Tarptent Aeon Li Review 

Excellent review! I appreciate that you offer a review like a industrial product designer, and not just a marketing approach, or user only review that lacks extensive construction/engineering experience.

Thanks for this thorough review! I also own the Aeon Li and was able to test it this weekend on a wet and windy camping trip in Central Oregon. This is my second Tarptent - I also have the Moment DW. I bought this tent for an ultralight option on longer or more difficult trips. It takes a bit more to setup than the Moment, but that's to be expected. This is my first single wall tent and I was worried that it would be cold and have condensation issues. However, I had zero condensation inside even though it rained a fair amount on this trip. There was a lot of wind, and that certainly helps with keeping it dry inside. Even in gusts up to 40 mph, there was little tent movement, and I didn't feel the wind inside the tent so I stayed warm all night. Overall, I'm happy with it, and super happy to be carrying less weight on trail.

Thanks for the great review. Very well done, very complete. I own two Tarptents, and your review proves that Henry is just a tent genius (Tent god?)!.... Again, thanks.

Thank you so much Ryan. I was waiting for a review from you.

Yeah, really great ‘real world’ reviews. Thank you. I’d love to see you do one on the Stratospire Li

Great review (as always) Ryan. You do a great job breaking things down and giving a balanced perspective. This does look like a great shelter.

This is one of the biggest reasons to why I bought this tent. I’ve returned many times to this great review. Thanks Ryan!

After thoroughly considering the different options, your review tipped the scale and I just bought this! Thanks, great work!

Great review. Very thorough. I can't think of a single question that you didn't answer.

I just got back from a trip to 11K feet in the Sierra where my hiking partner had the Tarptent Aeon and we got rained and hailed on. Her tent held up like a champ! It took a beating and all her stuff was bone dry!

Fantastic review - thanks for being so thorough.

This review is why I purchased my Aeon li. I hit the American Discovery Trail March 1st let's see how this tent holds up. I have nothing but great things to say about Tarptent. Great customer service great solid tent build.

Well done for a concise and intelligent review. Happy trails to you...

This channel is nice, i discovered you from the podcast about Dyneema (heard twice to improve my english) . Now i have been watching the videos, really interesting reviews, specially those about Dirigo 2 and Aeon Li. I can understand why there are only 2.4k followers, your page are one of the best. Keep doing these. Bye.

Fantastic review Ryan! The detail you provided was awesome. Personally I am a big fan of Tarptent! Own 3 of them and they are all fantastic. Looks like I am on my way to #4. On a side note - If you enjoyed this video and are not a Backpacking Light member I would encourage you to join. I am a life member and this is an example of the quality information Ryan and the BPL community provides.

as usual, great review! thanks!

Outstanding review! There is a lot to like about this design.

Just took the plunge on my first dcf tent and went with this one! This review helped for sure! Can't wait!!

Holy Crap Ryan! Wha5 an awesome and thorough review. I have listened to your podcast and have been impressed, but if this is an example of what I can find on your site, it think you just sold a new subscription. WOW!

This is a terrific in depth review.

Great review!!! I hope you post an update once you've ridden out a good rain storm to let us know how much splash back you have.

Thank you for showing how this tent operates in the wind; talk about compelling -

Thanks Ryan. Interesting video for an interesting and innovative tent. For the lightest weight with good comfort features and pitching options for storm protection the Aeon seems to be the best choice of the Dyneema mids. Your detailed review answered every question I had about this tent. Seems that when henry Shires finally decided to make Dyneema tents he went all in. I'm likely getting a TT Notch LI this summer. One of the first things I'll do is add 4 fly hem stake loops, 2 loops per side. I will reinforce the attachment point areas first with Dyneema repair tape cut in 3" diameter circles, folded and attached so it forms a half circle on both sides of the fly hem giving you double reinforcement. Fly hem stakes cut flapping way down in high winds, giving me a better night's sleep. For another 1.5 oz.and more durability I'm getting the silnylon floor and for protection from blowing dust the ripstop inner tent.

Awesome review, thanks.

