( 23 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 11 2009
First, this review is for the Eureka Apex 2XT, some reviews seem to confuse which tent is being discussed. The 2XT features a full rain fly with vestibules that are enclosed. The Apex 2 has a half rain fly and open vestibules. I had read quite a few of the reviews for this tent, here and in other areas, and thought I understood (and could live with) some of the drawbacks, but in use I could not. The positives: This is a very easy to setup tent, it really only takes a couple of minutes. Assemble the two poles, insert one end of each into a pocket in the corner of the tent, insert a pin from an opposing corner into the other end of the pole, then fasten the center point of the tent to the two poles (a loop of material and a dogbone shaped piece of plastic accomplishes this) and finish by attaching the clips from the edges of the tent to the poles. Beautiful. Figure out which way the fly gets oriented, drape it over the top and secure the clips at the lower corners. Some additional velcro further secures it to the tent poles, and then stake out the vestibule. Again, very easy. The tent is pretty roomy, and provided you are using standard sleeping pads you should have no problem being comfortable with two people and minimal gear. Use an inflatable twin size air mattresses, and it is definitely a one person tent. I used the tent in a light rain, and left it setup in a very heavy rain, and I did not notice any leakage inside the tent. The negatives: As others have noted, when you are inside, the zipper for the closed vestibule is a long way off. I am average height (just under 5'10")and I would need to lean way out or squat in the vestibule area to open the fly. Either way my back came into contact with the fly material and was soaked, either by the rain that had fallen, or by the morning dew seeping through the fly. I cannot stress enough how annoying this is. If the ground is wet or muddy due to rain, you will get wet or muddy. Even if you are opening the vestibule from the outside and the fly is wet, water will run down the fly and into the tent unless you are extremely careful. I suspect that every tent with an enlosed vestibule has similar issues. I have been observing different designs when I go camping, and other than having a shorter reach to the zipper, reducing the vestibule size, I have not seen any real differences. I was thinking of resigning myself to this, and perhaps attaching a mini-blind wand to the zipper to ease the reach when I noticed something else. At the bottom of the vestibule there is a snap in addition to the zipper. After the rain, I set the tent up in my garage to dry and air out. I could not get this snap to close and noticed that it had actually rusted a bit. I am dumbfounded that they did not use a stainless steel snap. At this point I decided I would return the tent. I really do like a lot about this tent, the ease of setup, the size, weight, and the price, but the vestibule problem is just too much. I think I will try the Apex 2 instead.
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Posted: May 18 2009
I bought this tent from Dick's, I read a lot of reviews before buying. First of all I can see the problem with the zipper on the rain fly and where it is located a little bit annoying. It would be a tight fit for two people I am 6' 190lbs and I think another person my size would be a little bit to much but somebody smaller it would be cozy. The quality seems pretty good for the price I paid. I think on hot nights it would get a little muggy in the tent it doesn't seem to have great ventilation with the rain fly on. Set up was a breeze I took it right out of the box and had it up in 10 minutes next time it will go up quicker. I gave it 4 stars because there is a few things I would change. Overall good tent.
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Posted: Apr 25 2009
THIS IS A HEAVY 2PERSON TENT WHICH YOU CAN NOT FIT A QUEEN SIZE MATRESS IN THERE. EASY TO SETUP BUT VERY FANCY AND NOT AS MUCH AS DURABLE AS IT SAYS.
