Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I just finished a 6 week camping trip that took me to every state west of Iowa. I toured the National Parks. Here's my review. 1) Cold-The lowest temperature at night was 28 degrees. This tent sleeps approx. 15 degrees warmer then the outside temp. When I packed up the tent I was surprised how much frost was on the inside of the fly. I slept very comfortable. Yes, I packed up the tent wet and did repeatedly over my trip. By the way, this tent weights a ton when wet. 2) Rain-My first go of rain was in Washington at Olympic NP. It rained for about 3 days. The tent stayed dry but I ended up packing up and leaving because I'd never had a tent say dry for longer. The real test was at Guadalupe NP and the general area. It rained for 7 days and not just sprinkling. The first thing that started to leak were the air vents on the fly. Only about a tablespoon came in but when it's dripping on your head it's a little uncomfortable. For the first time, when I packed up my air mattress I notice water under it. Keep in mind this is after using it for a sold 5 weeks. It was put up and down at least 3 times a week as I moved from park to park. As far as I'm concerned, this tent is amazingly dry! Once the vents started leaking I sprayed them with a sealant otherwise nothing was used. I have not camped in the rain since I found water under my air mattress thank goodness it was dry camping after that. One last thing on rain. The fly is waterproof not the tent. If you leave open the vestibule doors and it rains you will have a wet tent. The doors are not waterproof. 3) Heat/Sand- As I mentioned above this tent sleeps about 15 degrees warmer. Now image it is 106 out. While at Zion NP I had a real problem. The first night I woke to sand everywhere in the tent. Didn't realize they had sandstorms every night. No matter how much I closed up the tent, turned it, moved things in front of it I could not keep the sand from blowing into the tent. I'm not talking about tracking it in, I really mean it blowing in through the screen. The tent would be fine in 106 degree weather if you could remove the fly but with the sand issue that was not an option. This tent is not ideal in hot weather. If there is any chance of rain you need to make sure the vestibule doors are closed or you will get wet. Once the doors are closed the air flow is almost nonexistent. If it's a hot dry day you can open the doors and or remove the fly and you will be fine. 4)Stakes-when I first researched this tent some individuals were concerned about the stake quality. When I first looked at them I agreed, so I purchased 4 big Coleman stakes and used the others for the rest. The stakes are great. After pulling them up and pounding them in so many times I have no issues with there durability. But wow, do they hurt when you walk into one and I walked into the ones opening the vestibule many times. Finally I started putting something where the stake was so I would quit hitting it. I tried using the Coleman stakes in the vestibule opening but they don't operate the same. The vestibule doors need to be held tight and to the ground or else they hit against the tent and the condensation will seep through the doors. Maybe it's just me but this tent has a lot of condensation on the inside of the fly each morning. 5) Vestibule- Nice but only good enough for a pair of boots or shoes. I would never keep my backpack in the vestibule it would be crawling with bugs by morning. 6) Wind-This tent has no wind issues. If you think there is going to be wind or rain just make sure you use all the lines and Velcro, they really do make a difference. 7) Size- I camped alone and am only a little over 5 feet. This had plenty of room for me and my stuff but that really doesn't help anyone that might have two people. Overall-this is the best tent I have ever owned and the best piece of equipment I had on my trip. I would buy this again in a heartbeat!