Stansport Starlite III Mesh Backpack Tent (Orange, 78 X 90 X 50-Inch)
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"Stansport Starlite III Mesh Backpack Tent (Orange, 78 X 90 X 50-Inch)" Good news! You can purchase
Stansport Starlite III Mesh Backpack Tent (Orange, 78 X 90 X 50-Inch) with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.
Price: $73.15 $59.63 
Product Feature
- Size: 78" X 90" X 50", Trail weight: 8lbs, Packed size: 7" X 19"
- 3 person, Perfect for spring, summer and fall backpacking
- Two large doors for easy access, All mesh construction for maximum ventilation
- Sleeved pole guides for added durability in high winds, Full rain fly with stake-out vestibule
- 2000mm P.U. coated and seam-sealed fly, 2500mm floor, 18" pole sections
Product Description
Our Stansport Starlight III Mesh Backpack Tent has two large doors for easy access. The all mesh construction offers you maximum ventilation. The sleeved pole guides give you added durabilty in high winds and it also has a full rain fly with stake-out vestibule. Weighs just 8 lbs and packs down to 7" X 19". Perfect for spring, summer and fall seasons.
Stansport Starlite III Mesh Backpack Tent (Orange, 78 X 90 X 50-Inch) Review
After reading a review from someone who purchased this tent upon my review I will add this statement, since this is a low end tent, be sure to set it up to check for fit and function of all parts. That being said, even high end tents should be set up and checked prior to use. This concept applies to all equipment, you should always assemble and check out all camping equipment prior to using it. That is only common sense. As far as product deformities, I read about some kind of product flaw on every tent that I reviewed with at least 20-25 reviews, high end or low end. This is due to the fact that almost all tents are made over seas in China, Taiwan, etc. As you know these nations are more about quantity of product and not always as much about quality of product. I should also stated the the rain storm I set my tent up in was coming down very hard, it was not blowing sideways. I cannot guarantee the wind or snow will not blow under the tent fly if the wind is blowing hard enough. That being said, I also read of this issue with every bathtub type tent I reviewed. Simple physics will tell you that if the wind blows hard enough it will blow under things that are not completely attached to the ground. I also make my opinions while considering the cost of the item being reviewed. If this had been a $200 dollar tent then I would have judged it harder on weight and ease of set up. But at $50 dollars you will not find a better tent. Please read my detailed review below.
Stansport Starlite II, Black Granite, tent.
Pros: cost, size, sturdy, color choices
Cons: weight (Only if used as one man tent), ease of set up (Read my review on how to ease this issue)
After having searched for months, I finally settled on the Stansport Starlite II camping tent. I was looking for a light weight, cost effective, hiking tent that was big enough to fit my backpack inside. I finally discovered the Stansport Starlite II ($50) because it resembled the Kelty Salida II ($159)camping tent that was Backpacker Magazine's tent of the year for 2011. I was also attracted to the Starlite II because it is over $100 dollars cheaper. Yes, that is over $100 dollars cheaper! While the Stansport Starlite II's actual carrying weight (5lb 14oz, without any footprint)is one pound and six ounces more than the Kelty Salida II (4 lb 8oz without footprint), the reason for the extra weight is from two obvious reasons
1. the Starlite II uses heavier 12 inch fiberglass poles with ferrules, while the Salida uses lighter DAC press fit aluminum poles.
2. the Starlite is MUCH bigger- it is actually 90 inches in length. That is 2 inches longer than the Salida II is rated at, but all reviews state that the Salida II is much smaller than the 88 inches it is advertised at. The Starlite II is also 11 inches wider. Yes, I said "11" inches wider. The Starlite is actually large enough to be a two man tent as advertised. The Salida is really only a one man tent. How could I pass up a bigger tent that is over $100 dollars cheaper, so I purchased it. I have not used the tent yet, but I will update my review as soon as I do. If there are issues I will revise my rating.
