SlingFin Crossbow 2 - Two Year Review

[@MountainsCallingMe]

What do you think? Drop a comment if there is anything you're curious about.

[@karmaisaqueen]

How much is the total weight?

[@MountainsCallingMe]

4.7 LB without stakes

[@adamwilson8559]

Great review! We've had our Crossbow (mesh version) for about 5 years now, and we could not be happier. We've used it many many times mountaineering in the Cascades, in the Olympic rainforest, out on the sage steppe, etc etc., and it's seen us through some absolutely hideous weather without skipping a beat. Buy one!

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Awesome! Thanks for watching. I have thought about buying the mesh insert for the Crossbow. I have the Portal 2 with the upgraded polls they offer as an accessory... It would be a fun test to have the Portal 2 w/ upgraded poles side-by-side to the Crossbow with mesh insert in some really rough weather. I imagine the Crossbow wins out because of the webtruss, and the thru-vent would end up with less or no condensation. For someone new to the SlingFin family of tents the Crossbow is probably the best starting place because the fact the body can be swapped between mesh and full wall. One system for all seasons! :)

[@BiznessWizard]

Thanks for this great review of this very unique line of tents. I have one of these and am amazed at the many features they have. I also have one of the manufactured in Estonia "The Tent Maker" tents. I will pick SlingFin every time If going out in some serious adverse weather conditions.

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Thanks for your comment! 🫡 I have looked at The Tent Maker tents many times over the years but never pulled the trigger on one. I agree with your sentiment over choosing SlingFin tents over others. I took my SlingFin tent out 2 weekends ago for the first snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains of the season, and it was rock solid. Some other people just happened to be passing by when I was setting up my tent with storm approaching minutes away and they encouraged me to move my tent back into the woods "for shelter". (where there is no view).. I politely declined and told them "I will be OK exposed out here with this tent". LOL. and I was fine! Solid as a rock. 😃

[@zachrohe]

Looks like an awesome tent! Trying to resist the urge to buy new gear!

[@MountainsCallingMe]

It is a great tent! The struggle not to buy more gear is REAL! I have a lot of tents... Could outfit a small boy scout troop. lol I am heading up into some mountain weather this weekend putting another newish tent through its paces.

[@williammay6879]

I love the look of this tent as I camp in all conditions and up high. How is the difficulty of pitching? Great review btw!

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Thanks for watching! Its very easy to setup. The two long crisscrossing poles feed thru the web truss sleeves and then the short cross bar goes in without trouble. Then I put the fly on and secure that to the poles using the toggle+round plastic piece it feeds thru. Much easier than velcro for those. Then I put gear inside then I tension the webtruss and all the guy lines. It also can be setup with the fly already attached. Also you can easily set it up in high wind by unclipping the web truss from the body then setting up poles and tensioning, then reclip the body. Many different ways to set it up. I use a cuben fiber ground sheet under it which I already had. I would encourage a ground sheet if you camp in rocky granite places like me. In general it is an all around great tent and very easy to setup! 👍

[@aiferapple1246]

Fantastic review!! Although way out of my price range, you review gives me the perfect guide of what to look for in a great tent :) Thank you. Liked and subscribed :)

[@MountainsCallingMe]

I am glad you found this useful. The tent is definitely not cheap! A few things are unique to this tent but many of the features and similar design you can find on tents from other manufacturers. Best of luck searching for the perfect tent for your needs! Thanks for subbing. Glad to have ya 😀

[@aiferapple1246]

Thank you so much buddy :) @@MountainsCallingMe

[@bh1567]

Looking for alternatives to my msr collection and now am just learning about sling gear today

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Cool. Thanks for watching! 🫡

[@karmaisaqueen]

Great Review!

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@timmcdowell7388]

Considering crossbow or windsaber for artic summer backpacking and alpine climbing use. See you reviewed both, thx. How much more bomber did you find windsaber? Windsaber has 7" less length, which is crucial for my long bag, but that vertical wall from extra pole probably negates a lot of difference?

