Mountain Laurel Designs SoloMid Pro and Cricket Pro Are Incredibly Light

The new SoloMid Pro and Cricket Pro from Mountain Laurel Designs are ultralight versions of the standard SoloMid, offering a similar size and shape while being as light as possible. Both shelters are meant for ultralight adventures where every gram counts and are best suited for three-season, below-treeline conditions.

The SoloMid Pro has an asymmetrical pyramid shape and an ultra-fast setup for small sites. Seventy percent of the space is behind the single center pole, while the front 30 percent functions as a vestibule. The offset design allows dry entry and exit to the sleep area. The Cricket Pro offers the same design, but the zippered door is swapped out for a shaped peak for folks who really want to cut as much weight as possible. Both tents use a single trekking-pole style setup (Mountain Laurel Designs sells an Omni Camlock Pole for folks traveling by bike).

Both models are available in either a 0.5 Dyneema composite (DCF) or 20D SilPoly construction. The SilPoly SoloMid Pro and Cricket Pro weigh 294 grams and 257 grams, respectively. Their pack sizes are approximately 0.75 L and 0.5 L, about half the size of a Nalgene. The DCF versions weigh less, 178 grams or 150 grams, but they pack down about 20 percent larger. The stated weight is for the shelter only—no line, stuff sack, or stakes.

Both tents feature an interior apex hang loop, a reinforced peak, six ground-level perimeter tie-outs, and four overhead gear hang loops for clipping up bivy hoods, lights, InnerNets, or for making a clothesline. There are clips at the four corners for an optional InnerNet to keep bugs (mostly) out, and they work perfectly with all 130cm or longer adjustable poles.

Here’s what Ron at Mountain Laurel Designs said about interior space and user height: “If the tents are pitched 5″ off the ground with a pole length of 130cm (50″) and you are under 6’1″ and on a 3″ thick sleep pad of less, you will fit okay. If you are not in an InnerNet and the tent is 2″ off the ground, you will fit okay. Users under 5’10” should fit well at any pitch height, and if you are on a thinner pad under 3″ or you pitch it higher, that will offer even more room. If you’re over 6’1″ tall and require a more robust and roomy shelter, check out the SoloMid XL.”

The SoloMid Pro DCF costs $435, and the SilPoly version costs $265. The Cricket Pro DCF costs $365, and the SilPoly version costs $180 USD. Visit MountainLaurelDesigns.com to learn more.

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