Long Term Report

Zeus 2EXO
Long Term Report
November 18, 2004

Personal Information:
Leesa Joiner
leesaj@gmail.com
Southwestern Maine
42 years old
Female
5'7” (1.7 M)
150 lb (68 kg)

Background:
My camping, hiking and backpacking experience has included trips varying in length from one day hikes to 2-week trips. My experience hiking began with my father, when I was about 6 years old. We hiked along the river pathways in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. During cold weather, I backpack, hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, go ice fishing and winter camp with friends and family. Although I am not a lightweight backpacker, I am trying to ‘lighten up’ and even have converted to using a hammock while camping. I find that I spend almost as much time outside during the long Maine winters as I do during the summers.

Product Information:
Detailed product information can be found in my Initial Report and Field Report
Product: Zeus 2EXO (2 person tent)
Manufacturer: Eureka
Manufacture Date: 2004
Manufacturer URL http://www.eurekatent.com/

Field Use:

I have used the tent at least one weekend a month and have found it to be a well made, easy to use tent. Many of my trips were with my three children. Using the tent allowed me to have some privacy while camping with my sons' Boy Scout troop.   It also gave my daughter and I a place to change clothes, in addition to sleeping space while on family trips.

In my original test plan, I stated that I would look at comfort, ease of use and durability; comfort wise I would consider how well the tent blocked out the elements and I would look at how much ventilation it provided.   I am happy to report that after six months of use - and some abuse - this tent has been terrific. It is comfortable to sleep in, easy to set up and has proven to be durable. The abuse was unintentional, but involved setting it up too close to a campfire that some night owls built up late at night. When the wind shifted during the night hot, flying ashes landed on my tent. I ended up with 6 holes about the size of pencil erasers.   Upon contacting Eureka, I was advised to purchase a patch kit. The patches have worked very well, with no leaking.

Most of the time the weather conditions were clear and dry. I have found that on nights where the temperature dropped more than 15 degrees, there was a slight condensation build up on the inside of the tent. On nights were the temperature change wasn't as extreme, there was no moisture inside the tent.

One of my trips included a stop in central Vermont in mid-July. We ended up setting up camp late one night and sleeping in an open field. During the night, the wind picked up quite a bit. I worried some about how the tent would hold up to the wind gusts. Although it was noisy and made it difficult to sleep, the tent made it through the night fine.

On a different trip we went to Ohio and I slept in the tent with my nine year old daughter. It was very humid (always is in Ohio in July) By opening up all the 'windows' what little breeze that was available was able to find its way into the tent.   Because of the screen, the flies and mosquitoes were unable to find their way in! It made for a much more comfortable sleeping experience.

While camping in northwestern Maine during August, I slept in the tent with just one of my dogs. During the night, it started to rain lightly. I was glad to see in the morning that the only wet spot was near the dogs tail. It was from where his tail rubbed against the wall of the tent, allowing water to wick to the inside of the tent.

I used the tent on many other occasions during the summer and early fall and found it to be very easy to get along with. It fits on or in my backpacks very easily, adding minimal weight. I strap it to the bottom of my smaller bag, and stand it upright in my older, larger bag. I really love how easy it is to set up - the poles and caribiner work easily to make set up simple. After setting it up once in my yard, I was able to set it up quickly in less than ideal conditions.

I have been impressed by how well the tent has held up. The seams show no signs of wear, the zippers operate very smoothly and the material still looks new (other than the patches).   The poles have maintained their strength and are still straight.   The large mesh side panels and multiple vents provide extremely good ventilation.   The vestibule provides a bit more room - good for storing a pack or a dog, but really not both. On one trip I ended up storing my pack and hiking boots in the vestibule and the dog slept next to me.

Having converted to using a hammock over a year ago, I really prefer using a hammock, but find this tent the perfect solution when hammocking isn't an option.   I appreciate the opportunity to be part of this test - thanks to Eureka! and Backpackgeartest.org.

Read more reviews of Eureka gear
Read more gear reviews by Leesa Joiner

Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Eureka Zeus 2EXO > Leesa Joiner > Long Term Report

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