Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • CAMPING GEAR
  • HIKING GEAR
  • SPRING GEAR
  • SUMMER GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED

Gear Shed: MSR Carbon Reflex 3 Featherweight Tent

  • August 13, 2021
  • Mountain Life Media
Total
16
Shares
16
0
0
0
0
0
Total
16
Shares
Share 16
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

GearShedLogo

words & photography :: Todd Lawson.

Camping is one of the best things known to mankind. But without tents, there would be no camping, and without lightweight tents, there would be no backcountry camping. When I opened the box of new MSR Carbon Reflex Featherweight Tent, I initially thought they had shipped the wrong tent. A 3-person tent can’t be this light, can it? Oh yes it can. For those gram-counters out there, full packaged weight is 1.19kg —just slightly heavier than one litre of water.

Gear-Shed-MSR-Carbon-Reflex-3-Featherweight Tent-Todd-Lawson-no-fly-meadow

The first test was a solo hiking trip into the Pemberton, B.C. backcountry. I could’ve gone with a small bivy sack or even a hammock, but jeopardizing a good night’s sleep wasn’t in the cards. You might as well spread out and let your body and brain get some rest. The tent fit easily into my pack and was thankfully quite intuitive to set up, with a single well-designed, colour-coded DAC carbon pole that clicks into place fast and easy.

A couple of other nice touches made my experience a little better. Note the ‘walled’ fabric corners, which provide more space inside the tent and prevent socks and things from hiding in the corners of the tent, only to be found months later. The Carbon Reflex is also a stargazer’s dream, with wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor mesh for sweeping views of the sky, and to keep out all of those alpine mosquitoes.

I could’ve gone with a small bivy sack or even a hammock, but jeopardizing a good night’s sleep wasn’t in the cards.

The second test was a moto-camping trip through southern B.C.’s beautiful Fraser Canyon.

Gear-Shed-MSR-Carbon-Reflex-3-Featherweight Tent-Todd-Lawson-no-fly-woman-inside

As a couples’ tent, a double-wide mattress fits in here perfectly, with separate entryways so you don’t have to stumble over your partner to get outside to take a pee in the middle of the night. We had a pretty snug sleep all together on the double-wide, but three individual mattresses also fit inside perfectly.

Gear-Shed-MSR-Carbon-Reflex-3-Featherweight Tent-Todd-Lawson-pitched-at-campsite

The bad news: Perhaps the only ‘con’ of this tent is lack of interior space if three adults are heading on a multi-day backpacking trip. It would be pretty snug inside with bodies and other stuff, with not too much room for packs inside the small vestibules, but definitely doable.


Gear-Shed-MSR-Carbon-Reflex-3-Featherweight-Tent-pitched-isolated
Photo: MSR

But this tent is all about getting you out there into the wilderness no matter how far or how long. It’s light, it’s easy to set up and take down, and it’s easy to pack and carry. The good news: Now you can bring more Scotch.

Packability

Packability
97 100 0 1
This tent really is featherweight: Lightweight fabrics, carbon-fiber poles, and a zipper-free vestibule minimize the weight down to 2 lbs 4 oz – incredible for a 3-person tent with a floor area of 38.5 sq. ft. And it packs down to roughly the size of your sleeping pad.
This tent really is featherweight: Lightweight fabrics, carbon-fiber poles, and a zipper-free vestibule minimize the weight down to 2 lbs 4 oz – incredible for a 3-person tent with a floor area of 38.5 sq. ft. And it packs down to roughly the size of your sleeping pad.
97/100
Total Score iLegend
The best

Weatherproofing

Weatherproofing
96 100 0 1
The DuraShield waterproof-coated rainfly, combined with the Xtreme Shield waterproof-coated “bathtub”-style floor lend peace of mind when weather hits.
The DuraShield waterproof-coated rainfly, combined with the Xtreme Shield waterproof-coated “bathtub”-style floor lend peace of mind when weather hits.
96/100
Total Score iLegend
The best

Liveability

Liveability
95 100 0 1
Large doors on either side provide easy entry and exit, particularly when nature calls during the night and you don’t want to step on your tent-partner(s). MSR is upfront about this being an ideal tent for two people, with an option to add a third if necessary. Sleeping three in here is certainly doable, but tight. But if you’re just sleeping and not lounging, this is a tiny price to pay for this level of versatility.
Large doors on either side provide easy entry and exit, particularly when nature calls during the night and you don’t want to step on your tent-partner(s). MSR is upfront about this being an ideal tent for two people, with an option to add a third if necessary. Sleeping three in here is certainly doable, but tight. But if you’re just sleeping and not lounging, this is a tiny price to pay for this level of versatility.
95/100
Total Score iLegend
The best

First Journey Trails: In Indigenous Communities, the Benefits of Biking go Beyond Economic
Total
16
Shares
Share 16
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • camping
  • lightweight tent
  • MSR
  • MSR tents
  • tent
Mountain Life Media

Previous Article
FelixGrard_turtleisland
  • Mountain Lifer

Félix Girard: Master-Brewer of Imagination / Maître-brasseur de l’imaginaire

  • August 12, 2021
  • Mountain Life Media
View Post
Next Article
TIm-River-Access-Point-Alqonquin-Park-canoe-SUP-Ned-Morgan-photo
  • Mountain Lifer
  • On The Trail
  • Stay & Play

