Company Information:

Product Information:

MSRP:  $250.00 US

Biographical Information:


Tent Specifications:

Please read my Initial Report for a complete description of the Europa II's specifications and my initial impressions.  Six Moon Designs provides the following specifications for the Europa II:

Total Weight	33 oz (935 g) including tent body, rear hoop pole, stuff sack, guy lines and six 0.5 oz (14 g) stakes (stakes purchased separately).
Type	Single wall two person tent.
Floor Space	35+ square feet.
Packed Size	Approximately 16.5 x 4.5" (42 x 11 cm) or 260 cu in.
Canopy and Floor Material	1.1 oz Silicone Nylon.
Screens	No-See-Um Netting; approximately 75% of the interior wall space is covered by netting.
Rear Hoop Pole	Easton Pole 7075 HS shock-corded and pre-bent; maximum length on pole segment is 13.5" (34 cm).
Front Pole	The Europa II sets up using a single hiking stick or pole which is not included or it can simply be tied to a tree.
Rear Height (set up)	24" (61 cm).
Front Height (set up)	48" (122 cm).
Length (set up)	90" (229 cm).
Rear Width (set up)	54" (137 cm).
Front Width (set up)	60" (152 cm).
Oversized Screen Door	The front door is made exclusively with netting, i.e., the front door does not have a solid covering and there is no vestibule (a vestibule can be purchased separately).
Cantilevered Front	The front support pole is set away from the front of the tent creating an angle that shelters the front entry.
Floor Design	Bathtub style floor.
Advanced Condensation Management Design	The Europa II uses features of double walled tents in critical areas to manage condensation better.
Stow Pockets	Two mesh cargo pockets sewn into the side walls.

According to Six Moon Designs, the Europa II is two-person 33 ounce tent.  Six Moon Designs also claims that the Europa II can be used in cold weather conditions.

Report Overview:

I have used the Europa II on five separate trips in the last six months.  At this juncture, I can safely report that the Europa II is very compact and extremely light for a two person tent.  No other shelter that I own even compares in those two categories.  I can comfortably sleep in the Europa II with all of my gear, my two year old yellow lab and have room to spare.  It is tight quarters for two adults and their gear; but it is workable.  Based upon my experience to date, the Advanced Condensation Management system in the Europa II does eliminate water build-up inside the tent in most circumstances. The tent material is very slick which makes it difficult to roll up and stuff.  Unless a manufacturer suggested modification is made by placing sticky pads on the floor of the Europa II, the material also tends to facilitate sleeping bag and/or pad slippage.  The mesh door on the Europa II does not promote privacy but a solid door can be purchased separately.  Movement inside the Europa II without contacting the tent material is not easy given its design.  Finally, in my opinion, while the Europa II's design is perfect for warm/hot weather, it does not lend itself to cold weather use.

Long Term Report:

Please see my Field Report for a complete description of my previous field testing on the Europa II.

As suggested by the manufacturer, I seam sealed the Europa II and have had no problems with water seeping into the tent even when pitched on solid water.  However, I have not had the fortunate luck of using the Europa II during a driving rain storm either.  The floor in the Europa II as manufactured is extremely slippery.  I could not keep my Therm-A-Rest Pro-Lite 4 from sliding around every time I moved in my sleeping bag.  I reported on this same problem in my Field Report after using other types of pads in the Europa II.

Summary:

At the beginning of this test series, I had some difficulty in setting up the Europa II properly.  After communicating with Ron Moak at Six Moon Designs, he provided updated instructions and pictures on proper tent set-up.  In my opinion the new instructions provide a great combination of written instruction and visual-aids on how to set the Europa II up to obtain maximum benefit from its design.  The Europa II really has a nice look to it when set-up properly.

The Europa II is still showing no signs of wear (but, as previously reported, I am pretty careful with my equipment).  The zipper on the front door continues to function properly and easily.  Also as previously reported, the large open mesh door could be a problem from a privacy stand point.  In mixed company, this feature could prove to be more than a bit inconvenient. I understand that Six Moon Designs is offering an optional vestibule to resolve that problem and provide added storage space.  According to the web site, the MSRP on the vestibule is $30.00 US.  The entrance to the Europa II was tall enough that I could sit in the entrance and cook on the ground outside the tent.  There was ample room inside the tent for two people and gear.  I found it was difficult to change clothes inside the Europa II without touching the interior walls of the tent but this was not more pronounced than most other backpacking tents that I have used.

The Europa II is designed to take advantage of the cool evening breeze by providing the user with cooler temperatures at night and less condensation in the morning.  This feature of the tent works wonderfully during hot weather.  As for winter camping, I think I will stick with free standing models with full enclosures.  The Europa II was effectively designed to allow air to circulate through the tent to cut down on condensation.  However, in my experience, during cold winter nights this feature wasn't really a plus.  The cold air blowing across my sleeping bag made it much more difficult to conserve heat.  I've still not been lucky enough to have been in weather sufficient to test the ability of the cantilevered open door design to protect the user from high winds and hard rain.  Nevertheless, at this juncture, I am very impressed with the Europa II as a warmer season backpack tent.  It is extremely light weight and very compact.