Mountain Hardwear  Trango 2 Tent

Trango 2 is a great advance over other brands in terms of design, easy setup, room, and amenities- pockets and window in rainfly/ceiling vent. We were is the Three Sisters Wilderness during a fall storm- 35 mph winds and 35F, with lots of rain. We were really cozy inside- not much movement in the wing due to plenty of tie downs. We noticed some interior condensation, yet not very bad, considering rain was sideways outside. We also believe that the ground cloth that is sold as an accessory is a good investment.

This is the tent supplied by my travel company for a trip up Mt. Kilimanjaro. I can't speak to the weight or set up of the tent, but I spent seven days and nights inside. The inside is well designed with plenty of pockets and an attic for small items and to hang damp towels. The top window was helpful for ventilation. With the rainfly on, however, you had to leave the screen door vented to get any airflow. There was condensation on the sides, but since I've never camped at such a cold and high altitude, I'm not sure how much that was the tent versus normal breathing condensation. The vestibule is good amount of space for leaving equipment and stepping out. My only gripe was the it was sometimes difficult to keep the fly back while stepping out and avoid getting wet from the dew. If I ever have another high-altitude adventure, I wouldn't mind staying in this tent.

Even though I'm only 6', I find 88"x48" tents very cramped, especially in winter. At 92"x66", the Trango 2 has room for lofty down winter bags and other gear, so it doesn't need to be left in the vestibule or outside. I'd much rather be holed up in this tent than a small single wall with no vestibule. There is nothing more comforting when I am in the backcountry than a shelter that I have 100% faith in, regardless of what Mother Nature is able to spit at me. Even without guylines, this tent is fully capable of handling strong winds and snow is no match for the 7 junction pole design. I'm an ultralight freak and I own one... because it is worth every ounce for what it offers. I recommend this to anyone looking for a shelter that they never will have to think twice about its strength and inclement weather tolerance. If you are willing to carry a 10 lb tent to get that extra room and a bombproof shelter, THIS IS YOUR TENT. Push it to its limits... and just try and make the Trango 2 budge.

Solid expedition tent. Just absolutely gets the job done in any environment and is totally bomber. Although its heavy and you probably wouldnt want to use it on alpine routes where light is fast and fast is safe it is a great expedition tent.

First use of this tent was in Virginia's Highland County ~3500ft elevation (near Monterey, VA) in February! Temps were in the mid-teens (@ 1p.m.) with about 8" inches of fresh snow on the ground. On second morning, woke up to roughly 1/4 inch of ice on tent, but the tent handled it well (no sags or buckling from extra weight) and I'm confident the tent could easily handle a significant amount of wet snow fall without any problems. Plenty of room for 2 - gonna see if we can stagger 3 people (mummy sleepers) this November to minimize packed weight for hike in - it's a spacious tent inside, but may be pushing it. Love all the overhead and side storage netting, kept the tent very organized for headlamps, gloves etc... Also, used this tent in the middle of summer and it was very comfortable with plenty of air flow from the ceiling vent and end flaps open...Great tent overall - just wish it weighed about 3lbs lighter..Oh well, it is a mountaineering tent! I do like the double vestibule too - allowed dry gear storage on one end, while exiting from the other!

I just returned from a five-day self-guided float trip down the Smith River in Montana. Nighttime temps ranged from 22º to over 60º with everything from driving rain to scorching days. The Trango 2 proved to be a spacious and sturdy shelter. The generous interior space even handled my 78" camp cot while still allowing plenty of room for dry bags with clothing and other gear. I found the tent to be fairly complicated to set up and the instructions less than helpful. Even after getting the setup drill down, it still took me about half again as long to pitch or strike the Trango as it took my companions with their different tents. Adjusting the ventilation is imperative to minimize interior condensation. With both vestibules closed, interior airflow is minimal, even with both doors fully opened. Unzipping the vestibules part way helps but then risks exposing their contents to rain or snow. I find it hard to believe the tent could weigh nearly 10 pounds and so question its usefulness to backpackers or mountaineers. Nonetheless if weight isn't an issue, the Trango 2 is a bulletproof outdoor shelter.

This tent is a palace in the spring and fall... and a bombproof shelter in the winter. My tent shows just under 10 (9.8lbs) on our scale complete with most of the stakes (comes with 17!). With two -20 long bags the tops and bottoms stretch door to door but still have about half a bag worth of width left. There are lots of storage pockets all around the outside and two large 3" or so deep pockets on the ceiling which are part of the re-enforcement of the poles. These things could swallow a teva without bulging and are very nice to have when you are holed up. The vestibule holds packs and gear easily and the second shallow vestibule has enough room for boots and camp shoes. The shallow vestibule also makes it easier to stand up and get out of the tent when you are putting on your boots. When pitched the tent is solid enough to pickup and shake out by holding onto two of the poles. The way it is pitched it will hold the floor taught even standing on end which is nice when getting the dirt out before packing. The stake loops are adjustable so you can find those gaps in the rocks and still get things tight. The included guywires are bright red which is a nice touch on the new models, the old ones were black and harder to see when walking around camp. One of the downsides might be condensation... if you don't plan ahead and open the vents on at least one door and the roof you will end up feeling clammy. I always leave both doors panels open to keep cross ventalation going.