LL Bean Microlight UL 2 Review

April 18, 2016
LL Bean Microlight UL 2
16KE018A
LL Bean Microlight UL 2 16KE018A
GEAR INSTITUTE RATINGS
81
Shoulder Room
5
Packability
8
Set Up
8
Weatherproofing
7
Features
3

The Good

  • Very light and packable
  • Big doors and vestibule
  • Lots of mesh

The Bad

  • Cramped quarters
  • Delicate materials
  • Limited ventilation
THE VERDICT

For the weight weenies of the world who count every gram, the LL Bean Microlight UL 2 will be hard to resist. Where other tents in this weight range typically exceed $500 this one is $300. The difference will be felt when hanging out in such a small space during a storm or to get away from the bugs.

FULL REVIEW

Shoulder Room
On paper this is an average looking tent, with 30-square feet of floor space. Even set up it looks good, with vertical sidewalls and two doors and vestibules. There’s plenty of space for two to lie down without spooning and to store gear. But sitting up most will find the headroom lacking. At only 34 inches, a 5’9” tester was pushing the roof. Sit up headroom matters, particularly when the weather’s not good.

Packability
In redesigning the Microlight series, LL Bean managed to ditch 30 percent of the weight, cutting down the theoretical weight to 2.8 lbs, though we found it closer to 3.2 lbs. Regardless, it’s very light and very packable, stuffing down to a football thick tube.

Set Up
The simple double pole and asymmetric design makes set up simple. A cross pole over the doors pushes the walls out to add more room. 

Weatherproof
To the ground fly coverage and a relatively steep roof angle kept rain running away from the tent. The fly and floor are on the lightweight side, so care should be taken. In testing during rain the tent never leaked and it’s narrow profile helped deflect the wind. Without vents, breathability is left to the all mesh walls. It worked okay, but condensation was an issue.

Features
In an effort to cut weight LL Bean kept the features to a minimum. We did appreciate the big doors and vestibules—one on each side. They were easy to open, climb through and pin out of the way.

 


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USER REVIEWS
LL Bean Microlight UL 2 Based on 1 user reviews.
Brian Nordberg
Newbie (1)
Review Date: May 18, 2019
Experience: Experienced
Pros: Lightweight. 30 sq ft, inexpensive, well built
Cons: limited venting, doors that should zip from bottom
Full Review:

Just spent the better part of a week in the tent with all conditions. Rain, strong winds, heat, cold… welcome to the desert. We had no issues with any of the elements and no condensation problems at all. We found headroom to be fine for me (5’9″ and 5’2″ wife).

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