Tester Bio
I live outside a small town in northeast Alabama. I have access to a good hiking area right out my front door, a large tract of woods called Pall-Mill Hollow (pronounced holler). It has a creek flowing through it with several good swimming holes. Caves abound in the area. I spent my youth climbing around the bluffs, swimming in the creek and exploring the caves. I also enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities.

Backpacking is my favorite pastime. I consider myself a knowledgeable backpacker but I am not an expert. I enjoy hiking with my friends and family or solo. I limit my hiking to areas fairly close to home, usually within a day’s drive of home. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3 season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length.

Product Information

Item:	Zeus™ 2EXO (2 person tent)
Manufacturer:	Eureka
Manufacture Date:	2004
Manufacturer URL:	http;//www.eurekatent.com/
Listed Minimum Weight (tent and poles):	3 lb 10 oz (1.6 kg)
Actual Minimum Weight (tent and poles):	3 lb 14 oz (1.8 kg)
Actual Total Weight (3 stuff sacks, tent, poles and 8 Stakes):	4 lb 3 oz (1.9 kg)
Tent in stuff sack:	2 lb 13 oz (1.3 kg)
Poles in stuff sack:	1 lb 1 oz (0.5 kg)
8 Stakes in stuff sack:	5 oz (142 g)
Floor Dimensions:	4 ft 10 in (147 cm) wide x 7 ft 5 in (226 cm) long
Center Height:	3 ft 6 in (107 cm)
Packed Size:	7 x 18 in (18 x 46 cm) cylinder
Poles:	7000 series Aluminum
Tent Walls and Vestibule:	40D ripstop nylon
Tent Floor:	70D nylon taffeta
Tent Floor Area:	32.7 sq ft (3.04 sq m)
Vestibule Area:	12.25 sq ft (1.14 sq m)

Product Description
The Zeus™ 2EXO is a, single wall, 3 season, 2 person, free standing, dome style tent with a small vestibule located at the front. With that in mind, I want to define a few terms. Note: These definitions might not hold up in court.

Single Wall Tent: This would be a tent without a separate exterior fly and inner body. The single wall is waterproof. Some tents use "breathable" fabric, while others incorporate vents to relieve moisture buildup. The Zeus™ 2EXO uses the vent method.

3 Season Tent: Tents intended for warm weather but can handle mild snow loads and moderate wind. For comparison, 4 season tents are usually much stronger and will handle most severe weather.

2 person Tent: Tents intended to sleep 2 people, though most 2 person tents don’t have much room inside for extra gear.

Free Standing Tent: The frame on these tents allows the tent to be picked up and moved. It also allows the dirt to be shaken out.

Dome Style Tent: The shape of these tents is determined by poles which criss-cross the tent in arcs. The Zeus™ 2EXO uses 2 poles to form its dome shape.

Vestibule: Usually an extra outside protected area for storing gear near the entrance of the tent. Most vestibules are floorless and some bigger vestibules are used for cooking. Some tents have more than one vestibule but the Zeus™ 2EXO has only one.

With these terms loosely defined, the Zeus™ 2EXO also features an exoskeleton pole system. The tent attaches to the 2 external poles with 11 gaited carabiners instead of the sleeve threading design. The 2 shockcorded poles are identical and break down into 12 sections. Each section is 13 inches long but a little length is lost when inserted into the next section for a total length of 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m).

The single wall used on the Zeus™ 2 EXO allows the tent to be much lighter than most similar sized 2 person tents. However, moisture can be a problem in single wall tents. By putting screen vents (protected by overlapping the tent wall) down low along the entire length of the 2 side walls and a high vent (also protected by a generous overlapping area of the tent wall) the Zeus™ 2EXO will hopefully avoid this potential problem. The door is also made of mostly mesh material. However, if the vestibule is in position to ward off rain the only front ventilation is from a tiny screened vent in the front of the vestibule and possibly some air entering the floorless perimeter of the vestibule. As mentioned before, the door of the tent is mostly screen so the vestibule will need to be fully deployed when it is raining because the door slopes inward over about 16 in (41 cm) of the bathtub floor (waterproof floor that extends a few inches up the sidewall).

The D shaped door covers most of the front wall. It is operated with 2 zippers, one zipper goes up and around while the other zipper goes straight across the bottom. The door can be tied back out of the way if insects are not a problem. An extra closeable vent is located across the bottom of the door but considering the top 2/3rds is already mesh it seems a little wasteful. The extra flap and 3 hook and loop closures add weight when it could be eliminated. If the top section of mesh could be sealed off I could see the point.

