is not necessary for camping on snow. Otherwise, I highly recommend investing in the companion footprint, because the floor fabric is relatively thin compared to heavier classic winter tents. The companion footprint has grommet holes for the tent poles which keep it tight and secure under the tent body. 2. Invest in some liner gloves, because you will need dexterity to properly attach the fly to the poles. That said, once you attach the fly, it's not going anywhere, and the attachment method combined with guy lines adds tons of stability against wind and snow loads.