Personal Biographical Information:
Name: James E. Triplett
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 2" (188 cm)
Weight: 191 lb (86.6 kg)
Email address: james_triplett@hotmail.com
City, State: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Date: January 4, 2006

Backpacking Background:
I'm a veteran camper with most childhood trips taken in the Midwest and throughout Canada. My backpacking experience is that of a well informed hiker, and I am generally out for weekends, or a week at a time these days. This is significantly less than the 44 days I spent on the Appalachian Trail back in the early 80s. Currently, I would classify myself as a three-season backpacker, although I am gaining more experience in winter camping. I am a four-season hiker though, and am out daily - rain, sleet, or snow. As for my style, I use the lightest gear I can find and afford, but I take along everything I might need. This translates to mostly lightweight gear... and lots of it. I prefer a tent over a tarp, but have not yet tried a hammock.

Manufacturer Information:
Manufacturer: The Coleman Company, Inc.
Coleman is based in Wichita, Kansas, and is a subsidiary of American Household, Inc.
URL: www.coleman.com

Product information:
Year of Manufacture: 2005
Date Item Received: October 3, 2005

Product Name: Coleman Exponent Krypton 2 Tent
Model #: 9870-240
MSRP: $199.99 US

Coleman Exponent Krypton 2 Tent Specs and Features:
The following is the information I thought to be relevant from the Coleman website. For the complete list please visit www.Coleman.com

Specifications:
• Four-season, two-person tent
• Pack weight: 7.7 lb (3,500 g)
• Floor dimensions: 87 x 52 inches (220 x 132 cm)
• Center height: 40.1 inches (102 cm)
• Two 10 square foot (9.3 square meter) vestibules
• 8.5 mm 7001-T6 Aluminum Poles (8.5 mm converts to 1/3 inch)
• Made in China

Features:
• Doors on each end for easy entry and exit
• Awning-style vents on each door
• Vestibules include dual-action zippers for high and low venting
• Four massive inside mesh pockets for storing or drying gear
• Separate storage bags for tent, poles and stakes

Fabrics:
• Tent floor: 190T, 70-D Nylon/Taffeta, PU coated to 1500 mm, taped seams
• Tent rainfly: 185T, Polyester/Taffeta, PU coated to 1500 mm, taped seams
• Tent canopy: 190T Nylon Ripstop

Weight Information:

All weights are as measured on a US postal scale	Total in lbs and oz	Total in lbs	Total in oz	Total in grams
Coleman Exponent Krypton 2 four-season Tent As shipped; with all storage bags, stakes, poles, fly and tent	8 lb, 5 oz	8.3	133	3,770
Tent and Fly No bags	5 lb, 4 oz	5.2	84	2,380
Tent No bags - just the tent	2 lb, 12 oz	2.7	44	1,250
Fly No bags - just the fly	2 lb, 8 oz	2.5	40	1,130
Poles w/ bag Quantity 4	2 lb, 3 oz	2.2	35	990
Stakes w/ bag Quantity 24	14 oz	0.9	14	400

Measurements:
Coleman lists the tent sleeping area as 87 x 52 inches (220 x 132 cm). I measured 84 x 52 inches (213 x 132 cm) with the tent erected but not staked out. For the center height I measured 42½ inches (108 cm) inside the tent. Coleman lists the height as 40.1 inches (102 cm), but this is a bit confusing as the Coleman website illustrates this dimension in a diagram showing a figure standing outside the tent. I would expect my measurement to be shorter, not longer, if they did actually take their measurement outside the tent. It makes sense that pulling the tent taut at the base would increase the floor dimensions while reducing the center height. I will experiment with the tent and see if there are any differences depending on how tightly the tent is staked out.

Test Report:

Test Conditions:
The Coleman Exponent Krypton 2 has been used on three one-night trips in Eastern Iowa. One trip in the privately owned woods near my home, and twice in nearby state parks. All elevations were around 860 feet (260 m). The temperature for the first trip ranged between 48 and 56 F (9 and 13 C), and the state park trips saw temperatures between 40 and 50 F (4.4 and 10 C). The ground was dry and there wasn't any precipitation during any of the trips.

Initial Impressions:
The Coleman Exponent Krypton 2, four-season, two-person tent is a solidly built tent with an included rain fly. Based on tents I have owned or tested, the Krypton 2 is significantly heavier than similarly sized three-season tents, which is to be expected, and slightly heavier than the one similarly sized three-season tent I currently own. It appears that the over three pounds (1.36 kilograms) of stakes and poles could be contributing to the heavier weight. This is evident by the quantity of stakes (26), and the quantity of poles (4), which are more than I have typically seen, and further illustrated by the fact that the complete tent folds up into a tighter, smaller package than slightly lighter tents.

