Hyperlite Mountain Gear Crosspeak 1 Freestanding DCF Tent Review

TThe Hyperlite Mountain Gear Crosspeak 1-person tent is perfect if you’re looking for a lightweight stand-alone tent with plenty of room to sit and store extra gear. This is one of the lightest weightless tents on the market.

Made with waterproof DCF and fully taped seams, the Crosspeak is resistant to rain, wind and cold. From the outside, the setup looks small, and doesn’t take up much space with its small footprint. But inside, the tent felt surprisingly roomy, and had plenty of room on my feet and around my sleeping area to store my backpack and other gear at night.

I was able to sit upright with plenty of headroom, and I think we’d still have plenty of room even if someone was a foot taller than me (I’m 5’4″). If you’re someone who wants to be able to pitch a tent in any situation without needing walking poles, this is the tent for you.

MSRP: $825 (+ $39 for Ultralight Tent Stake Kit)
Weight: 28.7 oz
Packaged dimensions of the living space: 8 x 6 x 5 (in) | 20 x 15 x 13 (cm)
Stacked Poles Dimensions: 15.25 x 2.25 x 2.25 (in) | 39 x 6 x 6 (cm)
Materials: Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) 0.55, DCF 0.96, No-See-Um Mesh, 20D Sil-Nylon

Who is the Best

The Crosspeak 1 is aimed at backpackers who prioritize an ultralight setup and the ability to set up a tent comfortably. This way, the tent does not require a hiker to carry poles. And it makes it possible to set up easily on the tent pitch, where putting the poles on the ground of the guylines is not possible.

Experienced hikers or backpackers willing to invest in a high-quality, durable, waterproof light should consider this tent.

Review Status

I tested this tent in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where the temperature dropped to about 30 degrees at night due to strong winds, and one night in northern Massachusetts on the New England Trail. That night in Massachusetts, it rained early in the morning, but the temperature never dropped below 70 degrees. On these two nights, the place had many trees with soft soil and leaves, and there was a small place to set up a tent.

The Crosspeak’s small steps and quick set-up came in handy, and could be useful if you need to set up the tent a bit. Setting up was relatively quick, although the nylon sleeves that the poles need to be guided through on the outside of the tent were difficult to get through, taking a little more time. I’m sure this process will get easier with time after you find the best way. Sleeves provide more structure and stability as opposed to setting a clip.

Features of HMG Crosspeak 1

Easy Free Setup: HMG’s Crosspeak 1 is one of the easiest camping systems I’ve seen. It’s easy to use, and leaves little room for guesswork. There are only a few pieces to it: the tent body, three poles, and poles (sold separately). A bottom sheet can be added, too but is not mandatory.

There are three sections of aluminum poles – two of which are long and sleeved crosswise at the top of the tent, connecting to each of the bottom four corners. The third is shorter, with a detachable orange, which spreads horizontally at the top to increase headroom and stabilize the tent design. The orange pole does not fit into the sleeve.

Side Entrance with One Door: The Crosspeak has a single side entrance with a vestibule, which makes sense for a one-person tent. It can be beneficial if you plan to be strategic about the angle the tent is aimed at, accounting for entry and exit, wind, and view. I found this tent easier to get in and out of than the Zpacks Duplex, which felt like a poor move.

Optional Reinforcement of Walking Poles: This tent offers a stabilization option that can use two walking poles on each side, connecting to the ceiling with a shock cord. This may come in handy on more windy nights. There are guylines you can choose for extra protection.

Multiple Ventilation Points: There are plenty of vents throughout the tent to allow proper airflow. Air flow can help reduce the amount of condensation that builds up inside the tent, which happens a lot with DCF. It also allows for heat release on warm nights.

Strength

Crosspeak 1’s DCF, No-See-Um Mesh, 20D Sil-Nylon, and aluminum pole are some of the strongest ultralight materials out there. HMG’s emphasis on both weight savings and durability is clear in this tent. Although I haven’t put thousands of miles on this one yet, I can say that it holds up well in all types of three-season weather and is more durable than many other comparable tents on the market.

Life

This is one of the best one man tents I have seen. Many one-person tents often feel like you’re crammed into a box. There is no large room, the foot box pressing against the wall gets wet with condensation. It is difficult to get in and out, and there is no place to store gear.

But this tent felt incredibly spacious, more space than I would need at 5’4″, and no issues with gear space. It also has a side door porch to keep shoes or wet gear overnight.

Easy Setup

HMG’s Crosspeak 1 is easy to set up, except for the previously mentioned difficulty of getting the poles into their sleeves. It’s a pretty self-explanatory design. I haven’t tried using trekking poles with the bracing option, but I saw where they would go and it seems like an easy addition.

Three Season Tents vs

Unless you’re trying to get into serious winter hiking, where you’ll need special snow gear, a zero-degree bag, and other winter gear, most hikers and backpackers won’t need a four-season tent.

The danger here is that in the event of a heavy out-of-season snow, the three-season tent may collapse under its own weight. The stability of the pole setup in this particular tent will make it at least as secure in that end as non-freestanding tents, however. A tent ventilation features, which are very useful in three-season conditions, may also allow cold drafts if temperatures drop unseasonably.

Also, most backpackers will encounter four-season conditoins rarely, if ever, during their trip and would prefer a light, airy tent like this one.

Freestanding vs. Independent Tents

Having a freestanding tent means you can pitch almost anywhere. It gives you more flexibility in the type of environment you have to work with. Also, if there is a situation where you need or want to move your tent after setting it up, it is really easy to pick it up while it is completely set up and move it.

The downside to a freestanding tent is that poles add extra weight to your load, as static tents use something you’re probably already carrying: walking poles. Of course there is always the risk that one of the tent poles might break, but with a tent that uses walking poles, if you break one during a hike, you have to find a whole pole to use as a replacement, which is not always an option.

HMG Crosspeak 1 Pros

• It is actually less expensive than other independent, single person, DCF tents
• A long bathtub helps with the water in the basement that stays outside the tent
• Small feet for easy finding a tent site
• Freestanding offers flexibility where it can be used (rock foundations, cement, wooden tent platform)
• One of the lightest freestanding tents on the market
• Simple design with few parts to follow
• Nice spacious interior. Plenty of room to sit, walk around, and store gear.
• Easier to get in and out than Zpacks Duplex
• It can work well for tall or big people
• The light color helps you stay cool when the light is shining
• Rugged design that can withstand rain or wind
• Water easily drains from DCF, which is waterproof by nature, rather than submerging it
• The ventilation system allows for less condensation

HMG Crosspeak 1 Cons

• The poles were difficult to feed with the sleeves. They kept getting caught in the fabric and I would have to pull back and push again. This took some time out of the setup process.
• The DCF above is very small, and can get holes because of this
• Not very packable (DCF is bulky and doesn’t fold or squish down like silnylon and silpoly)
• There is still a 1-person tent that is not standing

All in all

Overall, I would recommend this item. It’s on the expensive side, but there aren’t too many of its kind out there. The combination of DCF fabric, single wall, and self-standing in the tent is unusual, and makes for a very light, light, habitable one-person tent.

Shop Hyperlite Mountain Gear Crosspeak 1 Tent

Similar Tents

Free Zpacks for Zip 3

MSRP: $999
Weight: 34.8 oz

Samaya Equipment Radical 1 Tent

MSRP: $1340
Weight: 24.5 oz

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Crosspeak 1 tent was donated for review purposes