Maine-based Hyperlite Mountain Gear is known for its high-quality, hand-crafted ultralight backpacking gear. The company works primarily with lightweight Dyneema fabric (formerly cuben fiber) and have become experts in creating equipment with this durable, waterproof material. After expanding its lineup to include shelters, packs and stuff sacks, Hyperlite is broadening its scope again introducing the new Dirigo 2 tent, the company’s first self-contained, three-season, two-person backpacking shelter.
The Dirigo 2 is the result when a group of outdoors enthusiasts and Dyneema experts decide to build something different. Not only does the tent use Dyneema sourced in the US, but it also is constructed with five different Dyneema Composite Fabrics. Each fabric is placed precisely to minimize the weight and maximize the performance of the tent.
Dyneema is a 100 percent waterproof fabric and is regarded to be among the strongest man-made fibers in the world. For Dirigo 2 owners, this means Hyperlite’s backpacking tent doesn’t need a rainfly or even a ground sheet to protect it from the elements. It also is designed to pitch with trekking poles, so you don’t have to carry separate aluminum tent poles or worry about replacing those poles when they break.
The only hardware in the tent is a small piece of lightweight carbon fiber truss that gives the shelter some rigidity across the top of the tent. Backpackers will appreciate not only the weight savings but also the simplicity offered by the Dirigo 2 backpacking tent.
By trimming all the extras, the Dirigo 2 weighs a mere 28 ounces falling squarely into the ultralight category for tents. The tent includes two doors for easy entry/exit and two vestibules for storing extra gear. The inside of the tent is lined with no-see-um mesh walls and breathable panels at the foot and heard for improved airflow. There’s also an internal mesh pocket for storing small items like headlamps inside the tent. The two-person tent weighs a mere 28 ounces and packs down to 12” x 8” x 6″ in the included stuff sack. When pitched, the self-contained shelter offers 32.5 square feet of living space with enough headroom (45″) to sit comfortably. Hyperlite is now selling the Dirigo 2 on its website for $795.
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