Kelty Acadia 2 Person Tent, a 3 Season tent

Good Morning,

OK...we're down to the final entry in this series on tents. Besides the Kelty Gunnison tent for an extra tent or as I use it here, a storage tent, I want to talk about the Kelty Acadia 2 tent. This particular series of tents by Kelty (the Acadia line) come in 2 , 4 and 6 person tents. For today however, we are going to focus on the two person tent only. 

Now, both tents (the Gunnison 1.1 and the Acadia 2)  are considered to be 3 season tents, but that does not mean you cannot use them year round. Once again, let me say: "most any tent can be used all year round, if properly supported and water proofed, externally or internally." With that thought in mind, plan for any eventuality. If you know you are going to be in an area you expect snow or rain, just brace and cover your tent accordingly. Simple preparation for a great trip is all it takes.

Kelty Acadia 2 Person Tent Cover

In the case of this Kelty Acadia tent, the 32 square feet of interior storage space is enormous. It even has interior wall pockets to maximize floor space. Set up of this free standing tent, is a simple three pole, snap design. (clips that attach to the poles.) Once set up, the double door design (both of them very large) allow for quick access to your stored items. How many times have you stored something in a tent and find yourself crawling all over to locate it? Well, with the double door design, you simply go around to the other side and access the rear without crawling all around.  In harsh, wet, or icy weather, take a tube tent to use as ground cover under your tent, always. The floor and tent seams are taped. Walls are non see through mesh, and there are numerous guy out points for staking and support.

 

One advantage of the double vestibule, is that it not only helps keep the interior dry, I find, that they offer a great place to store your firewood to keep it out of the weather. With the double vestibules, you have twice the storage space (23 additional square feet to be exact). The fiberglass tent support poles utilize "wrapped construction" for extra strength, but the brow pole (which holds the rain fly) is made from DAC Hybrid Aluminum. The letters DAC are an abbreviation for "Dongah Aluminum Corporation", a dedicated tent pole manufacturer whose entire purpose is to build stronger, safer and lighter poles for the camping community. 

This line of Kelty tents, although I speak of them as storage tents, also come in handy as lightweight hiking/camping/kayaking tents through the rest of the year.. I am sure that you will find even more uses for these two great tents, yourself.

Thanks for reading, hike safe and I'll see you on the trail-- Campingman

Kelty Gunnison 1.1 Tent - The perfect "extra tent" for gear and more.

Good Morning,

We've spent the last few days on harsh weather tents and their use. One thing I did not cover, is taking along, an extra tent for gear storage when hunting, or camping. As an example, when I take off to go hunting, it's usually for a bout a week at a time. I carry enough food for that week, as well as the ancillary gear necessary to maintain myself when out there. This fact necessitates getting my truck as close to the area as possible, without creating an intrusion on the environment. It also entails, generally making two trips from my truck to my campsite, in order to get everything up there. So, besides a tent for me to sleep in, I carry a small lightweight tent to store, extra dry clothing, canned goods, waterproof materials if needed, etc. I take a tent along, that I also use when kayaking or just hiking for a few days. It serves double duty that way and is used nearly year round.

With that in mind, I like the Kelty Gunnison 1.1 tent. It's light weight (just over 3 lbs.), inexpensive and super easy to set up. It has adequate ventilation for storing things w/o drawing a lot of extra condensation. Why the extra weight and effort of taking a second tent? Simple. Taking a spare tent, allows for maximum room in the sleeping tent, or, even better yet, a place to get out of the weather to cook in and eat. It has a single door and stay dry vestibule. I cannot speak enough about having a small lightweight, extra tent to store your extra gear and firewood. It just makes your sleeping tent so much more comfortable. Besides, when you're kayaking, this makes an excellent overnight tent for those weekend getaways. By no means, do you have to just consider this a single use tent.

This tent is waterproof from the factory and I took it out for the first time without sealing the seams (something you do on most tents). Just a quick weekend trip to do some fishjing in a local lake of ours. You guessed it... ...I was caught in a Texas sized downpour for well over 40 minutes. If you've ever been in a rain storm in the south, you know what I mean. Plus, the wind was blowing to beat all, but this little tent stood up to everything nature threw at me that day and I stayed warm and dry. I am sure it's bathtub floor design, had a little something to do with that. Plus, the seams are all sonically welded at the factory. So, there you have it, a dual purpose tent, (extra storage at base camp or Kayaking/camping/hiking overnighter). You have it all with this little Kelty tent.

That's it again for today, hike safe and I will see you on the trail-- Campingman

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

Black Diamond HiLight 2 person tent

Black Diamond HiLight 2 person tent

Good Morning,

The first two tents in this series are for rugged weather hiking/camping, etc. Whereas, not all of you will have need of double walled construction, but you want something that is water proof right out of the box. With that spiel, I introduce you to the Black Diamond HiLight 2 Person Tent.

 I like this tent, for it's roominess. The two and a half (yes, 2 1/2, I'll explain later) pole design allows for the steep sides and high ceiling.This tent is made and sold, as a two person tent, and it truly is big enough for two people and their gear.  But....if I'm hiking by myself (which is frequent) this tent allows for roomy comfort inside a dry interior. THAT alone, a dry interior, makes all the difference at the end of the long wet day, knowing that your tent is going to keep you warm and dry overnight. Besides, it weighs in at 3 lbs, so it  is comfortable in my pack. It's steep side design, sheds water like a ducks back. 

