Gear Guide 2009: MontBell Crescent 1 Tent Review

Stargazer

Get the best of indoor/outdoor sleeping: Just roll back the rainfly to reveal the mesh canopy–and a 180-degree sky view. The Crescent achieves the feat–along with incredibly low weight–by employing single-wall construction at the foot and double-wall at the head. It’s not freestanding, but pitches fast with one pole and seven stakes, and proved “rock-solid during a gusty storm that dropped four inches of snow,” said a tester who used it in Idaho’s Sawtooths. Sub-six-footers found its length adequate and headroom excellent when they were sitting up, since the peak’s high point is at the tent’s midsection. While prone, however, testers said the sloping walls felt close. Downsides: On calm nights, condensation collected at the head and foot, and the tiny “vestibule” over the door only shelters a pair of boots. $229; 2 lbs. 1 oz.Montbell.com