Tent Comparison: Tarptent Squall 2 and Six Moon Designs Europa

I think your comparision is great. I have had an opportunity to use both shelters in the last year and think you accurately captured the spirit of these two shelters. The one place my experience is slightly different is when it comes to condensation resistance. I agree that if the weather is such that you can leave the vestibute open on the Europa but need to close it on Squall2, that the Europa is much better. But when the vestibule can be open on both I found condensation to be the same in practice, even though there is more mesh in the Europa.

I can certainly understand why the Europa is given a slight nod as the best general purpose shelter. I have found that the Squall2 is slightly better for me due to it’s superior pitching. This works out in two ways. I often see more extreme conditions, especially high winds where the Squall2 is a better performer. Second, I am regularly loaning my Squall2 to people I am introducing to light-weight backpacking. The Squall2’s easier setup helps win them over.

Henry Shires of Tarptent makes an excellent point. The Squall 2 definitely gets a nod for value. The Squall 2 is less expensive than the Europa for a similar tent. The Squall 2 includes four Easton tubular stakes while the Europa comes without stakes.

$225 = Tarptent Squall 2
$298 = Six Moon Designs Europa $290 + (4) Easton sakes $8

Comparing similar packages, the Europa is $73 or 32% more than the Squall 2. As such, the Squall 2 is an excellent value for a high performance ultralight shelter. We apologize for not mentioning this in the comparison.

-Alan Dixon
(Backpacking Light Staff)