MSR  Elixir 3 Tent with Footprint

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Enjoy ample space for you and 2 of your best backpacking buds with the MSR Elixir 3 tent. It features 2 large doors and 2 spacious vestibules, plus color-coded elements for simple setup.

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Features

  • Construction pairs breathable mesh with solid canopy fabric to promote warmth, ventilation and privacy
  • Freestanding design has red vestibules and color-coded poles, clips and webbing that make it easy to erect
  • Pole geometry optimizes head and elbow room; built-in gear lofts and glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls enhance livability
  • Leave the body of the tent behind and create a minimalist shelter with only the included footprint, poles and rainfly
  • Adaptable rainfly allows for an excellent view

Imported.

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Technical Specs

Best Use

Backpacking

Seasons

3-season

Sleeping Capacity

3-person

Minimum Trail Weight

5 lbs. 14 oz.

Fly / Footprint Pitch Weight

Unavailable

Packaged Weight

7 lbs. 1 oz.

Packed Size

8 x 20 inches

Floor Dimensions

84 x 68 inches

Floor Area

39.5 square feet

Vestibule Area

6 + 6 square feet

Peak Height

41 inches

Number of Doors

2 doors

Number of Poles

2

Pole Material

7000-series aluminum

Pole Diameter

9 millimeters

Canopy Fabric

Ripstop nylon/nylon mesh

Floor Fabric

70-denier coated nylon

Rainfly Fabric

68-denier coated ripstop polyester

Footprint Included

Yes

Design Type

Freestanding

Reviews
108 reviews with an average rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars

Ratings Snapshot

Product Rating

4 out of 6 (67%) reviewers recommend this product

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Average Customer Ratings

Setup

Very Easy SetupDifficult Setup

Most Helpful Favorable Review

5 reviews with an average rating of 5.0 out of 5 stars
Best tent for long travel
foxy cyclists
5 years ago
Elixir 3 is a high-quality, reliable tent for long trips that allows you comfortably spend the night in a variety of conditions. Perfectly does the work in a rain and in a wind conditions, during frosts and in a strong heat. Ideal for two, in a storm you can safely arrange things inside the tent without loss of comfort. When using the tent for three inhabitants, vestibules are spacious enough to accommodate everybody's gear. The tent is comfortable for tall people. The sleeping area is longer than in the elixir 2 due to the additional fixing points of the inner awning on poles. I'm 6'3" and no canopy touches. Opening the outer door from the side is very convenient, no need to reach for the zip. When opened under the rain keeps dry vestibule. Having spent more than 30 nights in the tent on bicycle trips, water trips and hiking, it can be noted that the zippers are strong and smooth, all seams are very high quality. Pockets are very suitably located in the ends and at the top. The tent hasn't been torn out from accidentally touched guy lines. When spending the night in hot conditions it is easy to provide access of fresh air leaving part of the rainfly thrown back. When spending the cold night, all the condensate settles on the rainfly, which can be easily shaked off in the morning in the form of frost, from breathing ice doesn't form on the canopy. The free-standing design allows you to install the tent on any surface: rocky, sandy or even in a barn, it's not a problem. The tent is suitable for three adults, but in this case there is very little extra space in the tent. The use for three inhabitants is reasonable only if it's necessary to reduce the weight of the gear or to spend only a few nights. I would recommend elixir 3 for use by a couple on long journeys when you can't predict all the weather changes and overnight conditions. The elixir 3 is not afraid of harsh conditions and ready for many kinds of different situations. In need to spend some long time sheltering from bad weather, you will have a lot of space inside and a comfortable working area to arrange the necessary things. Due to the solid construction of the tent, it's not the lightest, but when divided among it's inhabitants, can't be called heavy.
foxy cyclists
Russia
14 people found this review helpful

