2P Swiftline

It has been almost ten years since we received our YAMA Swiftline 2P, and we just took it out last weekend for a three-day river trip down the Devil's River in Texas. It rained two of the nights, and the tent continues to hold up great! Photo is from our third night, where the stars were out in full. This tent has been around the world with us, from the windy wildernesses of Chilean Patagonia, to the remote mountains of Kazakhstan. We did a 13,000 mile road trip with it across 20 US National Monuments in 2017, and we backpacked 300 miles with it in New Zealand in 2018. I think the design is perfect in terms of size, weight, durability, customizability, and space for two people. Thank you YAMA for creating such a great product - we are forever grateful! Note that ours was a custom color for our nonprofit organization.

Used it for the first time on trail a week ago. I was very happy with its performance. Once I pitched it my hiking homie took one look at it and said “that looks like a wizard tent”. Figured that says it all.

I have bought, tried, and sold a handful of 2 person trekking supported tents...this is one that will always ride in my backpack. I have used it solo bikepacking as well as 2 person backpacking, including a 100+ mile section of the NCT in the upper peninsula of Michigan. The ability to open the whole tent up is really something else, and I love having enough width for two and length for me (I’m 6’2”). It sheds strong winds and rain, even did really well during a storm that went from heavy hail to freezing rain overnight. I couldn't be happier, you really have an awesome product.

Had the chance to take the Swiftline 2P out for a 2 night backpack in WA's Norse Peak Wilderness a few weeks ago. In short, would I recommend this tent to friends? Yes and No. In retrospect, I might have been happier with the simplicity of the Cirriform but I decided that the improved storm-worthiness was maybe worth the added complexity of pitching. Only time will tell... Pros: - Super lightweight. Shaved 3lbs off my freestanding tent option. - Wind protection. We had gusts up to 50-60mph and the Swiftline shook and flapped, but never collapsed. - Ample space inside and out, especially the larger vestibule. - Pitching flexibility. It was easy to move the fly closer to the ground when temps dropped and the wind picked up. - Great ventilation, especially from the 2-way zippers at the doors. - SilPoly fabric fly and floor for the rain. Cons: - The pitching process is legit complicated. I'd be concerned about my ability to do it in the dark, rain/sleet, and exhausted after a long day hiking. This is primarily my main thinking behind being more satisfied with the Cirriform. - Fiddly toggles, clips, etc. on the guylines and floor tie outs. Saves weight, but will be annoying while wearing gloves. - The included stuff sack doesn't have compression straps, and its shape is kind of wide. This a more minor quibble but these features result in a stuff sack that is harder to fit into a pack and is too wide to fit into side pockets.

I have owned this shelter since 2017 and have put 50+ nights on it. The attention to detail and quality that Gen puts into making his shelters is next level. It buttons up tight when the wind, rain, and snow hit but when the weather is nice you can pull back both doors for amazing views and incredible ventilation. The only downside to this shelter was learning how to get the pitch correct. After the first two days on trail I get the hang of it and it is smooth sailing from there. It is a bit heavier than some of the other two person shelters you can get from other cottage companies but from first hand experience the weight price for the quality you get is well worth knowing that my shelter is going to make it from start to finish of my journey.

I love this Tent! I was a little afraid of the pitching, put it‘s realy easy. There us more then enough space for two person. There are lighter Tents on the market... but the Swiftline is the perfect balance between weight and space.

My husband and I did a short primitive hike here in Florida to test some of our gear and we got to take this tent out and play with it. It was everything we hoped it would be and really did tick off all the things we wanted in a tent: 1. hubby is 6' tall and needed room, 2. two exits and vestibules, 3. fully enclosed, 4. packs down small, and 5. uses trekking poles to keep down weight. On top of that it was an extremely wet three days and, even with unavoidable condensation in those conditions, we were still dry inside our tent. Later this year we'll do a nice section hike of the AT and we are confident that this will be our tent for a long while to come. Did I mention that the tent itself is simply beautiful? Thank you, Gen!

