Hyperlite Mountain Gear Crosspeak 2 Ultralight Tent Review

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Crosspeak 2 is an ultralight freestanding tent that weighs 34 ounces (964g). It’s a single-wall tent made with Dyneema DCF and has three aluminum tent poles. Designed to hold two people, it features two doors and two vestibules, yet is lightweight and compact enough for one person to carry. The only gotcha about the Crosspeak 2 is its price, a gut-busting $950.

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• Type: Freestanding
• Structural: Single-wall
• Weight: 34 oz / 964g
• Capacity: 1-2 people
• Material: Dyneema DCF
• Doors/Vestibules: 2
• Pockets: 2
• Poles: 3, aluminum
• Dimensions: Tapered floor 48″ to 45″, with 42″ of height
• Tent Stakes: Not included.

The Crosspeak 2 is a single-wall, freestanding tent made with Dyneema DCF, weighing 34 oz. It has two doors, two vestibules with mesh doors, and mesh sidewalls for ventilation. The Crosspeak comes with three aluminum poles – two long and one short, which are inserted into pole sleeves on the tent’s exterior. The two long poles form an “X” over the tent, while a third shorter brow pole helps increase the vestibule volume. The result is a structurally strong and weather-resistant pitch that can be reinforced by tying additional guy lines (not included) to orange-colored gear loops situated along the pole sleeves.

The floor in the Crosspeak is attached to the tent walls with insect netting (mesh), which gives it some “slack” to adjust to unprepared campsites that aren’t flat. I like to refer to this type of floor as a floating floor, and it’s a common design pattern in the single-wall tents made by multiple manufacturers. It also means that internal condensation, if it accumulates, will roll down the walls and drain out the mesh without making you or your gear wet.

The floor in the Crosspeak is tapered from 48″ to 45″, which is a bit too small to use two wide 25″ inflatable rectangular pads, although those dimensions turn the Crosspeak into a palace if you use it as a solo tent. It’s certainly lightweight enough for that purpose and very tempting since one person can easily erect the tent. One of the great advantages of freestanding tents like the Crosspeak 2 is that you achieve a perfect pitch every time without having to fuss around.

One thing that’s immediately noticeable in the interior is how steep the interior walls are, as well as the 42″ ceiling. There’s a lot of wiggle room in this tent for changing your clothes or even packing your backpack under cover if it’s raining outside, breaking the tent down, and packing it last in an exterior pack pocket.

The vestibules, however, are just large enough to store a backpack under cover without interfering with door access. DCF doesn’t have a lot of stretch and tends to curve inward when used to create a vestibule shape. You see the same thing on the Zpacks freestanding FreeZip 2P dome-style tent that we reviewed last autumn (see review). The Crosspeak 2’s brow pole (the 3rd shortest pole) helps create more volume at the top of the vestibule to compensate and make the vestibule usable.

Internal Condensation

Single-wall tents tend to accumulate internal condensation, which can be transferred to occupants and their gear if you rub up against the walls. It occurs when there is a temperature difference between the outside of the tent and the interior (heated by body heat). It’s not the end of the world if you do get a little wet, but there are tried-and-true ways to prevent internal condensation from occurring or to minimize it.

One way to improve ventilation is to add vents to a tent’s ceiling or door, allowing hot air (which rises) to escape and encouraging airflow. The Crosspeak 2 has such vents at the top of its vestibule doors. Unfortunately, they don’t have props (called kickstands) to keep them open, and they tend to collapse in on themselves. A far better way is to sleep with the vestibule doors rolled back, allowing air to circulate and vent warmth. That’s how you bring the temperature inside the tent’s skin into equilibrium with the outside temperature.

But sleeping with the vestibule doors wide open only works in dry conditions or light rain. What if the rain is blowing at you horizontally? Since the Crosspeak’s vestibule doors have zippers down the middle, you can open one of the doors and keep the other half facing the wind closed. The guy-out line on the vestibule doors is interchangeable to facilitate directional pitching.

Comparable Freestanding Tents

Recommendation

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Crosspeak 2 (34 oz) is a single-wall freestanding tent that’s cozy for two people but still light enough for one person to use as a solo shelter. The use of external pole sleeves makes it a strong 3+ season shelter, ensuring a perfect pitch every time. The tent’s interior features near-vertical walls and a high ceiling, providing plenty of space to change your clothing and move around inside, while its “floating” bathtub floor keeps you dry, even when you need to set it up on a less-than-flat tent site. I think the Crosspeak 2 is a fine tent and worth serious consideration if you’re looking for an ultralight freestanding tent.

Disclosure: HMG donated a tent for review.