HotBox

This was my first 4-season tent purchase and it will be my last. That’s because my Hotbox isn’t going anywhere. It’s a truly versatile shelter that I’ll be keeping along with my flat tarp as my only two shelters for year round camping.

I’ve camped in this tent during the summer, fall, and exceptionally windy, rainy, and cold German winter. My Hotbox never let me down (minus one exception due to user error).

My user error led me to have water ingress through the rear vent hole. I left the vent open during a windy rainstorm which allowed the water to funnel directly into my tent. Only use this vent during expected dry conditions. This is not a fault of the tent, and mine alone. I’ve since shut the vent during rain and have been kept dry since.

Small campsites? The footprint on this is exceptionally small and should fit in the tightest of campsites.

Worries about condensation? I’ve experienced ZERO in this tent throughout a range of temperatures and weather conditions (with the inner tent used).

Summertime use? Use the inner and open the gear storage vents. Treat the inner tent sides with premetherin and bugs won’t be a concern. The side vents allow plenty of breeze unless you’ve selected a campsite with no proper breeze. Site selection issues are always on the user, not the user’s gear.

High winds? With over 20!!! tie-out points, your Hotbox won’t go anywhere. I’ve had 65 mph gust for two days and my tent has suffers no damage. I slept soundly through the night and never once had to re-adjust. Don’t expect to lay out your tent in-staked and expect it to stay put, this is true of any shelter. Be realistic and you won’t be disappointed. I’m extremely happy with the web truss design and the versatility and strength it allows. I never plan on using the DAC clips as I find the Web truss benefits outweigh it’s weight disadvantage.

Don’t need the inner? Purchase the footprint at a reasonable price and you’ve got the strongest, full coverage setup I can imagine at a fraction of the weight.

Caution: If you’re super tall, check the spec sheet to ensure you’ll fit. I can’t two 6’3”+ folks fitting in this together.

Improvement areas: I’d suggest Slingfin add more photos to the product webpage to show the proper setup of the tent similar to how Stone Glacier does. Specifically, I’m referring to the clip points of the inner and outer tent; at first I was clipping both inner and outer to the same loop. After visiting S.G’s website, I realized the proper setup. No other complaints. Love what you guys are doing at Slingfin!

I have used the Hotbox for a year now, and it has fast become my go to tent for climbing trips where space and weight matter. It has performed well in exposed bivy sites like Mt. Shuksan's Fisher Chimney's route, alpine basins in the Rockies at 11-12k feet, and winter camping in the forest with loads of overnight snow. The hotbox breathes well enough to use for summer backpacking on trips where more robust protection is needed than ultralight tents. The tent material itself is great for moisture resistance and holding tension so I'm sold on sil/sil nylon tents. The side vestibules were an adjustment, but now I appreciate having a storage area that is not also used as an entry. The string and toggle port doors are also quieter than zippers if you need something while your partner is sleeping.

I've been using the Hot Box for a year now and just came back from a 10 day mountain guide exam in the Northern Cascades. This tent performed so well, that I was compelled to write Slingfin and share my appreciation for a well designed product. Most other single wall tents in this weight range are often half jokingly referred to as the tents you bring out when if you don't really need a tent. The condensation and inadequate waterproofing makes most of the competition pretty marginal. Not so with the HotBox. The double wall design, thoughtful construction, great craftsmanship, and refreshing features are a real win. I wouldn't mind saving a little more weight by cutting off some of the feature I don't use and adding an optional front vestibule to help getting in and out of the tent in bad a weather a better experience, but I can see why the design choices were made as they are and we will each have a slightly different feature set desire. Over all, a very impressive, functional and light product. Highly recommend for alpine use where weight, function, waterproofness, and versatility are a premium!

The Slingfin Hotbox! This tent is both unique and stylish. Upon seeing the floor size of the tent, I had thought that it would comfortably fit two single sleeping mats, but there was slightly less space than I had anticipated. Nevertheless, the tent provided enough room for one adult and one child. I used it in the rainy mountains with my 6-year-old son, and we were both very satisfied with the Hotbox's special "space" that felt like we were in a cozy vestibule.

I am not doing mountaineering trips but I was looking for a solid tent for Sierra snow camping that could handle any kind of weather. I have used another single wall tent of similar dimensions that was a half pound lighter but couldn't stand the condensation. This tent has been great during the two trips I have had it on. All of the pockets are handy and I used one of the side flaps for storing my boots and gaiters as designed. Probably won't ever need 14 guy lines, but I bring 5 and the total weight without stakes and the stake/pole bags is 58oz. The webtruss is amazingly strong. Steep walls and bomber construction and I am not worried about 3 feet of snow falling. 2 people would be tight but it's perfect for 1.