I Got ANOTHER New Tent - Tarptent Aeon Li First Look! 

What New Shelter System have you recently picked up? Do you have a Tent on your Gear Wishlist to try in the Future? 👇👇Let Us Know Down Below!👇👇

Hi Darwin! Glad to hear you're excited about your Aeon Li (EE-on el-eye ;))! In addition to ventilation, we added Pitchloc corners to increase the Aeon Li's volume, so you can have the same interior space as a half-pyramid shelter that has a much larger footprint. We've got a diagram of this on our website. We neglected to include mid-panel pull-outs to increase interior space because we have concerns about incorrectly stressing (and permanently deforming) the matrix of the Dyneema Composite fabric which is what happens when there is a pull-out not on a seam. Re: concerns about breaking struts; we've been implementing Pitchloc corners in our tents for 10 years. Because they are subject to a compressive load along the length of the struts, you shouldn't have to be concerned about them breaking. You'll notice that we included an aluminum strut in the apex, where the strut is subject to a concentrated bending load. We hear you on the packed size of the tent! Tradeoffs... Lastly! Be sure you check out the front-apex-guyline-free set-up in fair weather. One of our favorite parts about the Aeon Li is the ability to set it up without a pesky guyline in the doorway. Looking forward to your feedback after the coming miles! Happy Trails!

Sew together all the tents you've had and you can build a full sized house

“That price does include the stuff sack” Uh yah I fckn hope so lol

For everyone shocked or harping on the price, it's priced at or below other Dyneema tents. Personally, I don't think the weight savings alone is worth the extra cost versus sil nylon or polyesther, but Dyneema has other advantages as well.

Mate never say another new tent, just say new tent we can never have too many tents,, 😊😊😊😊😊⛺⛺⛺⛺

I have this tent, I'm 6 ft 4 and sleep on an neo air and just about fit. Some taller would have to have a ccf pad.

Darwin, its time to post that follow up review you promised to post after you had more experience with this tent. Of course, its a bit of a spoiler that you’ve since purchased and falling in love with the Z Packs AltaPlex (I just ordered one). If I may speculate, was it the head and foot room you found less than ideal in the Aeon LI? I’m 5’11” and found the Stratospire to be way to confining. The TarpTent pitch lock (funny name for a strut) don’t create much headroom. Also, at each end there is only one pitch lock, and that in one corner, so you end up with an end wall that is higher on one side than the other. I noticed that when you showed foot room you were on a bare tent floor. That is not realistic. When I put my Neo Air pad down, and got into my Feathered Friends quilt, the quilt was solidly on the tent wall. Even moving as close as I could to the head end. Speaking of the head end, I found the tent right down almost on my face. The bottom line is that I did not find the pitch locks added any discernible head and foot room, and they sure do interfere with packing the tent down. For my money, I’d rather have a single pole of greater length in the center of the end wall, as Hilleberg does with their solo tent. That method does yield up some real altitude at each end. Can’t wait to get the new Altaplex. It looked plenty roomy with you in it. Thanks again for the great reviews.

Never mind the tent, what's that shirt you're wearing?! I love it.

For $535.00 I’d hope it would come with a Sherpa! 😂

The price of admission for high quality, ultralight, cottage industry gear is, of course, quite a bit more than high volume factory made equipment from China. Some people can appreciate the value in such equipment, others not so much. I’d love to give this tent a shot compared to my Duplex. I wouldn’t mind reorienting the other gear in my pack for the vertical orientation of this tent. Thanks for the review brother!

I recently got a Lanshan 2 and while it isn't DCF-lightweight, at 2.5 pounds including the pegs, sacks, and footprint, I'm pretty happy with it. Oh, and it cost around $140, for all parts and bags and pegs and footprint sheet. Packs down super small, as well.

Darwin Thanks for the review. Last fall I picked up a Stratospire Li to use as 2 person backpacking tent for my wife and me. We both love the versatility of the Stratospire Li, use it as just a tarp, use the silnylon interior for wind/spindrift protection, or the mesh insert for warm buggy conditions. Wanting a single person tent for solo trips I purchased a lightly used Z Packs Plexamid, and after a few nights of use I wasn't happy with the number of guys outs needed, especially on the side to increase head and foot space, with out the side guy outs I was contacting the sides of the tent more frequently than I wanted (71inches. 160lbs). I sold the Plexamid and ordered an Aeon Li, the pitchlock struts on the sides and back definitely increase head and foot volume and IMO give a much tighter pitch. During a backpacking trip with my son in May we encountered severe thunderstorms with 50 mph winds in a exposed site. The Aeon Li performed wonderfully, other than a small amount of spray from under the front vestibule ( I dropped the pole as low as I could go while maintaining a taut pitch). Regarding the carbon poles, they can be removed to decrease the packed volume, but it will increase pitch time and complexity. Also, one warning about the poles, I lost one a couple of weeks a go while pitching . I unfurled the tent ( of course it was after sunset) and heard something hit a nearby bush, it was one of the carbon poles from the end pitchlock. I was never able to find where it landed and after of looking I removed the center back strut and moved it to the corner pitch lock. The pitch worked well without the rear strut, and I would suggest checking the poles are snug in the holders before unfurling...or be more gentle when doing so. Looking forward to your long term impressions.

