Easton Mountain Products Kilo Carbon 2P Tent Review

[freestanding ultralight]

Why we like it This freestanding, double-walled featherweight pitches fast, packs tiny, and withstands the worst three-season storms.

Strength Furious 30-mph winds and sustained rains in Colorado’s Park Range assaulted the Kilo, but testers slept soundly through the night. “The bullet shape really deflects gusts,” reports one camper.

Setup “The easiest setup I’ve ever seen,” raves our veteran tester, who pitched and staked it within minutes—in the dark. A simple, T-shaped hubbed pole is intuitive to orient and uses a minimum of clips.

Livability The hubbed carbon pole forms a hoop over the door that creates more headroom than most ultralight models. The 92-inch length is also unusually generous for the weight (one 6’2” sleeper called the floor’s 29 square feet “comfy enough to impress my camping-averse girlfriend”).

Ventilation The fly extends to the ground, which hampers airflow, despite the all-mesh walls. Testers reported condensation even on dry, 30°F nights in Shawnee National Forest, IL.

Bummer Testers had to crouch to enter, as in most tents, but they often scraped their backs on the beak, which soaked them in wet weather. And a pair of packs and boots fills the tiny, 5.4-square-foot vestibule.

$399; 2 lbs. 3 oz.; eastonmountainproducts.com