No matter what item of gear you are talking about, you can find somebody who doesn’t like it or some instance where it didn’t work. A good example is the MSR Whisperlite. My brother says they are terrible stoves. Well, 97% of those who use them would seriously beg to differ. They are great stoves, and he got a lemon.
I’ve used the SD CD Flashlights a LOT. They are great tents if you use them wisely, and an extremely good value for folks on a budget, and have lots of room for the weight.
My Flashlights have only really failed me once, and that was in a screaming wind and pouring rain. They are not a screaming wind/pouring rain tent because the fly doesn’t come down low enough. Nowhere on the AT however, should you have to camp in conditions that windy. (Don’t camp on Max Patch in a hurricane.)
By the way, the time my tent failed me, I had a down bag, and it got wet enough so the down was clumping. In a few hours it was dry and fluffy and I was sleeping like a baby. If you ever get wet enough on the AT that your down bag won’t save you, you have some poor camping skills. (Of course, all of us had poor camping skills at one time.)
Here’s a link to a breathtaking story where I was actually camping IN the Mississippi River in my Flashlight tent! http://www.bucktrack.com/Mississippi_Canoe_Trip_3.html
Colter
