Earlier this month my K2 XT tent arrived from Eureka Tents. It is probably going to be a while before I actually get a chance to use it, and thus really review it, but here are a couple of early impressions.
The Eureka K2 XT is one of Eureka's four season expedition tents, a four pole dome with a vestibule. It comes in at just over 5 kilograms (11 pounds, 12 oz according to their information), which is lighter than the tents I've been used to in the last little while, but I don't do much backpaking these days. It packs up fairly small, this picture is with my size 9s to give you an idea of the size.
As soon as it arrived (yes I'm pretty much the kid at Christmas whenever anything new arrives) I set it up in the Great Room. I only briefly skimmed the setting up instructions (a set comes with the tent and is also available as a pdf online), not because I'm a guy and instructions are for the weak (well maybe just a little) but because I wanted to see if there was a logic to the set up, and determine its ease of set up.
Set up was easy, the four poles are all of equal length (a fifth pole is used to stiffen the vestibule), they slide easily into the pockets and snap into grommets. The fly is easy to add also, and connects with velcro tabs, and fasteners. The vestibule pole is external and snaps into place.
The tent is roomy, with a surprising amount of head room, and while I'm older now and would like to be able to stand up in tents I certainly don't expect that in a tent built for this purpose. The tent will be very roomy for two people, and you can easily fit three snugly inside. Travis and I will have plenty of room for our trip to the Peregrine canyon this summer.
On first blush it seems quite well made, but I'll leave more of that for when we get it out in the field. I like the large array of organizer pockets on two walls, and details paid to ventilation. I like the fact that there is zippered access to the vents in the fly. The vestibule is roomy, and will easily accommodate extra gear and boots.
All in all, my first impressions are positive, and I look forward to getting it out on the land. The K2 XT is available online from Eureka tents for $469.90 US (it is one of their most expensive models). There is a wide range of tents to choose from.
Comments
2 responses
Kia ora Clare,
Man that packs up pretty small for five kilos, very impressive. The Eureka range has always been a high quality tent, I had one for years in the states. The tramping and camping and camping models, at least of old, had one weak spot, and that was a lack of a good vestible, so I was impressed to see the size of the one on your tent. Certainly helps keep the tent drier and cleaner, and great storage space. Happy camping!
Cheers,
Robb
Hi Robb,
The vestibule is quite roomy (roomier than the photos because its not staked out. There is a small rear vestibule also. I’m looking forward to getting in the field and using it.