Update and review, I am an experienced backpacker and camper so I have some knowledge and experience. I also literally spent hundreds of hours doing research on all the popular tents. My goal was to then find the same thing as the pricey popular tents at an economical price, and that is exactly what I did when I found the Stansport Starlite II. As you saw I initially rated the tent on its size and price compared to the Kelty Salida II to show a cheaper and bigger alternative and nothing more.
After having used this tent on two different three day and two night trips I find it to a great tent for the price. On on the first trip there were thunderstorm and tornado warnings out and the winds were a steady 25 to 30 miles and hour with gusts to over 40 and the tent held up perfectly except on one occasion where the wind pulled a stake out of the very soft ground. I was able to go out and push it into the ground further and it held thereafter. There was obviously flapping noise due to the heavy winds blowing on the fly. On the other trip the weather was warm so I set up the tent and did not put on the fly. I had a beautiful view of the full moon and all the stars; oh the joy of sleeping under the stars!. The mesh kept out all the mosquitoes and bugs. I realized that the tent is so roomy that I can lay with my feet at one end and lay flat while reaching my arms out and I cannot touch the other end and I am 6' 1''. I have plenty of room for my 75 liter High Sierra backpack (See my review of the High Sierra Appalachian Trail 75 liter pack on Amazon), and any items that I take out of the pack. I also have plenty of room for a large size Therm-a-rest Base Camp self inflating mattress and still have room to move around despite the mat being 78"x25". The tent interior has a mesh storage pockets at each end of the tent for additional storage of frequently used items like glasses or cell phones. Each pocket is large enough for me to fit four heavy wool sock side by side, hanging down to dry out. It does not have a storage pocket at the top of the tent but you could easily purchase an after market one and use it.
I tested the tent and fly prior to use for being waterproof, which it was. But as is my habit, I retreated both the fly and washtub bottom of the tent as additional protection. I am looking forward to taking each of my daughters out on a one day and night hike while using this tent. There will be plenty of room for my (size large) Therm-a-rest Base Camp self inflating sleeping pad and their (size large) Therm-a-rest Trail Pro self inflating sleeping pad. Even after taking up all that room with the sleeping pads there will still be room to spare at one end for our packs and personal items.
My only suggestions is if someone buys this tent is to set it up and mark the material sleeves so you can clearly know where to slide each of the two fiberglass poles which cross each other at the top. Marking the sleeves will show where to run the pole to next since it is a little difficult to see which tube leads to which tube while the tent is laid flat on the ground. The pole tubes are all made of the same color material so marking them will ease set up, as well as speed set up time since you will get it right the first time.
I highly recommend this tent for anyone to be used as a very roomy one man tent or as a comfortable two man tent. If I were to eventually hike the Appalachian Trail alone I would probably either get aluminum poles made for it, thus making it the same weight as the Kelty Salida2-just bigger, or I would look to down size my tent choice simply to save weight. But since I only paid $50 dollars for this one I could afford to just give it to one of my kids or one of my friends. Please feel free to ask questions are give your comments. Thanks Kevin
08/26/12 Further update. I decided to set my tent up today in my yard during a heavy down pour of rain just to see what it would be like to do so on the trail. To show you how heavy the rain was, I got completely soaked in under 30 seconds while setting up the tent. Having set up the tent in the heavy rain I learned a couple new things that I would like to share with everyone.
First, as I was putting the pole sections together I realized why the tent stood up so well in the wind storm I mentioned earlier in my review. With each section of pole being only 13 inches it gives the poles more strength since they are shorter and will not bend as much as longer pole sections. One reviewer complained that the short sections made it too difficult to set up and take down, but I do not see that. I do not find it any harder to push the fully assembled pole with 13 inch sections through the material channels through, or sleeves, which they run, than pushing 18 inch sections through the material channels. You simply push from the end and run it through each material channel. Yes, you will have to go back and forth a few times to pull the material channel over the end of the pole as it goes through the channel, but that is no different than any other tent with channels for the poles to run through. As far as dis-assembly, you simply reverse the process and push the assembled poles out of the material channels. FYI, the channels are not continuous, there are three separate sections for each pole; one one each side diagonally and one on top. With two people running the poles through the channels is a snap, one person pushes the pole while the other pulls the channel material over the far end of the pole. While tents with channels, or sleeves, for the poles are not as fast or easy as a tents that use hooks to attach the tent to the poles, material channels provide much more strength for the tent and poles, thus making the tent more sturdy and less susceptible to pole breakage . I set the tent up during the down pour in about five or six minutes, and I have only set it up a half a dozen times so far so I should get faster with practice. I should also note that I have not yet marked the pole channels as I mentioned above and I still had it set up in under six minutes. Once you understand where the poles go it is not that hard to set the tent up.
