EV 2
D-Shaped Doors stay off ground when open
Large, clear, non-yellowing, non-clouding UVX film windows
Welded and waterproof, ceiling vents
Gated Power Clips at pole intersections
Catenary-cut seams create taut canopy and improve fly strength
Light Weight:, waterproof, breathable, single wall construction
#8 YKK zippers with nickel-plated sliders and pull-tabs for durability and noise reduction
Locking pole tips for ease of set-up
Tent package includes; stuff sack, pole sack, peg sack, aluminum stakes, Seam Grip and owner's manual
Back-tacked stress points add strength and durability
Non-stretch, structure stabilizing seam panels
Opposing double slider fly zippers for ease of ventilation
Taped floor seams (not all tents have a floor seam)
Large stake out loops accept skis and pickets
Integrated vestibule with floor
Trim floor design for easy placement on narrow ledges and snow platforms
Off-ground perimeter seams form a waterproof tub
Bias bound zippers allow for ease of use and extended zipper life
Specs
Packaged Weight: 4 lb 14 oz / 2.2 kg
Type: Winter/Mountaineering
Capacity: 2
Length: 8 ft 9 in / 2.7 m
Width: 4 ft 0 in / 1.2 m
Doors: 1
Poles: 3
Brow Pole: no
Vestibule Pole: no
UVX Windows: 2
Mesh Windows: 0
Exterior Height: 3 ft 8 in / 1.1 m
Interior Height: 3 ft 5 in / 1 m
Tension Shelves: 0
Total Area: 30.99 ft² / 2.88 m²
Floor Area: 30.99 ft² / 2.88 m²
Vestibules: 0
Packed Diameter: 6 in / 15.2 cm
Packed Length: 1 ft 6 in / 45.7 cm
Reviews
Viewing: 1-3 of 3 |
Snowball - Jul 22, 2005 8:14 pm - Voted 5/5
Untitled Review
Kick-butt tent.
Sold my bibler for this thing.
Tent is single-wall. Forget the time and complexity of a second wall/fly. Set-up time and simplicity of few parts is important if you are going light / fast. I use this as both my 2-person tent and as my solo tent. Easy/fast to setup for a single person.... Few minutes setup time...
Clips on the outside. This is super important if you need to setup a tent in strong winds/snow. If you have ever done this with tents that have the pole slide-ins, then you know what the issue is... Also, when breaking down the tent, the poles dont get stuck in those pole-sleeves and pull apart at the pole connections.
Narrow/Tiny footprint. This is good since you can cut a small "tent shelf" on any slope.
Integrated vestibule. If you use your tent in winter and winds, then you will always have your vestibule, so an integrated one is what you need. If you need a vestibule for winter climbing, then you probably dont want this tent. If you want the flexiblilty of no vestibule because you plan to use this tent in nicer conditions, then you probably would want a different tent. Vestibule also has a ground zipper which is great for pushing out any snow you bring into the tent, or for dumping water if you are cooking inside.
3 poles.... The fewer the better. Less to get lost or broken.
Great ventilation. 5 smartly placed vents allow for very good cross-ventilation. Poor ventilation is why i sold my bibler.
Many guy points. Some other light tents have limited guy out points. Again, this is a winter/wind issue. Nice weather camping.... not an issue.
Light. 5 lbs max with poles and stakes anb bag. That is is acutal weight. If it weighted more, i would be looking for another tent...
Good luck. Hope this helps.
RangRovr10
[member info]
posted 2005-07-22 16:08:24 Reply to This Topic
Hows cooking in the tent? No vestibule, hanging stove? In bad weather with the door closed, still enough ventilation to cook with?
Good weather just keep the door open, but i always seem to be climbing in snow/wind etc...
ClimbingSnow
[member info]
[Edit Message] posted 2005-07-22 16:48:59 Reply to This Topic
Cooking in tent in bad weather.... ahh, always a good challenge and eveyone does it differently....
