Stephenson 2C Tent Review – Part 2

The 2C tent badly needs a third arch pole between the front and rear poles. Tentpole Technologies can make it to the proper radius if you give them ceiling height and floor width.

Let's look at another tunnel tent design:

Tarptent's MOMENT DW
1. "double funnel" design (end guylines can help fly support a moderate snow load)
2. optional ripstop inner tent
3. 4 guy points 2 side, 2 end)
5. optional exterior X-ing pole
6. Possibility for easily converting the Exterior X-ing pole to an Interior X-ing pole. (to provide even more canopy support for heavy snow loads)
7. outstanding quality of construction
8. very reasonable price AND made in USA

The Moment DW is a solo tent that can take 4 season use in stride with the X-ing pole option.

For a 2 person Tarptent with full-on winter modification see my Scarp 2 photos in BPL's Winter Hiking pages.

The 2C tent badly needs a third arch pole between the front and rear poles.

Won't argue with that! I don't see it mentioned on their current web site but I'm pretty sure they used to offer that option (but discourage it as unnecessary in their opinion), at least in the "R" models.

I dearly love Henry's TarpTent designs (have owned three, four if you count an MYOG from his original plans). But I'd be surprised if the Moment or Scarp would fare well in the target conditions establish for these Stephenson's reviews. Those are somewhat harsh conditions.

@Eric: I realize it has been only a year, but how has your modified Scarp 2 fared? And what were the details of the toughest conditions encountered?

edit: Concerning the sag caused by 8 inches of 10% water content snow. Unacceptable? Certainly! but almost every 3 season shelter ever mentioned here at BPL would fare worse. Granted, this is not a 3 season shelter review.

Have you addressed the manufacturer about the issues stated in the review? The construction concerns and particularly the field failures. The Stephensons seem impermeable to any negative feedback. They state the tent is good enough as it is. I too was shocked by the cheap looking seams in my 2C but forced myself to believe they actually were good enough for the intented use and that stronger looking seams would only serve aesthetics. I have not had any failures but I haven't put the tent through any extreme weather or heavy snow load. But you've had failures. I'd like to hear what the manufacturer has to say. Most of the reported construction problems seem easy to fix for a small weight penalty.

I'm particularly surprised by the tension line problem at the front panel in a tent that's supposed to be a tension tent!

BTW, I'm thinking of buying the X-ing pole from Tentpole Technologies so I can get a stronger pole by increasing the tube wall thickness and diameter, just as I did with the main pole for my Scarp 2.

Probably well worth doing. I did that for the vertical poles on our RS2. The stock poles bow too easily for my taste. That added about 2oz for two 49" poles. Very acceptable in a 43oz shelter.