Very clear review of a great new tent. Much appreciate your time sharing this. I have a 6 year old Dyneema Lightheart tent. They no longer make them, because they said they're difficult to make. I stopped using it for two reason.... 1. It would flap loudly in the wind. I was never able to make a right setup. I even sent it back to Lightheart to remove excess panel material. You stated that TT has no issue with this. Great to hear.....👍 2. It required a large clear footprint to set up. The tie-outs were numerous. I easily took up three freestanding tent sites. It looks like the TT tent is much smaller.... 👍 I'm going to wait a.couple seasons and see if TT makes any tweaks to it before purchasing one. Thx

Great review, cheers

This is an awesome tent, I absolutely love mine, and that was a great review. But you forgot to mention one of the features it has while discussing the bathtub floor height vs the plexamid. The aeon has a built in attachment to connect the floor to the tent wall which raises up the bathtub floor heighth considerably when needed. It would've completely eliminated that snow drift that made it's way in. You can see how this attachment works in the official Tarptent setup video near the end when they discuss the extra features.

Fascinating...ready to drop some $$ on a lightweight dyneema and the depth of the Zpacks bathtub was what I was drawn to with that brand (and the fact their camo version wasn't translucent!!) But you think the 8" depth is more of a detriment than a benefit? Very interesting. What about the transparency of the fabric of the Aeon Li? I am drawn to the ease of set up and fewer stakes etc of the Aeon Li. Its been several months since your video so would love an update just to let us know if it is still highly recommend (it's currently out of stock ....but in the meantime...should I wait for this one to be back in stock?!) Im 5'4 and under 120 lbs so hoping the inside has room for me and the majority of my stuff!

The photos seem to show a slight catenary cut to the seams the Tarptent, not apparent in the Plexamid. Checked website - yes, catenary cut seams. Makes sense that it would be quieter in wind than the Plexamid.

The guylines, or lack thereof and how tight they can be set to the canopy make this a very compelling option. It practically sets up in its own footprint. I own a duplex and didn't think anything would prevent me from selling it and buying the plexamid. I'm still selling it but I'm almost certain the Aeon will be what replaces it. No guyline in the front and my trecking pole canted inline with the verticle part of the zipper is really cool too. There are too many unique design features in this to be overlooked.

Sold!!

Great review thank you! One question to compare with my Plexamid is that one night I camped on a col with breeze behind. In the night it shifted 180 deg to full frontal and gusted 50-60mph so the tent was almost blown away, as the wind came up and under, but it stood, with some visible wear to the top of the doors. The question is, do the Aeon Li doors come down lower at the front? The Plex doors rise up much higher than the back of the tent, so it catches the wind. Thanks

Hello Ryan. Thank you for review. What you decided? Aeon Li or pyramid or both? :)

Great review! I wonder if you would have any further opinions after having some acclimated usage of the Aeon Li?

Hey Ryan the looming question is why do you appear to like the Aeon Li better than the Notch Li? The Notch needs two poles but SMD has 45" poles at only 1.7oz each so the additional pole needed for the Notch combined with the very small extra weight of the Notch totals only a few extra ounces over the Aeon. It is true the Notch packs up to 2" longer than the Aeon and is more expensive but let's say who cares to these negatives. And let's say the Notch is far superior to the Aeon as it is a double wall tent, much better with condensation, better for views, it can even be just a topless open mesh tent, and as you say it just has much better liveability. So really isn't the extra three ounces worth all that better liveability? I want to ask you about this because your opinions are the most thorough but when you say that you might buy an Aeon Li and make a video for it but you don't mention the Notch Li in that video or make a video for it I am left wanting for your comparison of the Aeon Li vs Notch Li. And I've seen both your backpacking light reviews of both tents and in reading them I come up with the Notch being the better tent - and yet as I said you did not make a video for the Notch and said you might buy an Aeon. So what gives? What is it about the Aeon Li that you like over the Notch Li?

I enjoyed your review. In the video you mentioned that you are a pyramid tenter and that you use the Locus Gear Khufu? What are your thoughts on the Tyvek version? Last question, can you roll and pack the Khufu fly and inner mesh liner together? Thank you!

Any chance of you doing a review on the notch li? It’s obvious very similar to this model but she be even more sturdy with the two pole design.

Can you explain your possible contradiction when talking about the cross strut in this tent (offers stability in windier conditions) and when you talk about the very similar design in the new dirigo 2 tent (causes a torsional, rotational INstability in higher winds) - or have I just misunderstood one of your comments?

I have the Aeon LI and have been pretty satisfied. The biggest frustration that I have is the struts falling out of the sockets on the side and top I ended up losing a strut because it feel out of the sockets. Have you had this issue and did you find a solution?

