Black Diamond Beta Light

9.6
9.6 score
(Gearweare.net) score (9.6)/10

Our Gearweare.net score is based on 3 different factors: Editor's rating after in-depth testing. User ratings submitted on this page Overall score from the "reviewmeter" based on reviews across the web the weight of each factor is: 40% editor rating 15% user ratings 45% reviewmeter.
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Editor rating: 9.5 / 10
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Black Diamond Beta Light Review Facts

When braving the great outdoors, one of the most important pieces of gear to think about bringing is a tent. Having a reliable tent can make or break a camping trip, and it is important to ensure that the right tent is brought along to suit the needs of the trip. Ideally, a good tent will bring comfort, space, and protection from bad weather. After a long day of being outside, it is important to have any comfort, no matter how small. A warm place to rest your head at night can be invaluable while on a camping trip because after braving the outdoors the pleasure of comfortable rest can reenergize you for the next day's adventure. With a tent such as the Black Diamond Beta Light, your needs will surely be met. Below is a review of this product.

Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros

Affordable

Can be used in all seasons

Extremely lightweight 

Easy to pitch

Made out of strong materials

Cons

Condensation problems

No floor

Not seam sealed

See How
Reviews were analyzed here:
We read, analyze and sort reviews into positive & negative categories to give you the complete picture.
What are buyers saying?

We have spent 1.5 hours analyzing a total of 47 reviews.

These reviews are then categoried into "Positive" and "Negative" feedback.

Below you will read a summary of them:

Positive
  • This shelter is super lightweight.
  • With a little practice, setup only takes a minute or two.
  • The protection it offers exceeds buyer expectations.
  • This is great to have with you as an emergency shelter in case of sudden adverse weather.
  • This tent does not require its own poles. It is designed to be used with trekking poles which further saves on weight and space.
  • Buyer's have successfully used this in rain, strong wind, hail, and snow.
  • Although small, it has plenty of space for two people.
  • The full setup and take down is simple and easy for one person.
  • It dries quickly.
  • It allows some space to sit up underneath.
  • This shelter provides a bit more privacy than a traditional tarp.
  • For all the use you can get out of this shelter, it is reasonably priced.
  • It can be set up on the ground or several inches above depending on how much ventilation is wanted.
  • Once the seams are sealed well, the seal will last for a long time.
  • For people who don't like traditional tarps, this is a much more approachable and easier option.
Negative
  • The seams must be sealed after purchasing which can take some time and effort.
  • There is limited ventilation when placed against the ground so some condensation can accumulate inside.
  • As with any new equipment, it is important to practice setting this tent up before taking it out on adventures.
  • If you are base hiking, then it can be inconvenient to break down the shelter each day to use your trekking poles.
  • This tent must be staked which limits where it can be set up.
  • Poles are not included. It is designed to be used with trekking poles that extend to at least 130cm.
  • The poles sit along the center line under the shelter.
  • Trekking pole tips can rip the material if not careful.
  • Black Diamond does not sell poles for this shelter.
  • This is not a full tent with a bottom. It is a shelter without built-in bug protection.
Reviewmeter
The Reviewmeter shows you an overall score that you can easily refer to. The highest rating is 10 (100% positive feedback)
Of the 47 reviews we found in total, 4% were negative, and 96% were positive.
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Interior Room

The Black Diamond Beta Light has a generously spacious interior, particularly for such a compressible tent. This tent can comfortably house two people alongside all of their gear. Also, cooking inside of the tent is no problem should the need arise, for example, if there is bad weather. A third person could be squeezed into the tent if everyone is sitting upright, if the need to do things like play games, socialize, or whether out a storm comes to the fore. The tent has one zippered door, which provides privacy when camping in a space with other camp-goers or in order to help keep the tent insulated in colder temperatures. The dimensions of the tent are 98 x 80 for the center, x 44 inches on the ends, with a useable height of 43.5 inches. Even though this tent packs down to a small size, once unfurled, campers will find copious amounts of space within for whatever their needs may be.

