I Purchased this tent in 2008 at Walmart.com for a little camping trip that my friends had set up to go to. At first I thought, “Starlite? Who in their right mind puts LITE instead of LIGHT?” I then kind of understood the play on words for STARLIGHT as in
Light emitted from stars other than the Sun
instead of:
Haha, you are camping under the STAR(S), and this tent is LITE, as in the fast food or butter-spread version of the word lightweight meaning ‘of comparatively little physical weight or density.’
The abundance of Irony included with this tent only just began…
Specs:
Wenzel Starlite Hiker/Biker Tent
- Lightweight, compact, and easy to set up so you’ll be enjoying the campfire and scenery quickly
- Lots of interior space allows you to keep your gear out of the weather and keeps you dry all night long
- Size: 82″ x 48″ x 36″
- Lightweight nylon taffeta flooring
- 3.4 lb. carry weight
- Rear vent for added ventilation
- Easy set-up design
- Zippered compression stuff sack
Isn't it amazing how unwrinkled the tents look with company photos?
Opinion
What I like to imagine this tent as is a boyscout’s first tent if he is too lazy just to use a tarp to make a lean-to. The kit is minimalistic, keeps you warm, and does these things well as long as it isn’t raining since a fly nor footprint is included; what can you really ask for when we are talking $28.00 these days?
The weight and dimensions are pretty accurate. The tent tapers in width and height at the rear, which I assume your head is supposed to be right next to the tent door. This is the exact opposite that I typically camp, but maybe I am just the one in the wrong. I think after cutting a few things out of the tent (printed labels, tassels on the zipper pulls, mesh pocket pouch [who uses this???]) the tent came out to an even 3 pounds +/- 2.0 oz. This weight category places it into a category for a great good weather camping tent for a backpacker or cyclist. I mean, it is a pre-made complete enclosure with only five feet of tent pole and a few guy lines and stakes.
Unfortunately the tent is not a self-standing structure. The rear pole to keep the rear footing area up is just a piece of folding pole that props the tent up and rests on the ground. I consider this a minimalistic compromise which is quite easy to swallow.
P.S. One time, we fit six people in this tent just to see how many could get in... It did not feel right at all.
For the pricepoint that this tent falls under, it is difficult to compare it to other tents provided by REI, MSR, Kelty, etc… This tent costs as much as some other tent’s footprint; which makes me believe this tent fills an important void for people who are willing to compromise in order to reach a certain desired price.
Summary
I had originally created several minutes of video footage showing utilization and reviewing of this tent, but the footage was too dark to really tell anything which was being done 😦 I should have expected this. Overall, I would get this tent if you are comfortable with your enironment, but still want some wind protection and warmth. You cannot beat the price, and it is durable enough to last many s240’s
3.5/5
WV Cycling 
I would not recommend bike touring with a tent like that for an extended period of time or under severe conditions. Here is the greatest selection of some of the best tents on the market suited for serious bicycle touring. http://www.cyclocamping.com/products.asp?cat=74
Agreed, this tent is fun for starters, people with little income (college students? :P), or someone who wanted to experiment. Totally agree about the weather conditions, and somewhat agree on the long term conditions you stated!
[…] again, the Wenzel tent used was comfy cozy warm, and did its job well. When I woke up in the morning, I tried to make […]
i’m a hiker… and i used this tent on the A.T. section in nj. (73mi approx). my friend and i slept in it the whole week. the tent was ok under light rain. our last night sucked… we hiked 22 miles… it was dark already and all we wanted was to sleep so we set the tent carelessly in a bad location… we did get wet, but the tent stood up despite the super strong winds… i was amazed!. i had no experience back then and i bought the tent cuz it was cheap.. i got it for 20 bucks. bur after hiking for a while.. and sleeping in different tents, tarps, shelters…i’ve gone back to the starlite. i replaced the 2 front poles with my hiking poles and i just use a stick from the woods for the back pole.. if you tell me you can’t find a 2′ stick on the woods… there’s something wrong with you lol.
i also waterproofed it with a spray, therefore i don’t need a footprint or rain fly.. my shelter now(tent and stakes) weights 1.5 lbs. i love it!
i bet a $300 tent does a better job … but at 20 bucks …weighting 1.5 lbs… is great!
Thanks for the great reply!
Do you have any photos of your tent with the Hiking poles? I would really like to try this out, and have not seen the tent to know if the poles slide into sleeves, or just post up the corners. please send to pxbaroni@gmail.com if you do. I think this may be a cost effective tarp tent with a little extra spray water proofing.
Paul, I don’t believe this tent is intended to be used with Hiking Poles, but I’m sure it could be done as long as the poles shrink to a minimum of 65cm or less. There are no real sleeves for the poles to be guided through, so this is a plus in your case. The poles would require to be footed into the stirrups at the base of the tent, which are moderately secured, and could take a hiking pole… I’m pretty sure…
I don’t think this would work with poles. It would be easier and not much more expensive to buy a tent that was originally designed to be used with poles.
I also prefer to use a tent with a bigger vestibule and a design that allows me to turn inside the tent. This kind of door requires me to get in the tent backwards, and that is just silly 🙂