Cinder Cone 4 Pyramid Tent

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A technically ambitious pyramid that finally takes pitching, airflow, and wet-weather stability seriously. Well-suited to a variety of unsupported journeys where reliability and packability matter.

SlingFin says: 

The Cinder Cone elevates the pyramid category with superior ventilation, livability, and setup. It excels everywhere from ambitious ski touring objectives to river trips to ultralight backpacking. The Cinder Cone hits the sweet spot for an ultralight, spacious, and reliable shelter that disappears into your pack when you’re on the move.

Our main goal was to create the best-pitching pyramid on the market. We borrowed a reinforcement technique from the parachute industry called Radial Seam Tape, in which we insert a strip of polyester webbing inside all four corner seams to eliminate bias stretch, creating perfectly tensioned side panels and maintaining structural integrity when the nylon elongates in wet conditions.

Another goal was to make the best ventilated pyramid available. Our dual upper thru-vents and large low vent provide more airflow than peak vents, and our novel Perimeter Pull Vents allow the bottom edges to be pulled up in the center, creating a chimney effect when paired with the upper vents that minimizes condensation.

Finally, to make the Cinder Cone the easiest pyramid to set up, we added a Dyneema “Quick-Pitch” cord from corner to corner. The Quick-Pitch cord sets the correct distance between the corners, giving you a perfect pitch every time and avoiding the dreaded “Rhombus”. If you’ve set up a mid before, you get it. The Quick-Pitch cord can be easily unclipped when the tent is in use.

The ALUULA™ top cap reinforcement has the best durability of any lightweight fabric on the market and allows the Cinder Cone to be set up with ski poles, trekking poles, a kayak paddle, a carbon I-pole, or anything else you can dream up. To set up the Cinder Cone with ski poles or trekking poles, use two of our SlingFin Voile Straps to strap your pole handles together.

The Cinder Cone can be paired with the Cinder Cone Mesh Body for a luxuriously spacious ultralight summer backpacking shelter or with the Cinder Cone Tub Floor for sleeping on wet ground in bug-free conditions.

Our Verdict

A well-thought-out pyramid that’s simple to pitch, well-thought-out ventilation that holds its shape in bad weather. A solid choice for anything from river trips to winter camps where gear needs to earn its place.

The SlingFin Cinder Cone 4 fixes some of the usual pyramid tent annoyances. The Quick-Pitch cord—a Dyneema line running corner to corner—makes it easy to get a proper square pitch without second-guessing every peg. It’s especially handy when setting up on your own or in a hurry. Ventilation is properly sorted. With two top vents, a big lower vent, and the option to encourage airflow by lifting the sides. Essentially, ventilation is impressive for a single-skin shelter, and it needs to be especially if four people are using this tent in winter.. The 10d fabric feels thin but is well thought through; the corner work is robust, and the stitching neat and clean.

At 762g for the Medium, it strikes a decent balance between weight and livability. There’s good space to sit up, cook, and spread out without feeling cramped.

– Reviewed by Ultralight Outdoor Gear

Features

• 10D NY66 RS SIL/SIL has exceptional UV resistance and tear strength for the weight
• ALUULA™ top cap reinforcement has the best durability of any lightweight composite fabric ever made
• Sets up with I-pole (not included), ski/trekking poles, kayak paddle, skis, etc.
• YKK VISLON™ Aquaguard zipper outlasts coil zippers and keeps rain out without a zipper flap
• Zipper has 2 preinstalled spare sliders to prolong zipper life
• 2 upper drawstring thru vents
• 1 large low drawstring vent/window
• Super packable: silnylon packs down to a fraction of the size of DCF
• Radial Seam Tape reinforcements on corner seams to increase strength and maintain stability in wet conditions
• Perimeter Pull Vents allow airflow under the bottom perimeter
• 4 perimeter pull out loop tensioners
• 4 corner guy loops
• 3 mid-panel webbing guy loops
• Straight cut sides can be sealed against the ground
• Bottom perimeter nylon herringbone reinforcement for added abrasion resistance
• Includes 7 120″ 1.5mm Dyneema core reflective guylines with pre-attached tensioners
• Internal o-rings for hanging gear
• Includes 8 size L DAC J-stakes and 7 size MS DAC J-stakes
• 20D PE-coated reinforcements
• Quick-Pitch cord makes setup easy
• Integrates with Cinder Cone Mesh Body and Tub Floor

Specifications

• Weighs: 762g
• Small pegs x7 Weighs: 90g
• Large Pegs x8 Weighs: 170g
• Dimensions: 108″ x 108″ (274cm x 274cm)
• Peak Height: 72″ (183cm)
• Packed Size (uncompressed): 12″ x 5″ x 5″ (30.5cm x 13cm x 13cm)
• Total Area: 81 sq ft (7.53 sq m)
• Guy out loops: 7 (4 corner+3 mid-panel)
• Perimeter pull out loops: 3 pre-installed, 4 optional

Material & Construction

• Included Guylines: 7x 120″ 1.5mm Dyneema core reflective with pre-attached tensioners
• Included Stakes: 8x DAC J-Stake size L, 7x DAC J-Stake x MS
• Fabric: 10D Nylon 66 ripstop sil/sil
• Reinforcement Fabric: ALUULA Durlyte HH-155

Help & Advice

• The Ultimate Guide to Ultralight Tents
• Time-Saver Guide to Choosing a Tent
• When pegs go bad – Everything you need to know about tent pegs
• Are Tent Footprints Worth It?