Vey good, but not perfect

By yanstirling2251124 Ranked #202 - 3-Season Tents August 8, 2008

I bought this to go summer camping around mediterranean Europe. The tent was relatively easy and quick to set up even on first attempt. It is very spacious inside, thanks to the bent poles, with good head room. it also has good sized vestibules. Although it's a bit heavier than the light-weights on the market, it is much more roomy, and comfortable. It also has heavier coating on fly and floor than the light-weights which ensures it can withstand heavier rain. For me these trade-offs are important as it makes the tent much more practical. The only downside of the tent itself is the slanted pockets on the corners which means things do fall out. However I think the tent is roomy enought to leave things lying on the floor.

I've read some reviews in other sites that suggest the fly has a poor design and it experiences dips as water collects on top at certain spots. Despite having grommets to insert the shorter poles on the ceiling onto the fly, dips can happen as I found since I didn't use the guy ropes when I first set it up. Nonethless, on its 1st use it had to endure a 12 hours on continuous severe thunderstorm with very heavy rain in the Slovenian mountains and it held up fine and we stayed dry. (I also purchased the footprint when kept the floor perfectly dry). Afterwards I did use the guy ropes on 3 corners of the 4 corners (as strangely, only 3 line clips were provided) and the fly pulled much tighter without any dips. You do need to make sure you stake the fly well and use the guy lines to ensure this. The vestible door design however is not great as you can get wet opening the doors from the inside. It is also a bit tricky to keep the doors rolled up due to the position of the tie-ons. Also when it is rolled up, it does sag and touch the tent wall so you can't do while it's raining or wet.

Overall, I think it is a very good 3 season tent with some flaws. It is spacious and quick to set up. Ensuring you stake out the fly properly is the trick in making this tent work well when it's raining.

View Details: Marmot Aeolos Tent 2-Person 3-Season

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