Black Diamond Beta Light 2P Review
The Black Diamond Beta Light 2P ($350) with its floorless design isn't for everyone. You also miss out on basic amenities that many other trekking-pole tents offer, including pockets and vestibules. But if those sacrifices don't scare you away, you'll find a truly ultralight shelter with one of the roomiest floors we've seen and a construction that many other lightweight tents can't match.
Weight & Packed Size
Space & Livability
Ease of Use
Weather Protection
Durability
Sustainability
Packaged weight
1 lb. 11.2 oz.
Minimum Weight
1 lb. 7 oz.
Design Type
Trekking-pole shelter
Floor Area
54 sq. ft.
Floor dimensions
115 x 57/79/47 in.
Peak height
47.6 in.
Floor Fabric
30D Polyester
Capacities
2P
Pros
Cons
Black Diamond Beta Light 2P
For this season's top models, see our guide to the Best Ultralight Backpacking Tents.
With a packaged weight of 1 pound 11.2 ounces and a minimum weight of 1 pound 7 ounces, the Black Diamond Beta Light 2P is solidly lightweight for a non-DCF tent. For context, it's around a pound lighter than the freestanding backpacking tents I've used, including the Big Agnes Copper Spur 2P (2 lb. 10 oz.) and the Durston X-Dome 2 (2 lb. 12 oz.). Even among nylon or polyester single-wall trekking-pole tents, like the 2-pound 4-ounce Six Moon Designs Haven, it offers impressive weight savings. It still can't compete with how feathery DCF tents like the Zpacks Duplex Pro (1 lb. 3.8 oz.) are, but those come at a significantly higher price.
Packed size follows suit. The Black Diamond Beta Light compresses down to 11 by 6 inches, roughly the size of a compressed quilt, and I never had trouble squeezing it into its stuff sack or my backpack. I especially appreciated that it fit horizontally in my pack, which fit my organizational style well.
If this is starting to sound a little too good to be true, it's worth pointing out the Beta Light's biggest concession: its lack of a floor. You can purchase an optional ground cloth add-on that adds 13.8 ounces (bringing its total weight to 2 lb. 9 oz.), or, like me, bring your own Tyvek sheet or DIY footprint. But as is, the Beta Light remains one of the lightest and most compact two-person shelters available.
The Beta Light has a massive amount of floor space, but other aspects of its livability fall short compared to many other ultralight backpacking tents. Its hexagonal floor has a surface area of 54 square feet, with a length of 115 inches and widths of 57, 79, and 47 inches at the head, center, and foot, respectively. That's ginormous for a 2-person tent, surpassing even the roomy Durston X-Mid 2 (33.2 sq. ft.), largely because there's no barrier separating the would-be vestibule from the main living area. Inside, I had roughly two feet of space at the head and foot of my sleeping pad, as well as about a foot and a half of space next to me. As a solo backpacker, I used the empty opposite side for storage, but even with a tentmate, I doubt it would feel cramped.
Headroom is a slightly different story. The Beta Light has a respectable 47.6-inch peak height, but the walls slope steeply with the trekking poles running front-to-back through the middle of the shelter. That meant the only way to sit upright without bumping into fabric was to lean toward the center, which got old after a few times. Organization is sparse, too. There's no vestibule, no pockets, and no floor—just a mesh skirt around the bottom and four gear loops, which I used to hang my sunglasses.
Unlike many other two-person shelters with multiple doors, the Beta Light has only a single door at the foot end, which meant I had to awkwardly crawl over my sleeping pad every time I wanted to get out. Even my Mountain Laurel Designs Solomid XL, a similarly floorless tent, was easier to exit thanks to its side-mounted door. The placement of the poles in the center also means you need to be careful not to knock them down. I never did, but it felt more prone to toppling than trekking-pole tents with poles on the sides. All together, livability here is just okay: the floor space is a true highlight, but what it gains there, it loses in headroom, organization, and entry and exit.
Setting up the Beta Light involves some finessing since it relies on trekking poles, but overall, the process is mostly hassle-free. You start by laying the tent out (making sure the door is zipped closed and the buckle clipped together) and staking down the four main corners. From there, you add the trekking poles inside the tent, stake out the remaining two end stakes, and tension everything as needed.
Despite not having used a trekking-pole tent in a few years, I was able to pitch the Beta Light with minimal adjustments on my very first try. Setup time consistently landed around 6 to 7 minutes solo, whether I was in Joshua Tree National Park, southern Utah, or the Alabama Hills. The process isn't quite as intuitive as a pole-equipped freestanding tent, but for a trekking-pole design, it's pretty approachable, and the included instructions help.
The one thing I'd change is the placement of the poles. Securing them requires crawling into the tent, which is more cumbersome than with shelters like the 3F UL Lanshan 2 Pro that let you position the trekking poles from outside. I prefer the Beta Light's setup compared to my Solomid XL, though. That tent was finicky, and I struggled to get the tensioning right throughout my JMT thru-hike. So while the Black Diamond Beta Light naturally requires a bit more fuss to set up than freestanding tents, I found the process easy nonetheless, and there's no denying the weight savings.
The Beta Light uses a ripstop polyester that inherently sags less than nylon, and it comes seam-taped, but without a floor, weather protection falls below what you'd get from a fully enclosed shelter. During some light rain in southern Utah, however, it performed well. Water beaded up on the surface, and thankfully, none of it found its way inside.
