Kelty Salida 2 Tent

Kelty Salida 2 

When I got back into backpacking, I needed an affordable tent that wouldn't break my back or the bank. I diligently searched the internet to find the perfect tent in those two categories. What I found? the Kelty Salida 2. For the budget-minded backpacker, you can't hardly beat this tent. It provides adequate 3 season shelter for two adults plus a vestibule for gear. I bought mine for $139 on sale from an msrp of $159. Even at full price the quality is well worth every dime.

I have now had this tent for over 3 years and have spent nearly 40 nights in it and hauled it over 250 miles on my back. During those trips I have seen most common 3 season weather variations including; rain, snow, and temperatures in the single digits.  This tent has performed at high levels in all conditions. As with all tents, I would recommend sealing the seams. Although I used it in the rain before doing so and had no leakage.

Set up is very quick and easy. One person can easily set it up. The other night my three year old and I took it camping and I set it up in the dark by myself in less than ten minutes.

An upgrade I made and strongly recommend is to replace the provided stakes with ultralight titanium stakes. Not only will you appreciate the weight savings, the cheap ones provided bend real easily and are more difficult to pound into the ground.

One of the biggest complaints in internet reviews, on this tent is the amount of condensation that collects on the inside of the tent. After having used this tent in temperatures as low as 8 degrees on the snow, I cannot say I had the same issues others experienced. However, it is important that you guy out the back of the fly as far as possible to create adequate airflow. 

Kelty Salida 2 Dimensions

The demensions are (in my opinion) spacious considering it is a two person backpacking tent. The design with a single door/vestibule on the side provides some inconvenience for the inside hiker. You cannot find a double door design for the weight and price. I just always position the hiker with the smaller bladder next to the door.

The Kelty Salida 2 on a trip in New Mexico

Bottom line, this tent has been beyond adequate as a great backpacking tent for the beginning hiker and experienced backpackers alike. Obviously if I had the money I would upgrade to a lighter tent but this tent is perfect for the budget -conscious. I would buy it again. In fact, I saw it on sale for $99 in gander mountain a few days ago and I really wanted to buy another. Being that I didn't have an extra 100 bucks to spend, I reluctantly had to pass it up.

Hike to Devil's Hall in the Guadalupe Mountain National Park (Texas)

Deatination: Devil's Hall Trail GMNP
Date: March, 2013
Distance: 3.8 miles round trip
More information: Guadalupe Mountains National Park Website


Over Easter every year my wife and I spend the weekend taking the youth group to a large conference in dallas (not exactly relaxing). So a couple of years ago  when we got home we decided to take our day off and enjoy some time hiking as a family.

35 Pound wiggling pack

We drove the three and a half hours over to the park and arrived in the early afternoon. The biggest attraction in the park is guadalupe peak (the tallest point in texas). With 3000 feet of elevation gain in 4 miles and a 30 pound wiggling pack on my back, we opted for the less dramatic devils hall.

The trailhead begins in the parking lot just past pine springs visitor center. There is a bathroom and water spigot to fill up water bottles. Be sure to carry plenty of water as the entire hike is in desert like conditions. The park system reccomends one gallon per person per day.

We started up the trail with mama hauling the 9 month old on the front in the ergo and I had the three year old in the kelty kid carrier on my back. Less than five minutes in both kids were knocked out (that's the way to hike, take an hour nap and get to enjoy the end result)!

Devil's Staircase 

The last half of the hike follows the dried creek bed with some scrambling over rocks and a natural staircase before arriving at the natural hallway cut out of the rocks. Some places on the trail took some caution with the unevenly distributed weight and some narrow passages with toddler clobberers hanging in the pathway.

Jackson Checking out the Rocks

Once we reached the hallway we dropped the packs (not literally we gently placed them down) and let the kiddos run around. Rylee and I walked to the official end of the trail, conveniently marked with a sign reading "end of trail". Then we sat and ate a few snacks and drank some Gatorade and the baby found some tasty rocks to crunch on.

After 45 minutes we strapped on the kids and headed back down. On our way back through the staircase the uneven pack and footing got the best of me and landed me on my "bottom"! After mama got done laughing we dusted off and carried on.

The Family eating a snack

On the way back we were busy talking and enjoying time as a family and the one leading (me) made a wrong turn and got us back down in the creek bottom. Knowing that it would turn out near the car, we decided to follow it until it got too overgrown forcing us to backtrack.

Mama and Jackson checking out a Cave 

Devil's hall is one of the most popular trails in the park due to its significantly less elevation gain to other areas. On the way we saw several other hikers making the trek. Every time we passed someone they would make a comment about how amazingly strong and strapping (no exaggeration at all) I was to be hauling the 35 pounder. I always took the compliments and strutted down the path, and never mentioned my two blunders (surprisingly mama didn't either)!

When we made it back to the car we finished off the granola bars and hit the potty. On the ride home we got to listen to Rylee tell us how much fun she had until we heard her snoring. It was a wonderful relaxing day in the outdoors with the people I love most. These are the moments in life I will cherish forever.