So what does the eight pound (3.63 kilogram) Exponent Krypton 2 four-season tent offer? In two words; room & rigidity. The space inside the Krypton 2 is ample. At 52 inches (132 cm) wide there is room to spare with my two 25 inch (63 cm) wide sleeping pads rolled out side by side. The full-length pads are 77 inches (196 cm), which is 6 feet 5 inches, and there is still another eight to ten inches (20 to 25 cm) of internal tent space available at the end of the pads. Nice and roomy! As far as rigidity goes, there are four poles, routed through sleeves in the tent, which holds the fabric taut in every direction. The rain fly has an impressive ten guy-lines, and attaches to the tent at eight different points. The whole tent and fly system can be staked to the earth at 26 points (including guy-lines). Walking around the tent and feeling the fabric of the tent and fly, it is apparent to me that this is a very solid setup.

Field Testing:
The first test of the Coleman Exponent Krypton 2 was in October, and I decided to hike a couple of miles (3.2 km) into the woods and set up camp. I took minimal supplies, and the tent fit easily into by ULA P2 backpack. Setting up the tent was intuitive, but not necessarily easy for one person to do by themselves. The trick seems to be to get the two straight red poles into their sleeves, AND the two curved silver poles into their sleeves, before securing any of the pole ends in their respective grommets. The poles can be a bit wieldy when fully assembled, but I had a wide open clearing to set the tent up in, and I accomplished the pole installation without a tremendous amount of difficulty. They fly is equally intuitive and was easy to assemble onto the tent. The design of the system is such that the tent must be set up prior to the rain fly.

The next two trips where in November and on one of them my 11-year-old son, Drake, accompanied me. They were both short (about 2.5 miles / 4 km) hike-ins on established park trails. Setting up the tent was easier using the experience I had gained on the previous trip, and was a snap on the night which Drake helped me. The night was clear and the ground dry, although the ground was soft enough that the stakes were pushed in without extraordinary effort.

For all three trips I kept the vestibule doors open, and the door panels of the tent open enough for about 60% of the door screens to be exposed. I like to sleep with a warm covering in cool air, and this setup was perfect. With the doors located on the ends of the tent, and a very slight breeze, with the vestibule doors open, and the tent doors opened to expose the screens, there was very pleasing airflow through the tent. The night time lows were around 40 F (4.4 C) and I considered the environment ideal camping weather. Before retiring each night I lit my candle lantern and suspended it from the center hanging loop, then laid back and enjoyed the accommodations of the tent. In the mornings it was a bit cool in the tent, but there was no condensation anywhere.

Access to the Krypton 2 concerned me a little bit, as the doors of the tent roll down, and therefore must be traversed in order to enter the tent. The doors of the rain fly roll up, and I left them in that position, so that wasn't an issue. As it turns out the doors of the tent weren't an issue either. I could easily tuck the door back against the inside of the opening and climb in quite effortlessly. Having the door at the end of the tent made it perfect for crawling into the tent while keeping my dirty boots in close proximity to the door. I found the method of entrance quite nice for climbing in and lying on my sleeping bag while removing my footwear.

Test Plan:
My test plans are mostly unchanged, except that I hope to experience some colder temperatures and hopefully some rainy conditions. As stated in my previous report, I plan to use the Coleman Exponent Krypton 2, four-season tent, on all my backpacking excursions in various areas of the Midwest, which will be predominantly in Iowa. The temperature range should be at its coldest toward the end of the test period, in January, with temperatures below freezing as shown in the table below. I will evaluate the tent for adequate ventilation, warmth, weatherproofness (wind, rain, and snow). Ease of assembly, packability, and durability will also be considered.

Month	Temp Range degrees F	Temp Range degrees C	Precipitation (inches)	Precipitation (cm)
October	42 to 64	6 to 18	2.4	6.1
November	29 to 47	-2 to 8	2.2	5.6
December	16 to 32	-9 to 0	1.6	4.1
January	10 to 28	-12 to -2	1.1	2.8
February	15 to 33	-9 to .5	1.0	2.5

Summary:
I have come to appreciate the design of the Coleman Exponent Krypton 2, four-season, two-person tent. It still seems to be a little sturdier than necessary, and thus a bit on the heavy side, but the results of this are a very solid shelter. The doors are unique, but functional and allow for superb access to the interior. The tent is roomy, and the vestibules spacious. My only concern at this point is whether or not there is sufficient ventilation for warmer weather or in conditions when the fly needs to be closed all the way. Over all I am happy to be sleeping in this tent, and looking forward to my next opportunity to use it.

Respectfully submitted,

-James T.

Read more reviews of Coleman gear
Read more gear reviews by James E. Triplett

Field Report

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson