If the pole in front of the door becomes an issue, you can also lengthen the pole and angle it to the side so it's not right in the middle of the door! It works just as well that way. As for the vent, we put it at the head because that's where all the warm humid air from your breath hangs out. We would have put it there on the CrossBow, but the drawstring would dangle in your face. Not an issue with the WindSaber because that wall is vertical. But the main reason is because putting the vent on a vertical wall instead of the more sloped foot wall is that water running down the flysheet is less likely to find its way into the tent- it just rolls off the eyelid cover and drips off. There are pros and cons to every design decision of course, but functionally we think the ventilation is better this way.
@SlingFin1 - thanks for watching and commenting! 😃 I will try your pole suggestion next time I am out using it. The explanation of why the thru-vent is on the vertical side makes sense. I actually sleep with my head at the thru-vent end of Crossbow when using that thinking that it just works better being near my head. I just wrap the excess line thru the internal guy lines and it doesnt bother me. Was there a design choice/tradeoff on the vestibule zipper-cover and kickstand velcro being on the smaller fly piece closer to the thru-vent versus the other one? If that were reversed I could point the foot end into the wind. The only downside I could think of being that when its really blowing wind more snow might accumulate up and under on the non-vertical wall?
@@MountainsCallingMe Yeah, basically on the WindSaber, the head end is WAY stronger because of the additional pole. So that end should be into the wind whenever possible, and that's where the rest of the design decisions follow from. That's why the sides of the vestibules that are staked out are closest to the head end- if you staked out the foot end then the vestibules would turn into parachutes whenever they're opened. And if the zipper flap (I think that's what you're referring to by vestibule zipper cover) were pointed upwind then it would flap like crazy. So basically we designed the kickstand vents so they would stay weatherproof when the head of the tent is pointed into the wind.
Great to see a tent manufacturer getting on board and explaining their design thoughts. Brilliant. Slingfin is not a brand that has much visibility in the UK unfortunately.
@@Fellmandave1 Glad you appreciate it! We definitely put a lot of thought into our design decisions so it's fun to have the opportunity to explain them. Hopefully our UK visibility will change eventually!
Another great review and loving the range of the SlingFin tents. Great design features and the wind saber looks like a brilliant option for winter. I have the Crux Storm X2 for winter atm but really looking to purchase a new shelter. It’s between the crossbow or the wind saber so thanks for another thorough and insightful review. Sensible weight for what you get in return….well done SlingFin.
Thanks for watching! The Crossbow and Windsaber are both great tents. I bought the Crossbow first and the Windsaber the following year when they changed the design. If the current Windsaber design had been available at the time I probly would have just gotten the Windsaber and not necessarily own both. In any case I do still use both for specific trips depending upon the expected conditions. You really cant go wrong either way you decide to go! 👍⛺
@@MountainsCallingMe Is the Crossbow more flex-y in the wind? Or louder? I'm also between these two. From what you are saying and watching the tents in your videos, it seems like the Windsaber is rock and the Crossbow is more bend-y. How much of a difference in the wind is there, really, all else being equal? Thanks for your videos.
@@cmkannen The Crossbow and Windsaber both have the webtruss and when that is tightened there is no flex in the poles when pressing on them. And if you stake it properly and guy it out there will be almost no movement in the walls. Having proper guylines is essential. Any hint of wind and I guyline out to big rocks/stakes and tighten the inside guylines. If I knew I was going to be camping in a wind I would for sure want the Windsaber. The additional pole makes that upwind facing wall even stronger which is good since the design is for that side to be facing into the wind. It also has slightly different shape which makes it more aerodynamic. It also has a smaller vestibule which catches less wind. And it feels roomier since the additional pole on that side. The windsaber has less floor space due to the shape but that doesnt matter to me since I always use these tents solo. They both use the same body and fly material and poles. Any sounds they make are the same. Neither is noisy. This summer I was doing alot of backpacking in Alaska and flying bush planes so I had foam ear plugs because the plane engine noise. I ended up using them every day proactively. I was able to sleep thru insane wind in Gates of the Arctic. I slept so soundly one day waiting out weather that my hiking partner calling to me from outside my tent had to unzip my tent and shake me to wake me up! 'Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs' - they weigh almost nothing and can make all the difference even with stuff like early morning birds and other noises in the wild. Hope this helps! thanks for watching 🙏
Nice review! I have yet to get a Sling Fin tent, but am planning on it, all of their tents seem so well thought through, having a very difficult time deciding which one to get. Probably will end up having several. I have to say I really love their marketing! It is such a confidence builder knowing how well they respond to questions or concerns, they seem to really care about their customers.
