A year ago, we took a look at the Crosspeak 2 tent from Hyperlite Mountain Gear. The impressive cut of Dyneema fabric weighed in barely over 2 pounds (907 g), adding yet another intriguing option to an ultralight freestanding tent market that was running white hot at the time. On the downside, it cost more than a dollar per gram. Now Hyperlite has launched the solo version: the Crosspeak 1. The new Dyneema freestander drops well below 2 lb to become one of the lightest out there and also gets a lower price ... but it still follows the same dollar-per-gram+ pricing model.
While ultralight two-person tents can run lighter per backpacker when splitting up the pieces, the absolute lowest weight figure among tents will, of course, come from their single-person counterparts. At a mere 28.7 oz (1.8 lb, 813 g), the Crosspeak 1 becomes one of the lightest freestanding tents available the world over.
The new tent handily undercuts the 35-oz (985-g) X-Dome 1+ that Durston Gear introduced in 2024 and the 44-oz (2.8-lb, 1.3-kg) Lunar Orbiter solo tent Six Moon Designs launched a few months later. Both those are competitors in the freestanding ultralight backpacking tent segment.
In fact, despite bringing along its own DAC Featherlight 8.7 aluminum pole frame, the Crosspeak 1 nearly drops to the same level as Durston's 26-oz (745-g) X-Mid 1 non-freestanding trekking pole tent ... but not quite to the 17.6-oz (499-g) depths of the Dyneema X-Mid 1 Pro. And while those looking to save the most weight might not care about a freestanding design, it can make for faster, simpler setup, improved comfort and easier tent relocation around the campsite.
That's not to say the Crosspeak 1 is the lightest freestanding tent out there. A quick search brought us back to the Samaya Radical 1 we looked at a few years ago, a freestanding 4-season tent that compacts down to a rather amazing packed weight of just 24.5 oz (1.5 lb, 695g ). Another model that just edges out Hyperlite's latest is the U.L. Dome Shelter from Montbell, which weighs in at 27.7 oz (785 g).
Of course, a tent is much more than just a weight on the scale. And Hyperlite gives the Crosspeak 1 some camping advantages that neither the single-wall Samaya nor the Montbell tents have. Hyperlite calls it a single-wall design, but it's really more of a hybrid single/double-wall with a body that pairs ample mesh with waterproof Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) 0.55.
More specifically, the solo Crosspeak features a full-height mesh door inside a weatherproof Dyneema outer door. The outer door can be staked out to create a vestibule for storing dirty shoes, backpacks and gear. The remaining three walls are solid Dyneema fabric, save for a ventilation strip that wraps around just over top the entirety of the DCF 0.96 tub floor. That mesh strip works with the inner door to deliver ample airflow and prevent condensation build-up.
The Crosspeak 1's tub floor measures 88 in (224 cm) long with a width that tapers slightly from 32 in (81 cm) at the head to 29 inches (74 cm) at the foot. That's well narrower than the 34-in-wide (86-cm) floor of the Six Moon Lunar Orbiter or the tapered 50-to-29-in (127-to-74-cm) polygonal floor of the Durston X-Dome 1+. But both those freestanding double-wall tents weigh considerably more, as noted previously.
The Crosspeak 1 delivers 42 inches (107 cm) of headroom at its peak, extending that peak height from sidewall to sidewall via a lateral crossbar that lifts the fabric. That crossbar is joined by two crisscrossing primary poles that run corner to corner for fast, straightforward setup. Hyperlite says it opts to attach those poles using sil-nylon sleeves in place of clips to promote better structure and stability.
Just like the Crosspeak 2, the Crosspeak 1 can be reinforced with trekking poles at both sides for boosted stability in rough weather. It includes lower grommets to secure the trekking pole tips and upper straps for tightening down around the handles.
Other Crosspeak 1 features include two upper vents, a small mesh interior pocket for holding a phone and other pocket contents, and magnetic door ties for quick opening of the outer vestibule door. Hyperlite includes separate Dyneema stuff sacks for the tent fabric and the poles. The stuffed tent measures as little as 8 x 6 x 5 in (20 x 15 x 13 cm) packed, while the poles extend into a packed 15.3 x 2.3-in (39 x 6-cm) cylinder.
Hyperlite launched the Crosspeak 1 this week for US$825, a lofty price that isn't quite the highest among the competitor tents mentioned above (that's the $1,340 Samaya Radical 1) but is well above the remainder, which all start at $600 or less.
Source: Hyperlite Mountain Gear