If i know there is good chance that i will be cooking inside the tent, then i use cannisters. This is because the flame is more controlled during light-up and use. The liquid bottle stoves unfortunately suffer from that huge flame flare-ups during start-up, so these are definitely NOT recommended for use inside. And those stoves seem to get way too hot to safely use inside. I have a hanging stove system but i have stopped using it. I prefer to have the stove and cannister closer to the floor since it keeps the heat away from the top of the tent. I genreally camp with the vestibule on the downhill slope since spilling accidents do happen. When they happen, the floor zipper on the tent floor is open and i push the water outside thru there. I cook with the flame at approx 3/4 of maximum. Outside, in normal use, i always set the flame the maximum.
I keep part of the door open during cooking inside, but only as much as necessary for good ventilation. If it is snowing, some snow will get inside, but not much and that snow can be pushed out if not cooked. Last week on Rainier it was really windy (the day after it snow 2 feet at camp muir), so i opened the 5 vents, and the door only needed to be open about 10inches along the side because the wind was strong and kept the ventilation good. I kept the flame at approximately 3/4 of maximum. The tent was shaking due to wind gusts, but all was good inside... I generally point the vestibule away from the windward side.
Some tents are definitely not great with the ventilation. Also on Rainier last week, my buddy and i used his Intergral Designs MKL tent with vestibule (light 5pound single wall tent). We had to cook inside because of rain one day. Forgetaboutit.... Ventilation was lacking. We opened the door and unzippered the upper portion of the vestibule. We got it all to work finally, but i imagine that the tent and vestibule were not designed to work the way we had it.
Sold my bibler for this thing.
Tent is single-wall. Forget the time and complexity of a second wall/fly. Set-up time and simplicity of few parts is important if you are going light / fast. I use this as both my 2-person tent and as my solo tent. Easy/fast to setup for a single person.... Few minutes setup time...
Clips on the outside. This is super important if you need to setup a tent in strong winds/snow. If you have ever done this with tents that have the pole slide-ins, then you know what the issue is... Also, when breaking down the tent, the poles dont get stuck in those pole-sleeves and pull apart at the pole connections.
Narrow/Tiny footprint. This is good since you can cut a small "tent shelf" on any slope.
Integrated vestibule. If you use your tent in winter and winds, then you will always have your vestibule, so an integrated one is what you need. If you need a vestibule for winter climbing, then you probably dont want this tent. If you want the flexiblilty of no vestibule because you plan to use this tent in nicer conditions, then you probably would want a different tent. Vestibule also has a ground zipper which is great for pushing out any snow you bring into the tent, or for dumping water if you are cooking inside.
3 poles.... The fewer the better. Less to get lost or broken.
Great ventilation. 5 smartly placed vents allow for very good cross-ventilation. Poor ventilation is why i sold my bibler.
Many guy points. Some other light tents have limited guy out points. Again, this is a winter/wind issue. Nice weather camping.... not an issue.
Light. 5 lbs max with poles and stakes anb bag. That is is acutal weight. If it weighted more, i would be looking for another tent...
Good luck. Hope this helps.
RangRovr10
[member info]
posted 2005-07-22 16:08:24 Reply to This Topic
Hows cooking in the tent? No vestibule, hanging stove? In bad weather with the door closed, still enough ventilation to cook with?
Good weather just keep the door open, but i always seem to be climbing in snow/wind etc...
ClimbingSnow
[member info]
[Edit Message] posted 2005-07-22 16:48:59 Reply to This Topic
Cooking in tent in bad weather.... ahh, always a good challenge and eveyone does it differently....
If i know there is good chance that i will be cooking inside the tent, then i use cannisters. This is because the flame is more controlled during light-up and use. The liquid bottle stoves unfortunately suffer from that huge flame flare-ups during start-up, so these are definitely NOT recommended for use inside. And those stoves seem to get way too hot to safely use inside. I have a hanging stove system but i have stopped using it. I prefer to have the stove and cannister closer to the floor since it keeps the heat away from the top of the tent. I genreally camp with the vestibule on the downhill slope since spilling accidents do happen. When they happen, the floor zipper on the tent floor is open and i push the water outside thru there. I cook with the flame at approx 3/4 of maximum. Outside, in normal use, i always set the flame the maximum.