Great, comprehensive review Ryan! Thanks. I subscribed a few weeks ago to BPL. I have a couple questions regarding the Aeon Li vs the Notch Li & SS Li. 1) Do you know how the inner floor spaces compare between Aeon & Notch? It's hard to tell by dimensions alone. Specifically, for accommodating a long wide pad (i.e. Nemo Alpine). It appears that maybe the Aeon has more space than the Notch. 2) Provided the Notch Li can equally accommodate a long wide pad, do you think the Notch Li (DW, solid inner) would be better for AT section hiking, Pisgah & the Smokies given the DW condensation advantages (outside of good site selection)? I find Henry seems to steer people toward the Notch Li over the Aeon Li for this reason - but again, floor seems tighter in the Notch (?). Lastly (3), the Stratosphere Li is also very compelling (more room for pad, dog, etc & still a reasonable weight-to-size)... do you think the increased size of the SS Li footprint would make it difficult to use in the areas (listed above) I primarily hike? Grateful for you work & appreciate any detailed feedback you might provide. Thanks!

I just wish there was the option for a 0.74oz fly, I've had such a good experience with the beefier fabric on my Zpacks.

Thank you for addressing giant people problems!

My question relates to the 8" ZPack vs 4" TT bathtub floor. I had an original Zpacks Hexamid tent with no bathtub floor just netting and pitched best with the perimeter well off the ground. It was insanely light but breezy and offered less privacy. There was still the condensation factor. I'm wondering if the aeon li then would be more drafty with the lower bathtub wall?

Any comments on the latch mechanism that closes the vestibules? Wondering if a zipper would be a better option.

Another great video - very informative - what camera do you use 😊🇩🇰

Hello Ryan, How do you feel about the Aeon Li now. Have you had a chance to use it a few more times? I purchased one a few weeks ago. only camped with it twice so far. (many more to come this year). So far I love it. Coming from a Nemo Hornet Elite 2p, which is a very nice tent. The one I used on your Timberline trek last Sept.( the trek was awesome!!) The Nemo is 2-1/2 lbs...I saved 1-1/2 lbs from my base weight!! Thank you for the detailed reviews and videos. Great Job!

Hi, I tried checking it but I did not see any update on your opinion about this tent that I am aiming to get but waiting for some more inputs, if you have any... Thanks in advance!

Can you include the link for the adjustable pole, please?

What was that cool looking wooden mug you were drinking your tea out of at one point Ryan?

Hi Thanks for a great review of this tent realy helped my in my thinking. One dog question. I have an Riesenschnuser, equal to your dog in size. How is the space to have the dog inside the inner. Thanks again, Keep posting and I Will go on watching. Per from Sweden

Hi, what boots and bindings are you skiing on? Thanks!

DO you have anything to say about positioning the vestibule flush with the wall of the tent to "fit in tight places"? That seems to be a selling point on the website. Great video

In these one person shelters, how do you fit your large sized dog in there with you? Nate

Great review Ryan... I'm 6" and a bit... would that still work in your opinion and one would not touch walls all the time with the feet (sleeping bag & pad)?

In your comparison to the Zpacks plexamid it has a central width of the floor at 38" which offers a nice advantage to store gear inside? I enjoyed your review, I'm getting the Aeon Li, just saying ;) Btw which backpack are you using in the video I'm getting a vaude zerum 48+ backpack, wondering if it would be appropriate for true hiking Thanks Thanks

What kind of sunglasses are you wearing?

All conditions being equal-this tent or Notch Li?

Thanks for the thorough review! Any pros and cons now that you/ve had time to use the Aeon LI more?

Off topic, but what's the cord you have on the back of your sunglasses? It looks technical; is it related to making your recording? I'd like to know because I do some outdoors videos for friends that aren't here on RU-vid. Anything that makes it lighter and easier is welcome!

What is that lovely backpack you're using, seen at 22:00 minutes in?

I wonder how hot this tent would be in the summer with the vestibule doors closed.

Adding a guideline to pull out the side wall would create additional space for a footbox like the zpacks duplex. Anyone do this modification?

Lest we forget z-pack’s horrible customer service. If your are thinking between the two companies go with tarp tents. I sent zpacks an email to cancel my order and they never answered had to dispute the charge to get my money back

Tent envy here. :-/

What breed is your dog? I think I own his/her brother 😄

I own a Hexamid Plus Tarp...mine weighs 14ounces...