Otherwise, I've used it on clear nights with breezes around 5 mph. In these conditions, I was never worried about the tent blowing over, and the guylines, attachment points, and overall shape all felt sturdy. The trekking poles are still fairly easy to knock over accidentally, but they stayed planted even when I bumped into one while adjusting my sleeping pad. If they did shift slightly, sliding them back into place was simple, and I never knocked one over outright.
The tent's real Achilles' heel is its floorless design. The mesh skirt helps keep bugs out, but you don't get the same water barrier you'd have with a bathtub floor. That means being more deliberate about site selection, especially if there's a chance of bad weather rolling in.
The Black Diamond Beta Light is built with 30-denier polyester ripstop fabric that’s noticeably thicker than what many competitors use. The X-Mid 2, for comparison, relies on 15-denier silpoly, while the Haven pairs a 30-denier silnylon floor with just a 20-denier silnylon fly. The rest of the build follows suit. The zipper and guylines feel strong, the pole-attachment pockets are reinforced, and the mesh skirt has held up to rocks I've placed on it without any rips. I used it on three overnight trips without a single durability concern, and it still looks more or less brand new.
Ironically, the floorless design works in its favor here. The floor is typically where I've seen the most wear on other tents, including stress marks on my X-Dome and small rips on my Copper Spur. With no floor to wear down on the Beta Light, that's simply not a concern. A DCF tent will always have an edge in raw durability, but for a non-DCF shelter, the Beta Light's build quality is a clear strong point.
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Longevity
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PFAS-Free DWR
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Bluesign Approved
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Solution-Dyed Materials
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Repair Services
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Resale and/or Recycling Services
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As a single-wall tent, I expected to deal with some condensation, but I haven't experienced any so far. To be fair, most of my testing has taken place in desert environments, but there still isn’t any overhead ventilation, which is why I was always surprised to wake up to a dry shelter. My best guess is that, unlike fully enclosed ultralight backpacking tents with bathtub floors that tend to limit ground-level airflow, the Beta Light's floorless design keeps things fully vented down below. Condensation buildup could still be a concern in more humid environments, though, and if that's a major worry for you, a double-wall tent is likely the safer bet.
The Black Diamond Beta Light keeps things about as minimal as it gets—it's essentially a tarp with a few thoughtful enhancements rather than a fully featured shelter. There are no pockets and no vents, just a handful of loops inside for hanging small items. I would have appreciated at least a couple of pockets for basic organization, even if that meant taking on a small weight penalty. Personally, I also would have liked a built-in floor. I understand the appeal of going floorless in the ultralight space, but for my own use these days, the peace of mind is worth the extra ounces.
Durston X-Mid 2 ($319): Less Space, a Lot More Features
If you like the Beta Light's roominess but want a fully enclosed shelter, the $31 cheaper Durston X-Mid 2 is your best bet. You do give up 20.8 square feet of floor space, but fortunately, its two 11.5-square-foot vestibules help make up the difference. It's also far more livable, with four mesh pockets and trekking poles positioned along the sides rather than in the middle of the tent, creating a more open interior. And on humid nights, its double-wall design, complete with peak vents, helps reduce condensation buildup. The X-Mid 2 does come with a 7.1-ounce weight penalty, but that's an easy tradeoff for most people.
3F UL Lanshan 2 Pro ($190): The Budget King
The 3F UL Lanshan 2 Pro saves you $160 compared to the Beta Light and includes a bathtub floor, but is otherwise similarly minimal. Beyond a single hanging pocket, there’s no interior storage, and it sacrifices 24.3 square feet of floor space (not counting the two 17-square-foot vestibules). It does add 1.6 inches to the Beta Light’s peak height, however, and features doors on either side for easier entry and exit. On the durability front, the Lanshan 2 Pro’s 20-denier floor and 15-denier canopy don’t match the Beta Light’s thicker materials, and the tent isn't seam-sealed. It’s 9.3 ounces heavier, too, but it’s hard to argue with its rock-bottom $190 price. Really, only those chasing the absolute lightest base weight should stick with the Beta Light. For more, read our 3F UL Lanshan 2 Pro review.
If you want the most space for the least weight, look no further than the Beta Light. Just know those perks come at the cost of pockets, vestibules, and—most importantly—a floor. At least its canopy is impressively burly, and the price is decently approachable as well.
Weight & Packed Size
Space & Livability
Ease of Use
Weather Protection
Durability
Sustainability
Durston is one of the buzziest players in the ultralight space right now, and the X-Mid shows why. While its weight and packed size won’t turn heads, this tent’s distinct layout, comprehensive feature set, and thru-hike-ready construction turn heads at a price that undercuts many of the big names in the category.
Weight & Packed Size
Space & Livability
Ease of Use
Weather Protection
Durability
Sustainability
The Lanshan 2 Pro’s standout trait is its affordability—its price is basically unheard of for a “standard” performance-oriented backpacking tent, let alone an ultralight shelter. It’s also surprisingly durable and roomy, but at the same time quite heavy for its condensation-prone, single-wall design.
Weight & Packed Size
Space & Livability
Ease of Use
Weather Protection
Durability
Sustainability
Is the Beta Light for You?
The Black Diamond Beta Light is a great option if you're looking to maximize your space-to-weight ratio. It’s well under two pounds but offers the largest square footage of any ultralight tent we've tested—and it's not particularly close. The sacrifices are pretty apparent, though. You lose a floor, which will be a dealbreaker for many people, and common livability features like pockets and vestibules are notably absent. But if you’re a dedicated ultralight backpacker and the rest of your kit is dialed, the Beta Light will fit right in.
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