@@MountainsCallingMe if you had to choose between the Portal, Crossbow, WindSaber, which would you choose? I really loved all of your reviews, you did a great job on giving me a feel of these three tents, unfortunately I still can’t decide which of these I want.
@fredspompinato8123 It kinda depends on conditions you plan to use them in. While its technically possible to use the Portal 2 in winter, I wouldnt want to. And the Windsaber could be overkill during mild summer conditions or in very hot climate it might be uncomfortable. The WindSaber is definitely the cream of the crop for winter. If you plan to go out in the worst of worst winter conditions - the WindSaber is better than the CB2. The additional pole gives more headroom and the shape of the tent is a bit more conducive to mountaineering (smaller vestibules = less area needed to pitch but also catch less wind). That said if you only want to buy one - I would strongly consider buying the Crossbow 2 and also the inner mesh body add-on they offer. This combination would only be $65 more expensive than the Windsaber alone. And it would give you a single "system" which you could use across all 4 seasons in any conditions. The CB2 w/ mesh inner would be stronger than the Portal 2 due to the WebTruss. The trade off compared with the Portal 2 would be slightly heavier setup and slightly more bulk due to the fly material not packing down as much. I hope this helps! Let me know if I can answer any other questions. ⛺️
Thank you very much! Your explanation is super helpful, I had thought about your solution, but kept getting distracted by other options. One of the big pluses of the Wind Saber was that extra pole at the head, it seemed like the “livability” would be greatly increased, but then I also thought about wanting a mesh tent for summer. Obviously I couldn’t have the extra headroom and the mesh, but having a bomber tent and mesh tent is really what I am wanting. Again thanks for your advice.
Glad Slingfin is getting more attention and love! I am aiming for the NFT and the different minimalist items for my next purchases. Along wait ANXIOUSLY awaiting for the Honeybadger to come back in stock so I can use it as a mushing backpack. :D
Great review and awesome tent! I think I have a good suggestion to address the through-vent/door-vent direction issue. Couldn’t Slingfin add a second through-vent on the foot end? Then you could pick, choose and fine tune to conditions….. just a thought.
Thanks for watching! SlingFin Tim has watched all my reviews and we chatted over email. He left a comment about 10 months ago where he explains why they placed the thru-vent on that wall. I never specifically called out wanting 2 thru-vents. That is a good idea!
Loving your videos. Would love to see a video on how you use winter stakes with this tent and the best methods to stake things down in deep snow@@MountainsCallingMe
Thanks! Glad to hear! :) I can probably make a video that covers that topic... I am going to Yosemite this coming weekend for a 4 days 3 night trip. But I dont think there is much snow yet. So I wouldnt be able to demonstrate like I would like to. I will see what I can do. In the mean time I can tell you a few things right now - If I am expecting to camp on top of deep snow I will bring snow stakes. I have these REI brand snow stakes. www.rei.com/product/845328/rei-co-op-snow-stake - I also have some Big Agnes snow stakes that came with my Shield 2. It does not appear that BA sells them standalone. They are similar to the MSR Groundhog except they have 4 fins (X) instead of 3 (Y) like the groundhog, also wider fins and longer. The X shape works better in snow. I will usually bring along 8 of those X shaped stakes and 4 of the REI snow stakes. The 8 stakes will be for the 4 corners of the tent, the fly doors and the head and foot end. I then use the 4 REI snow stakes for my guylines.I have installed my "custom" guyline setup on this tent, just like I do on all my other tents. ( covered in this video ruclips.net/video/E1BVgVn4cPw/видео.html ) With the extra long tent lines I can get a much better angle on the tent line attached to the stake and it pulls across it more-so versus a shorter line pulls UP on it more. You will definitely want to have a proper guyline setup attached to the tieouts that run along the upper body of the tent. Doing that really helps with mitigating wind and having a super strong pitch. .... I have used my treking poles in place of stakes on trips in the past, but with the outrigger attachments on the WindSaber I probably wouldnt count on doing that unless you