MSR Carbon Reflex 1 Person Featherweight Dome Tent Review

When we prepared this review for the Carbon Reflex 1, we examined the data against eighty-nine other 1 person dome tents, evaluating more than 60 different facts. We also checked the total price including shipping & discounts at thirteen various retailers sites, to find the best rate for you.

The Carbon Reflex Featherweight Fly Open
MSR's Carbon Reflex 1 Featherweight With the Fly Open
In the report, we will show you:
  • An outline of the customer reviews we read.
  • A detailed examination of the features, materials and dimensions.
  • The Pros and Cons about the shelter.
  • Where you can save $105.48

At optimumtents.com all our reviews are produced with the aid of our particular database of over 1,000 tents, that are sold in the United States. Our aim is to provide you an honest report and our own unique rating based on the statistics, along with the lowest price and best value we found.

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  • MSR Logo
  • Manufacturer: MSR
  • Model: Carbon Reflex Featherweight
  • Year Introduced: 2015
  • MPN: 10340
  • Sleeping Capacity: 1 Person
  • Designed For: 3 Seasons
  • Best Use: Backpacking
  • Type: Dome Tent
  • Available in: Other Sizes
  • MSRP: $449.95
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Carbon Reflex 1 Pictures and Videos

Click on an image or video to enlarge them!


The Carbon Reflex Featherweight With the Fly Off

MSR Carbon Reflex 1 Featherweight With the Fly Off
Fly Closed on the Carbon Reflex Featherweight 1

Fly Closed Carbon Reflex 1 Featherweight

A video about the Carbon Reflex 1 tent.

Another video about MSR's tents.

QUICK OVERVIEW

Logo Representing the Features Section

Features


  • Freestanding: No
  • Color: Burgandy, Gray
  • Number of Rooms: 1
  • Number of Windows: None
  • Number of Doors: 1
  • Zippers: N/A
  • Storage Pockets & Gear Loft: Yes, N/A
  • Mesh Roof & Walls: Yes, Half
  • Footprint: Not Included, Available Separately
  • Carbon Reflex 1 floor saver
Logo Representing the Materials Section

Materials and Extras


  • Inner Walls: 10D Nylon Micromesh
  • Full Fly: 7D Ripstop Nylon, Durashield Polyurethane & Silicone
    Fly Waterproof Ratings: 1200 mm
  • Floor Materials: 15D Ripstop Nylon, Xtreme Shield Polyurethane & DWR
    Floor Waterproof Ratings: 1200 mm
  • Pole Material: 2 Easton Carbon 6.3
  • Number Of Poles: 2
  • Pole Dimensions: 7.5mm
  • Guy Lines & Guy Outs: Yes, Yes
  • Stakes: Aluminum
Logo Representing the Dimensions Section

Dimensions


  • Floor Area: 17 sq. ft.
  • Center Height: 2 foot. 10 inches.
  • Packed Weight: 1 Lbs 7 Oz
    Trail Weight: 1 Lbs. 13 Oz.
  • Packed Size: 17 x 5 inches.
  • Number of Vestibules: 1
    Total Vestibule Area: 7.00 sq. ft.
  • Screened Areas: None
  • Awnings: None

Tent Set Up

Fast & Light setup


Warranty: MSR Warranty Info
Green Thumbs Up Logo

Summary: Favorable Reviews

People who bought the tent said: That it is lightweight and very roomy. It has the weight of a single ultralight tent. We had no durability issues whatsoever, rain, snow, wind, no issues at all. The packed size is smaller than an average sleeping pad. All four corners can be tightly stacked before pole assembly, allowing the tent to be set up exceptionally taut. Vestibules stake right into the ground, which provides excellent protection for packs and gear you need dry. Never had any issue with condensation. This thing is a palace, and it is massive but still light.


Teal Thumbs Down Logo

Summary: Unfavorable Reviews

Campers who have camped with the tent mentioned that: They did not personally like the velcro closures on the rain fly. Where the mesh joins the zippers for the door, the stitching is not the greatest.


SIMILAR TENTS WITH LOTS MORE SPACE

Alps Mountaineering Chaos Featherweight 1
Alps Mountaineering Chaos 1
  • 29% More Space
  • 6% Extra Headroom
4.5 Stars Logo (4.3)
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Marmot Tungsten Featherweight 1
Marmot Tungsten 1
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  • 12% Extra Headroom
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Alps Mountaineering Hydrus Featherweight 1
Alps Mountaineering Hydrus 1
  • 29% More Space
  • 21% Extra Headroom
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MSR Elixir Featherweight 1
MSR Elixir 1
  • 18% More Space
  • 15% Extra Headroom
4.5 Stars Logo (4.8)
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SPECS AND CONFIGURATIONS

The Carbon Reflex 1 Featherweight has one door and a maximum center height of 2' 10, which is a tiny bit smaller than the average height of the 72 various 1 person tents we have examined With 17 square feet of space inside, it is considerably smaller than some other 1-person tents, and it would be quite tight for you during the 3-seasons, this tent is suggested for use in, smaller tents like this one can generally make an awesome choice for people that prefer spending plenty of time outside their tent getting some air.

