Portal 2

Purchased the tent in Spring 2024. First night in The Pyrenees we had a thunderstorm with high winds, but nothing extraordinary. Tent was properly mounted, walking sticks and all guylines in place. The next morning we found out that the poles were seriously deformed and unfit for futere use. We had planned a hike of 2 weeks, we had to change our plans. A Hubba NX adjacent to our tent was in exactly the same conditions and had no damage at all (Hubba NX carries alu poles of 7000 quality). A very disappointing experience. After sales service were very arrogant and accused us of improper setup and some blabla story about the Hubba NX tent. I wouldn't recommend anyone to purchase this tent for use in mountaineous regions, the regular poles are unfit for it.

I carried Portal 2 for 3 weeks section hiking CO trail/Front Range and 4 weeks in central Cascades wilderness over five years 2020-2024, and mine still looks almost like new.

Anyone can design a lighter tent. Anyone can build a tougher tent. The true skill comes when you push the envelope, and Portal 2 strikes an amazing balance at achieving both at once.

The strong thin silicone-impregnated rainfly is unlike any other I've seen. Slippery like teflon trying to cram it in a stuffsack. A few vigorous shakes and most drops of rain or condensation fly right off. While some water stays on when I pack up, I've never seen the material take on water.

I never sealed the three seams over poles (recommended if you don't pay extra $30). This summer an inch of rain fell on a day only a tenth was forecast. A small amount of water got in. It pooled in one spot at lowest corner and left no clues where it came in because it beaded on top and didn't soak in. The next morning there were dark spots under my pad/backpack where water came between the tent floor and the footprint. I touched them and the floor still felt dry inside.

I carried a BA Fly Creek 2 HV UL 5 weeks 2017-2019. I had nearly a quarter inch of water standing in several spots under pad inside BA tent after water soaked right up through the floor within half an hour of a sudden rainstorm/hailstorm. Fail! Tent floor of Portal 2 isn't that much thicker but it resists water in a way floor of BA clearly does not.

The superior coating/treatment also keeps dirt from getting ground in between the fibers. I’m amazed bright orange floor still looks almost new after 5 summers. Even footprint doesn't look all that badly dirty and stained from sap and wear yet. Bright yellow floor of BA looked dingy after a year or two.

Slingfin Tim wrote on website in 2019 he didn't build a sub-3 lb tent tent until he finally discovered a thin body fabric that met his demanding expectations. 2024 and I absolutely believe it. The lasting difference in floor/rainfly performance makes it fully worth the higher price tag.

If you don't take care of your gear, buy a disposable tent. Bathtub floor of Portal 2 is shallow enough at sides, it's not hard to brush dirt and needles out doors as soon as they get inside. Before they rub between pad/gear and floor like sandpaper.

POCKETS! Two long narrow corner pockets ideal for glasses and two more triangular corner pockets hold all my pocket stuff, headlamp, etc. at head. One huge pocket full width of foot, and another overhead.

Very happy with zippers: first weak point to fail on so much gear. If I set up tension on tent corners correct, I often use them one-handed and usually don't feel I'm straining anything. I back up immediately and don't yank if it gets caught.

Customer service was outstanding when I pre-ordered this tent. I knew full well shipment probably wouldn’t arrive and get to me before my ten-day loop around Mt Rainier in 2020. Still, I emailed Slingfin and mentioned my start date. They kept me up-to-date, I paid extra to ship tent expedited, and it arrived at the address of my friends in Seattle the same day I landed at the airport! I set it up on floor of hotel room and had to laugh: it sets up so taut with no stakes I could bounce coins off it. You aren't buying from a company traded on a stock exchange. This guy is passionate about the tents he creates and it shows in all the little details. A work of craftsmanship and a true thing of beauty.

3 minor complaints:

1) Head end is a bit wider than foot. Wider end of footprint, body, and fly are all marked with a matching orange triangle. I still wish both ends were exact same width at expense of a slightly narrower head or an extra half oz. I rotate and rearrange fly every time searching for that tab to tell me which is the wide end.

2) On chilly days it can be hard to attach black clips at corners of fly when the cold plastic has no give and my fingers are clumsy. This tight fit is highly secure in high winds. Older Sierra Designs tents had Jake's foot I could attach rainfly corners to one-handed - I'm sure it’s proprietary.

3) Tabs w grommets at corners of footprint are much looser than grommets at tent corners, so footprint falls off pole ends when setting tent up or moving it. REI staff tell me this is common with many other brands too.

I own 5 backpacking tents. Researched each against competitors, made workbooks to compare specs, and read user reviews for real-world issues. If this tent doesn't deserve 5 full stars, I've never found one that does.

If I went in mountains for 1-3 days and knew forecast I might carry a lighter tent. Ditto if I could guarantee campsites where I can drive in stakes/pole tips for a semi-freestanding tent. Carry 7-10 days of food deep in wilderness, no cell reception to predict conditions, no early outs, and unsure what rocky/unsuitable campsites I'll find? This is my ideal 5 star tent. Your needs may vary.

This tent / company fulfills a niche in the tent industry. I see them as true tentmakers at heart. Leaving another company to build their dream tents instead of being held back by large corporation stubborn cheapness. It is the innovative practical touches on this tent that make it stand out. It is not ultralight, but it is the lightest tent of those that I would take when I need a tent that will sustain heavy weather. My Hilleberg almost never gets to come out anymore.

I have owned this tent for one year now, and during that time I have camped exclusively in the Colorado mountains and foothills with it. The tent has been rained on, hailed on, snowed on, and has stayed dry inside. I love the ability to pitch the tent with the rain fly already on, and thereby keep the inner tent dry when setting up in the rain. The tent holds up well in the wind, even with the regular poles. It is my favorite tent (out of 4 that I own). My only complaint about the tent, and I knew this when I bought it, is that the tent floor tapers at the foot end to a width of just 41", which prevents me from using two 25" wide pads in the tent. I'm sure this decision was made to save weight, but I would accept a few extra ounces in exchange for the increased functionality. Nitpicks aside, based on where I camp in the mountains, this the best tent I have owned.

In preparation for a backpacking trip in Patagonia, I was looking for a fairly lightweight tent that could withstand stronger winds but also wouldn't be overkill on my regular, less-extreme hikes closer to home. I'm happy to say my search ended with the Portal! This tent is well-made, super-comfortable, and solid in harsh conditions. We had moderately strong winds a few times during the trip, and the Portal was completely snug and secure. (For reference, I used the stronger 10.65mm tent poles, trekking pole attachments, and available guy lines.) Thanks to a few backyard practice pitches, setup on the trail was a breeze even when I was stumbling around in exhaustion after long hiking days. And SlingFin's customer service is stellar - Tim was quick to respond when I had questions, which went a long way toward giving me confidence in my gear and in my ability to handle at least one facet of a difficult trek.

I'm so grateful to have discovered SlingFin and look forward to many more backpacking adventures with the Portal in tow!