have another person with you in the tent that also has poles. I have also used skis in place of stakes before. I have also used a tree branch/stick buried in snow like a 'dead man'. That works best if the snow is pack-able and is freezing overnight. Wherever possible (year round) I will look for rocks in the area and use the slipknot at the end of my extra long lines as anchors. Rocks are my preferred because even if they start sliding they dont "pull out" like a stake would. Another piece of critical gear for camping on deep snow is a good snow shovel. I have forgotten it before and used my snowshoes instead but thats not ideal at all. This is helpful for carving out a flat spot to setup the tent and scooping snow for melting to make water. Here is the one I use www.rei.com/product/196122/backcountry-access-dozer-2d-avalanche-shovel I hope this helps. ⛺👍
Having the flat/vertical side facing into the wind helps to minimize the potential issue. No snow got onto or collected on the inner wall on that side flat vertical wall. A small amount of snow blew a few inches into the vestibule on the other side that was partially facing into the wind. Compared to a tent with wind-skirts it could experience some snow blowing under. During this particular trip I was knocking snow off the fly on the upwind side and after long enough time I ended up having enough snow to form a wall from the ground up to above the bottom of the fly. If I was camping on top of a lot of snow I would use my shovel to build a wall of snow in the gap - if I anticipated a lot of wind/blowing snow. Thanks for watching! 👋
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![BRASIL vs. URUGUAY [1-1] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 12](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-hWBAuxF1eY/mqdefault.jpg)
What do you think of the SlingFin WindSaber? What tent do you use in the winter?
If the pole in front of the door becomes an issue, you can also lengthen the pole and angle it to the side so it's not right in the middle of the door! It works just as well that way. As for the vent, we put it at the head because that's where all the warm humid air from your breath hangs out. We would have put it there on the CrossBow, but the drawstring would dangle in your face. Not an issue with the WindSaber because that wall is vertical. But the main reason is because putting the vent on a vertical wall instead of the more sloped foot wall is that water running down the flysheet is less likely to find its way into the tent- it just rolls off the eyelid cover and drips off. There are pros and cons to every design decision of course, but functionally we think the ventilation is better this way.
@SlingFin1 - thanks for watching and commenting! 😃 I will try your pole suggestion next time I am out using it. The explanation of why the thru-vent is on the vertical side makes sense. I actually sleep with my head at the thru-vent end of Crossbow when using that thinking that it just works better being near my head. I just wrap the excess line thru the internal guy lines and it doesnt bother me. Was there a design choice/tradeoff on the vestibule zipper-cover and kickstand velcro being on the smaller fly piece closer to the thru-vent versus the other one? If that were reversed I could point the foot end into the wind. The only downside I could think of being that when its really blowing wind more snow might accumulate up and under on the non-vertical wall?
@@MountainsCallingMe Yeah, basically on the WindSaber, the head end is WAY stronger because of the additional pole. So that end should be into the wind whenever possible, and that's where the rest of the design decisions follow from. That's why the sides of the vestibules that are staked out are closest to the head end- if you staked out the foot end then the vestibules would turn into parachutes whenever they're opened. And if the zipper flap (I think that's what you're referring to by vestibule zipper cover) were pointed upwind then it would flap like crazy. So basically we designed the kickstand vents so they would stay weatherproof when the head of the tent is pointed into the wind.
@SlingFin1 that all makes sense. thanks for the follow up!
Great to see a tent manufacturer getting on board and explaining their design thoughts. Brilliant. Slingfin is not a brand that has much visibility in the UK unfortunately.
@@Fellmandave1 Glad you appreciate it! We definitely put a lot of thought into our design decisions so it's fun to have the opportunity to explain them. Hopefully our UK visibility will change eventually!
