Kelty Salida 2 Review

COMPLETE REVIEW

Kelty is on the market since 1952. It is a company based in Colorado and it’s managed to build a solid reputation in the outdoor equipment industry. Kelty manufactures tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, military equipment and more.

The Salida 2 backpacking tent is a budget-friendly product. It is a 3-season tent with a capacity of 2 people.

Here are the main specifications of the Salida 2:

• Capacity: 2-person
• 3-season tent
• Dimensions (L X W X H): 88 x 55/45 x 43 in
• Packed size: 13 x 15 in
• Packaged weight: 4 pounds and 9 ounces
• 2 pole design
• 1 door
• 1 vestibule
• Floor and fly materials: 68D Nylon, 1800mm& 68D Polyester, 1800mm

Design

The Salida tent comes in several sizes, for 1, 2 or 4 people. We are going to review the 2-person version.

The tent is relatively light, although the included stuff sack is quite large (13” x 15”). It is by no means an ultralight tent, but it can’t be considered heavy either. If you are just using it for shorter, easier/casual hiking trips, you should have no problems taking it with you. When it is fully packed, the Salida 2 weighs 4 lb. 4 oz., but if you want to go minimum and only take the tent and a few stakes, you can lower the weight to 3 pounds and 14 ounces. The floor is 30.5 square feet and you’ve also got a 10-foot vestibule, but it isn’t roomy enough to fit all your stuff in there. Unfortunately, there are only one door and only one vestibule, which can be a bit inconvenient when you are using the tent for 2, as it was designed.

The Salida 2 is a freestanding tent which uses 2 aluminum, compact and folding poles and hug clips to be set up. They easily snap in together and the clips are color coded to ease your job even more. Setting up the Salida 2 is a few minutes task. There are also 4 guy points you can use in windy conditions. The guylines and stakes are included in the package when you buy the tent. The zipper is noiseless, which is good news especially if you’re sharing the tent with someone and don’t want to disturb them every time you want to come in or out of the tent.

Comfort-wise, the tent is spacious enough for 2 people and if you put a 6 foot sleeping bag inside the tent, it won’t touch the end walls. The sloped ceiling is high enough so you won’t feel claustrophobic. You can also sit upright inside the tent.  However, the Salida 2 is a bit shorter than other tents, so if you are very tall, you might want to look for another model. Also, if you do share it with someone, don’t expect to have too much room to store all your camping gear. It is also a bit uncomfortable to enter and leave the tent on the single D-shaped door the tent, when 2 people are using the Salida 2. Kelty should have went for a 2-door design with this one.

In addition to the 10 square ft. vestibule, you also have internal pockets for storage and gearloft loops to hang items such as your lighting gear. One useful addition is the included gear loft which other manufacturers charge you extra for.

When it comes to ventilation, the Salida 2 is not your best choice. Air circulation is not great with the Salida 2 and the tent doesn’t really perform well in damp conditions or when it rains. While the high bathtub walls will make sure you stay dry during rain, you will struggle with condensation, especially if you leave the rain fly on, which covers the tent like a second layer of skin. If you open and roll back the door, you will experience an improvement.

Other than that, the tent is quite waterproof thanks to its fully seam taped construction. And the Salida 2 feels pretty durable too, so you should be able to enjoy it for year and years.