User Review: Slumberjack Raptor

Reviewed January 8, 2005 by William Maglio

Rating:
Design: Three-season freestanding
Sleeps: 1
Ease of Setup: Set up is easy. Three shock-corded poles slide into pole sleeves. Total set up including fly attachment can be accompolished in under 5 minutes.
Weight: 4 lbs (approx). Includes body, fly, poles, stakes and guy lines.
Price Paid: $99 ( circa 1998)

I have used my Raptor on several occasions backpacking during both summer and winter in Central Florida. The large area of no-see-um mesh is a blessing in during the humid and buggy spring/summer seasons. The fly can be attached (via buckles) and the large zippered doors rolled up to allow for adequate ventilation. This setup also facilitates a quick zip-up during Florida's notorious sudden downpours. The tent is free standing but it is highly recommended that it be staked down to prevent it from becoming "free floating" during strong gusts of wind.

The headroom is sparse for my 5'11" height. Sitting in the middle of the tent, my head will scrape the apex of the roof, which is exactly where the gear loft hangs. I tend not to spend a lot of time inside the tent, except to sleep. There is no vestibule and limited room to store pack and boots. If my boots are not too dirty a place them at the foot of the tent, where the small pole supported awning allows for ventilation. During inclement weather, I place my pack at the head and use it as a pillow. It can get a bit cramped with your gear inside but the width of the bathtub floor makes it tolerable.

I have made a few improvements and additions. Luckily, my tent came with the shock-corded aluminum poles vs. the fiberglass ones that were standard. I have since replaced the original metal stakes and shoelace guy lines with Kelty no-bendium stakes and glow-in-the-dark para-cord line. I also traced the outline of the tent onto a tarp and cut out a makeshift form fitting drop cloth. During one extremely heavy downpour, I noticed a fine mist coming through the tent. I re-taped the seams with McNett's Seam Grip and have had no further problems.

Any issues I have with this tent seem to be echoed in other reviews on this page. The tent will gather condensation if the fly is attached and zipped all the way, so try to leave some opening other than the awning at the foot. The gear loft does not keep items well, and tends to send them sliding out at the slightest disturbance to the tent. Also, be aware of the limited headroom, as I have sat up many mornings and smacked my forehead on the headlamp nestled in the gear loft (if it managed to stay put overnight). The one issue I have involves the mesh no see-um doors. They are very light and when zipping them closed take care, as the mesh will fold up into the zipper path creating a snag. This is especially worrisome because even if you manage to undo a snag, the potential damage to the mesh could leave large enough gaps as to allow biting insects inside access.

Overall, I am pleased with the performance of this tent and have, over the years, adapted to it. However, tents of similar style have recently emerged that provide a vestibule and more room with less weight. I am currently considering "upgrading" to MSR's micro Zoid or Zoid 1 .

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