Another great review and loving the range of the SlingFin tents. Great design features and the wind saber looks like a brilliant option for winter. I have the Crux Storm X2 for winter atm but really looking to purchase a new shelter. It’s between the crossbow or the wind saber so thanks for another thorough and insightful review. Sensible weight for what you get in return….well done SlingFin.
Thanks for watching! The Crossbow and Windsaber are both great tents. I bought the Crossbow first and the Windsaber the following year when they changed the design. If the current Windsaber design had been available at the time I probly would have just gotten the Windsaber and not necessarily own both. In any case I do still use both for specific trips depending upon the expected conditions. You really cant go wrong either way you decide to go! 👍⛺
@@MountainsCallingMe Is the Crossbow more flex-y in the wind? Or louder? I'm also between these two. From what you are saying and watching the tents in your videos, it seems like the Windsaber is rock and the Crossbow is more bend-y. How much of a difference in the wind is there, really, all else being equal? Thanks for your videos.
@@cmkannen The Crossbow and Windsaber both have the webtruss and when that is tightened there is no flex in the poles when pressing on them. And if you stake it properly and guy it out there will be almost no movement in the walls. Having proper guylines is essential. Any hint of wind and I guyline out to big rocks/stakes and tighten the inside guylines.
If I knew I was going to be camping in a wind I would for sure want the Windsaber. The additional pole makes that upwind facing wall even stronger which is good since the design is for that side to be facing into the wind. It also has slightly different shape which makes it more aerodynamic. It also has a smaller vestibule which catches less wind. And it feels roomier since the additional pole on that side. The windsaber has less floor space due to the shape but that doesnt matter to me since I always use these tents solo.
They both use the same body and fly material and poles. Any sounds they make are the same. Neither is noisy. This summer I was doing alot of backpacking in Alaska and flying bush planes so I had foam ear plugs because the plane engine noise. I ended up using them every day proactively. I was able to sleep thru insane wind in Gates of the Arctic. I slept so soundly one day waiting out weather that my hiking partner calling to me from outside my tent had to unzip my tent and shake me to wake me up! 'Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs' - they weigh almost nothing and can make all the difference even with stuff like early morning birds and other noises in the wild.
Hope this helps! thanks for watching 🙏
Nice review! I have yet to get a Sling Fin tent, but am planning on it, all of their tents seem so well thought through, having a very difficult time deciding which one to get. Probably will end up having several. I have to say I really love their marketing! It is such a confidence builder knowing how well they respond to questions or concerns, they seem to really care about their customers.
Go for it! Thanks for watching. 🫡
@@MountainsCallingMe if you had to choose between the Portal, Crossbow, WindSaber, which would you choose? I really loved all of your reviews, you did a great job on giving me a feel of these three tents, unfortunately I still can’t decide which of these I want.
@fredspompinato8123 It kinda depends on conditions you plan to use them in. While its technically possible to use the Portal 2 in winter, I wouldnt want to. And the Windsaber could be overkill during mild summer conditions or in very hot climate it might be uncomfortable.
The WindSaber is definitely the cream of the crop for winter. If you plan to go out in the worst of worst winter conditions - the WindSaber is better than the CB2. The additional pole gives more headroom and the shape of the tent is a bit more conducive to mountaineering (smaller vestibules = less area needed to pitch but also catch less wind).
That said if you only want to buy one - I would strongly consider buying the Crossbow 2 and also the inner mesh body add-on they offer. This combination would only be $65 more expensive than the Windsaber alone. And it would give you a single "system" which you could use across all 4 seasons in any conditions. The CB2 w/ mesh inner would be stronger than the Portal 2 due to the WebTruss. The trade off compared with the Portal 2 would be slightly heavier setup and slightly more bulk due to the fly material not packing down as much.
I hope this helps! Let me know if I can answer any other questions. ⛺️
Thank you very much! Your explanation is super helpful, I had thought about your solution, but kept getting distracted by other options. One of the big pluses of the Wind Saber was that extra pole at the head, it seemed like the “livability” would be greatly increased, but then I also thought about wanting a mesh tent for summer. Obviously I couldn’t have the extra headroom and the mesh, but having a bomber tent and mesh tent is really what I am wanting.
Again thanks for your advice.
