ProView – Seek Outside Silex 1p XL with Stove Jack Review

I received the Seek Outside Silex 1p XL tent with stove jack for review several weeks out from the start of Colorado’s spring turkey season. Since the area where I live and hunt is very popular amongst turkey hunters, I took it as an opportunity to get away from the crowds by packing my camp into an area several miles from the nearest trailhead. After some pitching practice and seam sealing, it was go time. 

Seam Sealing

With a slight chance of rain/snow in the extended forecast, I wanted to seam seal the tent prior to my trip. It arrived with a tube of seam sealer. However, I opted for a fast-curing sealer that I already had on hand. Seam sealer requires a temperature over 60 degrees Fahrenheit for curing, and at the time, temperatures at my house were barely above that for the middle few hours of the day, and I didn’t want to try and seal it inside. If you won’t have a warm enough day to seal your tent prior to using it, Seek Outside does offer in-house seam sealing for an up-charge of $55 and a couple of extra days prior to shipping your product. 

Packing

Even with a stove jack, the tent packs up very small. The provided stuff sack has plenty of room to add in my ground sheet (a repurposed tent footprint) as well as an inflatable camp pillow with room to spare. It was nice to have some wiggle room inside my pack rather than playing the game of “pack Tetris” to fit everything inside. 

Pitching

The Silex uses four ground stakes and two hiking poles to set up. It also has several extra spots around the outside edge for extra stakes in case the weather gets blowy. I used one of the center seam loops and an extra stake to create a little extra room over my head. Don’t carry poles? The Silex also has D-rings on the top two corners. With some extra cordage and some nearby trees, they can be used in lieu of poles. I didn’t try it, but it definitely adds to the versatility of the tent.

In my experience, floorless tents are finicky in regards to tension when setting initial stakes, and the Silex is no exception. Seek Outside provides a great instructional video that’s very helpful for getting a good pitch. It was worth practicing a couple of times in the yard since the forecasted overnight temps for my trip were in the upper 20’s, making it crucial that I could pitch it as tightly to the ground as possible to reduce drafts. Since I practiced before I set out, pitching only took 5-10 minutes while I was out.

A note about pole length

This is one of the things that irks me about any hiking pole tent I’ve used, Silex included – Seek Outside recommends using poles from 120cm-140cm in length. At 5’6” tall, I’m very average-height for a female outdoors person, and use 110cm trekking poles. These give me the desired 90 degree elbow position, and most manufacturers don’t recommend going up to 120cm until you’re at least 5’8” tall. I’ve learned that a couple of rocks are a good fix. Using rocks requires the pole to be installed tip-up, and though the corners of the Silex are reinforced with an extra layer of fabric, time will tell if it will hold up to this orientation. I could add rubber tip covers to my setup, but I know myself well enough to say that I’d likely lose one or both at some point. 

Zipperless Design

I’m still undecided about whether or not I like the zipperless design. On one hand, the weight/space savings and durability over a zippered door are significant. Seek Outside has come up with a very clever sliding mechanism that locks the door flap in place on its support line in whatever position you leave it. It’s totally solid, even in gusty winds. 

However, this mechanism is on the outside of the door flap. So, with the tent pitched as close to ground level as I could manage, getting the corner of the door down the last few inches took some hand and arm gymnastics. Because of the nice locking mechanism, you have to reach outside and “unlock” it to slide the door shut with you inside. I imagine that in warmer conditions with the tent pitched higher, this would be a non-issue. Personally, all of my backcountry trips are at higher mountain elevations with cold nighttime temperatures, so I can’t see myself pitching it in an off-ground orientation. 

Interior Space

My previous experience with a 1-person tent was a Nemo Hornet (a traditional bathtub floor/rainfly tent). The Silex is 6oz lighter and feels like a mansion compared to the Hornet. It’s great to have some space to hang out, reorganize, and take care of gear at the end of the day rather than just a small spot that only holds a sleeping bag and pad. The only small niggle I have about the space is that I wish that the high points of the tent were biased to one side rather than being in the middle. It would offer extra headroom when lying down, especially for taller individuals. 

Seek Outside offers several accessories for the Silex. The tent I’m testing is stove-compatible, and they make a very small one that would sit in the vestibule area under the stove jack (that black patch up in the corner of the previous picture). I don’t own such a stove, so I can’t comment on its efficacy. From reading other users’ experiences, the smallest stove is good for an end or beginning of the day warmup rather than an overnight amount of heat (unless you’re willing to wake up and stoke the tiny fire every couple of hours). With the right gear, this allows the Silex to stretch into mild 4-season use, depending on your winter weather forecast. 

They also offer a Nest that can hook to the inner side of the tent. It weighs 16oz and features a bug net attached to a bathtub floor. The Nest is designed to keep you bug-free for warmer environments. As someone that’s had a mouse run across my face while summertime cowboy camping, I’d welcome the extra protection. The Nest does negate the use of the stove, though most people don’t have an issue with that since a stove is mainly applicable when bugs are scarce. 

The Final Word

Overall, the Silex has the fit and finish of a very high quality piece of gear that is versatile enough for anyone looking to have a solid, spacious shelter. While I had my small annoyance with the zipperless door, it’s undeniable that it’s the defining feature that sets it apart from other tents by making a big space that packs up very small. I could see myself utilizing this for anything from quick overnight trips like this one to extended multi-night backcountry outings. 

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