Seasonal Use

One of the best features of The Black Diamond Beta Light is that it can be used in all weather conditions. The tent has a pyramid design with an open concept floor and single wall. For optimal weather resistance, it is recommended to pin down all seven of the steak points. There is one stake in each of the four corners. There are two in the center of the longest wall as well as one securing the door. Conveniently, the stakes will come with the tent. This sprawled out design greatly aids with wind resistance, adding stability to ensure that the tent does not go flying in the event of windy conditions or if you are pitched in a campsite that is exposed. If pitched properly, this tent has steep walls that come in handy for snow resistance, which helps winter and mountain backpackers as well as skiers. Because snow is shed so well, there is no additional fear of being snowed in or having the tent collapse under the considerable weight of the snow, which could be deadly. To save weight, this tent will not be seam sealed by the manufacturer, so if use will be during cold and/or wet weather then buyers will have to seam seal themselves or pay for the service. Luckily, seam sealing is not a complicated process and can be done at home if needs be.

Protection

The Black Diamond Beta Light does not come with a bug net, but buyers can conveniently buy one that was designed to match the tent and attach it to the overhead loops if bug exposure is a concern on the trip. However, if the bug problem on a trip is light, an easy fix is to set up the tent close to the ground so that the bugs cannot enter. Furthermore, the material this tent is made out of is completely waterproof, so if set up is done properly there is no need to worry about waking up wet from nighttime rainfall, and protection from snow, dew, hail and other wet weather is guaranteed.

Durability

The material that the Black Diamond icon is made from is called SilNylon, which is notorious for its resistance to water and tearing. Tear resistance is important because a hole in your overnight protection would mean a major inconvenience in the face of the wilderness. A hole could let in rain or melted snow, which in turn could ruin gear that is not waterproofed. Ruined gear could be devastating on a trip, but luckily this peril will not be an issue with your tent. Furthermore, if taken care of properly, this tent could be a reliable purchase for many years, because of the sturdiness of the manufacturing.

Comfort

Due to the roomy area on the interior, there is plenty of space for anyone of average height to sit comfortably if in an upright position, and two adults could happily sleep next to each other with some few spare spaces on either end to store camping gear or anything else that was brought on the trip. Also, with the Beta Light, you can enjoy a high ceiling, which means that while doing activities in the tent, mainly sleeping, the fabric will not be in your face—a problem with other tents. It is uncomfortable to be woken up from a deep slumber because the clingy fabric of a tent is smothering your face, but with the Beta Light that will not be an issue.

Portability

One shining feature of this tent is that it is easily portable. You can pack down the Black Diamond Beta Light to a mere 6 x 16 inches; it packs down to the size of a standard water bottle. Its small size is an incredible fact because an important part of any trip is saving the most amount of space possible. With the tiny size of the Beta Light taking up minimal room in your pack, there is room for other necessities, or possibly even a few luxury items that would not have been possible to bring with a bigger tent. Also, this tent works well for ultralight backpacking as it takes up very little space on a trip where the objective is to be as conservative with weight and space as possible. This tent could easily be stowed in the bottom of a camping backpack and taken out when needed.

Ease of Use

One of the many perks of the Black Diamond Beta Light is how easy it is to use. The tent can be set up by using, meaning that campers do not have to bring auxiliary methods of setting up such as awkward and heavy tent poles. For the process of setting up the Beta Light, firstly one has to stake out the four corners of the tent into the ground, afterward opening up the tent in order to fit the two modifiable trekking poles into their proper placement. Then you can crawl back outside and stake out both sides as well as the door while making adjustments for tautness where fit. At such an easy setup, this tent would be perfect for one person to set up or if there were bad weather and not much time to figure out logistics.

Weight

Weighing in at a slender 1.8 pounds, the Black Diamond Beta Light is one of the lightest tents that can be bought, hence the name. Other tents can weigh as much as six pounds! This tent is excellent if you are trying to watch the weight of your camping pack or are trying to be minimalistic. The stakes will add a few more ounces of weight but nothing too out of control. The benefit of being so light is that this tent will not weigh you down if your trip is particularly grueling or if the person carrying can only handle so much weight.

