Pitch a Pyramid: Hyperlite UltaMid 2 Tent Review

All photos by Andy Cochrane; top photo: The Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid Pyramid 2 tent in use in Mexico

Minimalism meets all-mountain functionality in the next great line of multisport tents.

At 1.19 pounds, the UltaMid 2 Pyramid Tent is among the lightest shelters that you can trust to keep you dry. Even with its 1.3-pound matched mesh insert and floor, it’s still an ounce-friendly option. After extensive use in Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, I’ve come to believe it’s a masterpiece of engineering.

In short: Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s UltaMid 2 is one of the fastest tents to set up that I’ve ever used. Plus, it’s incredibly lightweight (it relies on your trekking/ski poles or paddle to set up), and its simple design keeps bugs out without unnecessary frills. One major caveat, however, is its expensive price of $1,110, due in part to its stronger-than-steel Dyneema material.

Review: Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid Tent

To be honest, I was skeptical when I first saw the UltaMid 2. A lightweight tent that relies on a hiking pole, paddle, or ski pole to pitch a central peak isn’t my typical idea of bombproof design.

I respect Hyperlite’s commitment to refined materials and innovation, but I needed to try it for myself. My general rule of thumb is when you go all-in with the lightweight ethos, you’ll probably see sacrifices in performance and versatility. I wasn’t confident that its proprietary rip-stop material (which incorporates extremely durable Dyneema) and pyramid design would excel in all conditions.

To my surprise and delight, this wasn’t the case with the UltaMid 2. The tent is surprisingly easy to set up, especially with two people. The top of the tent is designed to hold the pole snugly, and the bottom is reinforced for durability.

Because it’s not a freestanding tent, you’ll need to find rocks to hold the corners down or ground soft enough to stake.

UltaMid 2 Add-On: Mesh Insert and Floor

The biggest drawback of the UltaMid 2 is the price to combine it with a bug net and floor. Coming in at a combined $1,110, the bundle is two to three times more expensive than its competitors, making it a real investment for all interested buyers.

This is largely due to its materials. The tent is made of Dyneema, an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene that is insanely tough. Considered the world’s strongest fiber, it has a tensile strength stronger than steel (per weight).

For the test, I paired the UltaMid 2 Pyramid Tent with Hyperlite’s Mesh Insert and Floor — I do enough camping in wet conditions to make this a must-have. In the last couple of months, I’ve taken it on a packrafting trip in Mexico, a fringe season trip in the Sierras, to the desert in Utah, and snow camping in Colorado. It’s passed all of these tests pretty easily.

With this system, Hyperlite designed and built a masterpiece that does well in rain, wind, cool nights, dewy mornings, and thick swarms of bugs. The UltaMid is quite warm — we kept the fly off when we could on the trip in Mexico and were pleasantly surprised when using it winter camping. It worked well in wind, although we didn’t have any super gusty nights. Overall, it feels well built and durable.

The UltaMid 2 is fully seam-sealed and has plenty of guy lines to secure it well, a door with a waterproof zipper, and peak vents that can open and close. Most importantly, there is a healthy space between the tent and mesh insert so condensation doesn’t build up and drip into the tent.

Conclusions: The UltaMid’s design simplicity and superior materials create a tent that is great for high alpine trips, long-distance backpacking, packrafting, ski touring — really anywhere you need a trusted shelter that takes mere seconds to set up.

It’s a significant investment to be sure, but for the UltaMid 2 tent system, you get a lightweight, durable tent fit for any adventure.