What is the Dragonfly 2?The Dragonfly is a simple yet versatile freestanding tent designed primarily as a roomy solo or lightweight two-person backpacking shelter. Despite the versatile design and massive amounts of storage space, it weighs just 1.2kg and can be pitched (with a bit of practice) in around 5 minutes.
What is it made of?The Dragonfly uses a super lightweight 15D silicone-coated ripstop nylon fabric for the fly, providing a fully waterproof yet packable barrier from the elements. The inner canopy is made using a similarly lightweight mixture of ripstop nylon and mesh fabrics, while the floor uses a thicker, tougher 20D silicone-coated ripstop nylon. The inner tent uses mesh higher up for greater breathability and a solid nylon fabric lower down for overall weather-resistance. Cleverly, the mesh on the inner is white around the sides for additional privacy and black on the top if you fancy whipping the flysheet off and doing some stargazing. Holding the entire tent together are aluminium DAC Featherlite poles — some of the highest quality available.
How is it constructed?Setting up the tent is about as easy as it gets. Simply loop the poles over the flysheet and clip on, then pop the flysheet over the poles, fasten the guylines/pegs and you're away! The poles are even colour-coded with matching webbing loops for a completely intuitive setup. The Dragonfly is completely freestanding, so if you're pitching on uneven terrain and need to move the tent around, all you'll have to do is detach the pegs/guylines, pick it up and move it to a suitable spot.
What are the Dragonfly's features?Once set up, two zips (one either side) give you access to two separate vestibules, giving you bucket loads of space to store muddy boots, wet kit, your rucksack, etc, or simply escape for a toilet break without waking someone else up. The doors can be pinned back in a multitude of positions depending on how much space you need and the weather conditions. You can either pull back the door entirely to effectively remove one vestibule and have instant access from the sleeping area, or pin back halfway for a little weather-protection and ventilation. The top of both doors also feature a protected vent which can be opened to increase ventilation without allowing water in.
Inside the tent, you've got plenty of mesh pockets to store various bits and bobs, plus a specially-designed Light Pocket, which, as the name gives away slightly, is designed for a headlamp or lantern.
When you're ready to pack up, the Dragonfly comes with a clever storage sack which can be split into parts to separate the load between two people.
- Two-person
- Aluminium DAC Featherlite poles
- Silicone-coated ripstop nylon flysheet
- Vented inner
- Two zipped doors
- Colour-coded poles
- Privacy mesh side panels
- Completely freestanding
- Lightweight
- Divvy Sack
- Light Pocket
How to Care for Your Tent
We know that purchasing a tent is a big investment, that’s why we have such a wide range of options to suit different activities, weather conditions and people, allowing you to choose the perfect one for you. Taking care of your brand new tent can be the difference between heading out for an adventure in the mountains, or having to fork out for a hefty repair bill, or even worse, another replacement tent. Below are our best tips to care for your tent.
Footprint
Before even leaving the shop (or online basket) with your tent, consider a footprint. A footprint is a large water-resistant piece of material which sits underneath your tent to protect it from sharp rocks and wet ground; if this footprint gets damaged, it’s easy to replace and doesn’t cost a fortune; if your tent groundsheet gets damaged, you’ll have to spend at least twice the amount for a repair or replacement.
Don’t Abuse the Poles
The chances are your poles are made from individual aluminium sections connected by elastic; when you come to remove the poles from the tent, don’t pull them out. The best way to remove poles from their sleeve is to place the pole end against your hip and pull the fabric towards you. If you simply attempt to pull the pole out, they’ll disconnect inside, the elastic will stretch and then spring back, potentially trapping the fabric of your tent between the pole sections.
You might also be tempted to flick the poles out so that the elastic snaps them into place in a quickfire fashion. However, this is far from ideal, as if the poles don’t align when they meet, you can easily damage or weaken the end of the pole, leading to future failure which is usually on the wettest and windiest nights!
Collapse Poles From the Centre
When your poles are safely removed from the sleeve, collapse them from the centre to avoid stretching the elastic.
Stuff, Don’t Fold
You were probably told when you were in the Scouts or doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award that the best way to pack your tent away is to neatly fold it into a rectangle, the width of your storage bag, roll it around the poles and pegs and then put it all in the stuffsack. However, whilst very neat and tidy, this method of packing can create permanent creases in the fabric, weaken the waterproofing and eventually split the fabric of your tent. The best solution is to simply stuff the tent fabric into the storage bag, just like you would a sleeping bag, and pack the poles separately. Make sure to leave and end or corner at the top, so that you can easily peg it out if your next campsite is windy. The poles normally have their own stuffsack so they can be packed separately, strapped to the outside of your pack or stored inside, allowing the tent fabric to be compressed for efficient packing.
Store it Dry
Let’s assume you’ve been out with your tent and the weather has been a little on the damp side. You’ve packed your tent away when wet and now you’re back home in the warm and dry with a nice of cup of tea reflecting on your latest adventure. But what about your poor soggy tent? The worst thing you can do is to leave it packed away wet, mildew will grow and eventually rot the tent, rendering it useless. As soon as you’ve finished that cup of tea, wipe off any excess dirt and moisture with a towel, then hang the tent somewhere where it can fully air out; a nice warm spare room or a garage is perfect. Alternatively, when it stops raining, pitch the tent outside in the sunshine to dry off. Let it air for at least 24 hours and once you are sure that it is bone dry it can be packed away for storage. Note - don’t tumble dry or hang the tent over a radiator or other direct heat source.
Don’t Store in the Stuffsack
Like your sleeping bag, it’s best not to store your sleeping bag in its stuffsack unless it has to be compressed for an activity. Leave it in a large duffel bag or supermarket ‘bag for life’ in a cool, well ventilated area so it can breathe.
Avoid Tree Sap
If you’ve ever had sap on your hands, you’ll know how horrible and sticky the stuff is; it’s even harder to remove from your tent flysheet. Pitch away from trees if possible.
Don’t Leave in the Sun
The majority of tents we stock are made from nylon. Nylon is incredibly tough, lightweight and easy to care for, however it will naturally degrade if left out in harsh sunlight for extended periods of time. Try to pitch your tent in the shade or strike the tent (pack it away) during the day. Polyester tents don’t suffer from this quite as badly, but it’s still a good habit to get into.
Leave Sharp Objects Outside
Boots, cooking equipment and other sharp/abrasive objects can all be stored in the vestibule, where there is less chance of it ripping a hole in your fly or groundsheet. You may not want to pop your pet in there, but at least carry a small blanket to avoid their claws damaging your groundsheet.