Second, I also figured out how to rectify water building up inside the tent through the mesh top portion while the tent is being set it up in the rain. I set up the tent as I would any other time with the top mesh part up- and yes water gathered quickly in the bottom of the tent in the heavy rain. But once I had the tent put together I flipped the tent over so the top was down on my footprint and the bottom was facing up and blocking the rain. This allowed the water from the bottom of the tent to drain back out through the mesh. I then took the fly and draped it over the bottom, which was now facing up, and then I flipped the tent back over so the bottom was back on the ground. As I flipped the tent over I simply held the fly in place with one hand, this prevented rain from getting back inside the tent through the mesh since the fly covered the mesh portion as I flipped the tent over. Once the tent was back in position I secured the fly clips. After staking out the tent and fly I got inside and used a camp towel to wipe up the small amount of water that remained scattered around the floor. If I had then used the towel to wipe the inside of the mesh which was holding water, I would have had few if any drips from the mesh onto the bottom. But since I did not think of that at the time, I had to re-wipe the floor about 30 minutes later after the water had dripped from the mesh. After doing this, I left the tent set up in the heavy rain. I checked the inside of the tent approx. two hours later and found no moisture of any kind. It should also be noted that setting up any mesh topped tent will allow for water to enter during set up, this is not a defect of this tent. I left the tent set up for the night since it is supposed to rain all night. If I find any water in the morning I will report that, but I do not expect to find any since I seam sealed and waterproofed the tent prior to using it- as everyone should with any new tent.
10/04/12, additional update. I took one of my daughters on a hike and camp. As I mentioned above, there was plenty of room for both Thermarest sleeping pads, and there was plenty of room at one end for both packs-75 liter and 30 liter. We also store water and clothing at that end as well. The night got down to about the upper 30's so there was a tremendous amount of dew on everything in the morning. The picnic table by our then had a 1/4 inch of standing water on it in the morning. As should be expected with two people sleeping in such humid and cold weather, there was condensation on the inside of the fly. We did have a small amount of water at the end with the packs and clothes. There was no water on our sleeping bags so I do not think it came from the condensation. I put my hydration bag beside my mat so I could get a drink at night. I obviously rolled over on it because it was nearly empty at morning. My body weight obviously forced the water out of the mouthpiece. Considering this is the second time that I have done this, you think that I would learn. I am due to take my other daughter hiking and camping very soon so I will make sure to have the hydration bags outside in the vestibule. I will provide an update at that time. I will let you know if condensation drips inside the tent.
Update: I took my other daughter, twin sister of above, hiking and camping on 10/21/12. The conditions were almost identical to the 10/04/12 event mentioned above. There was a heavy dew outside and everything that was outside was very wet in the morning. We slept in the tent with the fly zipped and pulled down. This time I made sure to put both Platypus water sacks outside the tent in the vestibule. In the morning the tent was completely dry. There was condensation on the inside of the fly, but none in the tent. Since the fly rests atop of the tent poles it is approx. 1/2 above the tent mesh so no condensation is transferred into the tent. Apparently, as stated on my 10/04/12 update, the water inside the tent was from me rolling over on my Platypus and forcing water out of it. I still love this tent, especially for the price. I have no plans to look for anything else and I plan to continue to camp regularly in this tent. I do plan on using this tent to do some winter camping. I will update after doing so.
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