The vestibule zips open on the same side as the door of the tent and after staking it out it can be pulled partially out of the way with a tie. After the vestibule clears the door it is only about 18 in (46 cm) high and tapers down to 6 in (15 cm) height in the front. It is also only 13 in (33 cm) wide at the front but quickly tapers open to the full width of the tent. To keep the doorway path open, I have concluded that the usable area of the vestibule only about 24 in (61 cm) wide and 32 in (81 cm) long. The whole area is usable if I want to move stuff around before exiting the tent.

Amenities inside the tent include 2 envelope shaped 5 x 10 in (13 x 25 cm) mesh pockets very low down on each side wall and 5 sewn in loops overhead to hang stuff. Two short strings were provided in the stake stuff sack. These could be used as clotheslines or to help in staking out the tent. The floor is dark green (like army green), while the walls amd vestibule of the tent are a light blue/green.

Initial Impression
The Zeus™ 2 EXO arrived on 5/17/2004. I opened it up to find 3 separate stuff sacks containing the tent body, the poles and the stakes. A single page leaflet gave assembly instructions, the warranty, and general care instructions. A product registration card was included to be mailed in.

Setting up the Zeus™ 2EXO is very simple. I had the tent up in just a few minutes without referring to the assembly instruction.   The tent was exactly what I was expecting after viewing the web-site. The given weight was fairly accurate (within 4 oz/113 g) and all dimensions were correct.

Worth Noting
The instruction leaflet had lots of information geared toward a complete novice. There were also a lot of tips on staking in wind and special instructions on staking in sand and snow as well as hard, rocky or frozen soil.

I found it interesting that Eureka does not recommend storing the tent in the tent bag. I find this odd given that the stuff sack is generously proportioned. I had no trouble getting the tent into the stuff sack and then placing the tent poles and stakes inside too. Another tidbit of information was to store the poles fully assembled. While this may be true, I don't find it all that practical. I plan to store my tent in the stuff sack and the poles (broken down) in their stuff sack. If I had to cram the tent into its stuff sack I might heed this warning. I will follow the advice to use a ground cloth when possible, not wear shoes inside, not eat inside (I may bend this one), and completely dry before storage. I generally take very good care of my equipment and will do the same with the Zeus™ 2EXO.

Besides providing good information on Eureka products, I found the website also has a lot of information on other gear and camping in general. Links to several gear manufactures as well as links to sites with trip planning information are to be found with a little digging. I found the website quite interesting and useful.

Test Plan
Mostly I will be testing the overall usability of the Zeus™ 2EXO in as many places and conditions as I can. I will be noting how I pack, erect, use, take down, repack and later clean and store the tent. I will be checking how easy it is to stay dry in inclement weather? Can I cook in the vestibule? Is it easy to change clothes in the limited headroom. How will I manage storing all the gear when using it as a 2 person tent?

Testing the key features of the Zeus™ 2EXO will require a thoughtful test approach. Ventilation will be sorely tested if it is raining since the vestibule will be covering the large mesh door area. Will the factory sealed seams keep out water? Will the vent areas keep out a driving rain?

If conditions allow, I will be testing the exoskeleton frame and gaited carabiners for ease of set up in windy conditions. It will be easy to test setup ease after dark. To be honest, there isn't much to setting the tent up.

The vestibule will hold 2 medium sized packs but one is in the way of exiting the tent. Stacking isn't an option due to the low height out front. When used as a solo shelter this should be no problem. First, there is plenty of room inside the tent for the pack and second, there is plenty of room for 1 pack in the vestibule with room to exit. It looks like the vestibule is too low where it finally clears the doorway to cook under. I will see if I can safely cook under it.

The exoskeleton frame and gaited carabiners seem robust and do hold the tent fabric taught. Will this hold true after several uses, especially after getting wet? I have noticed some tents sag a lot after getting rained on.

Site preparation has to be considered. How hard is it to find a suitable tent area in undeveloped areas? How long will it take me to scrutinize the area for offending sticks, rocks etc. and then remove them?

Expected Test Locations and Conditions
The Zeus™ 2EXO will be tested in the Southeastern United States, mostly in Alabama. A few trips to neighboring states are likely. Conditions will be mostly hot and humid, though it can be chilly in the mornings at higher elevations. I will record weather conditions such as precipitation, temperature, wind speed (approximate) and elevation statistics when available. I will be looking for how these conditions effect my comfort and the tent's performance.

Parting Thoughts
Eureka has a long history and a good reputation for producing well made economical tents, especially family tents. Even their backpacking tents have a strong following in the scouting and canoeing communities. I have noticed that some consider their backpacking tents subpar to some of the higher cost tents on the market. I have a feeling this perception is a little unjustified. My testing will shed more light on the quality of the Zeus™ 2EXO. I am looking forward to using it and invite you to follow along.



Read more reviews of Eureka gear
Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes

Initial Report

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