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Eureka Timberline 2XT Tent
Owner's Review
May 3, 2004
Thomas Vickers
36 years old
Male
5 feet 11 inches tall (1.8 meters)
170 lb (77 kg)
redroach@pobox.com
Southeast Texas, Houston Area
Background:
I grew up in the piney woods
of southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the mosquito-infested woods behind the
house. I started hiking in my college years
and my style has evolved over the past 17 years - from my discovery, heavy gear, period
(internal frame packs, sleeping bags and tents) to - believe it or not - heavier, more
expensive gear. Over the last 3 or 4 years, I
have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping bags and
tents, just lighter versions) and I have rediscovered the pleasure that can be involved in
being outdoors with your gear. While I have flirted
with lightweight hiking, I feel that I am more of a mid -weight hiker now. My philosophy
is one of comfort, while carrying the lightest load possible
Manufacturer Details:
Website: http://www.eurekatent.com/
Weight: 7 lb 8 oz (3.4 kg)
Length: 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 m)
Width: 5 feet 3 inches (1.6 m)
Height: 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m)
Details from Tester: (all measurements are approximate)
Color: Green
Fly Weight: 1 lb 10 oz (0.74 kg)
Pole Weight: 2 lb 3 oz (0.99 kg)
Junction Tube Weight (one tube): 1 oz (28 g)
Tent Body Weight: 2 lb 8 oz (1.13 kg)
Total Weight: 6 lb 10 oz (3 kg)
Length: 7 feet (2.13 meters)
Width: 5 feet 2 inches (1.5 meters)
Height: 3 feet 8 inches (1 meter)
Year of Manufacture: 1999
Testing Conditions:
My Eureka Timberline 2XT Tent has seen just about every conceivable condition. Night time
temperatures from 85 F down to 30 F (29 C to -1 C). It has been rained on and
sleeted on as well as subjected to just plain humid conditions. This tent has seen
all elevations from sea level to 12,000 feet (3658 m). There isn't much I haven't
done with this tent as far as outdoor conditions go.
Description:
The Eureka Timberline 2XT is a free standing, A-frame tent that uses five aluminum
poles to achieve a sturdy frame which supports the tent body. The poles forming the
upright portion of the A frame and the pole which forms the spine of the frame all
intersect and lock into a plastic junction tube located at the top of each A of the frame.
Assembly of the frame is quick, easy, and can be done by only one person.
The body/roof of the tent is made up of 1.9 oz Permeable Taffeta nylon and the floor
of the Eureka Timberline 2XT is made of 2.2 oz Taffeta nylon and is very durable.
There are two doors, one on each end of the tent which make entering and exiting
the tent very easy. The doors zip along the sides and bottoms and allow easy access to the
interior of the tent. Each door also has a net "window" that I can zip open to
allow better circulation in the tent. The windows are made of 40 D no-see-um netting,
which greatly helps with circulation. The fly stretches over the tent poles and must
be secured with stakes. The fly is constructed of 1.9 oz 75 D Polyester Taffeta
nylon. The fly is large enough to allow an "eave" on the end of the tent
opposite the vestibule so that rain will not blow into the tent. It takes 8 stakes to
secure the fly and the vestibule of the Eureka Timberline 2XT.
Built into the fly is a vestibule, which expands the covered area of the tent by 12.5
square feet (1 square meter).
Impressions:
This is my second tent in the Eureka Timberline family. I loved my first one so
much, that I went out and bought a second one in 1999. The Eureka Timberline
2XT was a great surprise for me when it arrived. I knew what to expect as far as the
basic A-frame design of Timberline tents, but the Timberline 2XT had several new
innovations that I had not expected.
While not a lightweight tent by any stretch, the Eureka Timberline 2XT seems to have been
constructed with some weight savings in mind. Gone are many of the metal parts
of earlier versions. This is most obvious in the clips which attach the tent body to the
poles. They are now plastic as opposed to being metal. It was nice to see that being
durable didn't mean being as heavy as possible.
The integral vestibule which adds 12.5 square feet (1 square meter) of space was another
added bonus to this tent. It adds that extra space outside of your sleeping area for
packs and boots and it allows me to get my boots on in the morning without getting rained
on. Even if it isn't raining, I still like the ability to stretch and get dressed and shod
in the privacy of the vestibule.
The Eureka Timberline 2XT is roomy on the inside, even without including the vestibule.
Two full grown adults can sleep comfortably, change clothes, and generally
coexist inside this tent without too much elbow rubbing. I would even go as far as
describing the interior as 'cavernous'. In a pinch, I can even force a third person
into the Eureka Timberline 2XT. The comfort level is a bit reduced, but when getting
out of the weather quickly is called for it is nice to be able to quickly pitch the Eureka
Timberline 2XT and get 3 damp humans out of the rain.
Durability:
One thing that is evident in the Eureka Timberline 2XT tent is its durability. It
has stood up to rain, sleet and wind with no problem. I have stumbled over the guy lines,
stepped on the fly, and fallen into the tent without doing it serious harm. My first
Eureka tent was 13 years old before I lost the fly in a move and decided to get the
Timberline 2XT.
The construction of the tent is also very impressive. It is well stitched and I have
never had a seam unravel or fray. This ruggedness is one reason that I feel that the
Eureka Timberline 2XT is an excellent beginners tent. It is forgiving to most abuse and
can be set up quickly with a minimum of frustration.
One issue that I have had with this tent is flipping over in the wind. I don't
usually stake the tent body down and on more than one occasion I have stretched the fly
over the assembled tent and the wind has flipped the whole thing upside before I could get
the tent fly staked out.
Due to the tension of the fly across the junction tubes (plastic tubes that allow the tent
poles to be inserted and holds the tent poles/A-frame in place.), these impacts have
caused small tears in two locations on the fly. Not a huge problem, but one that can catch
you by surprise if you are on the trail and the tent flips unexpectedly. A couple of
tent repair patches fixed the tears and I feel that I still have many years left in the
fly even with this damage.
One other thing that I have enjoyed about the Eureka Timberline 2XT are
the many ways to use the tent when/if you loose the junction tubes. On more than one
occasion I have scavenged aluminum cans at a campground and used them in the place of lost
junction tubes. I have also used PVC pipe as junction tubes after I drilled the
correct size holes in the length of pipe. Despite being easy to loose, the junction
tubes are even easier to replace at home or on the trail.
Overall Impressions:
The Eureka Timberline 2XT is a very durable tent. It has survived me for over 4 years and
will continue to be my car/family camping tent for years to come. Its weight has
been the decisive factor in removing the Eureka Timberline 2XT from my list of backpacking
gear. There are lighter, smaller tents that I find comfortable for my backpacking
trips, but there is not any tent that I trust more.
When I loan a tent to friends or family, it is always the Eureka Timberline 2XT. It is
dependable, easy to set up and hard to break, even in the hands of novices. When
someone asks for my opinions for their first tent, I will easily recommend the Eureka
Timberline 2XT. It is just a good piece of gear for beginners to learn how to use.
Likes:
1. Interior Space
2. Ease of Set Up
3. Color (Eureka Timberline Green just seems to be a great tent color)
Dislikes:
1. Weight
2. Junction tubes (too small and easy to loose)
3. Vestibule has to be staked out/set up if fly is used.
Read more reviews of Eureka gear
Read more gear reviews by Thomas Vickers
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