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The Helion hails as Mountain Hardwear's lightest two-person tent. And just because it weighs under 3.5lb doesn't mean this three-season shelter won't do its duty when rain, wind, or muggy weather comes into play. Mountain Hardwear designed the Helion with the serious superlight backpacker in mind. With the use of only three Atlas UL poles, Mountain Hardwear's Evolution Tension Arch system stabilizes the tent during high winds. The Helion 2 Tent's welded construction and fully taped fly guarantee a waterproof camping experience—Mountain Hardwear rain-room-tested this puppy with 1200 inches of rain over 24 hours. PitchLight option: Set this tent's fly up with poles and the Helion 2 Footprint (not included) for a damn near weightless backcountry shelter.
Bottom Line: The Mountain Hardwear Helion 2 Tent : an ultralight with might.
How does this tent compare to the Big Agnes Seedhouse 2? I noticed that it has a similar format with slightly smaller floor space. I am hoping that the rain fly does not require staking like the Seedhouse does.
Thanks Matthew. I understand that vestibules require staking. I guess I should have cited rgmaher2259401's review on the Seedhouse page as part of my original question:
"Using the [Seedhouse] rainfly definitely requires staking, so if granite is your thing, you need more tension lengthwise than the poles allow. If you want to stay dry, it has to stay taught, and if anything more than a light rain is expected, you better plan on setting all the guy lines to keep the separation between shell and fly."
A.R.M also refers to the same problem. I was hoping the Helion would be different. Any idea?
I am interested in the Hubba Hubba as well, but I like the two abovementioned tents better due to their extremely small packablity.
The rain fly does require staking on both tents. For the most part any tent that has a vestibule will require staking.
Both tents are good choices. The mountain hardwares pole geometry is a little burlier as well as the floor. I might also look at the MSR Hubba Hubba and the HP version.
This is a fantastic tent. I bought it last spring as mainly a roomy solo backpacking tent and it has been great. First off, even though it's a lightweight tent, it's still freestanding which is a huge plus for me. I don't really like the idea of one you have to stake out in order for them to stand. Second, it has four inside pockets for storage, two above you and two by the door, which is nice for keeping small things off the floor. Third, it's fairly easy to set up by running the poles through the plastic rings on the tent body. Fourth, its just tall enough inside to situp without touching the roof with my head. Fifth, it came with y shaped stakes which are stronger than v stakes and can take a beating and not bend. Sixth, I like to color because it's earthy and won't be spotted at the end of the valley by other backpackers a mile away, ahem, marmot. One thing I don't like about this tent is the footprint. It's basically made of a white thick paper like material which doesn't seem at all durable to me, already had a rock rip it, and is very noisy when unpacking and laying on the ground. Other than that, this tent is great. Also, when choosing this tent, I also looked at the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2. I picked this one because it has a larger vestibule, 4 pockets instead of 3, is 3 inches taller inside, is longer by 2 inches and weighs 2 ounces less. This tent is narrower though so if you are using it as a 2 person, you better REALLY like that other person you're with. Overall, if you have the extra money or can find this tent on sale and really want a light one person tent without being all claustrophobic inside those mini one persons, then this is the tent for you.
At trail camp on mount whitney. The night before this pic was taken there was a thunderstorm with lots of rain and wind. the tent held up great!!! not a drop of water got inside!
Not once you get used to it. It is not as convenient as a clip-up tent but if you get the poles situated before you pop up the tent... it is not bad at all. It is definitely worth the weight savings! Hope this helps. Cheers.
This looks like the update to the Thru-Hiker...these are good three-season lightweight FREE-STANDING tents... I empahsize that because that's the main reason I bought this over the Light Path or the clip flashlight. This has definitely held up in some good storms. I have another tent for when I'm kayak or car camping that is a little more spacious, but for a free-standing backpacking tent this rules
Yes this tent does have the bathtub floor. It is also very waterproof, I took this tent to Mt. Whitney and the first night we were there was a thunderstorm with alot of rain at trail camp and not a drop of water got inside! I highly recommend this tent its superlight and super strong!
Hey RC, I checked out mountainhardwear.com for more info, and didn't read anything specific about a bathtubbed floor. I did, however, find that all MHW tents are guaranteed watertight. Check this out straight off the MHW website, "Guaranteed watertight construction with welded body construction, fully taped 30-denier fly, welded corners and guy clip anchors. Rain room tested with 1200" of rain in 24 hours." Unless you're camping at the bottom of the Atlantic, I think you're good! Hope that helps.
The tent was very small. Good for one person or an adult and a small child. The tent set up easy and was very straight forward. Very light. I would recommend this as a one person tent.
Okay this has got to be one of the most impressive tents I have ever seen. It is light, and very easy to setup. The setup is a little different. There are not hooks or sleeves but eyes you put teh poles through. Put the poles through all the eyes and then snap in the ends of the poles on the tent all at once and you will have a tent fast. The poles are awesome and very strong. The fly material is so dang light with that hollow core material but keeps you dry. I have a buddy that has used this in the snow and it works in any environment. The size of the tent is a cuddly 2 man tent is the one drawback. You will stay warm with two people but if you had a dog with you , you would love this tent.
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