Stephenson’s Warmlite 2R or 2X

Here it is

Petras Sunas posted a link here to a photo of a Warmlite tent which had collapsed under the weight of snow. According to Backpacker's gear forum, this was caused by the tent not being properly staked out. See http://tinyurl.com/25bd8y

Not properly staked out would be my first assumption, and not re-tensioned to adjust for weather conditions for sure. There is also the issue of using the correct stakes to apply up to sixty pounds load per stake (only need thee stakes) as you tension the tent to keep it taunt in high winds and inclement weather.

I could not agree more with Mr. Glover. Although I have experienced limited condensation issues with my 2R and virtually none with my 3R, I guess anything is possible If one just throws up a Stephenson with limited knowledge of proper alignment, stake selection, and how to tension/re-tension the tent. All this information was clearly explained in their video and written material that I ordered prior to purchase.

Agree completely with Petras. The tent is light enough to handle the extra add-ons (vestibule and insect screen)and still be lighter than most tents on the market. It would almost be a "perfect" tent then.

Unfortunately the conditions I use tents in is mostly either a)Cold and calm (high condensation conditions) or b) warm and very wet (with lots of insects). The Stepehnson's just doesn't work well in the conditions we've tried it in, but I can see how it would be a good tent for cold, windy, snowy or wet conditions.

It’s true that this tent attracts a bit more condensation that a better vented 2 wall tent but…

Last year I was on a trip to Federation peak in Tasmania, Australia. See my website here for photos. It rained a lot on this trip. I mean drenching rain for 24 hours while we all sat in our tents. Every tent was quite wet, inside and out. The walls of the double skin tents were pretty damp and the floor under the sleeping mats was very wet in every tent. Fact is, you can’t avoid condensation and getting things wet in these type of conditions. A 2R for one and a 3R for two would at least allow you to keep away from the tent walls and the ends to stay dry. I think thats worth adding.

But I’d still like the bug netting and unfloored area for a vestibule. I might ring Stephensons and ask them if they do such a thing.

After all the shelter imput I narrowed it down to my original two choices, the Akto and the Unna. Since the Akto was my original idea and filled my need for 4 season solo treking well, I went for it. I liked the red, but decided on the stealth green.

My replacement gear, while not extremely light, should serve my purpose well. Year round: Nimbus Ozone and Akto. For 3 season use: WM Alpinlite Super, BA Insulated Air Core, JetBoil. Other (4 season) items will replace the 3 season items from late November until mid March.

Thanks to everyone.

John,
I did the same and bought the Akto a week ago. It hasn't arrived yet but I'm anxiously awaiting. (also got it in red)

I'm at similar decision point. I'm mostly looking for an alpine/4-season tent with lots of room for two + gear, but it would be nice if it would handle 3-season backpacking with room for three. Obviously, I'd rather carry less weight. I've seen a lot of discussion about the Warmlite 'R' tents, but there aren't many comments about their 'X' tents except generally about condensation. Does anybody have experience with a Warmlite 2X or 3X?

I have slept in a variety of tents including Stephenson’s (Warmlite 2R), Hilleberg (Jannu), Big Sky (Evolution), and Tarptent (Squall 2). Here are some thoughts for those interested.

The most bomber and well constructed is the Hilleberg. The weight on these tents is the higher end of the spectrum, but a Hilleberg is what I want for potentially bad weather. As the inner and outer tents are attached you can set up in a storm and still keep the inside dry. They are very warm and the ventilation is not the greatest. There is condensation but not extreme. The big bathtub floor is very waterproof. The vestibule is handy. You can fully open/close the vents from inside. Definitely not a warm weather tent (too warm), and I would not recommend Hilleberg if you camp in warm weather (65-70 degrees F or higher). I tried out an Unna, too; very spacious for one, but no formal vestibule (you can improvise one by detatching an inner tent corner). Unna ventilation is not great for warm weather and bugs.

Stephenson’s Warmlite 2R. This is an ingenious design that has many clever aspects I haven’t seen elsewhere. For instance the inner and outer zippers are staggered such that the outer zipper serves as a rain flap for the inner. The poles are pre-bent so as to give better strength (so obvious, but so few tents do this). It is huge for the weight. The windows give great ventilation but it can be warm when all sealed up. It is not quite fully double walled. The front and back ends are single walled and prone to condensation. I weathered a severe 14 hour rainstorm in this and water did come through the silnylon floor through hydrostatic pressure, but this was an extreme circumstance (I wasn’t on a fully flat ground and pooling under the tent occurred). The vestibule is extremely small (boots only), but the inside is gigantic. The outer tent window has to be zipped closed from the outside, an inconvenience for unexpected rain. There is a photo gallery of a guy who solo climbed Denali using a Warmlite. Overall an extremely versatile tent. (http://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/info/ice/mk2.html). Also: http://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/mountain-area.mckinley.html

The tarptent is the lightest, but I would not use this if I were concerned about severe weather. I am not a big fan of all the tinkering needed to get this set up with an optimal pitch. Spindrift or rain with a bit of wind could be a problem as the mesh on the tent sides are a little exposed. For most circumstances this is a great choice (warm summer weather).

The Big Sky tents are great all around. I used mine for the entire John Muir Trail. The fly is not attached and set up in a storm would get the inner tent wet (the inner is basically all mesh on top). Easy and REPRODUCIBLE set up are strong pluses, as is the light weight. Severe rain or mountain weather might be a little dicey, but for general backpacking this is a great choice. The very small vestibules won’t keep much out of the rain except something the size of boots or a small pack.

Overall, there is no perfect tent for every circumstance. Everyone is different in where they draw their own personal line for tradeoffs, such as lighter weight at the expense of a miserable, wet night.