SlingFin Portal 2 Review

With 8.7mm diameter DAC Featherlite poles for durability and 10D and 20D ripstop nylon for the fly and floor, respectively, the Portal 2 is a shelter that expertly balances comfort and weight. You can also upgrade to 9.3mm poles to tip the scales towards durability.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Portal 2 will have you sleeping soundly in the backcountry. Though it is a slightly below average at 85.6 inches in length, it makes up for it where it matters, giving you 51 inches across the top for sleeping. It cuts down on weight by tapering to 42 inches at the foot.

The 44-inch peak ceiling height in the center lends the tent an airy feel. With a cross pole that expands the ceiling space laterally, the tent offers a generous 13.2 square feet of floor area with headroom. It makes all the difference when you and your partner need to sit up and move around simultaneously.

The two side doors aren't the largest we've encountered, but they are still generous enough to make getting in and out easy. The pockets inside the Portal 2 are dynamite. With seven in total, it has more storage than most models we tested. They are evenly distributed throughout the tent, making it easy to store and reach your items throughout the tent.

This tent comes with two kickstand vents that prop open the fly zipper while keeping the fly in place. What makes them different from other models is that they are fully detachable, as opposed to embedded in the fly itself. Though you could certainly keep them attached, we appreciate having the option.

These vents help cut down on condensation when you're held down by bad weather. When it's nice out, rolling back both sides of the vestibules lets breezes roll through.

Weather Resistance

There are some wonderfully sneaky weather resistance features built into the Portal 2. It has a standard triangle-shaped vestibule geometry, but the tent comes with outrigger attachments at each end of the cross pole. This makes it possible to stabilize the whole structure with two trekking poles, improving its ability to resist wind and snow.

In addition to its impressive ten external guy points and two tabs to pull the rainfly taut on either end, this tent has pre-attached interior guylines at the foot, which can be tightened in windy conditions to take in any slack and minimize wind whip. Additional loops let you rig the same system by the head of the tent if needed.

Like most tents, the Portal 2 can be pitched fly-first so it doesn't get soaked in the rain. It's a great thought, but in practice, we found that it is more cumbersome to do the setup work underneath the fly as opposed to just setting it up normally and moving quickly. The interior of the tent and underside of the fly stayed dry during three days of rain, even after being set up on wet grass.

Space to Weight Ratio

At 3.34 pounds, the Portal 2 is worth its weight in our minds. For just a few ounces more than other top tents, it offers far more weather protection and seems very durable to boot. The other factor we consider is how much livable space you get per pound of weight. The Portal is impressive there as well.

The floor measures 27.7 square feet, 13.2 of which offers enough headroom to sit up or kneel. That works out to 8.3 square feet of floor space and 4 square feet of headroom per pound. Those numbers are enough to score above average in this metric. If you split the weight between two people, then you will be hard-pressed to find a lighter tent that is explicitly equipped to stand up to snowfall.

Somehow, this tent seems to pack down even smaller than we expected. The included stuff stack has some of the smallest dimensions in the category — and it's not even difficult to get the whole thing back in the bag. Similarly, the 10D fly and 15D tent are both very thin (though not too delicate) and stuff easily into the bottom of a backpack.

Ease of Use

Pitching this tent is very similar to many other models. The pole segments in the main structure are elastic-bound and click together in a few seconds. Each of the four corners slide into a grommet at each corner, and clips connect the tent body to the poles. Simple enough.

The sleeves that hold the cross pole on the Portal make it one of the easiest to attach in our lineup. Unlike with many other tents, we never had to wrestle with it or pull an excessive amount of tension to secure the second side. Though the loops that secure the fly at each corner are color-coded, the red/black scheme blends into the tent and doesn't stand out as well as we'd like. It's easy to mix up the fly alignment now and then.

As far as day-to-day use, we're overall pleased. You do need two hands to open the inner door. But, since the cross pole extends beyond the tent body, it gives you enough room to duck into the vestibule while you open it. That makes it a much more relaxed experience, even if it's raining. Though some of the elements, like thin paracord loops to tie back the doors and attach the fly, are less elegant than others, they all work well. The generous pockets are large enough to do the same.

Construction Quality

This tent seems very well-made and has shown itself to be durable. Though the fly and floor are relatively thin 10-denier and 20-denier ripstop nylon, respectively, a complement of additional features makes its quality stand out.

The Portal comes with a second set of zipper pulls already installed so that, if the main set fails, you can slide them out of the way and deploy the second set. We appreciate this since zippers are often one of the first components to break. Fortunately, we didn't need to use these during testing, but they are ready to go when needed.

You can also upgrade to heavy-duty poles if the standard 8.7mm isn't burly enough. Though these thicker poles are sold separately, we haven't even seen this option available in many other models. And, though it seems like a small thing, the Portal comes with ten stakes, which is more than it needs for a standard pitch in calm weather conditions and enough to help batten down the hatches when you need to deploy the extra guy lines.

Should You Buy the Slingfin Portal 2?

The Portal is a lightweight and comfortable two-person tent with enough storage for all your gear. It's great for those focused on ounce-cutting without sacrificing comfort and storm protection. It is a pricey investment, but one that is well worth it for the pair of backcountry hikers who want to move quickly during the day and sleep well at night.

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