Mountain Hardwear SuperMegaUL 1 Tent Review

Note: The SuperMegaUL 1 has been discontinued and replaced by the Mountain Hardwear Nimbus UL 1.

Tents are portable fabric homes for hippies, hobos, and hikers. Commonly employed outdoors for “camping,” a tent can be a person’s best friend and nightly escape from the elements (or a terrible place to be cornered by a hungry animal).

Many hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail choose to forgo sleeping in a tent, choosing instead to cowboy camp most (dry) nights out on the trail. However, the charms of cowboy camping are lost on me, and I enjoy the comfort of my wilderness home each night. The Mountain Hardwear-produced structure I have been erecting nightly to protect me from the elements and insects goes by the name of SuperMegaUL 1, and it is fantastic.

The Basics

First of all: SuperMegaUL 1. It’s an awesome name (although it is a mouthful).

Before we move forward, in the interest of full disclosure, this is my first long-distance hiking trip, and I have little to compare my experience with this tent. The tent offers room for one person and minimal gear storage (mesh pocket, I love you).

• Minimum Weight: 1 lb 13 oz / 807 g
• Packed Weight: 2 lb 3 oz / 0.98 kg
• Floor Area: 16 sq ft / 1.5 sq m
• Doors: 1
• Poles: 1 (cross-bar style)
• Vestibules: 1
• Interior Height: 33 in / 84 cm

The Good

I can honestly say that I am one of the few people I met on the Pacific Crest Trail who had no complaints about my tent (that is, of the people I discussed tents with).

The Freestanding

Although I wavered at times, I have decided that I prefer a freestanding tent. You can easily shake it out in the morning, you do not need to worry about finding good ground to drive your stakes into, and you can pick up and move if you decide you don’t like your campsite – the benefits are well worth it (it may not seem like much, but when trying to put up your tent in the rain in terrible terrain you will be glad for your poles then).

The Weight

As a freestanding tent, the Mountain Hardwear SuperMega UL1 requires poles—and poles are heavy (relatively). However, this tent is one of the lightest in its class, and at under two pounds (minimum weight), there is not much to complain about.

The No Hassle

Pitching and breaking down this tent was a breeze. It packs up easily (I did away with the stuff sacks, stored the stakes wrapped in the tent, and kept the poles separately) and can easily be tucked away into the corners of your pack. Rarely was I not the first of my companions with their tent pitched at night or packed up in the morning.

The Pocket

It may not seem like much now, but the mesh pocket inside the tent was awesome. I am still unsure why I was so grateful for its presence, but I used it every night, and it kept me organized while I attempted to sleep.

The Okay

The Interior

The SuperMega UL1 is highest near the door at 33 in 83.8 cm, and I could sit up (cross-legged) with my head in this space quite comfortably. But only in this space. Occasionally, I found myself pressed against the ceiling while sorting out my sleeping pad and bag, yet this provided only a minor inconvenience.

The Weather Resistance

Since it is a three-season tent, it does not stand up to rain and snow as well as a tent could (although the wind was never a problem once you got it staked down). However, if you do not have it staked correctly in wet conditions (and even when you do), then you can count on most of your belongings being moist (at best) in the morning.

The Vestibule

Having a vestibule available is a definite upside (although using my alcohol stove in it meant certain death). However, the vestibule provided only a small amount of space, and if I wanted to avoid leaning my pack against the inside of it, I would have to use my pack cover to ensure the protruding edges did not get wet.

The Bad

As much as I would like to say that my choice of tent for the PCT was perfect in every regard, I cannot.

The Price

Although the $350 price tag is not significantly more or less than that of any of the other single-person ultralight tents available, it could surely be improved.

The Stakes

I do not know what I was doing wrong (the answer is nothing; the stakes are sub-par), but only two of the tent’s stakes have survived without being bent, broken, or otherwise rendered less-than-ideal.

Conclusion

Overall, I was delighted with my choice of tent, and I will most certainly employ the Mountain Hardwear SuperMegaUL 1 in the future.

I sometimes toyed with the idea of buying a Tarptent, but after hearing friends complain of the laborious setup (and witnessing much frustration), I reassured myself that I had the right gear for me.

Check out the SuperMegaUL 1 for yourself.

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