Eureka Spitfire 2 Tent
After looking at a ton of reviews and pricing on small backpack style tents I narrowed it down to these three:
- REI Half Dome 2 HC – $169 – 5 lbs 11 oz
- Sierra Designs Light Year 1 – $169 – 3 lbs 6 oz
- Eureka Spitfire 2 – $119 – 4 lbs 3 oz
For the best overall size, weight and price combination, I went with the Eureka Spitfire 2.
With Rainfly
What I love about the tent is the overall size and height. I have plenty of room inside for me and my gear as well as enough room to change clothes. The large screened vents all around the tent are great, can’t wait to sit under the stars in this thing. One other thing many forget about is color. I wanted a tent that I could stealth camp if I needed to, the brown color works for that. Some of these bright yellow, orange, white tents will give your location away to easily!
Waterproof?
So I had my two boys climb inside with the Rainfly on and took the hose to it to simulate rain for about 15 minutes. The Rainfly repels water very well, you can see the beads of water race down the fabric. I did have a blue tarp footprint under the tent too. After spraying it down for a while I climbed inside and did not feel any water on the inside walls or flooring. I was very surprised as I thought I’d notice water near the head/foot area. Not really sure what Eureka treats this tent with but thus far I’m impressed. Now it wasn’t a full on down pour for a few hours so only time will really tell, but I feel much more confident in this little tent!
Remember to stuff the tent in the “stuff” sack and not roll it up, they claim the fabric last much longer this way.
More to come soon… I need a little stove and the Stever stove sure looks cool and cheap, $9!
More Photos
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Basher,
Your blog inspired me to finally get the tent I’ve been wanting. After a three month search I found brand new Big Agnes Seedhouse II on Craiglist for $75 plus shipping….woo hoo. It’s great!
Next on the list is a Big Agnes Lost Ranger +15 but the $ Fairy needs to drop a load at Charlies house first. Trying to gear up for the upcoming camping trip and an epic tour out west this summer.
The Spitfire is really really nice, but for WARM weather! I’m debating on whether to keep it or sell it, I picked up that REI Camp Dome 2, and it’s very well made. The one thing I dont’ like is the tent poles do not fold down as small as the Spitfire but I’ll manage…
I definitely need to upgrade my bag, in Idaho this yr I learned the hard way!! And my buddy BigDog has convinced me that it’s well worth the $$!
I also scored a Jet Boil last fall and really love it. Mmmmm hot food after a ride beats the heck out of setting up camp and trying to find a place to eat. If you haven’t already purchased a stove you might consider the Jet Boil. It is self contained and packs small.
I’ve got 2 alcohol stoves from an ADVrider inmate, I’m suprised at how well they work! Here’s a photo of the Stever & Simmer stoves And you probably saw me using it in my Swinging Bridges video… so far they are a keeper, but the Jet Boils are very nice..that’s all we used on our Idaho trip to cook food with.
I’ve seen the Stever stoves on that thread in ADV. Can one fry with it? I am debating a second stove for keeping things warm while I am cooking with the Jet Boil. I ran across a great link for dehydrated food too. They they have numerous meals from various processors. You can find it here: http://hawkvittles.com/
Hey Charlie.. the Simmer Stove is great for keeping things warm.. it has less holes than the Stever Stove and it burns longer.. that’s why I got one of each! You should check it out.. they are only $9 bucks too!
You’ve sold me I will order one from him tonight. I have a JetBoil and a Jet Boil fry pan, but when I cook several things the first thing I’ve cooked goes cold on me. This sounds perfect.
I got my simmerstove and I like it a lot. Thanks for putting me on that.
I also ordered a Big Agnes Lost Ranger, a BA insulated sleeping pad and a BA compression bag for cheap last week. I got them all for $214 from Mountain Plus Gear. http://www.mpgear.com
Thats a really good price. I’ve been looking a while and I doubt I could beat that price. I’m ready for Swinging Bridges and if they ever post the tracks I will be set. Oh, and I gotta send my cash.
Charlie.. wow what amazing price!
I still need to pick up a colder weather bag. I’d be interested in seeing how small you can get that Lost Ranger packed down?!
I’ve got a BA Insulated AirCore pad and it’s really good. I’ll be riding the SBR too, so we need to meet up. If I see the tracks I’ll forward them to you, for sure!
Let me know how this new BA gear looks.