Mountain Hardwear EV-2 Tents

Mountain Hardwear EV-2 Tents

Good Morning,

As promised, I am going to continue in my series on various types of tents. The harsh weather tents are on my mind right now due to the cold weather I have been hunting in. I love it, but I love it more when I have a warm, dry place to go to at the end of the long day. 

The Mountain Hardwear line has long been a favorite of mine. Not only are they well made, but are durable and backed by a great warranty. The Mountain Hardwear EV 2 tent was designed with the help of Ed Viesturs. For those of you who do not know who he is, I will talk a bit more about him later on. Suffice it to say, if he is involved, there is some serious tent designing going on.

The EV 2 is sold as a two man camping tent, but if you use it for two, it will be a bit snug. I like this tent, because of it's ability to be used a high elevations and in narrow spaces. (such as that ledge you found yourself on last time) Again, let me repeat, it is a single walled tent, and as such, you may find it a bit cold for single camping. Take a good bag and you will be fine. But it is lightweight (right at 5 lbs.) so that makes up for it.

The Mountain Hardwear EV 2 is a tent for high altitudes. What that means, that it is as close to a snow shelter as you can find. It is not designed as a car camping tent, or a summertime tent. .It is designed to be a bunker, to get you out of harsh weather, and lives up to it's reputation. I find the ventilation in this tent is more than adequate, when used properly, which means less condensation, making it safer for indoor cooking. Condensation is a fact of life in a single wall tent, so expect some. Set up with the clips, is fast, simple and easy. You will find that it's inherently narrow design allows it to fit almost anywhere.

Also, as with any tent, slap the door a couple times before you open it, just to knock off any snow. This sturdy little tent holds up in strong winds, even if you forgot to put out the guys or stake it down tightly. Mt. Hood (as many mountains are) notorious for wind gusts through your base camps at night, and this one will stand up to it. There is even a zippered port in the floor of the tent, to provide an exit port for excess snow you drag in.

Next up, a tent that I consider as Mountain headwear's big brother to the EV 2. That's it for today, and as always, hike safe and I'll see you on the trail-- Campingman