The canopy  is made with highly water resistant NanoShield fabric. This breathable fabric is proprietary to super light tents such as this. Now, before going further, this tent offers an optional vestibule...buy it, and you will be glad you did, as it allows you the extra room to cook in a semi-covered environment, without having to move all of your gear about. The door and the rear of the tent have mesh enclosures for ventilation.

Now, for the explanation of the 2 1/2 pole design. If you are not familiar with tent's, this can appear confusing. I mean really? What would you use "half of a pole for?" Simple. if you look at the tent, you can see the simple two pole criss cross design for support. The "half pole" is simply inserted into the grommets sewn into the top of the tent and the "half pole" supports the weight for the other two, allowing for a drip free entryway. Simple design.

Next up, a series on Mountain Hardwear tents. I hope you have found the information helpful and as always? Hike safe and I'll see you on the trail-- Campingman

Black Diamond Squall, 3 person tent

Good Morning,

Black Diamond Squall 3 person tent

 

In keeping with the harsh weather tent concept, I want to expand slightly on the Black Diamond design series, and talk today about the Black Diamond Squall, 3 person tent. You will note, it's design is similar to that of the "Stormtrack Tent, which is another reason I like this tent. Again, with the double walled construction that I have become so fond of, the adjustable front and rear roof vents, to maximize airflow. You will find, with this design, the Black Diamond Stormtracker/Squall series tents can stand up to prolonged mountain weather. Whatever nature can throw at you, this tent can take it.  

 

If you've ever hiked, camped or hunted in Idaho, Montana, Colorado, or Oregon, you know the weather can get downright gnarly in a heartbeat. Sometimes, even before you get to your predesignated camping spot. If that turns out to be the case, this series tents, can take that kind of punishment. The "Squall 3 person tent, has the same taped 2500 mm polyester fly as well as the 5000 mm nylon floor as the Stormtrack.  Again, I suggest using the "Tube Tent" as a ground cover. The interior space is broader, and with the same vestibules front and rear, there is plenty of storage space.

 

The setup is simple and easy, utilizing Black Diamond's "50/50 sleeve and clip fast hub setup process" you heard me mention that phrase in the "Stormtracker tent" post... Well, I'm going to go into that just a bit, so that it makes sense. What that is, is, the utilization of 'sleeves' for the poles supporting the front of the tent and 'clips' to support the rear of the tent. These clips attach to the poles in the rear, allowing setup to be accomplished easily by one person. The hubs, are the ingenious design of inserting the poles into the tent ground stake extensions.

 

Next up, a lighter weight model Black Diamond tent for rainy weather, the Black Diamond HiLight 2 person tent. Hike safe and I'll see you on the trail-- Campingman

 

 

PS- Here's a quick tip: When attaching the exterior cover for your tent, spread the gray mesh section over the front door and life will be wonderful.

Black Diamond Stormtrack 2 person tent

Harsh Weather Tents

Good Morning,

Having just returned from my latest foray into the wilderness on a short hunting trip, and I would like to take some time and share a bit on tents. I know I've previously spoken on tents for one or two people as well as family tents. Mostly just good all around general tents, for general use. What about a tent for the snow? Fall hunting season generally happens when the first snows begin to fall, so today, I am going to start a series on tents that are more for the winter. Having just returned from a trip, I am able to share some of my experiences. Now, keep in mind, that ANY tent can be used in pretty much any weather if: Properly water proofed, supported well, (in case of snows) and insulated. My point here, is why go to all of that bother if you can have a tent for the season you are hiking/camping/hunting in?

In the next several days, I will cover a few tents from Black Diamond, Mountain Hardwear and maybe even a Kelty tent or two. You can see, that I pretty much stick with these manufacturers, as over the years, I have had great luck with all three so I pass along my experiences. That being said, I am going to start off with the Black Diamond brand of tents.

Black Diamond Stormtrack 2 person tent

I like this model, for several reason's. First, it won the Backpacker Magazine's Torture Test.  To start with, it is a four season, free standing, double walled tent. Black Diamond refers to this particular tent as their "Base Camp" shelter. They are not kidding. The reason? It's double walled design. This in itself, helps to not only insulate, but withstand the toughest weather. You can set the tent up, almost anywhere and find yourself protected from the elements. If you need to hunker down, in really bad weather, and you can't get to a more sheltered area? No problem, this is the tent. 

If you just want out of the snow, the rain, or just plain cold weather, this Black Diamond Stormtrack tent fits that need. 

With adjustable front and rear top vents, there is plenty of airflow. The double wall design features 3 poles  for speedy setup and stability in high winds. It's noted by Black Diamond, as "50/50 sleeve/clip fast pitch hub set up." The double end doors allow easy entry, plenty of gear storage (the vestibules are plenty roomy for storage) and cooking space. How much space you ask...it's nearly 7 1/2 feet long (this is sleeping space only, the vestibules add more length, you can use for storage). This tent's sleeping area is just over 5 feet wide. The door fly is taped, 2500 mm polyester and the floor itself is 5000 mm nylon. With that in mind, remember the "Tube Tent/ground cover" I spoke of in an earlier blog? Well, here is a time to use it. Spread it on the ground under you tent before setup, for just that teensy bit additional insulation form the cold. You won't be sorry you did.

My next post will be on the Black Diamond line, once again The "Squall" 3 person tent.. Stay safe and I'll see you on the trail-- Campingan