Some of the great points about dome tents are, that they are under normal circumstances lightweight, making them easy to carry around. In nearly all cases, tents used for backpacking are of the dome type. They are generally speaking, freestanding and very simple to set up. In calm weather, you can do without guy lines and stakes, not that this is suggested.

Dome tents are the most common of all the various sorts of tents you will find when camping. They tend to fair better in the rain than other types, allowing water to roll off the sloped walls, unlike cabin tents that have flat roofs, allowing the rain to pool on the top. The most basic dome tent will have a rectangular floor, slanted walls two or more poles which converge in the center of the roof. Due to their construction, it is usually considered that they are ideal for up to a maximum of 6 campers.

Below you can find a list of the tent's pros and cons.

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PROS

  1. Vestibule. Having one vestibule. Gives you somewhere to store shoes and other things that can get dirty, muddy, this is a huge plus.
  2. Internal storage. It is good to see MSR has added a gear loft and pockets in the interior to store some of your things.
  3. Breathable. The Carbon Reflex's interior uses a mesh fabric on the inside of the tent, and this helps maximize the flow of air. With the extra ventilation, and this tent is great for use in the summer.
  4. The rainfly completely covers the tent body. The rainfly covers the entire body of the tent from the top to the bottom and has a waterproof rating of 1200mm. Meaning it will easily protect you against heavy downpours.
  5. Other sizes are available. MSR has also made this model available in Other Sizes.

CONS

  1. Not spacious. With a floor area of 17 square feet, the Carbon Reflex 1 is smaller than quite a lot of the 72 other 1 person tents we have looked at.
  2. Lacking in Headroom. With 9% less headroom than similar sized tents, one can see how this could be a negative thing for some campers.
  3. Footprint not Included. There is no included footprint, there is one available separately specifically for the Carbon Reflex 1 footprint Even though the floor may be made of 15D ripstop nylon, Xtreme Shield polyurethane & DWR, it is still best to protect it further with a footprint, especially on rough terrain.
  4. Sloping walls. Even though Dome tents have heaps of attributes to rave about. The sloping walls do tend to make it all the more smaller inside.

CONCLUSION

4.5 Stars Logo

Our Ratings: 4.5 STARS

MSR's Carbon Reflex 1 Featherweight tent is perfect for backpacking. Here are a couple of other points not mentioned above which, we noticed and liked, while researching the model: The non-freestanding Carbon Reflex 1 backpacking tent is designed for adventurers who like to travel ultralight but want more protection than a tarp can offer, Large doors provide easy entry and exit and A spacious interior, and roomy vestibules make life on the trail more comfortable.

With good ratings, and headroom of 2' and 17 square feet of space for sleeping, this tent is like your very own modest home away from home. This will allow you to spend some delightful moments exploring the great outdoors. We found a decent amount of pros about the tent that you can study above.

If you came to this page looking for recommendations about this particular tent, we consider, it would make for an awesome purchase. If you just happened to land on this page while browsing for a new tent having never heard of this manufacurer or this tent model previously, it is perhaps a good thing to check out some other comparable tents.

Value for money: As far as value for your dollar, this tent is more costlier than the average cost of all the one hundred, one-person tents we have studied, this just by itself is not a negative thing. We also need to look at other factors in detail, as we do with each tent.

When we tally up the overall score of a single tent, we look at loads of conditions, finding things where the tent could outshine other near-identical tents and where it is lacking. In this case, with an overall score of 4.5 and the price conclusions above, one can conclude that with a ticket price of $344.47 info_outline MSR's Carbon Reflex 1 Featherweight is a very good deal although it may be perceived as quite expensive when set side by side with comparable tents.

Its overall score shows that the quality and dimensions the tent provides make it a good buy for people wanting a tent that can last for plenty of years. It is also worth noting it is discounted by 23% from the manufactures suggested retail price. It will make a decent choice for nearly all people looking for a comfortable three-season backpacking tent to camp in, that will serve you well for years to come.

Best Value & Low Price

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Fast 2 Day Shipping Available to Most Locations
$344.47 info_outline
You Save $105.48 (23%)
FREE SHIPPING
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COMPARE WITH OTHER SIMILAR TENTS

MSR TENT MODELS

BACKPACKING TENTS || DOME TENTS

Other Sizes and Variations of the MSR Carbon Reflex Model

Model Headroom Sleeping Area

MSR Carbon Reflex Featherweight 1
Carbon Reflex 1 Featherweight

2' 10"17 sq ft

MSR Carbon Reflex Featherweight 2
Carbon Reflex 2 Featherweight

2' 10"29 sq ft

MSR Carbon Reflex Featherweight 3
Carbon Reflex 3 Featherweight

3' 4"39 sq ft
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