Black Diamond Beta Light Shelter Review

Black Diamond Beta Light Shelter
4.5
Overall Rating:
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Brand:
Black Diamond
Size:
2 Person
Rating:
4 Season
Price Range:
$100-$200
Black Diamond Beta Light Shelter
Avg customer rating on Amazon: 5.0
See more customer reviews.

The Black Diamond Beta Light Shelter is an ultralight backpacking tent for campers looking for a basic but sturdy 2 person tarp shelter.

For those of you who have ever spent much time backpacking in a wilderness area you know that keeping your pack as light as possible is essential. At 1 pound 8 ounces of packed weight it doesn't get much lighter than this model. And the packed size, at 4 inches by 6 inches, is barely larger than a Nalgene water bottle.

All this in a tent rated 4 seasons is pretty impressive. Just watch below how the Beta Light Shelter stands up to a hard hail storm and you'll get the sense of its durability and roominess.

 

Video Review

Our Tent Review

Features Of The Black Diamond Beta Light

For those long distance hikers who enjoy exploring the unknown and who regularly use trekking poles to help with those long distance hikes and climbs the Black Diamond Beta Light shelter may be the perfect option providing you with a shelter against the elements while making use of those trekking poles instead to set up the shelter and reducing the added weight that tent poles add to your pack.

This 4 season shelter is lighter than most bivvy sacks while providing enough room for two.

Features:

  • Weighs a mere 19 ounces making it one of the most lightweight shelters around
  • Assembles easily using 2 trekking poles (not included) or by tying to trees
  • Packs to a mere 4 By 6 inches
  • 7 stake outs
  • 1 door
  • 34.7 square feet of space
  • Optional bug netting
  • Requires seam sealing
  • Floorless shelter

Reviews For The Beta Light Shelter

Reviews for the Black Diamond Beta Light Shelter are excellent. While this shelter is designed for a small segment of those who enjoy camping it serves a real purpose for those who need to travel light.

Users accustomed to using this type of shelter rate this one 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5. Here is what they liked and didn’t like about this shelter.

Pros Of The Beta Light:

  • Extremely lightweight
  • Takes up limited space in your backpack
  • Roomy
  • Easy to set up
  • Handles various types of weather well. One user wrote: “I have used this thing in winter, summer and in winds.” (backcountry review)

Cons Of The Beta Light:

There actually was little that users didn’t like about the Beta light. However, several reviewers did mention that they wished the seams came already sealed and that this shelter had bug netting built in.

However, considering this shelter is floorless even with bug netting you won’t be able to keep all the bugs out of your sleeping area.

Conclusion

While this shelter is not designed for those people who want to enjoy a relaxing weekend camping with family it is a great shelter for those who love backcountry excursions and need a lightweight shelter option that is easy to put up and take down.

According to reviews it is a sturdy 2 person shelter that will keep you dry in assorted weather conditions and saves weight by making use of your trekking poles for setting up. It is a great option for those true adventurers among us.

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