This Snugpak Ionosphere 1 person tent review is about a very popular lightweight 3 season, non-freestanding tent suitable for any sort of outdoor activity.
Key benefits
- Lots of space for you and equipment, no stolen stuff while you sleep.
- Great surface to weight ratio.
- Good price.
Description
The Snugpak Ionosphere 1 is a two-layer tent. This implies that you have a mesh tent all around you and above you, which protects you from insects, and you also have a rain fly to use in order to protect you from elements. I already mentioned above, this is a 3-season tent, so it is not designed to be used in winter conditions. You can read more about 4-season tents in my another text in the site, but see first about this tent here.
This tent is not freestanding. This implies that you need to anchor it to the ground in order to pitch it. This can be problematic in the case of a rocky terrain, gravel, or in the case of a frozen ground; this is one of the reasons why it is not intended for winter use.
The tent is of a bivy type, so it is rather low, but it offers a lot of useful space, measuring 2.4 m length and 0.9 m in width. This is more than many other tents of similar type. So there is a lot of space for one person and a backpack. The bottom is a waterproof sheet as you would expect.
The tent is with a 5000 mm PU coated fly. The meaning of this is that you have a thin film of polyurethane added to the fly fabric, creating what is known as polyurethane laminate. This is a very common way of making tents waterproof, though there are some with breathable flies available on the market. With all taped seams, you can be sure you have a proper protection from the rain.
The fly is with velcro tabs for attachment to the poles, and it has several guy-lines around. There are no vents here, this may cause problems with condensation. This is why it is best to use the fly’s guy lines and stake it out as this will create airflow underneath the fly.
The entrance is side-type, as you see in the picture above, and it is at the higher section of the tent. The fly zipper is protected by a wide flap (visible above) which has a velcro to fix the flap in position in case of wind.
Poles
You have two of them, DAC TH72M anodized aluminum poles with pre-curved sections, press-fit connectors, and color-coded for easy setup. One is longer and the other is shorter, just to know in case you are setting the tent in the dark when you cannot distinguish the colors. They fit into the color-coded sleeves on the front and on the bottom.
You can see all the features of this tent in this video, please have a look:
There are no vents in the fly, but its design is such that it will give you plenty of airflow from the ground all along the perimeter of the fly. But remember, I have mentioned that this is not a winter tent. In the case, of a lot of snow, you would have this air access closed, so ventilation would be a problem. So use it a 3-season tent and you will have a great tool.
Specifications
- Weight: 1520 g.
- Dimensions (L x W): 2.4 m x 0.9 m (94 x 44 in).
- Height:
– front: 0.7 m,
– bottom: 0.4 m. - Packed size: 48 cm length, 14 cm width.
- Poles: 2 DAC featherlite NSL anodized aluminum, press fit connections.
- Lightweight 190t polyester mesh inner, with 50 D No-See-Um mesh mosquito net.
- Lightweight 190t nylon 5000 mm waterproof PU floor.
- Lightweight 210t ripstop fly with 5000 mm waterproof PU coating.
- Taped seams.
- Side door.
- Stakes and pegs included.
Conclusion, rating, pros & cons
So to conclude this Snugpak Ionosphere 1 person tent review, it is a great low profile tent suitable for backpackers and for overnight hiking and mountaineering tours. Its surface to weight ratio is excellent, and the price is very reasonable. But bear in mind that it is not freestanding, this limits its use and you cannot pitch it everywhere.
There are hundreds of reports around and the tent has received great ratings from customers. See the breakdown of my rating:
Snugpak Ionosphere 1 Person Tent
$189.95
Pros
- Easy setup.
- Very spacious.
- Full protection.
- Great value for the money
Cons
- Not freestanding.
- No vents in the fly.
- The small door, bear in mind if you are a big person.
If you would rather have a freestanding tent, it is this Catoma Badger solo tent so have a look. Have you ever tried a bivy? See one here.
I hope this text has been useful to you, if this is so please share it with others. Thank you for reading. In the case of questions and comments, note that there is a comment box below. Have a nice day.
Glyn says
Nice review,
Where is the tent manufactured? I saw some online store in my country and it says Made in China?
Jovo says
Hi Glyn. Do not have this information. But this is a British company that has been around for decades, very reliable in general. This is a very good tent used a lot even by military.