Black Diamond Stormtrack

I bought this tent for hiking in demanding Scandinavian mountain conditions. I have used it for weekend trips with up to two adults. Although the tent has some flaws, I have come to love it.

The tent is relatively light weight for a four season tent. The inner tent is very roomy, with good head room. Plenty of space for two grown men. There are two entrances (good if the wind direction changes), with two relatively small vestibules. There is room for a couple of backpacks, put the vestibules are too small for cooking.

It's quite easy to pitch the tent when you get the hang of it. (Check out the YouTube instruction video.) If you wear mittens, the Velcro on the fly is a real challenge, though. The Stormtrack comes with good DAC poles, with many crossings, so the tent feels quite safe in both snow and wind.

The tent has two high vents in the fly. One of them can be locked, but not the other one. The second vent is covered with mesh, and the mesh might freeze from condensation and clog in the winter. There is normally not much condensation in the inner tent, but the fly gets really wet on the inside.

You have to pitch the inner tent before you put on the fly, so the inner tent gets soaked if you pitch it in heavy rain. The fly does not have storm flaps, and it does not go all the way down to the ground, so in the winter you will have to "seal" it with a snow wall to avoid the snow from building up inside the fly.

The tent comes with six guy loops, which is probably enough as long as you don't go to the North Pole. I would by some new, lighter and adjustable guy lines before using the tent though. You should also check all the stitches and knots before you go hiking. Essential parts, like the fly clips, are for some reason attached with "granny knots", and they will come off sooner or later

Conclusion: This tent is definitely not for polar expeditions or for prolonged use in heavy rain, but it is nice, roomy and lightweight and feels safe in the conditions you are most likely to meet in the Scandinavian mountains from March to October.