I've had my Swiftline 2P tent for a year now and have slept in it 12 nights. 11 of those were during two trips in near continuous rain in the western Washington cascades -- the kind of weather where everything you have gets wet and stays wet (except everything inside the Swiftline!) Overall I am delighted by this tent, so much that I eagerly look forward to using it. Sometimes I set it up in the backyard just for fun. I am 6'3" and an active sleeper and find myself brushing the ceiling and end walls in most other tents -- but not the Swiftline. The headroom is glorious, and the design of the inner tent makes it nearly impossible to inadvertently touch any of the single-wall canopy panels while sleeping. The floor space is plenty for two for sleeping, and a palace for one. The vestibules offer a tone of protected space for gear storage. The pitch takes a little practice, but once familiar the tent is incredibly versatile and adaptable to less-than-ideal pitch locations. You can even adjust the height a few inches to tune the balance of ventilation, protection, headroom, and floor area. Once pitched, there are a dizzying array of options for opening up wall and roof panels for views and ventilation. When fully opened, it's one panel short of a net tent. Sometimes I use it as a bug shelter with my kids in the backyard when the mosquitoes are bad during the summer. The quality of design and craftsmanship is readily evident, bordering on a work of art. It is a truly beautiful shelter. Everyone who sees the tent asks about it. I truly believe this is the ultimate 2-person trekking-pole supported shelter, with a perfect balance of livability, durability, storm protection, light weight, and packability. Gen struck gold with the Swiftline 2P.

My wife and I traveled all around the world with the Swiftline for 14 months. We tested this tent through everything, from remote hikes in Patagonia and its hurricane winds, to the high altitude of Bolivia and Nepal, to the snow in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia and finally on the Te Araroa, a thru hike of New-Zealand. The size to weight ratio is great, we loved the versatility in setup, and it withstood a ton of abuse. We loved @yolandathetent and would 100% recommend it. For two people having two doors was great, the size and head room also fit us nicely, and the vestibule was a good size to hold our bags and our shoes. Not only was the price reasonable in comparison to other competitors, but the Yama Mountain Gear Team was unbelievable: quick to respond and very attentive to our questions and needs. Knowing that your money is going to support such an amazing operation is totally worth it!

The tent is perfect for me and my girlfriend on long backpacking treks in almost any environment. It is lightweight but still has features like large vestibules/multiple entrances and pitching options/strength. The Swiftline disappears in the pack and hits the sweet spot for spaciousness for two. The built in clothesline is a nice feature. I really love being able to open the sides of the tarp to reveal the surroundings. Opening up the tarp also makes setting up the sleep system feel less closed off to the environment (I dislike doing this chore feeling like I'm in a cave). (A minor note, the tie-offs for rolling up the vestibules are too long to hold the farbric in place well, I recommend shortening them). I recently spent 7 days in my Swiftline in southern Iceland in early October. We experienced two consecutive nights of +54km/h winds in an exposed position (the entire island had 84km/h wind advisory). On these two nights I learned something about Line Loc Tensioners (guy outs on the Swiftline include these tensioners (they can be removed if wanted)). I found a significant gust of wind will cause this specific tensioner to completely give way in an instant. Several times on the windy days a single tensioner would suddenly let the entire guyline slip through and the tent would be in a bad way. If there are going to be intense winds, I recommend tying a knot after the Line Loc tensioners to remedy this issue. The tensioners are ideal in ideal conditions, as they make setup and adjustment easy, but I would take extra precaution in exposed, windy conditions and tie the LineLocs up. It was very wet and cold in Iceland. On the windy, rainy days we had almost no moisture buildup. One night was constant rain and no wind and the moisture buildup was very significant, but this would happen to any tent given the conditions. The next day was dry and we managed to completely air out the tent by opening up all the window/vestibule options. All in all, I was impressed by the weatherability so long as linelocs are tied up for bad gusting winds. I also own the TT Stratospire 2, but I prefer the Swiftline. The Stratospire has way more room than my girlfriend and I need, and it packs poorly due to the internal struts. Interestingly, my Stratospire 2 (also went to Iceland, pitched next to the Swiftline) experienced a pitching failure during high wind, and we even had the optional 3rd trekking pole supporting the corner strut. The Stratospire (double wall) also suffered worse moisture problems in Iceland. You usually hear about the Stratospire being a boss in terms of pitching strength, and the Swiftline stood just as strong/stronger.

