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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 found the following review helpful:
 Make Sure to Pull it Nice & Tight Oct 17, 2007
By H. Thompson
"phillippup"
I bought this tent when I was in the Montana Conservation Corps. I carried it on several long backpacking trips. It is a very nice tent, high quality materials, but there are two things that I wish I'd have known before ordering it.
The first is that the tent is not free standing. You have to stake the tent to the ground at five points for it to stand upright. You also have to stake the fly. It's hard to set up at night or on a tough surface because it's not free standing. Make sure to buy plenty of replacement stakes, because with this tent, you'll need 'em.
The second is that if you don't stake the fly tight enough, it has a flat surface on the top where water can pool and drip into the tent during the night, getting your down sleeping bag nice and wet for the 5 days ahead of you. When you stake the fly very very tightly, this can be avoided.
Beyond that, It is very lightweight and roomy for its weight, I'd reccomend it if you know what you're getting into.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Light Weight, Decent Tent Sep 01, 2008
By Brandon Solomon
"Nomolos"
This tent is extremely light (just under a pound heavier than the ultra-light model) and is perfect for long back-packing trips. The bathtub floor and rainfly do everything possible to keep the water out. If staked down properly, water wont ever get in. I didnt even use the guy outs on the fly and water STILL didnt get in. On a clear night, the fly can be taken off completely or rolled up on the sides. If taken off, the entire night sky is avaiable for your perusal. Essentially, the tent without the fly is nothing but bug screening. It's the fly that actually gives the tent some privacy walls.
Now for the skinny:
I took this tent out on a camping trip and found the second day to be nothing short of a torrential downpour. It was then that I noticed the short side of owning this particular tent. Having NO VESTIBULE makes for a very wet entry into your tent. With his vestibule, my friend was able to have a place to shelter him from the water and take off/store his muddy boots where they woudlnt get rained on all night. The Spitfire doesnt have that ability, so you'll be forced to drag your muddy boots into the tent with you along with all the water that you wont be able to shake off.
For back-packing, this tent is hands down terriffic, but I am still going to look for another Eureka model that has a vestibule for those trips that last longer than any weather report.
One other thing to consider is that this tent is not free-standing, so you'll want to purchase some Groundhog Tent Stakes MSR Ground Hog Stake Kit or something equivalent that will do the job in rocky terrain (better to buy for rocky than to be without when the time is needed). The tent and fly can be put up with only 4 stakes, but a better idea would be to use 6 so the tent can be pulled out to its full width.
Lastly, unless you and the person you are sharing this tent with are on a romantic level, then I would suggest purchasing another tent for two. The only way it could work is for head to toe sleeping, but warm weather causes a bag to be thrown back and this creates a recipe for feet in the face. This tent is great for one person and some gear, but definitely not suited for two. Even if it had a vestibule for gear and boots, this tent would be ill suited for two people.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 great light-weight 2-person tent Dec 24, 2007
By Sean Bova
"backpack-rat"
I've done quite a bit of searching around, and this is by far the lightest 2-person tent I've found... well, aside from a couple ultra-lite specialty companies... but they're harder to find, and MUCH more expensive. Plenty of room inside for two people and quite a bit of gear (depending on how tall you are) as there is a good sized area at the head end that, because of the way the tent tapers, isn't much use for adult people... but you can store a couple mid-sized packs there... or if you're camping with the pooch, it can curl up in that spot nicely. I like the layout with the 2-door design. Makes night-time "nature calls" much easier on your tent-mate. One can get up and exit the tent without worrying about kicking the other. Also, if it's a clear night, the fly ties up over each door to give you a pretty good view of the sky through the HUGE mesh panels. Actually, pretty much the whole upper section is mesh which is great for ventilation on warm nights, as well as keeping down the condensation on cooler nights. The only thing I would suggest is getting a better set of stakes for it. The ones it comes with are the basic steel wire hook type. Fine for plain-ol dirt, but not so good if it's a bit rocky or root-laden. Plus, they tend to bend a bit easily. I'd recommend a set of either the "MSR Ground Hog" aluminum stakes, or a titanium stake of similar design (angle or tri-leg... not the wire type). The alum and titanium are both lighter, the angle or tri-leg will be stronger. Other than the stakes (which are perfectly usable, though they won't last long), this is a great tent package... right around 4 lbs complete, straps nicely to a pack, and unlike other tents I've had in the past, it's actually pretty easy to get back into the bag if you're careful to roll most of the air out (I've had many tents where the bag was just too tight and made repacking a chore). Happy camping.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Spacious, yet small! Jun 27, 2007
By Sarah Alston
"Sass"
This tent is the best for your buck! It's a really great tent if you are looking for something that makes you feel like you're still outside. All the walls are mesh, so you can see and hear everything around you - great for stargazing or sitting next to the fire without getting bug bites! I did a lot of research when I was looking for a tent and this one was the best deal! It was the cheapest tent I could find that also offered the maximum sleeping length, sitting height (two people can sit inside without touching the top easily), and yet, packs up very small and light when hiking! When I received the box in the mail, I didn't realize it was my tent, because the box was so light! It's a really great tent for spring, summer, and fall! There are two doors on the TOP of each side that are so big two people could climb through at the same time if you wanted to. The inside is big enough to even fit 3 5ft5 girls cozily with space for your packs above your head. In addition, there are two "cell-phone/flashlight/bugspray" holders in the corners of the tent - which keeps your stuff dry and off the floor of the tent. OH! And it's REALLY easy to set up! Took me less than 5 minutes! I would definitely recommend this tent to someone who hikes with a tent and camps with more than one person.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Nice tent Sep 21, 2007
By T. Groesbeck
I have spent 2 rainy nights in this tent. Stayed dry both nights. I love having 2 doors on a this tent, makes for fantastic ventilation on a hot night. I have used this tent by myself, so there is plenty of room for gear, lots of room to sit up. The tent goes up in about 5 minutes. There is a top vent in the fly that can be opened for extra ventilation, nice feature, and water does not come in when it is opened, even during a down pour! This is a great tent
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