Darwin, curious for a future video regarding condensation. I have been bikepacking and backpacking with the Six Moon Scout Trekker or whatever, the tent has dual entry and probably the most well ventilated tent I have ever been in, but dang the condensation is killer. The condensation is so bad it pretty much depletes the insulation value of my down bags, which could turn into a rather dangerous situation. I am curious if you have looked into the Sierra Designs High Route or High Side systems. Single wall systems are generally better for building a lightweight kit, but to alleviate the amount of coldnights I was enduring with my single wall I ended up buying a synthetic blanket to sleep with inside my bag, so not really reducing weight in the long run, and I think the Sierra Designs current tent line up could be the solution even though they are more traditional.

Interesting. I try to load all my inside the pack stuff vertically, so I can easily grab what I need without unpacking the whole thing. So long and skinny beats short and squat.

Finally. Tarptent makes wonderful tents. Henry is one of the better tent engineers arounds. I have a 4 year old RainShadow3 (3 man). It is light and spacious ballroom. I'm 6'2" tall. Mine sets up tight as a drum, and very quick set up. Xtra guy lines other tents use is because they aren't engineered with appropriate catenary arch seams that pull the tent geometry tight. That makes it shed wind much better. Henry gets it right. I rarely get condensation. He also has a great warranty. The carbon rods you complain about are structural elements positioned/engineered to greatly increase the pull on the catenary seam arches. That makes it shed wind much better. Henry gets it right.

I just picked a Darche Stealth LT-1 for my kayak camping tent, I went with that specific tent solely because of budget.

I love my Tarptent Aeon Li. Got mine after those stupid Zpacks carbon fiber stays kept breaking on my Pleximid. I returned the Pleximid. I wouldn’t worry about the struts breaking on the Aeon. First they are twice as thick and they are not under the tension the Pleximid had. Magnets are awesome. End vents help a lot. 12 nights in it and only once did I have any significant condensation. However I was camped in a slight depression in a sand bar of a river. Go figure! It was a champ in a monster hail storm in the high Sierra I was bone dry. My hiking partner went out and bought one after seeing how mine performed in that storm. I pack with my tent vertical - so size is no prob for me. Much easier to roll up than the Pleximid.

3:14 3F and other budget companies do that as well ;)

I recently got the Marmot Tungsten UL 2p (for me and my dogs :p) and I'm super happy with it! I need my tent to have double walls, hehe

I've been using my Tarptent Stratospire Li for about a year now and love it to bits. Like the company too! Only problem is that I live in Europe (NL) and importtaxes are high!

Hi What amazing ultralight tents I am planning a meander across Scotland for about 6 weeks Starting in May to late June Starting on the East coast Getting to Mull and behind Malaig I am in the middle of testing the Hexpeak V4 6 sided tent, hiking pole in the middle at about 140 One half a full side netting with a high wall inner The other half is with a half ground sheet for all the backpack and a chair So I can hang out either in the rain or just camp somewhere 1.8 kg for what i hope for to be a great travel tent I will be backpacking from Bothy to Bothy when I can I have some great Big Agnes and a Terra Nova mountain tent But they are too small to hang out in the rain That’s me for the time

I know you don't need another, but you are a pretty tall guy. I am as well and have found I love the space afforded in the Big Agnes Scout 2 Carbon. It was an expensive tent, but the vertical walls at the head and the foot made it so much better for a tall guy to have the space he needs, especially when on a thick mat. The weight is unbelievable as well for such a roomy tent.

Tarptent is a good company. I love my double rainbow. That being said, when I’m goin UL, I use my own tarps that I’ve made with varying weights based on bug protection needed.

better workmanship/craftmanship on Tarptent than Zpacks.

Magnets! That's kind of brilliant! I think I'm going to see if I can modify my tent with magnets on the doors. In some bad weather on a trek this summer, it sucked trying to get those toggles undone to close the doors.