I’d recommend, but can use some improvements. Pros: very flexible configurations are a joy in camp. Best star views for a non free-standing tent. Very roomy for two. Great headroom. Huge vestibule. Best of all, since I like a tent to keep me dry, the tent endured about a half hour of pea to dime size hail with wind gusts I’d estimate at 30-40mph perfectly. No damage, the material doesn’t sweat when touched (I messed up changing clothes and was waiting for the drips to start after swiping my hand on it), and no sag after the wind and 3.5 hours of hail/strong rain/wind. This is the tent I take backpacking when I plan on hanging around camp a bit. Cons: the setup is slow and takes many stakes. If I ordered another I’d get the bathtub a different color than the tent to help quickly orient the tent. I use a footprint, and it was hard to get the bathtub to line up where I wanted until I began using the loops at the corners and staking it before pitching. I’d also have wished for labels at the corners showing the corner number and if the recommended cord length is 1/3-1/2-3/4. Maybe it’s just me, but after a few weeks without pitching, when I’m in the woods trying to remember the instructions is rough. It is not as easy as my duplex, which is my preferred tent if I’m moving fast and light or setting up in a storm. Once set up, I think I’d rather be in the swiftline. Another con are the clips/shock cord to hold rolled up doors and mesh. Great idea, but I can’t get a tight roll even after shortening and retyping. Also, the clips are tricky to do normally, really tough with cold fingers, and probably impossible with gloves- again I find the duplex easier and the wind doesn’t cause the doors to become flaps. I also prefer putting the handle of the trekking pole in the tent peak vs ground, as the handle gets muddy with rain and moist soil. Overall, I really like the tent and would recommend it. It is light, sturdy, gives great views, comfortable, spacious, and handles bad weather very well. The flexibility of the tent inherently adds setup complexity, but I think it is worth it when I’m hiking to destinations rather than distance and just need a quick light shelter. With just a few design changes improving setup ease, flap retention, and cleaner pole handles it would be an even better tent.

I finally found my balance. I've been lighting up my pack weight for the past few years now. Sometimes this meant adding and removing gear to get where I wanted to be in terms of my hiking style and needs. Gen has created this balance in the Swiftline 2p Shelter. The space, function, and ease of use this shelter provides is perfect! Quality is excellent. I can't find any flaws at all, not that I was really looking for any. This shelter is fun to set up and great to be in. Finally got the shelter out for some Appalachian Trail time here in the North East. Finally a shelter I don't have to struggle to get in and out of like some of the other lighter weight shelter options out there. Great job Yama crew! Thank You!

The swiftline was super easy and fun to use in the eastern sierras. The number of ways to pitch make it flexible and practical. You can take a nap in Swiftline, be protected from mosquitoes and still take in the beautiful surroundings earth has to offer. I would recommend this tent without any hesitation!

Since receiving one of the first models, the swiftline has been my go-to shelter! It's a real head-turner, everyone wants to stop and check it out. My swiftline has been across the Southern U.S. and Alaska while always performing admirably in a myriad of conditions. It compresses beautifully for stuffing into a pack or kayak and the extra interior room and extended vestibule have been thoroughly appreciated during numerous days spent inside waiting out a weather system. 5/5 stars, for sure.

We used the Swiftline on our 2015 PCT thru hike, and we couldn't have been happier with it. The design is great. I feared that a two person tent would be cramped and miserable, but there is ample room, two great exits, and a huge vestibule. You can set it up very open when the weather is nice or close it up if you need to. Pitching it is really easy after you've done it a few times. I am impressed by the sturdiness of the tent. After 2650 miles it is basically as good as new! It looks really cool; one of the only downsides was frequently answering questions people had! If you are looking for a 2 person single wall silnylon tent, look no further. -Gravy and Marsh Mouse PCT 2015

My wife Thistle and I (Ouzel) were fortunate to complete the entire PCT in 2014 hiking from Mexico to Canada. We may be the first to complete the PCT with the Swiftline as it just became available during that time. The tent held up well during our adventure being exposed to high winds, rain, and everything in between. Other hikers were most interested in who the manufacturer was when observed afar given the unique angles. The living space and functionality of the tent were superb (essentially, this was our home for 5 months). However, due to the asymetrical design of exterior one must practice. This is especially true in tight cover, where one tries to visualize the space with a rock in one location, stump in another, depression, trees, and wind direction. Yama Mountain gear customer service was top notch. Hope this review helps fellow hikers considering this shelter. Safe travels. Ouzel