DECENT FEATURES of the Kelty Grand Mesa 2 Person Tent BODY Freestanding design Color Coded Clip Construction Taped floor seams Gear-loft loops Mesh wall panels Internal storage pockets Noiseless zipper pulls FLY Taped seams Side-release tent/fly connection Fly vents Noiseless zipper pulls Guy out points The SPECS Seasons: 3 Number of Doors: 1 Number of Vestibules: 1 Number of Poles: 2 Pole Type: DAC Press fit Wall Material: 68D Polyester Floor Material: 68D Nylon, 1800 mm Fly Material: 75D Polye
Beginner camper — Could not be easier to set up!,
As a first-time backpacker/camper, I bought this tent based on customer reviews for last year’s model. I have to say, I could not be more pleased with how easy this tent was to set up. I set this tent up in 5-10 minutes after a very quick skim of the instructions — and I had never set a tent up in my life. It’s literally two poles and a few color-coded clips and, voila! I was one of the first out of 20 in camp to have my tent up, and this includes a few veteran campers.
I didn’t read the instructions on how to attach the rain fly, thinking I wouldn’t need it on my trip; however, with a 30{660353129f8d892044c993645a1c75194301fec6786a7f617c15adde0b0011e9} chance of rain, I had to set this up with no instructions. This, too, was very intuitive for a beginner.
I found this tent to be very light and didn’t add much weight to my backpack at about 4lbs, 10oz packed. The 2 gear pockets and hooks were great for storing my stuff, and the zippers were smooth and pretty quiet. My tent was smaller than a few others’ 2-person tents, but I am 5′ 1″, so room was not an issue for me. I think most people know that 2-person tents fit 2 snugly anyway.
Just as the reviews of last year’s model stated, the stakes leave a bit to be desired. They bend quite easily, but I was glad they were included. It should be a while before I have to replace them.
It ended up not raining that night, so I’ll update my review once I camp with this in inclement weather. Overall verdict — Great tent!
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|Extremely Simple and Durable,
I bought this tent for conservation work, which means that I spend about 50{660353129f8d892044c993645a1c75194301fec6786a7f617c15adde0b0011e9} of my time living in it. I bought it because it had excellent reviews, was simple, was economical but not the cheapest quality. I have been extremely satisfied with it–love it– and if I had to buy another tent, I would turn around and buy the exact same model. Many of the people I work with have expensive one person or backcountry tents. I find it difficult to spend alot of money on equipment that I fear may be destroyed quickly because of the sheer amount of use and abuse it gets. While they spend $200-250 I have gotten along extremely happily on a tent that cost only $90.
The thing that has made me happiest is that it is not heavy for it’s size. Although it is technically not a backcountry tent, it more than suffices for the purpose because it is light. If you were to compare similar tents and their weights, I believe it would be difficult to find a more durable tent for the cost without it being heavier. The tent is very breathable (can be difficult to find in a cheaper one person tent). This was also an important reason why I bought it. When looking for a tent I kept finding breathability problems, but this product continually got good reviews on that issue and has not disappointed me. I am currently desert camping during the winter doing conservation work. Cooler temperatures can result in quite a bit of condensation in your tent. I never wake up feeling icky with moisture.
There are 2 caveats and really they’re not a big deal because they are understood aspects of this type of product. This is a three season tent. Although it has served perfectly well for me in sub-freezing temps, I have not camped in heavy snow with it. It’s not intended for that purpose and you can’t get a four season tent for this kind of money. Like many tent ratings, the person capacity is on the close side. 2 people can sleep in it with not much else and the vestibule is pretty small. It would be perfect for 2 person backcountry or one person with living room. I am 5’10” and I sleep in it length wise and it’s perfect. If you were over 6′ it might be difficult.
I feel like alot of products are cheaply made now and usually have caveats that prevent me from truly “loving” them, but I really do love this tent. I have felt that I could have gotten nothing better – an ideal buy.
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|Great Tent, Great Size!,
Love this tent. It is incredibly light, and takes a minute for one person to set up. It’s slightly wider at the head than the foot, and fits two people well. I’m 6’1″ and neither my head nor toes hit the head/foot of the tent respectively when sleeping. The bottom is tough and it didn’t leak at all in a mild rain. I don’t winter camp, but this is fine for 3 seasons.
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