Easton Kilo

My take on that…
First the silnylon floor in the TT has some PU content making it more "waterproof" than the fly.
As observed by others the PU limits the stretch and somehow weakens the tear strength of the fabric but it is not really needed on the floor (compared to the fly…)
Next I would carefully consider how one can store packs and boots under the Kilo and at the same time have a relatively easy ingress/egress from it
(think midnight call. Add rain and see how the other occupant remains dry when you get out…)

, "the Kilo is functionally freestanding, so it won't collapse if a stake pulls out in the night and I can move the tent around the site easily if I'm not happy with its location",
Really ?
I think that the chance of the Kilo standing up when a stake pulls out is about the same as the DR.
With two stakes in (either the front or the back ones) the DR will stand up just like the Kilo..
As for moving the tent, well once you pick up the Kilo (and similar "freestanding " tents (BA/TN))you still need to place several pegs in to get it to stand up correctly…just like the DR.
Franco

"the silnylon floor in the TT has some PU content making it more "waterproof" than the fly"

Interesting…is still similarly slippery as normal silnylon?

"I would carefully consider how one can store packs and boots under the Kilo and at the same time have a relatively easy ingress/egress from it "

Definitely a valid concern, especially if our packs are soaked and need to be left in the vestibule. The whole ingress/egress/rain falling in the door situation is my biggest concern with the Kilo. With one door and one small vestibule this could be annoying. At least the door is on the end of the tent (rather than the side – ie. MSR CR2) so we can both enter/exit without crawling over each other. My hope is that most of the time our packs etc. won't be soaked so we can continue to bring them into the tent and then it will mostly be just our running shoes in the vestibule.

"I think that the chance of the Kilo standing up when a stake pulls out is about the same as the DR"

With zero stakes in the ground, the Kilo stands up and generally resembles the shape of a tent even though it's not at it's maximum volume/size. With zero stakes (and no trekking poles) the DR is a pile of material on the ground. So the Kilo lets me set up the inner, lay down inside, decide to shuffle it over a bit and then stake it down. This is a small, but nice thing because I do like to set up my tent before I fine tune it's location. This is my main (but small) point here.

I guess the performance when losing a stake is a bit of a red herring because it happens so rarely, but the Kilo will continue to form a basic standing structure even if it loses all of it's stakes. The DR can technically lose one stake, and maybe if two if they're the right ones, but the whole shelter appears radically weakened and susceptible to winds. I've never used a DR, but I have used a MSR CR2 which as you know is a very similar design. IMO, if a stake pulls out in the night with this general design (single arch hoop, 4 corners staked) you really need to go fix it because you lose a ton of space inside and even light winds can really bend the tent over. This did happen to me once, but I now know to be more careful in sandy conditions.

"Interesting…is still similarly slippery as normal silnylon?"

Hard to tell the difference, that is why I "dot" mine.
floors are one of the reason why some prefer a tent over another. And some don't like any floor at all…
BTW, in practice I still think that that kind of "freestanding" is less of a practical difference than some think, but it is just my opinion.
Franco

Dan,
Thanks for your answer, right on point and some good sense.
Guess you and Franco each get a '10', and we go with our gut when choosing a tent.
But wouldn't it be nice if there was a tent with everything? Maybe a super light version of the BD Oasis with two front doors for you and your wife.

BTW, am totally sold on silnylon floors after using one last summer.
What I liked most WAS the way nothing would stick to it when packing up after a rainstorm. Nice chevron design on the bottom of the sleeping pad solves the sliding problem. Being a former enlisted man, I went for a Sergeant Major pattern. It being a dome tent with the floor being pulled taut by the staked pole ends eliminated any slipping of the floor over the ground.
Guess it depends a lot on the tent design, and the quality of the silcoat.

Dan brought this tent to my attention a month or two ago. I like it allot because it has quite allot of room, good height, and is freestanding and seems to be the best of the competition that I've found so far. Franco, when you state "that that kind of "freestanding" is less of a practical difference than some think, but it is just my opinion" it really is of great importance to me. First, I can move my tent if I need to for any reason. I don't have to pull up a bunch of stakes and guy lines and start over again. Second, its not gonna fall down on me in the night if a stake or two let go. And three, I find setting up a freestander easier. With all due respect (and to Dan too whom has an HMG tent for solo use) I had a pup tent in the 70s that set up with six or eight or possibly 10 stakes and and when I got my first freestander, I definitely did not want to go back to stakes and guylines. I know the Kilo (and the BA Fly Creek UL1 or 2) require a few stakes to get a taut pitch, but at least no guylines to trip over or adjust. So, for me, I really enjoy freestanding shelter. Had it my way, it would be totally freestanding, but those options are significantly heavier. And also the type that does not require a pair of trekking poles to be freestanding. I like the ability to leave my tent setup at my basecamp and go hiking for the day taking my poles with me. -In the end, I'm still looking. Hopefully there's another option or two out there that I've missed that are light enough. I want to be in the two pound range. BA makes a nice fully freestanding tent with allot of room, but it's like 3.5 lbs. Alas no offence ment, these of course are all just my personal preferences. Let the conversation continue.

