A week ago, my wife and I went down the lake we live on for an overniight camp-out.  Luckily the weather was great because when I put up my 15-20 year NorthFace RoadRunner tent, the "windows" in the fly had disinegrated. With that tent destined for the garbage heap, the tent shopping started.

One major problem we have ALWAYS had with backpacking tents is what I considered to be inadequate flies.  One every tent we have had, the fly has not come down low enough to protect the bottom few inches of the tent body wall.  And when my sleeping bag or other such things rest against such a wet wall, moisture seems to wick through.  My preference has been for vestibule tents because in addition to the extra storage, they keep the tent body dry. Yet problems still existed at the head and foot of the tent. And with vestibules, one has to look at the design careful that they allow aduqate ventilation for those hot drizzly nights (more of a concern in my more southern location than for Quetico).

My tent search led me to the Sierra Designs Flash, (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links). The "mini-vestibules" in that tent are at the head and foot of the tent.  The doors are covered by awnings.  There may still be a problem with the doors getting wet, but in my experience that is less a critcal area then the head/foot (time will tell how well the awning works). The Flash seems to have a number of interesting features including the single/double wall hybrid design, the potential for great ventilation, the side mini-vestibules, and others.  So that is is the choice.  Now we have to decide to go with the 2 or the 3 and whether or not to get the regular or FL model.

Given we still have another 2-person tent, we opted for the three to gives us a little extra room when weight is not a high priority.  So now do we get the regular model or the FL.  The FL will cost a little more but I found one at an outlet so the price difference is not that great.  Saving 1.5 pounds is nice, but my biggest convern is waterproofness and durability.  Does anybody out there know anything about fabrics?  This is how the two tent models compare.

Regular:
Fly, 75D Polyester Tafetta, WR/PU1500mm,
Floor, 70D Nylon Tafetta, WR/PU3000mm

FL:
Fly,  20D Nylon Ripstop, Silicone/1500mm PE
Floor, 30D Nylon Ripstop, WR/3000mm PE

So the FL uses thinner material which allows it to be lighter.  But it is different material (ripstop vs taffeta) and it is coated differently. What I have read indicates Silicone is a much better and longer lasting  waterproofing substance.  And it makes the material it is applied to stronger while PU makes the material it is applied to weaker.

My un-educated research has me leaning toward despite its thinness, the FL will actually be comparably strong and more durably waterproof.  Thoughts?

From what I can tell, this is more a double walled tent than single wall, it is just that the "fly" is attached to the "body"  Like my current tent, the "body" on the Flash is a mesh material.  The "fly" rides a couple inches above the "body" (see image).   The one consistent comment by reviewers is how much better this tent is at deling with condensation, given its ventilation.  In fact it may be less than ideal for winter camping as it will tend to be cooler.

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Here is one comment by a reviewer, speaking about the external pole design.
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I don't know about the different fabrics but my last two tents are Sierra Designs.  I've used a Lightening Strike 2 man for solo trips and went through some strong storms bone dry.  I love their quality in the poles also.  I think it's a great choice you made.