I am 6'2" tall and find that I often get some condensation wetness on the foot of my bag and the top of my head when camped with my duplex. The Zpack website claims a 7 1/2 foot floor length. I got excited when you said the tarp tent Aeon Li is designed to fit 7ft tall people. But their website claims the length 88 inches long which is 7.3 feet. Both outfits put a photo of a 6 foot man in a tent and it looks good but if you clothe him in a mummy bag you can quickly see that it is not the floor length on the ground that matters it is the length of the floor as measured from where the tent wall comes to about 14 inches high from the ground to allow for the hight of the sleeping system. This shortens the usable floor length considerably. Somebody do us all a favor and have a picture taken of yourself if you are over 6 feet tall, in an Aeon Li on a pad and in a well lofted mummy bag. I would love a tent that still has three or more inches of airspace at each end with a tall guy in a mummy bag, on an air pad.

I have this tent. A friend has one and I witnessed it get hammered with hail and rain in the Southern Sierra this summer and it held up like a champ. I came home and bought one. Here is a video of me using it for the first time. The one thing I have to say about this tent is you will have to fiddle with the lines to get it tight as it does't have the side lines as Darwin pointed out. But once you get it tight, it's pretty darned awesome. It doesn't fit in my Arc Blast 55 pack so I tie it to the outside. I sure like that it's light! I'm 5'2" so it's more than enough room for me and my pack. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zsYy0ny4t4s.html

I laughed out loud at the face you made when talking about not being able to pack it down smaller. haha I recently picked up a SMD Lunar solo. I've only slept in it three nights, but so far, I like it.

Really? Your going to be upset because you’d have to remove and reinsert the carbon rods for the tent to pack slightly smaller? Speaking as a AT thru hiker, I wanna know what activity you’re doing in the woods (away from the demands of society and social media) that’s so urgent and so important that you begrudge the 35-45-seconds it would take to do this task in order for the tent to conform to your needs. This attitude makes me as perplexed as the whole I-don’t-wanna-cook-in-the-woods-so-I’ll-eat-mush-everyday. Why do you begrudge the slightly more time consuming things that make time in the woods so much more pleasant? Why do you go out there if not to (at least in part) use the time you’ve gained by being away from the demands of society to enjoy or do a few little things for comfort that SOoooooo many other people find as part of the reward of being out in the woods?

I'm in love with my new Tarptent Dipole II Li. I think Tarptent is well ahead of everyone else in design, packaging, and usability across the board.

"Packability" is the one reason I didn't get one. I'm curious to see how you end up liking/disliking it. I'll be anxiously waiting for your full review. :-) I'm currently LOVING my Lightheart Firefly/Awning tent.....wish it was DCF, but that's my only complaint. (Also hoping Tartpent offers their Protrail or Motrail in DCF, I'd totally be interested!)

$500+ 😳 is sewn together with hair from a Unicorns 🦄 mane?? My gosh

POTATO potato...lets be honest all the marketing bs aside , it is a tent....how else you can assplain the 535$ for a tarp...

I have and love this tent. I have added magnets to the vestibule closure with tenacious tape. Seems to work, for now!

This tent is awesome. I got one of the first 100 released. Buying it was like trying to buy concert tickets 20 years ago. I have about 30 nights in mine. Amazing. Sheds wind well and let’s you squeeze into some tight camp spots. Super easy to pitch. Light. Roomy. Vents well or not. I love it. But it does have some faults. Firstly the stuff sack is exactly the right size. Getting the tent into the stuff sack every morning is a shitty experience. The top strut is a pain. It sometimes doesn’t stay put during the pitch process, and when it’s not in place you can’t get the perfect pitch. And then just like he says, it doesn’t fit horizontal in the pack. All that said, still like it. My favorite solo shelter so far.

That design looks remarkably like the Solong 6 from Lightheart Gear. lightheartgear.com/products/lightheart-solong-6

Would like to hear your long-term report on this because I ordered one after finding the Altaplex was just too short (I’m 6’5”).

With the minimal weight savings vs a Duplex (about 3.6oz), I feel like it's hard to justify the amount of space your losing, especially on a long hike. But, It's understandable when you're trying to get under the sub-10lb BW. Also, you can try just strapping the tent to the top/bottom of your pack. I've never understood putting the tent inside the pack, especially when it's wet.

New comment on old post...Strut lengths and packability. SImply cut the struts to a shorter length. Yeh I know it's not 'right', but that's exactely what I did with my Tarptent Moment, to get it down in length. Haven't noticed any issues, and I do have the cut off ends, each with its' own alum ferrule, in case I want the struts full length again.

