Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

In an ongoing effort to provide the lightest outdoor gear, Brooks-Range Mountaineering has come up with quite a few notable pieces of gear, and one of the most eye-catching is their Rocket Tent A2 ($600), a four-season alpine tent that floats around 2 pounds in weight. 

I'm saying "around 2 pounds" because in winter conditions, the tent eschews poles, using trekking poles and an avalanche probe to frame the tent, keeping the tent's weight down to 1lb., 6oz. in winter conditions. The Rocket Tent also comes with a set of poles for summer use, which bumps up the tent's weight to a "whopping" 2lbs., 4oz. 

The Rocket Tent's lightweight CT3 fabric feels like cellophane, but it's surprisingly tough and completely waterproof-it handled surprise rain showers without letting in a drop. It's reflective surface also helps to regulate heat, reflecting heat away in warm conditions, but retaining heat when things get chilly. Three zippered vents help regulate temperature while keeping interior moisture to a minimum, and the tent's aerodynamic profile and it's guyout system held it up despite some brutal winds down in Bishop's Buttermilk bouldering area. 

It packs down to about the size of a football, so it doesn't take up too much weight in a pack. Cramming back into its storage pack was like a magic trick; it was like watching 20 clowns exit a little car, but in reverse. 

The tent isn't roomy-its 38inches tall at its highest point, and with 25 square feet of floor space it can be a tight fit for two sleepers, but it makes up for its lack of luxury by providing a secure shelter while adding minimal weight to a pack, so if you're looking for a tent that gives you just what you need to stay warm and dry and not an ounce more, the Rocket Tent's the one for you.

www.brooks-range.com

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