[@MountainsCallingMe]

For me the loss of length isnt an issue. The Windsaber is definitely more bomber with the addition of the extra cross pole, smaller vestibules and slightly more aerodynamic shape. That extra cross pole really gives you more interior space which you can sit up in and not be touching the ceiling. For me that added "usable" interior space more than makes up for any loss of length. The doors on the Windsaber you have the option of opening for full mesh. For times when you want airflow, the windsaber has more mesh for better airflow. There are only a few situations where I would reach for the Crossbow instead of the Windsaber. If I didnt already own the Crossbow when the Windsaber came out I woulda just went straight with the Windsaber. A key selling point of the Crossbow is the flexibility to swap out the full wall body with a mess inner body. If you want to have a single system for all weather / all seasons then the Crossbow plus the mesh inner could be that. I just did 8 days backpacking in the arctic circle this summer and these tents would be overkill for what I experienced in Gates of the Arctic. The Crossbow with the mesh inner body would be the best fit for arctic summer. Otherwise you run the risk of overheating regularly. Especially if there is low wind and your tent is not in a shaded area. You will want the added airflow. If you have your heart set on a single tent setup then the Windsaber would be a better choice due to better airflow. It also will fit in more places easier with a slightly smaller pitch footprint with the vestibules staked out. Hope this helps! thanks for watching

[@trickynumber7]

Hey thanks for all the great videos. Can you give us the dimensions of the tent floor?

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Thanks for watching! The floor dimension are - 92" x 50" (234cm x 127cm) 👍

[@tony-kiernan]

Is this the second tent from them you've had to have replaced straight from the factory?

[@MountainsCallingMe]

No. This is the only tent I ever had a problem with from SlingFin. The fly had a zipper issue and then the body had a weird issue with it that caused water to condense on the body and drip down. They replaced the fly and body. No issues with them after replacement. My other 2 SlingFin tents have not had any issues. Thanks for watching!

[@tony-kiernan]

@@MountainsCallingMe I'm sure in another video you told the story of a zipper not working first time you set one of theirs up and the guy came round with a replacement. Which seems either really unlucky on your part, or there's some quality control issues there

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Yea...That story in the other video was about this tent. Just to share what my experience was like and should be the same if someone else buys their product. For smaller manufacturers it can be a worry about returns and issues - the point of telling that story in the other video was just to say "SlingFin stood behind their product and corrected the issue without any hassle".

[@KB-ce7gf]

This is a great review of this tent. But, I was wondering if you have or are planning on getting the Indus 2? And what are your thoughts on it? I really haven't seen anything on that tent anywhere other that their webpage, which isn't much. Thanks for putting out great content and keep up the good work (or play, however you look at it)

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Hello. Thanks for watching! I do not have the Indus 2 and dont plan to get it. Here are my thoughts and relative comparison with the Crossbow 2 which is is "based off of". Indus 2 Pro's - Price - a bit cheaper than the CB2. Thicker fabric - might be more durable. However this might not matter if you take care of your gear. Makes it heavier so this could be a con depending on how you look at it! Door mesh for entire door. One thing I wish the CB2 had was mesh that went across the entire door instead of a half-circle. This will allow more ventilation thru the doors. Different zippers. Not exactly sure what the difference is. But slingfin says theyre better. However the CB2 and all their tents already have backup zipper pulls on all the zipper runs. I cannot say for certain how much of a benefit the #8 zipper gives. CrossBow 2 Pro's - WebTruss - stronger tent. more rigidity. I am sure CB2 performs better in wind and snow loading. Thru-vent - the circle vent in the side wall. More ventilation aside from the doors. The Indus has more mesh in the doors so this might be offset / neutral in terms of ventilation. The vent is above the head side so it probably results in less condensation. Also kinda nice to have a way to look out and that direction. Weight - its lighter. Customizability - you can remove the webtruss if thats not needed. You can also get a mesh-inner body and use the same fly, poles and webtruss in summer months when the full wall is not needed. If I didnt own any SlingFin tents and I was considering getting the Portal 2 for summer and a winter tent - the Crossbow 2 plus mesh inner could end up being a single system for all seasons. Still costs a fair amount of money for both but it would be a savings of $150. And might end up being a more robust summer setup using the CB2+meshbody versus the Portal 2. I already own the Portal 2 with upgraded poles so this isnt something I plan to buy. Everything else is very similar or same. I would be happy to answer any additional questions you might have. You can also email SlingFin, they are very responsive to customers!

[@LordAikido]

Nice review. That through-vent hole is for a portable stove chimney, I'm guessing; a must for a real winter tent.