Not a fan Darwin, the footprint leaves no room for items/pack etc. the Plexamid is superior and if you bought the 1.2mm guyline version its lighter. mine is 386g. Also, the bathtub looks quite shallow

I used this shelter on a Long Trail thru hike this summer and was happy with its performance, especially in severe wind/rain conditions. Not having a mandatory front guyline is also pretty sweet. Any idea if it will fit in a Zpacks Nero horizontally?

No way a 7’ person let alone 6’6” would fit with hitting the ends.

I'm very much on the opposite side of the spectrum... use one tent until I can't patch it anymore, then move on to the next!

Hi Darwin. Thanks for the review. I own the Aeon Li and have been pleased with it. I am 6’4” and have plenty of room with my Thermarest X-Therm and my 10 degree Enlightened Equipment quilt. I specifically tested it with these two items as I occasionally touch the ends of my Six Moons Design Lunar Solo when using my cold weather gear. I also owned the Tarptent Stratospire 1 and did not ever have any problems with any of the carbon struts in either of my Tarptents. Let’s hope that you also have a positive experience!

Call me fussy but i'd never buy any tent that wasn't dark green or camo. I mean, any other colour would be a zombie or UFO magnet..:)

Thanks for this review Darwin off subject is it possible to hammock every night in the PCT or need I just accept reality and buy a tent ( at 73 the hammock is easier on the back )

Just a forewarning, buy a good patch kit and don't plan on sending it back for a repair if anything needs it. My experience on sending in for a repair was to pay for the repair of 2 holes from one puncture, only to have it sent back with one done with the promise of them sending me patch material for ME to repair what they didn't, completely defeating the purpose and wasting my time and money. Good product, lightweight, extremely poor customer service and ignored emails trying to rectify the problem.

For you; because of the packability length. I would just strap it to the top of my pack. Easy. Done.

You guys probably already do this ,but I dont know Sence that's brand new ,and you're not sure if you like it or not ,could you time it to where you only carry it for like 2 weeks , if it turns out to be crappy could you mail yourself a tried an known to work tent somewhere and picking up ... the worse you would have to do is mail one of them back Just my thoughs

The price is WAY too high. It may be a great tent but for $400 less I got a Marmot EOS1 and it works fine.

I've got the Trailstar from mountain laurel designs which I love and it's bomb proof but really tempted by this!

Interesting. I didn't even know Tarptent started making DCF tents. The last tent I bought was a Tarptent Rainbow and I haven't had to look at another tent since.

If you use a small pebble, you can create a tie-off point with a guyline to create a bit more foot/headroom.

Hey Darwin. Love your reviews! I'm looking at the Gossamer Gear The One. Any plans to review this tent in the near future? $300 and 5 oz. heavier than the Aeon. I've seen some reviews and the're all good about this tent, Would like to hear your thoughts.

This tent seems gimmicky, and I predict that you will return to something by Zpacks.

I love you giving a TarpTent a try. I have been paying attention to them for more than ten years. My hiking style is different than yours or other ultimate hikers, so my TT of choice is the Bowfin, a double wall, more suited to days of bad weather. Or that is my impression. For day and half quick hikes, I am still in bivy and micro tarp mindset. (WY MT)

good video,well done. but.... does anyone ever get the feeling a large percent of you-tubers have endless money ? come on now... a little humor now

What is the advantage of the Zpacks rainbow door? When I open the door it falls in the dirt? I use a tarptent Moment, great tent, many of the features this new tent has, but it is over 2 pounds.

Hey Darwin, awesome overview of the tent. Lots of features I had no idea about. I'd also like to ask what shirt you are wearing. I love the fit and the color! Thanks!

Holy Shiite!!! $500+...I will stick with my 10 year old Seedhouse 1!!!

I've had a Tarptent Squall for about 14 years. I loved it! It finally developed a leak where the pole connected with the top ridge. It seemed like the week spot. But after so many years, used quite often, I am a Henry Shires, Tarptent fan. And I never had ventilation problems.

Terrific review, it's just wonderful that you don't take money to review stuff and I've found all your other reviews honest and timely. I, too, have had difficulty with the ZPacks hexamid. My favorite test so far has been my old Rainbow by Tarptent (except for the weight, of course) which I modified down to 28 ounces! Ouch! Anyway, it's good to see Tarptent finally relenting and going Cuben.

Hey Brother! You ever think about doing the Florida Trail?

I find it interesting that with all the information you shared in this video how many viewers only seemed to hear the cost. Based on the amount of use you will get out of this tent, Your cost per use will be about $3.50 each this year, and will go down each year after that. I recently bought a 1 man tent for $89 and used it two nights this summer. So I paid $44 per use, that makes your purchase a much more cost effective one than mine. Its all about perspective, not cost.