Price

Comparable tents could cost several hundred dollars more, making the Black Diamond Beta Light an easy contender if your main goal is getting the most out of your money or go on a no-frills, frugal camping trip. Especially considering that this tent is all weather, the value is absolutely worth the low price point. Novice campers can buy this tent as a tester in order to get an idea of their preferred camping method. Afterward, as experience is gained, a more expensive tent may be bought, but this quality tent should be adequate.

Accessibility

This tent ranks moderately in terms of accessibility. Due to the compact size, the only way to enter this tent is through the front. There is no secondary door or windows, which means that camp goers will have to enter the tent one at a time, which can be a minor inconvenience if the weather is bad or in the morning if both people have a spontaneous urge to use the bathroom. However, only having one door is common for tents and should not be seen as a deal breaker considering all that this tent has to offer.

Features

One of the best features of this tent is its ability to prosper as an all weather tent. Whether you are going on a hike, backpacking, ski trip or anything, this tent has you covered in all seasons. Another great feature is that this tent is spacious, so the livability factor is high. You could spend an entire day in this tent if you wanted to! Also, the complete closure of the tent adds to its livability and provides privacy if that is a concern for your excursion. The slight weight of this tent also adds to its value, as there will be no headaches about how to bring it with you on a trip.

Sturdiness

You can enjoy great peace of mind with the Black Diamond Beta Light. The wind resistance alone can be a great comfort as a strong wind can pick up at any point in time. Also, this all-weather tent has your back rain or shine, sleet or snow, hail or wind. There is no need to worry about lousy weather on your trip because if needs be, you can hide in your tent until it passes. If you decide to brace the weather, you can come to a nice warm and dry tent in the nighttime.

Materials

When on the hunt for a camping tent, it is important to make sure that the material the tent is made out of will suit your personal needs. As mentioned before, the Black Diamond Beta Light is made of a material called SilNylon, a combination of silicone and nylon. The material is made by introducing finely woven nylon with silicone on both sides, which ends up making the material incredibly strong, especially for its weight, since the silicone greatly adds to tear resistance. This combination is also waterproof, which is essential because rain and other types of wet weather can often be unpredictable and some camping gear can be ruined by water. Another great feature of SilNylon is that it is incredibly lightweight, making it ideal for backpackers, especially ultralight ones. This material is versatile and light, which is a wonderful benefit to most camping trips.

Overall Construction

As mentioned before, the Black Diamond Beta Light has a pyramid set up with two peaks. The high ceilings and roomy interior provide for a breathable inner chamber where two people can easily move around without issue. The tent comes in alternating simple colors of blue and green; both of them fairly bright so if campers leave the tent pitched while away there will be no issue finding it again after a long day. There is a seven-stake system that provides amazing stability in the face of windy conditions, and the dual peaks of the pyramids help provide wind resistance as well. The only foreseeable issue with this tent is that there is no floor, so things to be cognizant of are not being downhill in the rain and bringing a ground tarp as well as comfortable sleeping materials so you're not sleeping on the bare ground. The overall longevity of this tent is also a perk as it will last you for years.

Comparison to Other Brands

Compared to other brands, the Black Diamond Beta Light is easy to set up, which can be done by just a single person quickly while there is inclement weather. This tent is also incredibly affordable, costing an economical $200. Lastly, this tent is almost weightless and can be carried anywhere in any manner, whether in a backpack or other type of carrier, by hand or slung over a shoulder.

The Bottom Line

Overall, the Black Diamond Beta Light is an excellent buy if you are looking for a tent that is durable, weather worthy, and spacious. If you need a lightweight tent that will not be cumbersome to tote around or a tent that has colors that will stand out in bad weather, or even a tent that can serve you in all seasons, then you have come to the right place. For the affordable price point, this well-made tent comes with features galore and can be a fixture of all your camping trips for years to come.