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Six Moon Designs Europa II Tent Field Test Report
November 18, 2003
Thomas Vickers
35 years old
Male
5 feet 11 inches tall (1.8 meters)
170 lb (77 kg)
redroach@pobox.com
Southeast Texas, Houston Area
Tester 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:
Six Moon Designs (http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/)
Manufacturer Measurements:
Weight: 33 oz (936 g)
Length: 90 in (2.29 m)
Front Width: 60 in (1.52 m)
Rear Width: 54 in (1.37 m)
Front Height: 41 in (1.04 m)
Rear Height: 24 in (61 cm) |
Tester
Measurements:
(all measures are approximate)
Tent Body Weight:25.5 oz (723 g)
Stuff Sack Weight: 0.5 oz (14 g)
Hoop Pole Weight: 3.9 oz (111 g)
Length: 90 in (2.29 m)
Front Width: 60 in (1.52 m)
Rear Width: 52 in (1.32 m)
Front Height: 45 in (1.14 m)
Rear Height: 24 in (61 cm)
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Testing Location/Conditions
My testing has all taken place in Southeast Texas, in the Houston area. The area is
all piney woods which sit at or barely above sea level. The temperatures ranged from
55 degrees F (13 degrees C) to 70 degrees F (21 degrees C). Of the 8 nights I have
managed to spend in the Six Moon Designs Europa II , only two of them have lacked
precipitation. So far it seems that this tent is a rain magnet. Everything
from torrential downpours to light mists have been served up during the first stage of
this test.
Performance:
I will start with some of the basic items that I detailed in my initial test
plan. The first thing up is condensation and humidity. The Six Moon Designs
Europa II has been in 100% down to 40% humidity and there has never been a condensation
problem inside the tent. This includes two nights with two adults in the tent. I
believe that the large mesh door accounts for this not being an issue. Ventilation is
good, even on windless nights, and there was never any pooling/gathering of moisture on
the inside of the Six Moon Designs Europa II .
The Six Moon Designs Europa II has been used in temperatures down to 55 degrees F (13
degrees C) and up to 70 degrees F (21 degrees C). Despite my worries about the mesh
door causing the tent to be too cold, I slept in a sleeping bag, with only a tee shirt and
shorts, no head covering and with my arms sticking out of the sleeping bag. I
am a cold sleeper, but never felt uncomfortable in the Six Moon Designs Europa II.
The mesh door also allowed the tent to be cool enough when the night temperatures reached
70 degrees F (21 degrees C). Overall, I am impressed by the performance of the
"doorless" design of the Six Moon Designs Europa II. I expected it to be
far too cold for me, but it has yet to be uncomfortable due to extreme temperatures.
Another area where the Six Moon Designs Europa II has performed very well is in keeping
the Texas bugs out. I can get in and out of the tent without letting too many in and
the mesh portions of the tent don't allow any nasty crawly flying beasts to get at you.
This is a very welcome feature since bugs are way too efficient at finding ways to ruin a
good night's sleep.
My second weekend in the Europa II was not the best. 68 degrees F (20 degrees
C), 69% humidity, and a serious rainstorm. I could not pitch the tent in under 4
minutes and I was soaking wet when I got inside. There seemed to be no way to get
the Europa II pitched correctly, but that was user error. Once inside, I had a
problem with water splashing off the ground and coming in via the net door. I did my
best to make sure rain could not blow in, but the splashing was an issue. I managed
to mop up the puddled water with my towel and after the serious downpour stopped, the
splashing also stopped. I think that this was a unique experience due to the other rainy
nights I have spent in the tent and the splashing issue has never reoccurred.
During the rain, the water tried to pool on the ridge/spine of the tent due to the lack of
taughtness along this area, but it eventually ran off without causing a problem.
During the second night of this trip, I ran into some bad luck. Sometime during the
night, the Easton pole on the rear of the tent snapped. From what I can tell (I was
asleep), the pole broke, the rear stake then worked loose, then the back of the tent
collapsed. This occurred about 4 a.m. and the rain had stopped for the most part.
Needless to say it was time to call it quits. I packed up, managed to get back to
the car and head home.
I don't know what caused the pole to break, but I was impressed by the small tear in the
pole sleeve of the tent. I have always been wary of silnylon's ability to stand up
to serious wear and tear, but even after the rain, some wind and the sharp end of the tent
pole slashing it, the pole sleeve material only had a 1/4 inch long tear.
I expected it to be much worse.
After this, my testing was delayed a bit while the Six Moon Designs Europa II was returned
to the manufacturer for repairs. The turn around time (shipping to and from, plus repairs)
was about two weeks. When the tent was returned, new silnylon had been stitched into
the interior of the pole sleeve. The repair was well done and seems very sturdy. I
was raring to go again.
I even had a brainstorm about what to do about the splashing water. At some point in
the future I am going to try and have a triangular piece of silnylon made that will cover
all or part of the mesh door. I don't want to ruin the ventilation, so maybe it will only
come halfway up the door. It can be attached via "buttons"/circles
of hook and loop fastener to the tent door. That way you could get in, hook and loop
the door shield in place, then zip up the mesh. This would be a light weight option to
keep the water from splashing off the ground and into the tent.
I have only spent two nights in the Six Moon Designs Europa II with a partner. My
wife is not a big tent/outdoors person, so having her along was a test bonus. Of
course it also allowed me to see that if you sleep two adults in the Six Moon Designs
Europa II , they had better be well acquainted. My wife and I had no problem since
we didn't mind being really close. The real test will come when I get one of my
regular hiking partners to spend the night in the Six Moon Designs Europa II with
me.
Overall, I have been impressed with the Six Moon Designs Europa II tent. It has held up
very well and many of my initial concerns have proven baseless. I am looking forward to a
few dry nights and some colder weather, but I am pretty sure that this tent can take what
nature dishes out.
Further Testing:
How easy is it to set up without a hiking pole?
Is it roomy enough for two adults to share? (two that are not married)
Is there enough room to change clothes inside the tent?
Read more reviews of Six Moon Designs gear
Read more gear reviews by Thomas Vickers
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