Gossamer Gear The Two – DCF

Our take We lauded The Two last year for its livability, and this redesign beefs up the strength (and price) and cuts ounces by using a Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) canopy. Double doors and large vestibules (12.5 square feet each) extend the livability of the 29-square-foot floor, but the 88-inch length and 47-inch peak height are the highlights. (Although tall, the tent didn’t budge in 20-mph gusts.) “I’m 6’6” and my wife is 5’10” so we rarely fit in tents together, but we had plenty of wiggle room on a trip to the Olympic Peninsula,” one tester says. “I could even sit up inside.” Beware: Tensioning the doorway guylines without pulling on the zippers and opening the doors takes practice.

The details DCF doesn’t stretch like nylon and it’s stronger than polyester, creating a robust, weatherproof tent. “A forearm-sized branch fell on us while camping at Lake Cachuma, California, and the tent doesn’t even have a scratch,” one tester says. Two trekking poles —or optional aluminum tent poles—create a taut-yet-tricky pitch that deflected moisture (no rain splashes snuck under the fly) in Washington’s Hoh Rainforest. Gripe: Ditch the included aluminum stakes; they bend.

$699; 1 lb. 6 oz.; 2P