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Thanks for your comment. 👋 I don't have any hot tents so I am not an expert on that topic. To use the through-vent for a chimney it would probably need some modification. I would think it needs some heat resistant fabric around that hole..? It is just normal fabric all around those holes.

[@LordAikido]

Do a quick search for a 'Hot Tent Stove Jack' .... I believe that is what you are talking about. (It does need to be flame-retardant.)@@MountainsCallingMe

[@SlingFin1]

@@MountainsCallingMe That's just a ventilation for condensation reduction. DO NOT use it for a stove! Our Arctic 6 and Kahiltna Dome tents have stove jacks but using a stove with a tent this size would be very dangerous. As for that missing tie out, that's actually not a tie out at all! That's the reflective reference tab to help with flysheet orientation. It's just there to match with the orange reflective tab on the flysheet. Staking out that tab will decrease the distance between the fly and tent body and will reduce airflow and increase the likelihood of condensation. Glad you're liking the tent!!

[@SlingFin1]

oh, and that toggle- you can avoid the toggle coming off the cord by not pressing the button on the toggle when you slide the toggle along the cord. We used a toggle that's strong enough to hold when it's tightened, but light enough that the toggle can slide along the cord just by pushing it either way without pressing the button. That will keep the tightener engaged and prevent it from sliding off the end!

[@tomnoyb8301]

One of the main advantages of free-standing vs trekking-pole tents is the wall angle at the head and foot ends. Presently using the Western Mountaineering 7' Alpinlite sleeping-bag, which is 96" long. This tent is 92" long, which is longer than most (Portal-2 is only 85" long), but it's the head and foot wall angles that aren't taking advantage of being free-standing. Bag on 4" air-pad is 22" tall, necessitating steeper wall angles. Poles bend most in the middle, because the bending force is from both ends, vs end-poles which only have a bending-force originating from the apex. What one might like to see is bends more toward the ends, in order to steepen the wall angle. That way, head and foot of sleeping-bag don't touch the walls. (more...) Either factory bent poles or possibly fabric tapering could steepen the end wall angle.

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Hi. Thanks for watching! I am only about 5'10" so I fit pretty well in these tents. Out towards the end of the tent there is only a moderate improvement in headroom compared to a trekking pole tent like the Zpacks Duplex. In my "6 hacks" Zpacks Duplex tent mod video I show how I dramatically improve headroom in that tent. In any case the headroom of these freestanding tents is still better. The main difference seems to be the amount (volume) of headroom closer to the center of the tent. More room to move back and forth near the middle and not graze your head on the roof. The WindSaber tent has an additional pre-bent 3rd pole on the head end so there is no issues at all with grazing the body with my head every time I sit up and down. Has the most headroom of the SlingFin tents I have. Of corse that is a heavier, more winter-specific option compared to the Portal 2. What tent are you using now?

[@tomnoyb8301]

​@@MountainsCallingMe - Am using Durston Pro now, but have used DuplexL, Notch-dcf and various dcf tarps in the past. Hoping Durston perfects his X-Dome (by bending the last 20" of poles).

[@aleksandrbowkis3604]

great review! is there a way to set it up fly first if it was raining?

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Hi, Yes, absolutely. There are several different ways to pitch it depending on conditions, including having the fly attached to the inner tent for setup in rain or snow. The inner tent can also be deteched from the web-truss, enabling you to get it staked out and polls secured + tensioned before reattaching the body in high wind. Thanks for watching!

[@r-e-s-o-n-a-n-t]

Hi thanks for the review. Does the denier in the polyester fabric have an impact on insulation? Crossbow only has 20D where other 4 seasons have 30 and 40.

[@MountainsCallingMe]

Hi, I am not a fabric expert, but I found this on Enlightened Equipment website which says "20D is around 1cfm (cubic feet per minute), which is considered nearly windproof. 10D is around 10cfm." So the Crossbow inner body being 15D might be 5cfm. And since the 20D fly is also PE coated, I expect that fills in any tiny openings in the weave making it waterproof, then also being totally windproof. Other 4 season tents with 30-40D probably are not noticeably more windproof. But they could be more durable "greater ripstopping power". However if you use things like a groundsheet (like I do) and you generally care for you tent well, this added fabric thickness wont make any difference in performance/warmth. SlingFin also has a stellar Lifetime Warranty. And if something fails due to craftsmanship or faulty fabric they take care of you! Thanks for watching! 🫡