I keep part of the door open during cooking inside, but only as much as necessary for good ventilation. If it is snowing, some snow will get inside, but not much and that snow can be pushed out if not cooked. Last week on Rainier it was really windy (the day after it snow 2 feet at camp muir), so i opened the 5 vents, and the door only needed to be open about 10inches along the side because the wind was strong and kept the ventilation good. I kept the flame at approximately 3/4 of maximum. The tent was shaking due to wind gusts, but all was good inside... I generally point the vestibule away from the windward side.
Some tents are definitely not great with the ventilation. Also on Rainier last week, my buddy and i used his Intergral Designs MKL tent with vestibule (light 5pound single wall tent). We had to cook inside because of rain one day. Forgetaboutit.... Ventilation was lacking. We opened the door and unzippered the upper portion of the vestibule. We got it all to work finally, but i imagine that the tent and vestibule were not designed to work the way we had it.
paule - Jan 17, 2006 3:16 pm - Voted 1/5
Untitled Review
I bought this tent because I needed a 2 person / 4 season tent, as well as to have a lighter weight option to my MH Trango 3.1 Arch. I like the fact that this tent is much lighter than Trango 3.1. Even the Trango 2 would still weigh twice as much as this tent! The EV2 only has three poles, and it is a breeze to set up.
With a 4 season tent, you should expect a tent to hold up against winter elements, which is why I thought it would be perfect to test out during a recent winter trip. I like the fact that the tent is easier to pitch on narrow narrow ledges, but because of the narrow and long layout, I found that the tent could have greatly benefitted by having another door on the other end. To put your packs inside, you basically have to climb all over the sleeping bags if you wanted to stuff your packs in the nose of the tent instead of leaving it outside. If you decided to keep your gear by the door / built in vestibule instead, then the packs would have been in the way of getting in and out, because the tent is very narrow to begin with, and the opening would not allow much room with packs in the way. Aside from this, I found the tent fairly roomy overall, and my partner and I had adequate room for our sleeping bags and two large packs. At the time of this review, there are two versions of this tent available, and the only difference is that one version has poles with plastic tips, and the other has metal tips. (The version I tested had the plastic pole tips, and I did not run into a situation that would question their durability.)
I figured that I would first test out the EV2 in a moderate snow storm before taking it up on a mountain, and I am really glad I did. The tent fabric is very durable, and overall, the tent is put together very well, just as you would expect from Mountain Hardware. The built in vestibule and array of vents are pretty clever, but cannot take the place of a traditional rainfly, as it was proven in the test. While it was snowing outside, an unnacceptable level of condensation had built up, despite persistent efforts to keep the roof clean and snow free, and all the vents open for as much ventalation as possible. There is one weak design element due to the shape of the tent. The section between the main dome area of the tent and where the vestibule pole comes across the top of the tent, the roof is a little flat, and dips down in the center. Once this area gets any snow or moisture on it, it will collect and condensation will build up and develop large drops of water on the inside, no matter how ambitious you are in shaking off the snow and moisture. Condesation build up in this area will be the worst. To add insult to injury, the other part of the problem is that even if the vents were adequate in keeping condensation at bay, they would also let all the heat out, which essentially defeats the purpose of a 4 season tent to begin with. If there was a rainfly for the EV2, despite the built in vestibule, it would totally change everything, including my rating. The tent is incredibly light weight for a 4 season tent, and the weight of a rainfly would still make the set lightweight. The weight increase would not overrule the critical importance of staying warm and dry, especially during the winter. I am sure the EV2 would be fine in cold yet dry weather with no snow, but this is a 4 season tent we are talking about, and it should be expected to get blasted with the elements that winter can bring. The EV2 essentially becomes a moist icebox in snow or sleet conditions. Unfortunately, this is why the EV2 is doomed. It may also explain why tent was originally available at REI, but was quickly removed off their stock, and is no longer being restocked. In fact, I had to special order mine to get it.
