"The Fling functions well for a single wall tent. It is nice and roomy, and is very light. Condensation is not too bad for a single wall tent, and it does better than most two pole tents in wind. However, in my opinion, this tent has two serious drawbacks.
One is that the rear pole sleeve is sewn in such a way that the ends of the sleeve on the corners closest to the rear of the tent puts a lot of stress on the seam and the fabric. The fabric ripped at this point on my tent during set up on the first trip. A tent should not be designed so that ripping during set up under normal conditions by an experienced backpacker is at all possible. And I am very gentle with my gear. Granted that MSR was quick about repairing the tent under warranty, and did an excellent job. But in my opinion this construction is an obvious flaw. This flaw applies only to the rear sleeve. The front sleeve is OK in this respect.
The problem comes from the design of the pole sleeves. The sleeves are constructed by sewing a long thing peace of durable fabric onto the tent. Instead a pole tube should protrude from the tent, almost as a separate piece.
Another problem is that both sleeves on the Fling are so narrow, that the poles do not slide though as easily as they should, and as easily as they do on other types of pole sleeves. Furthermore, because the pole sleeves are so narrow, if one had to repair a pole, I suspect that the repaired pole would probably not fit through the sleeve. I would like to learn if anyone ever experiences problems with sliding Fling poles repaired in the field through the sleeves, but I hope it won't be me.
These characteristics of the Fling make it a tent that I will not rely on for a long hike. I don't trust it. If MSR changed the design of the sleeves, then I would praise this tent very highly. But sadly, I would not recommend the tent."
create account login