The tent may or may not be 'free-standing', but I have never thought the term had any real value anyhow.

What does concern me is that the pole structure looks fragile at best, and disaster-prone at the worst, against any sort of strong wind – from any direction.

As for the idea of pitching it in a storm …

Cheers

"I am totally sold on silnylon floors after using one last summer…Nice chevron design on the bottom of the sleeping pad solves the sliding problem…It being a dome tent with the floor being pulled taut by the staked pole ends eliminated any slipping of the floor over the ground."

Having the floor pulled taut by the tent does indeed eliminate the floor slipping around on the ground (assuming the tent is staked down) which is a really good thing. The single wall silnylon floor tent I used a bit last summer basically had the floor hanging from the canopy walls, so you could position yourself a safe distance from the potentially wet walls, but the floor could slide over a lot in the night so even though you are still on the same spot on the floor, you could now be touching the a wet wall as well. At least with the DR if the floor did slide a bit side-to-side you wouldn't hit the walls because it has vestibules on either side. The tent I used just had a vestibule on one side, so if the tent slid away from the vestibule then someone would hit the wall.

They are available now.

I will have one on friday, February 25th.

Randy

Randy,

Let us know how it is. I was very interested when I first heard about this tent. Ultimately I went for a BS Revolution 3P for a bit more volume (and a weight penalty) but still very curious to hear about the Kilo and the poles in particular.

Randy, I'd love to hear your initial observations on the Kilo. Most specifically, I'd love to hear if the Kilo is indeed as large as the specifications. If the roof is really 44" high that sounds pretty good. Does it feel adequately roomy for two?

I've been close to buying one of these….mostly just been looking for the best deal. So far the best deal I've found is 7% off at VargoOutdoors using the 'VARSAVE' coupon code.

Been looking at this one for a while and guess by the posts above, so have a few others. I'm going to be putting up a thread asking about two-man tents soon too cause I want to buy one in the not to distant future. Randy, hope to hear about the Kilo's roominess, weight, and your overall first impressions. Also, hope to see more pictures since there aren't that many on the web. Thanks and congrats on your purchase.

Also, anyone know the true floor area of this tent? The Easton site says 26 SF and Dan mentions in the thread 31 SF. That's a huge diffence and I'd really like to know.

Hello All Interested,

I will be getting the KIlo friday (late). I will take it out Saturday morning and photograph and measure it.

My decision to get it sight unseen. There are four factors to this equation.

A) Big enough for two but a palace for me.

B) Head height (or I would say cross sectional area where I would sit).

C) Weight.

D) Easton's reputation.

I like to take all of my gear into my shelter (except for footwear and food). I have been attacked by mosquitoes and ants so I need a sanctuary from the insects. I cannot fall asleep until 11:00 or so. I read with a headlamp (this year I will take a Kindle and not a tear apart novel). Easton has been (in my opinion) a company that does not rush products to market. If anybody knows poles (or arrows or bats) Easton does. I would think that a lot of computer simulation time went into this. The concept that the ferrule is designed to fail first and is replaceable makes a lot of sense.

The only question that may be problematic will deal with condensation.

Randy

I got the Kilo Thursday Night.

There are a couple things that are first;

The lateral pole has a rubberized connector junction where the lengthwise pole will cross it. This section is pre-bent!.

(EDIT) The top segment of the lateral pole is aluminum.

It appears that this was a last-minute decision to change the design because the tent-pole bag is too short to fit this pole and

the design does not correspond to the instructions. The bumper is on the drawings but not as it really is.

The poles assemble with a "snap". You must completely engage each section of the poles. This is very reassuring.

The whole bag of everything 1131 grams

Tent body 494 grams

Fly 320 grams

Poles 164 grams
_______________________

978 grams for fly, body and poles

The guylines are 3mm reflective cords with metal adjusters.The stakes are the normal Easton 6 inch. The bare tent does easily break the "kilo barrier". There is one spare connector but no instructions as to how you replace it and also a too large aluminum pole band-aid.

At this point the greatest problem is that the instructions are incomplete.

Randy

Glad you shared that, 40 ounces all up. That means it'll most likely be a little lighter in trail form. Can't wait for pictures and more details.

For such a great job on the tent itself the bag it came in will be the first thing to be replaced.

All of the small bags are the same material as the tent floor. The pole bag is too short. I have ordered some Tyvek (the soft version) to make a footprint. All of the footprints for the Kilo are sold out so I will have to cut a pattern and attach some 150# cord to it and also make a tent bag out of it.

Just looking at the tent materials I would like to see how much the tent would have weighed if the floor and sides would have been made of the same material as the fly.