Most Helpful Critical Review

5 reviews with an average rating of 1.0 out of 5 stars
NEVER MSR
PLB1
3 years ago
Hello i’m a long date MSR customer who is now speechless…………….. I’m in the outdoors activities roughly since 25 years. I bought 4 years ago an MSR elixir 3 and a MSR Rendezvous 120 wing. Since my purchase i used both products 5 times. I always been really careful of my outdoor gear including my tent and my tarp. I always stored my tent loose, and in a cool, dry space. I’ved never stored my stuff when it was wet or dirty. I carefully stored my gear following my MSR official retailer advice. Moreover, when i bought my tent and my tarp, i called MSR to verified the good way to take care of my new gear. The MSR staff gave me the sames instructions than my retailer. This week i was preparing my gear for camping. When i took my tent and my tarp, both was really sticky and like little bit yellowed. Moreover the seams of the tarp was destroyed……………… From my surprise, i done a lot of research to find what was the issue and if i done something wrong !!!??????? The only thing i found is the fact that it can happened when you don’t store your gear properely. After my research, to understand the problem, i went in 2 differents MSR official retailers stores. In the first store the manager told me that he wasn’t surprised. He told me that he was really discouraged of MSR. He explained me that he saw that problem hundreds of times and he spoke oftently with the canadian rep here about that. He said that MSR is not going to help me and not going to recognized the issue. He told me that compared to other brands (Marmot, Nemo, Big Agnes………….) the MSR polyurethane is problematic. For im the hydrolisis phenomena is normal but not for my gear that «not have been used» and cared properly. He does not recommend MSR anymore. At the second store, the manager wasn’t surprised of the problem. He told me the same things than the manager in the first store. He told that before, MSR was a great brand with good stuff and good warranty\customer care. But since a couple of years he told me that MSR have a lot of constructions issues (polyurethane, hubba hubba seams and poles………..). He do not recommend MSR anymore. He also explain me that before MSR care about there customers (good services, good warranty-repairs, solutions). But according to him now MSR don’t consider the customers and are really not helpful. He doesn’t want to know anything about MSR anymore. After my stores visits i was shocked, traumatized !!!!!!!!!!! I always been a huge fan of MSR and a loyal customer. I also buy a MSR Habitude 4 last week for my family. After my reasearch i returned it to the store yesterday. Yesterday i called the MSR warranty repair service to explain them my situation and the conclusions of my reasearch. The MSR person on the phone just told me it was normal, the warranty is 3 years ( so not for me ) and i have to restore my gear by my own. Period. This is what MSR say : “From the materials in our products to how long we keep the lights on, environmental sustainability runs through MSR in a variety of ways. We realize that every decision we make has a positive or negative environmental impact.” «We build products to last, offering outdoor enthusiasts more adventures and reducing the amount of goods piling up in land lls. Product Durability Our rst priority is to design and manufacture durable, long-lasting products. Extensive testing—both in-house and in the eld—allows us to ensure that our products will stand up to the wear and tear to which our customers subject their gear. Our products have stood the test of time, and we often hear stories from customers who are still using their MSR stoves from the 1980s.We believe in what we make and stand behind it. Worldwide, MSR adheres to the voluntary UIAA standards. The premier international standards for climbing and mountaineering, products that adhere to these standards meet the highest international standards for climbing and mountaineering safety and durability. » «we make sure it is a durable, high- performance material» This is a very nice speech, but its not the reality !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m sure that Larry Penberthy doesn’t agree with the way MSR is doing business these days………. That is sad because like i said i have always done a more than a good promotion of MSR and have been loyal. My conclusion now, i’m going to tell to the outdoor community here and all my outdoor friends (climbers, fly fishers, hikers, bikers, camping budy) that MSR are not what they said. I’m going to tell them, like the 2 managers to the stores i visited, to never buy again MSR stuff. Maybe one day if everybody tell MSR that there is good ways to do business the MSR culture is going to change ? At that moment its going to be a pleasure to deal with MSR again. Best regards
PLB1
canada
13 people found this review helpful

Customer Images

foxy cyclists
Russia
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

Best tent for long travel

5 years ago

Elixir 3 is a high-quality, reliable tent for long trips that allows you comfortably spend the night in a variety of conditions. Perfectly does the work in a rain and in a wind conditions, during frosts and in a strong heat. Ideal for two, in a storm you can safely arrange things inside the tent without loss of comfort. When using the tent for three inhabitants, vestibules are spacious enough to accommodate everybody's gear. The tent is comfortable for tall people. The sleeping area is longer than in the elixir 2 due to the additional fixing points of the inner awning on poles. I'm 6'3" and no canopy touches. Opening the outer door from the side is very convenient, no need to reach for the zip. When opened under the rain keeps dry vestibule. Having spent more than 30 nights in the tent on bicycle trips, water trips and hiking, it can be noted that the zippers are strong and smooth, all seams are very high quality. Pockets are very suitably located in the ends and at the top. The tent hasn't been torn out from accidentally touched guy lines. When spending the night in hot conditions it is easy to provide access of fresh air leaving part of the rainfly thrown back. When spending the cold night, all the condensate settles on the rainfly, which can be easily shaked off in the morning in the form of frost, from breathing ice doesn't form on the canopy. The free-standing design allows you to install the tent on any surface: rocky, sandy or even in a barn, it's not a problem. The tent is suitable for three adults, but in this case there is very little extra space in the tent. The use for three inhabitants is reasonable only if it's necessary to reduce the weight of the gear or to spend only a few nights. I would recommend elixir 3 for use by a couple on long journeys when you can't predict all the weather changes and overnight conditions. The elixir 3 is not afraid of harsh conditions and ready for many kinds of different situations. In need to spend some long time sheltering from bad weather, you will have a lot of space inside and a comfortable working area to arrange the necessary things. Due to the solid construction of the tent, it's not the lightest, but when divided among it's inhabitants, can't be called heavy.

Yes , I recommend this product
Helpful?
Gilles
Rated 1.0 out of 5 stars

Seems to be great but very poor warranty

6 years ago

I bought this tent for backpaking in september and after few uses (in national park campground), we notice some ""holes"" at one seam in the inner chamber (see the attached pictures). I am really precautious, especially with a new product at this price... The chamber was never too much taut. We contact our french distributor which recognized a possible defect. The distributor sent the chamber to european MSR warranty and they sent it back with the comment that for them, no defects were present on the chamber... After less than ten assemblies of our elixir, I am very disappointed... First and last time I buy MSR product.