Thanks for checking out this tent. I have their Rainbow. Love it as it fits me (6'2') well. Look forward to your long term review of this tent.

Vertical or horizontal loading, it's still teh same volume in the pack.

Remove the carbon stays from the stuff sack, then you can compress it down.

It looks like a Zpacks Hexamid tents...how is it different.

Condensation is a killer with dcf, im using the plexamid at the moment and have used and abused it (see my vids) ie full winter conditions, summer etc so il be interested to how this works out with the venting system

Hey @DarwinOntheTrail - what tent are you preferring at the moment?

I got a DD tarp for my shelter system, which can be configured to this tent, or any design I want. Opted for the tarp mainly for budget. But a real tent would definitely be on my wish list.

Absolutely love my Aeon Li! I was on the fence between ZPacks and Tarptent. I went with the Aeon because I have a 15 year old heavily used Squall 2 that I am handing off to a friend. I know it is a brand I can trust.

I have also been eyeing the Aeon Li, so I might just grab one. I mean it's only $535, so pretty cheap for what you get.

if it is made in america l will not buy it, l am 6,8 tall and before l orderet a 2 person sleepbag it was offered as 5 ft wide and 8 ft long but the reality is 4 by 7, so no more things from the other side of the atlantic

Just used this tent on my CT thruhike. Couldn’t have been happier with it. 👍🏼

Still taking up the same volume in a backpack, no mater the position in the pack.

Tempted to try this tent. using the pleximed now. Great review!

Hello Darwin: I am going to share my experience with a Tarptent as a caution about this company's products and single-wall tents in general. This spring I bought a one-person Tarptent Rainbow to take on a through hike of the John Muir Trail. I had it seam-sealed and I bought the a light cover that hangs across the top of the inside of the tent to help with condensation. We went northbound in late July and finished in twenty-one days at Tuolumne. The first week on the JMT I woke up to a tent that was consistently wet all down the inside walls. Anything that was lying against the inside wall or brushed against it got wet. After one week I sent the tent out on a resupply and shared a tent the rest of the way. In October of this year I tried this tent again, hoping that the JMT experience might not repeat itself. It was a beautiful, clear weekend. I again woke up to a tent that was wet all down the inside walls Perhaps the condensation issue I experienced is just be the nature of single-wall tents, but I have returned mine to Tarptent.

Love all the DCF gear you test, I hike with my wife and 2 girls so going UL is almost a moot point right now and my pockets are not that deep. :) Thank you for the reviews.

Add your own Guide outs stick-on-loop-clear-white

Camping in the UK I've noticed that a lot of condensation can come from the damp ground/grass in the vestibule. So much so that i have an extra "under tent" groundsheet that covers the whole of the footprint and that makes a huge difference. Maybe not a problem in most of America, but perhaps something to be aware of and check when trying to address condensation issues

Are you still using this? I understand you have gone to the Altaplex Tent. Do you want to sell this?

I absolutely appreciate when you do reviews my brother. Thanks again, it really helps.

link not taking, Z packs has some stick on loops that you can add your own guidelines for the sides

Lets do a give away of one of your older tents lol

Interesting to see how the new Tarptent treats you. Looks cool. I’ve been looking at the SMD Skyscape Trekker and know you used one for a while. Thumbs up or thumbs down 🤔?

I have the SMD Skyscape Trekker based on your recommendation (but then found out you no longer care for that tent) and a 3F UL Lanshan 2. Planning on taking out the SMD next month to section hike so cal PCT area near Little Jimmy. Have you ever thought about trying any of 3F UL's gear?

Fuckin' magnets! How do they work?

Maybe they will make the carbon stays telescoping.

I wouldn't worry about the carbon struts used by TT. They've been implementing the pitchlock corners for about 10 years without issues. The difference is how TT loads the carbon vs how zpacks does. You've probably noticed the top strut on your Aeon is not carbon.....

Underrated part of this is how wind resistent it is. Super solid. Got one on the last drop, love it so far. Will take it on an a.t. thru in 2020

i love all my tart tents i just put 400 miles on my double rainbow this and am planing on getting the two li from tarptent for my 1200 hike next year

7' tall hikers OK? ...drat, I'm 8'-11.

$535 bucks does it come with a warranty?? Hope it works out for you, i'm in the market for a tent to fit in my pack, got a litefighter single man tent.

Thanks for complicating my tent hunt lol. Gotta be honest though, I'm still eyeballing the zpacks duplex.

whats with the upside down american flag?

$535.00 is that a "down" payment ?

Ive never herd of that brand, cool tho👍

Why not make your own "perfect" tent or hire someone to make it. Wouldn't that make your life easier.