CanaDream’s Deluxe Van Camper: Not your Grandparents’ RV

  • August 13, 2021
  • Ned Morgan
View Post
You May Also Like
Mustang-Survival-WOMENS-HELIX-CCS
View Post
  • SPRING GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • WINTER GEAR

Gear Shed: Our End-of-Winter Picks

  • Ned Morgan
  • March 23, 2023
Elements-Outfitters-Filson-cabin
View Post
  • FALL GEAR
  • SPRING GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • WINTER GEAR

Elements Outfitters Partners with SALTS to Protect Alberta’s Incredible Landscapes

  • Editor
  • March 16, 2023
Lynx-OGT-Flashlight-standing-up
View Post
  • SPRING GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • WINTER GEAR

Gear Shed: Top Picks for Shredding, Snacking + Seeing in the Dark

  • Ned Morgan
  • March 9, 2023
Oyuki-Collage
View Post
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • WINTER GEAR

Outfit the Whole Family with Oyuki & evo

  • Mountain Life Media
  • February 28, 2023
moonbike-electric-snow-bike
View Post
  • SPRING GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • WINTER GEAR

Gear Shed: Our Picks for Winter + Beyond

  • Ned Morgan
  • February 23, 2023
Red-LTD-106-RIDE-MOZ-34
View Post
  • Paddling
  • THE GEAR SHED

Red Paddle Co Releases Limited Edition Board to Support Love the Oceans Charity

  • Ned Morgan
  • February 14, 2023
Rossignol-XP-100-positrack-snow-terrain
View Post
  • Skiing
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • WINTER GEAR

Cover More Terrain: Rossignol XP 100 Positrack Nordic Skis

  • Ned Morgan
  • February 10, 2023
Norco-Bigfoot2-fat-bike-winter-ride-MTB
View Post
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • WINTER GEAR

Gear Shed: Midwinter Picks

  • Ned Morgan
  • February 7, 2023
Featured Posts
  • Skiing at Hudson Bay Mountain in Smithers 1
    Where Eagles Dare
    • March 27, 2023
  • Mountain-Life-20th-showreel 2
    20 Years of ML
    • March 24, 2023
  • Mustang-Survival-WOMENS-HELIX-CCS 3
    Gear Shed: Our End-of-Winter Picks
    • March 23, 2023
  • natural-selection-Redbull 4
    Friday Flick: Natural Selection Tour Highlights
    • March 17, 2023
  • Powder-Highway-BC-ski 5
    Powder Highway Revisited
    • March 21, 2023
RECENT POSTS
  • AleTrailsSouthernInterior_Vernon_MikeGamble_LookoutTrail_BenHaggarPhoto
    Ale Trails: Southern Interior Part 1, Vernon + Shuswap
    • March 20, 2023
  • Elements-Outfitters-Filson-cabin
    Elements Outfitters Partners with SALTS to Protect Alberta’s Incredible Landscapes
    • March 16, 2023
  • Bora-Boreal-Quebec-winter-cabin-stars
    Bora Boréal: Frozen in Time and Ice
    • March 14, 2023
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
No one called me Feet Banks back in 1987. In those days, most people called me by my given name—except for my ski buddies, to whom I was known by the most badass moniker to ever schuss the slopes: Twinkle Toes.
We’re celebrating 20 Years of Mountain Life!
From The Gear Shed: Last Monday was the official start of spring, but we know there’s still some winter to be shredded. So ML staff and partners have picked the latest jackets, lanterns, bindings, mugs and drysuits for winter-spring.
Exploring the sights around beautiful Sutton, Quebec with ML creator @adv_bird ❄️🫶
Back on the road with three generations, dancing lifties, best-on-planet pizza and elusive-but-exquisite pow days.
Live It Up EP 24 is out now!
The Southern Interior region of BC holds an ecological cross-section of the province with alpine meadows, arid Douglas fir grasslands, damp cedar and hemlock forests of the Columbia Mountains and the warm expanse of Shuswap Lake.
Do Not Disturb mode activated ✅ #mountainlifer
Conceived by superhuman snowboarder @travisrice, the @naturalselection Tour highlights earth’s premier riders, from big-mountain mavens to Olympians, all competing on the most stoketastic—and unpredictable—terrain known to humankind.
Built upon a shared desire to enjoy, respect, and advocate for Alberta’s incredible landscapes, it was a natural fit for @elementsoutfitters to work with a local conservation organization @saltslandtrust to highlight the province’s rugged beauty and outdoor apparel to match.
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

No one called me Feet Banks back in 1987. In those days, most people called me by my given name—except for my ski buddies, to whom I was known by the most badass moniker to ever schuss the slopes: Twinkle Toes.
We’re celebrating 20 Years of Mountain Life!
From The Gear Shed: Last Monday was the official start of spring, but we know there’s still some winter to be shredded. So ML staff and partners have picked the latest jackets, lanterns, bindings, mugs and drysuits for winter-spring.
Exploring the sights around beautiful Sutton, Quebec with ML creator @adv_bird ❄️🫶
Back on the road with three generations, dancing lifties, best-on-planet pizza and elusive-but-exquisite pow days.
Live It Up EP 24 is out now!
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.