Zorali Summit-Seeker 2P UL Tent

Ultralight gear has many advantages, but it does come with drawbacks, one of the key—if not for many people, the key—being the price. The equation is usually simple: fewer grams = more bucks. But not always. Aussie outdoor-gear company Zorali—still relatively youthful at just six years old—set out to prove that equation wrong when it released its Summit-Seeker 2P Ultralight Backpacking Tent. So let’s cut straight to the chase. The Summit-Seeker’s weight: 1,763g (as I weighed it, including pegs, bag, et al). It’s price: a mere $500. Now, look, I know $500 is not nothing for a tent, but for a tent on the boundaries of ultralight, that’s damn good value. I say “on the boundaries of ultralight”, because in my mind 1.7kg sits right on it, although I know there’ll be some who’d argue ultralight 2P tents might only start at 1.2kg. Regardless, this is still a light enough tent.

And it’s spacious, too. I found there was plenty of head height (the interior height is apparently 110cm), and with essentially vertical interior walls, there’s loads of usable volume. Meanwhile, the fly has a good angle, meaning the vestibules have plenty of space, and that they can shed wind easily. And the basically hexagonal footprint of the fly, once it’s staked out, means that wind direction isn’t an issue. The included guy lines will help with wind, too.

The interior is full mesh. That’s great for summer, although not ideal for the winter months (depending on where you’re heading). The interior is also completely free standing, although you’ll need pegs to stake out the fly. Speaking of pegs, I like the fact my Summit-Seeker came with eleven of them (plus repair patches, seam sealer, a pole sleeve, extra guy lines); it seems some tents nowadays are being shipped with just a few pegs in order to save on packed weight.

There’s a nice-sized gear loft, and the interior-access doors are huuuge; not only can you enter and exit the tent easily, you can open it up for a nice, airy feeling. The doors, however, both interior and exterior, have a two-zip system rather than the usual one. Some people won’t like this. I thought I’d be one of them, but I quickly got used to it. And really, for the exterior doors, you can just use one. What’s more, because they’re two-way zips, you can pull them inwards when closing them, rather than the usual process of tugging them away.

One last thing: Zorali gear in general has a cool, understated, retro aesthetic, and the Summit-Seeker is no exception. And while it mightn’t be the lightest UL tent out there, it is one of the best value.

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