User Review: Mountain Hardwear Waypoint 1

Mountain Hardwear Waypoint 1
Above: The current Waypoint 1, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed April 15, 2007 by Falkor (the Luck Dragon)

Rating: rated 5 of 5 stars
Design: lightweight
Sleeps: 1
Ease of Setup: Not free standing, but easy
Price Paid: $225

I wanted a lightweight shelter to get away from the weather, and most important the mosquitoes, on my 2003 PCT hike. I found the solution in the Waypoint 1 tent. The tent is fantastically light and well designed for lots of space. I had lots of room for my backpack and gear inside with space to get dressed sitting up. On some rainy evenings I even cooked inside. I had the opportunity to see what a lot of other thru hikers chose for their shelters, from tarps to other brands of tents, and I was pleased with how my choice held up (I think the Waypoint 1 was the best).

There was a learning curve to setting the tent up. It is not a freestanding tent, so a little more care on location was needed. On my first few days on the PCT, I also learned that the tent can have a condensation problem if not properly setup. It was an easy solution of using the tent lines at the different tie points around the tent to draw the edge flaps away from the perimeter vent screens, and to make sure the roof vents were fully open. Once this was done the condensation problem all but disappeared. I could set up the Waypoint 1 tent quicker than the thru hikers could with their tarp tents.

The tent was a delight in Northern California, where in some locations the mosquitoes were vicious at night, and the temperature was warm. I hop into the tent and sleep on top of the bag. The tarp hikers had to wear nets and long sleeve shirts. They didn’t sleep as well. I have used the Waypoint 1 tent many times since my four-month PCT hike. It is still in great shape. I plan on using it for my upcoming CDT hike in 2008. There are trade offs between weight and function for backpacking gear. Mountain Hardwear found a good balance between the two in the Waypoint 1 tent.

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