Description
The REI Co-op Flash 2 Tent is a lightweight, top-performing, freestanding two-person backpacking tent at a fair price point. It is the sibling to the Flash Air 2 Tent, but different in that it is set up with dedicate tent poles instead of trekking poles and notable for the scooped rain fly and high bathtub floor and sidewalls. But perhaps best of all, it weighs less than 3lbs, thus competes with some of the other top freestanding backpacking tents costing $100 more. Learn more in our full-length REI Flash 2 Tent Review . Price: $399 Weight: 2 lbs, 13.2 oz Material: 20D Recycled ripstop silnylon Area: 28.7 ft² | Vestibule : 13.8 ft² | Area/Pound : 18.7 ft² Length: 88″ Width: 52″/42″ | Peak Height: 40″ Pros: Lightweight. Freestanding. Good value. Sustainable design. Vents. Wide and tall at headend. Convex head end. Cons: Somewhat narrow/low ceiling at foot end. Foot and head ends are mostly single walled, potential condensation issues. Features The most interesting and notable feature on the REI Co-op Flash Air 2 Tent is the scooped rain fly in conjunction with extra tall bathtub floor walls at head and foot end. This design choice takes a swing to save a bit of weight on rain fly materials and increase ventilation by encouraging more air through. It achieves this, but that but comes with some downsides too. First and foremost, the scoops on the head and foot end of the rain fly improve ventilation as there is less double-covered area where bathtub sidewalls overlap with fly. It’s about 6-8″ of overlap. However, this is a double edged sword because on windy days, it allows more wind in, increasing susceptibility for the pitch to become loosened, warped, or damaged by a severe gust at the head end, where the overhang is capable of catching wind. While the poles do feel sturdy enough, we don’t recommend pitching the head end onto the windward side! The bathtub floor, while regular height on the sides, is extra high at the foot and head end, and surrounds the backpacker with waterproof materials at both ends. The head end and foot ends are more like a single walled tent than a double walled design, which increases the likelihood of brushing against wet sil-poly material. Needless to say, despite the scooped rainfly, we feel safe and protected from rain penetrating in all but the most extreme winds where gusts could torsional warp the structure to expose gaps. REI Flash 2 has an interesting pole structure. One main ridgeline pole runs the length of the ceiling before forking at the foot end. An arched cross section sits at the head end and provides a literally vertical wall. And it’s top off with a spreader bar over the center of the ceiling for extra headroom on the sides of the ceiling. While the 40″ peak height is quite average, this tent does make good use of all 40″ for most of the tent body; it feels bigger inside than it actually is. We also love the head-end vents which are large and in charge. At 13 sq ft, the vestibule is definitely on the smaller side, but there is still more than enough room to store a backpack and pair of shoes. The fly and floor are made with 100% recycled nylon. Mother earth thanks you. Verdict The REI Co-op Flash 2 Tent makes some interesting design choices with the scooped fly for weight savings and increased ventilation plus extra tall bathtub head and foot ends to compensate. We aren’t totally convinced on it, but it’s not a huge flaw and the overall performance of this tent is good relative to the sub 3-pound weight. The design on the whole ultimately yields a solid lightweight backpacking tent for a fair price that’s competitive with top of the line lightweight models from Big Agnes and NEMO. If you want the lightest freestanding Co-op brand backpacking tent, we recommend the Flash 2 as a slappin’ good value.