Originally posted on a Cascade Designs brand site
Anonymous
Rated 2.0 out of 5 stars

Better off with a garbage bag for a fly

6 years ago

I have taken this tent out twice on canoe trips and both times it rained, and both times the tent leaked. The fly leaked pretty bad as the rain intensified, but still couldn't hold up in the lighter rain. I was laying in my sleeping bag with my headlamp on just watching all this water drip onto the screen and into the tent. As the water would run down the fly, it seeped into the side of the tent as well even through the fly was tight. Is is the perfect size and looks great, but the rain fly does absolutely nothing. You are better off bringing a garbage bag for this purpose. For a tent of this price, this must be fixed.

Originally posted on a Cascade Designs brand site
Benjamo
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars

Spacious, Relativly light and AWESOME!!!!

9 years ago

We bought two of these tents for our scout group as the majority of our tents were well worn out, and i can say that i am seriously considering replacing my personal tent with an MSR tent. This tent was my first experience of a decent poles on the inner design and i can say all my concerns have been wrong, the tent is easy and fast to pitch (i was mainly concerned about the inner getting wet while pitching in the rain) the parts separate up nicely to fit in multiple bags ideal for group hiking, which was exactly what we were looking for, while still retaining comfort Definitely an awesome tent!!!

Originally posted on a Cascade Designs brand site
Wedau
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars

A great tent

10 years ago

Last month i had the opportunity for testing this tent. The setup was very easy also without light in the night. The climate inside of the tent was over the whole night OK. The ventilation system works well. (+) a lot of place for two people and their backpack (+) easy and fast setup (+) very light (-) price Over all a really good tent in very good quality.

Originally posted on a Cascade Designs brand site
Joker D.
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

Light, big and easy to set up.

8 years ago

I bought my tent six weeks ago, I have read a lot and a lot of reviews about the perfect trekking tent. And believe me, there is a lot reviews. I bought the MSR elixir for 3 persons. I was surprised about the weight. The package was to light. But everything was there. Last weekend we went out hiking for the first time with this tent. It took us about 15 minutes to put it up. It was huge! The night after it took us under five minutes to put it up. I love this tent, I hope it will follow me around the world. Thanks MSR! Cheers/ Johan the swede from Denmark.

Originally posted on a Cascade Designs brand site
Green B.
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

Perfect Tent for Couple's get away!

9 years ago

This tent has performed very well under extreme conditions. I have slept soundly through rain storms, vicious wind, and while it is a 3-season tent, it even handled a blizzard quite well. Gaze at the stars on a warm night, or use the included rainfly to add shelter from the elements. This tent sets up in 2 minutes, the color coated tabs make it easy for first timers and kids too. Biggest vestibules out there, for plenty of gear storage. I personally think it is great for sleeping 2, but certainly could squeeze in a third hiker in a pinch. Packs up small, weighing less than 5 lbs. I will use this tent for the next decade, so it was well worth the price.

Originally posted on a Cascade Designs brand site
David H.
Rated 1.0 out of 5 stars

Elixir 3 - Very disappointing

2 years ago

I have had my Elixir 3 for about 5 years. I take very good care of my gear was very disappointed when i noticed the waterproofing was tarting to flake off. I did not have time to worry about it before a kayak camping trip so i repacked it and hoped for the best. As always it was easy to set up and we settled in for the night. Later in the night it started raining and we woke up to a tent with 1/4 in of water in the bottom and all our gear soaked. I have other tents that i have had for ten years and they sill perform like new. I have always been a MSR fan but i think i will have to look elseware if there gear cant even last 5 years.

Originally posted on a Cascade Designs brand site
Anonymous
Rated 1.0 out of 5 stars

First canoeing trip with brand new MSR elixir 3 cut short

7 years ago

Researched since last August until March if this year looking for a tent that would keep the sand flies out. Read every review and purchased the MSR Elixir 3! Used for the first time this week and I'm now writing a review at home on what was suppose to be day 3 of 5. First night uneventful, sand flies stayed on the opposite side of the screen and I slept like a baby! Loved the tent! Last night on day 2 and only second day every using, we had a light rain and after 30 minutes we had rain water dripping into the tent from the top, through the fly at 0330 in the morning! Trying to call MSR today, but could only leave a message...

Originally posted on a Cascade Designs brand site
Anonymous
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars

great tent, rain proof

6 years ago

this was our first camping experience and our first tent. I didnt want to cheap out and wanted something roomy, lightweight and water proof. Carefully researched many tents and decided on the Elixir 3. We did get caught in a wild rain storm. Rain was hitting the tent so hard that we couldn't hear ourselves talk. But stayed dry inside. No water from the top or bottom. So much rain that we could feel the water flowing under the tent floor and still dry inside. Very happy with the purchase, would buy again.

Originally posted on a Cascade Designs brand site
1 - 10 of 108 Reviews

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