Mike from Adventure Curated shares his thoughts on the new Snow Peak Fal 3
Testing a new tent on a 16 day sea kayaking expedition across Australia’s Bass Strait, was perhaps not the most sensible choice of my life. However, owning a collection of quality Snow Peak products I had a quiet confidence that their new Fal 3 would be as good as it looked, and as good as I hoped it to be.
Tunnel tents are typically great in the wind, however they are very heavily reliant on pegs and are often limited in head room. Being 6’3″ I was looking for a new tent that I could comfortably sit up in and I was keen for the sturdiness of a dome.
Although the Fal 3 is a 3 person tent, I would recommend it for 2 adults. On this trip it was just me in the tent and it was great having the extra room to spread out and sort gear.
The downside with many dome tents is the fact that they picture inner first. This isn’t an issue in the dry, however when you are popping it up or pulling it down in the rain the inner will get wet.
For dry trips you can keep the Fal 3 together for a quick pitch. However in the wet it’s recommended you pack the inner and outer in separate bags ( I used two separate dry bags for this sea kayaking expedition). You can then completely pitch the waterproof outer first and then climb in and clip in the dry inner.
To pack down you do the reverse. All your gear, including the inner, can be packed in your backpack or dry bags and then you can pull the wet outer down last. I recommend packing this in a dry bag to stop it wetting the rest of your gear in your pack.
The outer pitched alone can also make a great storm shelter for lunch or for dinner, you can then convert in to your warm bed later on.
Specifications
Material
Flysheet 20D Silicon Polyester Mini Ripstop – PU coating water pressure 1,500mm
Inner Tent 20D Polyester Mini Ripstop
Tent Floor 30D Nylon Ripstop – PU coating water pressure 1,500mm
Poles Ultralight Duralumin A7001
Weight
1.9kg/4.6lb
Dimensions
Length 275cm/108″ Width 162cm/108″ Height 113cm/63.75″
Stowed
Tent Bag Length 43cm/17″ Width 17cm/6.6″
Pole Bag Length 51cm/19.6″ Width 13cm/4.3″
The Fal 3 kept me warm and dry and was a pleasure to use on this trip. Nothing is showy; the clips, buckles and zippers are all of the highest quality and quite simply everything works.
