Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Golite Eisenhower Tunnel > Tyler Nagel > Long Term Report

Date of Report: January 14, 2006

Reviewer Information
Name: Tyler Nagel
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Height: 183 cm (6' 0")
Weight: 76 kg (168 lbs)
Email address: twsnagel [at] shaw [dot] ca
City: Calgary
Province: Alberta
Country: Canada

Backpacking background: I'm an avid hiker with many years of experience in the Canadian Rockies. I am experienced on many light, moderate, and difficult hikes as well as some scrambling. I am just getting into backpacking and am in the process of upgrading and selecting equipment. I tend towards a heavier load since I enjoy a tent over my head and cherish my creature comforts, but I'm searching for ways to lighten my pack.

Product Information (from website)
http://www.golite.com
Manufacturer: GoLite
Model: Eisenhower Tunnel Shelter
Area: Area: 31 sq ft + 11 sq ft / (2.88 sq m + 1.02 sq m)
Height: 42 in / (107 cm)
Weight: 3 lb 1 oz main (1.39 kg) + 9 oz poles (.25 kg) + 6 oz stakes
(.17 kg)
Colors: Stone/Lignite or Lignite/Night
MSRP: $300 USD


Product Information (as tested)
Length: 83.5 in (2.12 m)
Width across main door: 61.5 in (1.56 m)
Width across rear wall: 42.0 in (1.08 m)
Height at door: 42 in (1.07 m)
Height at rear: 19.5 in (0.50 m)
Weight-tent: 3 lb 1 oz (1.39 kg)
Weight-poles: 9 oz poles (.25 kg)
Weight-stakes: 6 oz stakes (.17 kg)
Total Weight: 4 lb (1.81 kg)
Color: Stone/Lignite

Final Phase Summary
In this final phase of my testing, I found that I was reluctant to choose the Ike as my tent - because of the condensation problems that I had encountered on the West Coast Trail (see my Field Report). 

 I do not hike well after waking up wet, and even with a water resistant sleeping bag, I don't like having water dripped on me - it can ruin an entire trip.

Even when deployed in "full-venting mode", I still had condensation problems.  And when in full-venting mode, the shelter offers next to no protection against rain - because the side vents allow rain to drop straight through to the tent floor. 

When the tent is in this full-venting mode, it becomes a bug shelter, nothing more.  Unless you're hiking in black fly country, you'd be much better off with a tarp and groundsheet.  And you'd save the weight of the poles also!

Testing Conditions
The tent was tested in the foothills of Alberta, and on the West Coast Trail, on the coast of British Columbia.  Maximum humidity was 100%, lowest night time temperature estimated at 0 C (32 F) 

Long-term Observations on Construction
This tent was extremely well made.  In fact, it is one of the best-constructed tents that I have ever used. 

There has been no stretching of the needle-holes in the main seems, which is surprising, since a considerable amount of tension is required to keep the tent's pitch taught. 

The bathtub floor has maintained it's integrity, and I never had moisture leak through any seem in the floor.  The floor shows no wear at all, despite being pitched repeatedly on rock, and sand.  I always used a clear sheet of poly to protect it, however.  I noted in a previous report that a custom-made footprint would have been welcome, and I stand by this.  I use a footprint with all my tents and believe that a footprint is the best way to prolong the life of a tent.  However, a custom-made footprint was not available.

The pegs that come with this tent are the best I've ever used.  The Y-section allows them to hold in any terrain - especially sand.  They were the envy of everyone at each campground on the West Coast Trail.  Also, they do not bend in rocky ground.  My pegs show some wear from pounding them in, but they still function well.  Even if I part with this tent, I will not part with the pegs!

Inside, the tent is spacious, but if the tent peg holding the foot line of the tent moves in the night, the middle of the tent will sag and cut headroom in the tent considerably.  The mesh pocket in the wall was incredibly useful - holding my alarm clock and other ditties off the floor. 

The ability to close the foot vent from inside was good, but I found that I needed all the vents open to have a chance to avoid condensation.  The side vestibules could not be closed from inside.

There were a number of wonderful touches in the design - like reflective thread woven into the guy-lines, and reflective tape on the stake-loops. 

The only point of mechanical failure during the test period was the tent-bag.  I snagged it on a guy-line running from a cable car tower on the West Coast Trail.  The cable ripped an L-shaped tear in the bag - but the ripstop nylon did its job and the tear did not get larger.  The tear has since been repeatedly patched with duct tape, a solution that has worked fairly well.  I would still like to get this tear patched. 

Livability
I never did use this tent with two people - mostly because I didn't want to subject someone else to the condensation problems that were so severe. 

As a one-person tent, it was luxuriously large - almost too large.  However, because of its light weight, it is an affordable luxury. 

The tent is large enough to sit up in, and is comfortable to change in also.

I had initially wondered if the colour would be depressing - but the dark panel in the roof turns a pleasing shade of violet when you are inside the tent.  I was never stuck in the tent during inclement weather, but I don't think it would be too depressing to spend some time in this tent.

The main vestibule is delightfully large - certainly large enough to hold a pack.  I usually cover my pack with a rain cover and leave it a few yards away from my tent as a safety measure, so I never actually slept with a pack in the vestibule.

In addition, the vestibule is rendered somewhat useless by the condensation problems in the tent.  Because you have to sleep with all the vents and vestibules open, the first little shower that comes along would wet your pack. 

I usually left my boots in one of the back corners of the vestibule, but even so, I woke up to wet boots one morning from a nighttime shower that I didn't wake up for. 

Conclusion
This tent is great for very dry conditions. It's well-made and light. 

However, for hiking anywhere there could be condensation or rain, chosing this tent could result in waking up wet with condensation.

Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Golite Eisenhower Tunnel > Tyler Nagel > Long Term Report