Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Six Moon Designs Europa II > Thomas Vickers > Long Term Report

Six Moon Designs Europa II Tent Long Term

March 21, 2004

Thomas Vickers
36 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.

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 32 degrees F (0 degrees C) to 65 degrees F (18 degrees C).  Everything from torrential downpours to light mists have been served up during the testing of this tent. 

Pitching the Tent:
Over the course of this test I have discovered a few small hints that have helped me fully utilize the Six Moon Designs Europa II Tent. 

In high winds I have found that attaching extra lines to either side of the hiking pole really helps keep the pole up and prevents any swaying.   It can make getting in and out of the tent bothersome, but it is better than having to set up the front pole of the tent in the middle of the night.  If the winds get too bad, I also prefer to use all four of the exterior tie off points that are provided on the sides of the tent.    Having had the Six Moon Designs Europa II out in very windy situations (steady winds of at least 17 mph (27 kph)), I can say that using the exterior tie off points makes a huge difference in noise as well as stability.

As for pitching the Six Moon Designs Europa II without a hiking pole, it is an exercise that I don't relish.  I did manage to achieve a decent pitch on two occasions using a small tree instead of a hiking pole, but not one that I felt was optimal.  In other words, I can do it, but I will only use it as an emergency procedure in the future. Besides not getting the proper ridge line taughtness, I was also worried about debris falling out of the tree I used to pitch the tent. 

Interior Space:
Try as I might, I could never get the interior to be as roomy as I wanted until I began using the extra tie off loops nearest the door of the Six Moon Designs Europa II.   This allowed me to create enough room for two full grown adults in the tent.   There was even enough room for me and my wife to toss and turn a bit without bumping each other. 

Without using the tie off loops, I could comfortably fit one person and gear, but two people would be rubbing the walls. This was not a great thing to do in times of high humidity and luckily there was an easy solution to this problem.

I also like the length of the Six Moon Designs Europa II. I did not feel cramped in the tent and I never slid down far enough to bang my feet against the back of the tent. This has been a problem for me in smaller shelters before, but not in the Six Moon Designs Europa II.

Changing clothes was not the challenge I thought it was going to be due to the length of the Six Moon Designs Europa II.  I was able to lay on my sides and back in order to change clothes without standing up.  I could even sit up in a hunched over position, but it was easier to lie down.  Changing into and out of pants and shirts was not the easiest activity, but it was no where near as difficult as I had imagined it would be.  

Materials:
I have always been rather cynical about the durability of silnylon, but after putting the Six Moon Designs Europa II through more rough treatment than I ever imagined, I am ready to shed the cynicism.  There was one tear where the tent pole broke and the sharp edge tore the pole sleeve, but other than that there were no other problems.  Despite the high winds and what I consider above average abuse, the silnylon and all the stitching held together rather well.  I would have expected the Six Moon Designs Europa II to have suffered many more tears and torn seams after what it suffered, but it did not.  

I was also concerned about the slipperiness of the silnylon floor.  My main fear was that my sleeping pads were going to move around too much in the tent during the test period.  What I discovered was that none of my pads slipped around at all.  I used three different pads (Therm-a-Rest Ultra Light Inflatable Pad, Therm-a-Rest Deluxe Ridge Rest, and Therm-a-Rest Z Rest Full length) and none of them moved once I was on them.  This provided that my fear of silnylon's slipperiness was unfounded.  It makes a great tent floor material, especially since I didn't manage to punch any holes in the tent floor, which with my clumsiness, is probably a miracle in itself.     

Likes:
The Six Moon Designs Europa II is what I consider to be a great tent.  I enjoy its weight, its ease of set up, its durability, and its roominess. One thing that I don't think I have given enough press is the rear tent pole/hoop.  This pole is assembled and inserted with what I feel is an unusually small amount of pressure. This makes bending the pole and getting it inserted correctly very easy, even in adverse conditions.  I think it also lends itself to less user malfunctions than similarly designed poles/hoops.

Improvements: 
The things that I would love to see for the Six Moon Designs Europa II would be a vestibule/beak to add to the tent.  This would give extra space outside for boots and other gear as well as blocking the mesh door from wind blown rain. I would gladly add the extra weight for that extra bit of protection. It would also provide a bit of privacy when changing clothes in the Six Moon Designs Europa II.

Final Impressions:
Overall I think that the Six Moon Designs Europa II is an excellent tent.  Usually I would end that statement with "light weight", but I feel that after the severe weather that the Six Moon Designs Europa II endured, it is not just a good light weight tent, but a good overall tent.  It worked extremely well in the high humidity environment of East Texas and it survived beating rain and roaring winds.  The Six Moon Designs Europa II actually worked better than I would have expected any tent to under the conditions. 

I was also very happy with customer service from Six Moon Designs.  They quickly repaired the tent after it was damaged in a storm and the quality and durability of the repairs were excellent. I have had no problems with leakage or additional tearing around the repaired hole. 

I would like to thank Six Moon Designs for the chance to test the Six Moon Designs Europa II tent.  

Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Six Moon Designs Europa II > Thomas Vickers > Long Term Report