Just as a thought, someone could make a Cuben fly and lower the weight 4 ounces (expensive upgrade).

Randy

Thanks a lot for the weights and other comments Randy. That's great to hear that it indeed does weigh under a kilo for the basic tent. That's quite impressive. I'm amazed at how light the fly is. With a 10g cuben stuff sack and mostly 2g Terra Nova stakes, you could actually hit the trail at about a kilo.

Nice to hear that the one pole section is pre-bent. That makes a lot of sense. That rubber thing sounds good too.

Please let us know how the space/volume inside is when you get a chance, and any comments about how well the door/vestibule area works would be great to hear as well.

Hello,

I have just returned after setting up, measuring and photographing the "Solo Palace".

Here are some critical measurements.

From floor to the highest internal point 38.5 inches.
I am six feet tall and if I sit up straight my bald head will touch fabric on all four sides. If I am slouching there is no problem. If two people are sitting up in the tent…problem.

Widest internal dimension 50 inches (at lateral pole).

Longest livable length 81.5 inches.
This is from the front of the tent to a back side staking point. The bottom wall slopes severely such that if you are going two-up and you are 5'10" your bags will contact the back and sides at a couple points..

There are three fly/pole tie-together points, two on the side and one on the back. They are velcro. You have to wrap the poles before you loop the fly out.

The front two stakes need to be solidly placed. There is a lot of tension through those two points; the fly and tent body connects through the same webbing staking loop.

The surprises.
The poles are very strong. The do not seem stressed. You know when they are placed the stresses are evenly distributed.

Once I figured out how to tension the fly properly it appears that the tent will be able to take more wind than I had thought. It is a very synergistic structure for being so minimal.

Randy

Here is a "fly shot".

Head on shot.

There is a vestibule. It has enough space for boots and a few other items.

When the fly is tensioned "just-so" the front part of the inner tent sags a bit. You really don't notice it much except from outside looking in.

Ingress and egress is a rear-first proposition; open the zippers (the fly zipper can open at the top or bottom), sit down rear first, scoot back.

The door can be left open once you work out the fly tension.

If you are using it for two people you better be friendly. For a solo person (like myself) it will do great.

If people are interested I can add some more pictures.

Randy

"Longest livable length 81.5 inches."

As per my previous posts, I suspected that the back end sloped enough to reduce usable length 10". Thanks for confirming this.

Great looking tent.

Following this comment :
With zero stakes in the ground, the Kilo stands up and generally resembles the shape of a tent even though it's not at it's maximum volume/size.
from Dan, I would like to see a picture of the tent with the fly on without any stakes in the ground …
I also would like to see a picture with the vestibule open with two mats and two sleeping bags inside as well as two packs and two pair of boots..
Franco

Re: "Easton has been (in my opinion) a company that does not rush products to market. If anybody knows poles (or arrows or bats) Easton does. I would think that a lot of computer simulation time went into this."

Take a look at the Cabela's archery catalog and read what Easton has to say to Cabela's about their arrow shafts. Here's a recent sample: "AXIS N-Fused. This arrow is single-handedly paving the way in technological advancements for arrows in the archery world. Easton went to great lengths, enlisting the world's leading nanotechnology experts to develop molecularly bonded cabon nanotubes to put in the first arrows ever with nano-tube construction. … Hybtonite[TM] nanotechnology gives you deep penetration, superior accuracy and unparalleled strength."

At Roger's suggestion, dissected an Axis Nano carbon shaft, and quess what was in it – a layer of white plastic. So it was no surprise when, in break tests, the shafts snapped at substantially lighter loads than less expensive all-carbon arrow and Fibraplex shafts. You be the judge. I hope these poles for the Kilo are quite stronger than their much-touted arrow shafts.

About my earlier posts favoring silnylon floors: Alas, have not been able to find a reliable supplier for silnylon with as high a degree of water resistance as the material I was using, which is no longer available. So I have reluctantly gone to black Cuben, around 1.25 oz/sq/yd. It kills me to put a $70 floor on a tent, and to give up the gunk and water-shedding, as well as elastic qualities of silnylon. Wish a better alternative could be found. But, see no point in lugging a tent unless it can be relied upon to keep me dry.

Looking at the venting, usable length, tautness and pole design of the Kilo, IMO, EMP could have done a better job. But would like to be proved wrong by posts attesting to successful use of this tent in rough conditions.

Disappointing….a 38.5" head height is substantially lower than the claimed 44" height.

Any chance of getting a photo with two standard sized (20×72) sleeping pads inside?

This tent sounds like a strong competitor in the 'solo palace' category, but it seems too small for two people to live in reasonable comfort.

Saw these updates at work. I echo Dan's comments. Nice tent, but it doesn't stand out like I once thought it did. Seeing pictures with pad/bag inside would be very helpful.