XavierD

A group of about 12 people and myself did an 11 day trip in the Olympic peninsula (northwest corner of WA). On our trip we used these tents, and tested them for MSR along with some of their other gear. We started with 4 days on the beach (Pacific Ocean). The first three days were dry (with moist nights) and on the last night a heavy fog came in, fallowed by rains. The first thing I must say is that these tents are big. Three people fit very comfortably in them and we were able to fit 4 people in them with out having to sleep on top of each other, but it was snug. This tent is very waterproof. None of us or our gear (which we put under the vestibules) got wet. The tent is very durable when up as well. If all the stakes are in, it barley even shakes in high wind. However, it will shake if the side support strings are not staked in. This doesn't mean it will break or collapse though. Through out the entire trip I carried the tent along with one bear canister of food and my personal gear. I found out it really is light. I never felt like it was heavy at all even on a 3000ft vertical gain in under three miles. Once we got into the mountains we could take off the fly. We all found the mesh siding to be very nice for dry weather. It keeps the bugs away but is still like sleeping outside. On the way down, one tent group decided to sleep outside with out setting up there tent first. When it started to rain in the night they set it up in under three minutes. This tent is very solid, lightweight, and big. The only problem is the stakes—they are lightweight but also bend and break easily. All together I would say this tent is well worth your money and will last a long time.