The SlingFin Crossbow is our pick for best all-around lightweight 4 season tent, thanks to its spacious interior, large vestibules, and incredible storm-worthiness. This tent is engineered to the max with internal guy lines, and web truss pole attachment system, yet still feels and carries like a much lighter 3 season tent. Shop now.
- Price: $720
- Weight: 4 lbs, 3 oz
- Materials: 20D Sil/Sil-Nylon Fly, 15d inner, DAC 10.65mm poles
- Interior: 32 ft² | Vestibule: 11 ft² | Area/Pound: 10.2 ft²/lb
- Length: 92″ Width: 50″ Height: 41.5″
- Pros: Lightweight for 4 season category. Extremely sturdy and safely pitched in wind. Solid (not mesh) body. Spacious interior. Freestanding. Large vestibules. Vents. Solid interior. Internal guy lines. WebTruss attachment system. Lots of internal pockets.
- Cons: Expensive. Does not come seam-sealed. Unusual cinching hardware, no tensioning at tent body corners. Through-vent has minor rain pooling potential.
Construction & Features
The incredible wind resilience of SlingFin Crossbow begins with the 10.65mm DAC PL poles, attached to the tent body via their patented continuous WebTruss system, which reinforces the connection and allows for pitching in strong wind. These poles are seriously heavy duty, 15-20% thicker than your average 3-season tent, which translates to significantly more bend-resistance in strong gusts. Add in SlingFin’s signature internal guy lines for additional support and you have what amounts to an engineering marvel with incredible strength-to-weight ratio.
We nod secondly to the solid, breathable, 15d nylon interior fabric. Compared to the mesh body typically found in 3-season tents, this material is warmer, highly draft resistant, and blocks snow, spindrift, splatter, and dust or sand (a CrossBow Mesh Body kit is also available for summer conversion, sold separately). It prevents warm air from drifting off, increasing the interior temp by 5-10 degrees. There’s plenty of ventilation options too, including kickstand vents for the upper vestibules doors, mesh interior door vents, and the mesh through-vent. Top that off with the 20d sil/sil fly fabric, which is stronger, more waterproof, and longer lasting than industry-standard sil/pu fabrics.
Finally, we just want to call out how livable this tent is. The 32 sq ft interior is significantly more spacious than the typical 2p tent, and it’s dual 11 sq ft vestibules feel massive. This tent accommodates wide pads. What’s more, it’s decked out with eight internal mesh pockets for plenty of storage.
Verdict
If, like most people, you only want to own one four season tent, SlingFin Crossbow is the model to choose. It’s incredible strong, reasonably lightweight, and comfortably livable. No other 4 season tent offers such an incredible combination of stats, design, materials, and backcountry performance. We recommend the CrossBow very highly, and know that it will serve you well in extreme conditions.