Glad Slingfin is getting more attention and love! I am aiming for the NFT and the different minimalist items for my next purchases. Along wait ANXIOUSLY awaiting for the Honeybadger to come back in stock so I can use it as a mushing backpack. :D
Right on! NFT looks like a great tarp. Thanks for watching. 👋
Great review and awesome tent! I think I have a good suggestion to address the through-vent/door-vent direction issue. Couldn’t Slingfin add a second through-vent on the foot end? Then you could pick, choose and fine tune to conditions….. just a thought.
Thanks for watching! SlingFin Tim has watched all my reviews and we chatted over email. He left a comment about 10 months ago where he explains why they placed the thru-vent on that wall. I never specifically called out wanting 2 thru-vents. That is a good idea!
@@MountainsCallingMe 10 months!! Lol. As usual, I’m late to the party.
Great review! I have the same tent and love it. Taking it on an overnight hiking trip in the ADK’s this winter.
Cool! Thanks for watching! 🫡
Loving your videos. Would love to see a video on how you use winter stakes with this tent and the best methods to stake things down in deep snow@@MountainsCallingMe
Thanks! Glad to hear! :) I can probably make a video that covers that topic... I am going to Yosemite this coming weekend for a 4 days 3 night trip. But I dont think there is much snow yet. So I wouldnt be able to demonstrate like I would like to. I will see what I can do. In the mean time I can tell you a few things right now -
If I am expecting to camp on top of deep snow I will bring snow stakes. I have these REI brand snow stakes. www.rei.com/product/845328/rei-co-op-snow-stake - I also have some Big Agnes snow stakes that came with my Shield 2. It does not appear that BA sells them standalone. They are similar to the MSR Groundhog except they have 4 fins (X) instead of 3 (Y) like the groundhog, also wider fins and longer. The X shape works better in snow. I will usually bring along 8 of those X shaped stakes and 4 of the REI snow stakes. The 8 stakes will be for the 4 corners of the tent, the fly doors and the head and foot end. I then use the 4 REI snow stakes for my guylines.I have installed my "custom" guyline setup on this tent, just like I do on all my other tents. ( covered in this video ruclips.net/video/E1BVgVn4cPw/видео.html ) With the extra long tent lines I can get a much better angle on the tent line attached to the stake and it pulls across it more-so versus a shorter line pulls UP on it more. You will definitely want to have a proper guyline setup attached to the tieouts that run along the upper body of the tent. Doing that really helps with mitigating wind and having a super strong pitch. .... I have used my treking poles in place of stakes on trips in the past, but with the outrigger attachments on the WindSaber I probably wouldnt count on doing that unless you have another person with you in the tent that also has poles. I have also used skis in place of stakes before. I have also used a tree branch/stick buried in snow like a 'dead man'. That works best if the snow is pack-able and is freezing overnight. Wherever possible (year round) I will look for rocks in the area and use the slipknot at the end of my extra long lines as anchors. Rocks are my preferred because even if they start sliding they dont "pull out" like a stake would. Another piece of critical gear for camping on deep snow is a good snow shovel. I have forgotten it before and used my snowshoes instead but thats not ideal at all. This is helpful for carving out a flat spot to setup the tent and scooping snow for melting to make water. Here is the one I use www.rei.com/product/196122/backcountry-access-dozer-2d-avalanche-shovel
I hope this helps. ⛺👍
Thank you! Very helpful.
@@MountainsCallingMe
Looks really strong but massive gap under the fly looks to be a problem in wind blown snow. Did you find this to be the case?
Having the flat/vertical side facing into the wind helps to minimize the potential issue. No snow got onto or collected on the inner wall on that side flat vertical wall. A small amount of snow blew a few inches into the vestibule on the other side that was partially facing into the wind. Compared to a tent with wind-skirts it could experience some snow blowing under. During this particular trip I was knocking snow off the fly on the upwind side and after long enough time I ended up having enough snow to form a wall from the ground up to above the bottom of the fly. If I was camping on top of a lot of snow I would use my shovel to build a wall of snow in the gap - if I anticipated a lot of wind/blowing snow.
Thanks for watching! 👋