Brooks Range has outdone themselves with this new offering for Summer 2014. I was a little afraid to take this featherweight (weighing in at barely four pounds) out in the late fall in the northwest. It rains a little out here.
This little guy (with a full 40 square feet) of internal space held up like a champ in three separate torrential downpours.
The tent comes ready to use out of the box. Guy lines are attached in the appropriate places. An ample supply of high quality “v” tent stakes. All of the tension points are perfectly reinforced where the corners of the rain fly meet the points of the tent pole.
The first time I set up the Brooks Range Tension 40 tent was in my back yard the evening before a weekend trip in early October. There was almost no learning curve and the “Tension” setup was very intuitive. Only three poles to deal with. One that spans down the middle of the tent and slips into pockets at both the head and foot of the tent. Two shorter pols that span crossways at the head and foot to provide for lots of head room inside. The inner tent is a water proof bathtub design with reinforced mosquito netting in the upper. The inner tent has very large and well-designed zipper doors. They are quick entry and exit but can be fully unzipped and stored out of the way. The rain fly fit like a glove. I was very impressed with how well the fly fit the frame. Again very intuitive for setting it up. The fly attaches at all four corners and the base of the head and foot in the middle where the tension pole slips into the pockets.
In the real world of the northwest rain and wet the Brooks Range Tension 40 Really held up. I was a little concerned one Saturday morning with a heavy downpour before we even left the trailhead, I hoped I wasn’t going to be spend a wet and cold night in a lightweight tent. My tent mate and I were very pleased with the results. The tent set up fast in the field under adverse conditions. We guyed out all of the points that were available and it held up great through heavy rains and medium winds all night long.
Having set through three storms in this tent I can say I wouldn’t hesitate to take the Tension 40 out on any kind of trip with questionable weather just short of the fourth season. The Tension is an excellent go to for all three seasons here in our wet climate. And at four pounds this is a huge amount of room for two people.
Pros:
-Super fast setup and takedown
-Two vestivule entries
-It’s a long tent – Plenty of head and foot room with lots of space left over for “in the tent” gear
-Big entry points and clever roll back design on the vestibules
I should also note that the tent retained heat pretty well and has very clever vents at the apex of each vestibule zipper.
Cons:
The one thing I didn’t like about the Tension 40 was the low profile of the vestibules. Plenty of room for keeping boots and stove dry but not quite enough room to keep my whole backpack dry.
Conclusion:
This is a perfect 3 season light weight tent for two people that will hold up really well on those nights you didn’t quite plan for. This is a must have for the serious outdoorsperson.
Manufacturer: Brooks Range
Date available: Available Spring 2014
MSRP: $499.95
Listed Weight: Unspecified
Material: Unspecified
Warranty: Basic warranty – more info here
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