Field Report: Coleman Krypton 2 tent

 

Personal biographical information

David Posalski
31
Male
5’11", 180 cm
280 lb , 127 kg
dposalski@***.com
Aloha, Oregon, USA
01/15/05

I started backpacking as a kid in the Boy Scouts doing overnighters. In the last year, I have caught a bug that wants me to go out and see things that a relatively few people have seen. This has drawn me back to backpacking. I have found it to be the most enjoyable thing I know. I have gotten my wife involved and we get out and hike at least once a month. I generally carry about 30 lbs (14 kg) and am in the process of decreasing that weight.

Manufacturer’s Data

Manufacturer- Coleman
Website- www.coleman.com
Model- Krypton 2 Tent
Size- 31 sq ft (2.88 m/sq)floor
Center height- 40.1 in (102 cm)
Carry Weight- 7.7 lb (3.5 kg)
Fabric- Tent floor: 190T, 70-D Nylon/Taffeta, PU coated to 1500mm, taped seams
Tent rainfly: 185T, Polyester/Taffeta, PU coated to 1500mm, taped seams
Tent canopy: 190T Nylon Ripstop
Use- 4-season tent

Actual Measurements

My actual measurements can be found in the Initial Report.

Field Report

During the testing period we tested the tent in very wet conditions in the Portland Oregon area. We spent two nights in heavy rain at about 40 F (4 C) and one night after the rain when it cleared up and dropped to around freezing. I did not have a thermometer to get an accurate reading; however, there was frost on the tent in the morning. We tried the tent in several configurations in an attempt to gauge its versatility. On each of the nights, the fly was used. One night we used a Coleman Exponent Gear XtremeCat heater inside the tent before going in to sleep. Just to note, the heater did warm the inside of the tent. The tent seemed to be pretty airtight when it was closed as we had to air out the tent a bit before going to bed due to the odors. Each night we placed some boots under the vestibule and closed the doors and the windows. We also zipped the vestibule closed on the nights it was raining. On the clear night we left one side of the vestibule open.

On each of the nights the ground was very wet, though we set up the tent in a high area without puddles. The inside of the tent remained dry on the floor. From this, I assume there was no leaking in the floor. We did have a bit of moisture make it in the tent due to getting in and out of the tent, but this was wiped up with a towel and was not a major issue. The zippers worked well and the pitch of the tent was taut enough to allow for one-handed operation. It did take a long time for the tent to dry in the morning, but this was due to continuing rain and humidity. The tent did not dry until we brought it home and into our house for most of the day. The night that we had frost was not as big of an issue due to the lower amount of moisture on the tent. If carrying this tent in the rain during a backpacking trip, I would want to have an exterior mesh pocket on my pack to carry the fly or I would carry it in a plastic bag. When evaluating this tent, I have to keep in mind that the amount of rain we had was a lot. Inside the tent we were very comfortable and did not have any trouble with moisture inside the tent due to leakage. The boots that were left outside in the vestibule did not have any problems, either.

Condensation was present when we spent a whole day inside the tent while it was raining. There was no breeze and the condensation did run down the sides of the tent. We sat in the tent and played games all day. The amount was moderate for the conditions in my opinion. It would be an issue if clothing were stored in the mesh pockets that run along the inside of the tent along the walls. The clear night did not have the same effect on the tent. The condensation was minimal and well within my expectations. On the night that we used the heater, the inside of the tent was dry upon us entering the tent, but we did have condensation by morning. None of the condensation that we experienced was more than I would expect from a tent in really wet weather.

Assembly of the tent was accomplished while it was raining. Due to the wet soil that it was assembled on, the tent got a bit dirty during assembly. It went together pretty easy once all poles were threaded through the sleeves before trying to erect the tent. My 7-year-old son helped me put it up and we had it up and staked in less than 10 minutes. There are a lot of stakes to complete the pitch of the tent with the fly. In the wet soil, they went in with little effort. There were only two stakes that we had to redo after the pitch. These were the stakes at the ends of each vestibule on the fly. Getting those in the right place took two tries for us.

We tried to determine whether this tent could be used for the three members of our family. I am a large man and my 7-year-old is large for his age. We can all get in the tent in our sleeping bags, but it is a snug fit. I think it would be fine for sleeping, but not if we were stuck in the tent all day in a rainstorm. It may be an advantage in the snow for the added warmth. I would be worried about condensation on our sleeping bags due to us being against the walls of the tent. The tent is not a three-person tent and I do not expect it to be. It is however, a very roomy two-person tent. The tent is pretty long from end to end and gives lots of room for gear with two people in the tent. We have not come to a conclusion as to whether we prefer the end doors over side doors. We have found that we still use one door and not both for entry and exit due to the fact that we set up the tent under a tree and the tree was outside one of the doors. The use of the vestibule at that end would be great for easy access to a cooking area. I always sleep with my feet to the door of entry, so it would be effective to put cooking tools outside the head end of the tent for cooking while in my sleeping bag in the morning. The space for headroom and living space if we were to stay inside all day is excellent. My son and I spent a day inside playing games to test the tent for cabin fever. Of course we would have preferred to be outside, but this is testing and a little torture is always required. We found that it was very roomy and did not feel confining. The orange color of the fly did wear on the eyes after several hours.

We will be testing the tent in the snow during the next phase of testing and will report on the tent’s abilities during this usage. We will be spending a weekend camping in the snow up on Mt. Hood in Oregon. We will drive with most of our gear, but will hike into our campsite about 300 yards. We will be packing for winter backpacking, but will have the car handy just in case.

 

Some of the things that I want to know about this tent are listed below.

Does it hold up in wind and in snow?
How easy is it to use the zippers with gloved hands?
Does it shed snow well?
How well do two end doors work versus on the sides for each camper?
Is the center height adequate for pulling on heavier clothes worn in winter?
How well does this work together with the Coleman XtremeCat Heater to make a comfortable place to sleep in cold weather?

Testing Strategy

I will be carrying this tent for use for 2-person camping in the snow. I
plan on spending a weekend in the rain and two weekends in the snow. I will
be interested in seeing how packing the tent in parts allows two people to
carry about the same weight for the tent. I plan on using the tent also in
fair weather to determine its capabilities without the fly. I plan on
setting it up in snow and on dirt. I want to know how well it does as a
freestanding tent and how well it does in the snow. I will be using the tent between sea level and 6000 ft (1829 m) in temperatures from 50 F (10 C) down to 15 F (-9 C).