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Robust, durable, and not too heavy. You can't go wrong here.
I am very pleased with my choice of tent - the Macpac Microlight - after agonising over the decision for so long. (The Macpac Sololight was the other main contender, but in the end I chose durability over lightness.)
The first time I slept in my Microlight was on my back lawn. The second time was also on my back lawn, but I deliberately chose a night when I knew it was going to rain, so I could see how well it performed. And it rained alright. It absolutely hosed down. But I stayed warm and dry all night. And the third time was in the wildern...Read more
ess. The Microlight is robust, easy to pitch, and not too heavy. It has plenty of room for one person, it is a breeze to pitch and take down, and the Multipitch system offers incredible versatility. I was aware of three potential issues people had identified with the Microlight, but I found all of them were either easily resolved or were non-issues. The first was that the limpet shape resulted in minimal living space. While it is true that the shape does significantly reduce the internal volume, I found I had plenty of room. I put my boots, poles and cooking gear etc. in the vestibule, and there was plenty of room inside the tent for my pack, clothes, and stuff I needed to keep completely dry.Purchased in August 2021 at Macpac Physical store.
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MalG
- 2 reviews
Great trekking tent - especially for lighter person
i have used this over past 3 years on the West Highland way, Lake district, Australia & Tasmania. pole and 4 pegs secures it and takes about 2-3 minutes to erect, in rain and wind dries quickly and you can carry it wet - just keep the carry bag dry in a pocket. Ideal for the smaller person up to 5ft 7in (170cm). I don't carry more than 12kg including mat, sleeping bag,pillow and 3 changes of clothes (ultralight) so its 1.5kg wt is perfect for hiking or biking. I used to own a Saunders Jetpacker but its pole system always slowed down putting it up - bought this on a special reduced to 180 Pounds UK - good to keep an eye out for deals ...buy in off season.
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iandekamCentral Highlands and Goldfields, VIC
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
Excellent user friendly and secure tent
I have used an old microlight for 10 years for solo walking and bike and car touring. It is quick to erect,simple to use and been secure in high winds and rain. I will use it in snow this year but would prefer more room to cook and change clothes. I am 177cm tall and 75 kg so it does suit my size. The fly collects condensation and will need to be carried wet if you don't have wind or time to dry it.
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Find out how Macpac Microlight compares to other Tents
Know better, choose better.
MIchael
- 5 reviews
- 1 like
Love it - bought again!
I'd used the previous model for 15 years and only recently the fly (polyester type not new sil nylon) had worn out and fair enough. But it performed so well I've just bought another (unfortunately the old inner is not compatible with the new fly). With the older model which hasn't changed in shape, only materials and the newer is lighter, I'd used the older model multiple times in NZ in all sorts of terrain and conditions. I'm 5'10 so the size is not an issue. The side access allows cooking from bed. And of course the multipitch design allows m...Read more
e to set-up the fly first and cook/get changed before erecting the inner. I often carried the fly alone on more weight conscious trips. The floor in the new edition is a bit thinner but comparable to tents most. I also have the minaret and olympus but this is my go to tent for solo hiking in NZ.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
bear74
- 6 reviews
- 1 like
Good
I have used this tent on numerous hunting and backpacking trips and have been overall impressed with the quality of this tent. its a bit small but I'm 6' and 120kg so I usally need a 2 person min. I have found the tent does not ventilate enough in the more tropical parts of OZ but then there isnt much that does on those hot sticky nights! great tent!
lightweight, quality materials, excellent workmanship, excellent backup service and very comfortable in temperate regions.
doesn't allow enough ventilation on hot nights, small sleeping area
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More a divvy bag with a gear annex.
I'm 1.88m tall and weigh 81 Kgs. I find this tent is well constructed and pretty strong. I bought it for its light weight design. In field use its weight is 1.56Kgs. It also packs down to a small size. However it's more of a divvy bag with gear annex for me. It's near impossible for me to change gear inside the tent. The gear annex is quite good. I use the tent in the Australian Alps. I think this tent would be too warm for summer use in other areas of Australia. Visibility is also restricted. However if you want a gear-bivvy for alpine 3-4 season use this is good.
Light weight, small packing size, quality construction
Small area, ventilation in warm conditions, visibility
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Questions & Answers
Canberragalasked
Hi there. I'm seriously considering the Macpac Microlight to use as a solo backpacker female. I want to use it in the snow in the Australian Alps (Snowy Mountains, NSW) overnight. My concern though is that I keep reading reviews that mention the inner sags and that this is a design problem people wish Macpac would address. I'm not sure if the more recent versions of this tent suffer from this problem. Can someone please give me some thoughts? It's a lot of $ if I get it wrong!
7 answers
I bought 2nd hand Microlight about 20 years ago and it has been great. Very fast to put up and down and very strong in winds despite only one pole. Recently I have just used the fly as it creates lot more space so, yes the inner tent is fairly confined but I haven't noticed sag and I will continue to use it as fly; and with the tent in really colder, wet conditions. The packed fly means it's VERY light and compact for such a roomy shelter. Son and I shared fly on bike tours. Also faultless build ie NO faults/ breakages. Good luck with plans Of course there may now be better designs. And I'm looking for light 2 person tent mostly for base camping to give me more room.
Thanks Iandekam. Because I need to use both the fly and tent together for a winter snow overnight trip the sag issue is my biggest concern. A one pole tent lengthwise is liable to produce more sag than the horizontal type tent pole and in winter I'll have it all closed up, hence if there's sagging, I'm likely to get that condensation buildup touching the sides of my sleeping bag. Lots to like about the tent though with it's deep bathtub and the fact the fly extends right down to the ground to prevent snow spindrift getting in.
Have owned 2 microlights along with the Bush Cocoon, Celeste, Olympus and Minaret (showing my age!). Mostly alpine in NZ where I needed reliability in gear. One was polyester (delaminated eventually after heavy use) and now have the newer silnylon. There are variations in every batch often based on raw material availability. The beauty of all these 'multipitch' style tents is the ability to pitch the fly ahead of the inner. After a day in the rain, you can get cleaned, cook etc ahead of getting out of your wet clothes and keeping your bed gear dry and vice versa on pack up. My tip is to store the fly in a handy spot separate to the inner as a goto first. Under the fly you can sleep 2, with inner one. I like their tub floor, was thicker than most for those wet ground / snow campsites. I still used an alfoil groundsheet. Easy to set-up. Good in a storm. I remember often keeping the vestibule wide open sleeping under a starry night with ventilation (no condensation). An inner will add 5C warmth but in NZ it also keeps the sandflies out if you're bivvying below 800m. Good vestibule space for storing gear. From my experience you can't go wrong with it. I think MSR could be another option, bibler but very very $$ ... but I'm a Macpac fan albeit these days they ain't what they used to be when they were first being made in someone's garage in NZ. I wouldn't even bother to review this tent if I needed another. The minaret if still available is a tunnel type but ideal for 2.
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