Sturdy and spacious two-person lightweight backpacking tent with twin porches
Compared to traditional double-skinned tents, single-wall tents are lighter, quicker and easier to pitch, and provide more internal space for the same footprint. So why are they still such a rarity in the world of ultralight backpacking and wild camping? The age-old problem is condensation – which is basically a dealbreaker, because nobody wants to wake up with water dripping on to their face. Lightwave’s Sigma range of single-skin tents solves that problem thanks to the use of a breathable but highly waterproof X-tex fabric. It results in a flysheet that always feels dry to the touch. The overall design is similarly optimised for lightweight backpacking, with a large porch for storage and easy access. Inside, generous headroom makes for comfortable living. The tents are also virtually free-standing and require minimal pegging, saving valuable time and effort when pitching up. The tents in the Sigma range are the most weatherproof all-season ultralight tents out there, anywhere.
- Beneficial single wall structure
- Watertight Construction
- Multiple guypoints
- Continuous pole sleeves
- Bath-tub construction with reinforced corners and taped seams
- Lightwave gives a Lifetime Guarantee to the original owner against defects in materials and craftmanship
- Packed Size: 50 x 16 cm
- Weight: 1.725 kg
- Flysheet - 75 g/m² 20d nylon ripstop, X-tex coating 20,000 mm hydrostatic head
- Porch Wall - 51 g/m2, 30d nylon 6.6 ripstop, Silicon-coated on both sides, 5000 mm hydrostatic head
- Groundsheet - 75 g/m² 50d nylon taffeta, PU-coated with 5000 mm hydrostatic head
- Inner Wall - 25g/m2, 20d nylon 6.6 ripstop, DWR treated
- Poles - DAC 9.35 mm Featherlite (aluminium alloy)
- X-tex fabric is heavier than most flysheets due to its coating, but the result is a hydrostatic head (i.e. waterproofness) that is far higher than the standard 3000-5000 mm found in nearly all tents.
- The Sigma groundsheet is made from a durable 50-denier taffeta (plain weave). The 50-denier fabric is a reasonable balance between the need to save weight and provide adequate protection from abrasion and moisture.
- Sigma tents use Lightning pegs – similar in weight to most standard pegs, but substantially stronger and capable of living with some serious abuse.
When New Zealander Carol McDermott first began designing outdoor gear, his main concern was creating lightweight, high-performing kit that would give him an edge in the mountains - you know, the kind of gear without bells and whistles that serious climbers and trekkers crave. So when he founded Lightwave, McDermott didn’t change a thing - and that’s why we love it.