I am still a huge fan of MH tents, but would not recommend the EV2 under any circumstances. The weight savings of this tent do not offset the unacceptable trouble that you will have even in a moderate snow storm and cold weather. My Trango 3.1 has stood up to much more severe winter weather, with nasty combinations of snow, sleet and rain, and I never experienced any condensation problem whatsoever. I am certain that if other users were to actually set this tent up in a snow storm, they will experience similar condensation problems. In my opinion, no weight savings are worth unacceptable condensation levels. This is the primary reason why MH Trango 2's and 3.1's are highly available and still selling today, despite weighing over twice as much as the EV2, which is no longer being re-stocked in most shops.
With a 4 season tent, you should expect a tent to hold up against winter elements, which is why I thought it would be perfect to test out during a recent winter trip. I like the fact that the tent is easier to pitch on narrow narrow ledges, but because of the narrow and long layout, I found that the tent could have greatly benefitted by having another door on the other end. To put your packs inside, you basically have to climb all over the sleeping bags if you wanted to stuff your packs in the nose of the tent instead of leaving it outside. If you decided to keep your gear by the door / built in vestibule instead, then the packs would have been in the way of getting in and out, because the tent is very narrow to begin with, and the opening would not allow much room with packs in the way. Aside from this, I found the tent fairly roomy overall, and my partner and I had adequate room for our sleeping bags and two large packs. At the time of this review, there are two versions of this tent available, and the only difference is that one version has poles with plastic tips, and the other has metal tips. (The version I tested had the plastic pole tips, and I did not run into a situation that would question their durability.)
I figured that I would first test out the EV2 in a moderate snow storm before taking it up on a mountain, and I am really glad I did. The tent fabric is very durable, and overall, the tent is put together very well, just as you would expect from Mountain Hardware. The built in vestibule and array of vents are pretty clever, but cannot take the place of a traditional rainfly, as it was proven in the test. While it was snowing outside, an unnacceptable level of condensation had built up, despite persistent efforts to keep the roof clean and snow free, and all the vents open for as much ventalation as possible. There is one weak design element due to the shape of the tent. The section between the main dome area of the tent and where the vestibule pole comes across the top of the tent, the roof is a little flat, and dips down in the center. Once this area gets any snow or moisture on it, it will collect and condensation will build up and develop large drops of water on the inside, no matter how ambitious you are in shaking off the snow and moisture. Condesation build up in this area will be the worst. To add insult to injury, the other part of the problem is that even if the vents were adequate in keeping condensation at bay, they would also let all the heat out, which essentially defeats the purpose of a 4 season tent to begin with. If there was a rainfly for the EV2, despite the built in vestibule, it would totally change everything, including my rating. The tent is incredibly light weight for a 4 season tent, and the weight of a rainfly would still make the set lightweight. The weight increase would not overrule the critical importance of staying warm and dry, especially during the winter. I am sure the EV2 would be fine in cold yet dry weather with no snow, but this is a 4 season tent we are talking about, and it should be expected to get blasted with the elements that winter can bring. The EV2 essentially becomes a moist icebox in snow or sleet conditions. Unfortunately, this is why the EV2 is doomed. It may also explain why tent was originally available at REI, but was quickly removed off their stock, and is no longer being restocked. In fact, I had to special order mine to get it.
I am still a huge fan of MH tents, but would not recommend the EV2 under any circumstances. The weight savings of this tent do not offset the unacceptable trouble that you will have even in a moderate snow storm and cold weather. My Trango 3.1 has stood up to much more severe winter weather, with nasty combinations of snow, sleet and rain, and I never experienced any condensation problem whatsoever. I am certain that if other users were to actually set this tent up in a snow storm, they will experience similar condensation problems. In my opinion, no weight savings are worth unacceptable condensation levels. This is the primary reason why MH Trango 2's and 3.1's are highly available and still selling today, despite weighing over twice as much as the EV2, which is no longer being re-stocked in most shops.
Viewing: 1-3 of 3 |
RModelli - Feb 22, 2005 1:29 pm - Voted 5/5
Untitled ReviewRight as I got it I was impressed with the weight, very light and even in its stuff sack it is very compact.
I first pitched it in the house and the footprint is nice and narrow, something i had wished for. It is bombproof as I pitched it in drifting snow and cold, very well ventilated and the condensation was minimal , the conduit really works here, The no-strech panels contribute to make this tent a real fortress.