Gossamer Gear The Two Evaluation

Backside Line

For an unbeatable value for its weight, the Two is a tent targeted on trade-offs that ought to appeal to a selected sort of ultralight backpacker. Whereas we imagine this tent serves a distinct segment market, it’s not significantly giant. Nevertheless, inside that area of interest, we predict it’s unbelievable and may make many individuals very blissful on their adventures. For common suggestions, we imagine most individuals are higher off both saving up for a extra versatile tent or choosing a inexpensive choice that provides larger consolation and sturdiness. We offer examples of each in our information to the greatest ultralight tents. 

For starters, The Two feels cramped. Each by way of numbers and practicality, the 26 sq. toes of flooring area isn’t essentially the most comfy, particularly for taller individuals. The ground is barely 84 inches, and with steeply sloping partitions, the usable size is even much less. When testing facet by facet with different tents in native parks within the Midwest, this was the one the place we felt essentially the most claustrophobic. Nevertheless, it does provide a really exceptional quantity of lateral headroom as a result of its slanted trekking pole design, one thing we admire. However that headroom additionally means The Two is disproportionately large, which makes it battle much more within the wind. This isn’t our favourite shelter for weathering storms within the rain, and the dearth of vents means it received’t be nice in areas susceptible to condensation both. Including to that is the 10d cloth used for each the fly and the ground, leaving us with a shelter that balances many trade-offs.

Nevertheless, simply as The Two can’t run from its spec sheet, we will’t deny that it gives one thing that nothing else can: a exceptional value and weight mixture. For many individuals, that’s prone to be sufficient. The Two isn’t a foul shelter in any respect; it simply isn’t targeted on interesting to everybody. So, if after studying via all its drawbacks you’re nonetheless , we imagine it’s a fantastic tent, simply not as a common suggestion.

Consolation

For a shelter targeted on being as reasonably priced and light-weight as doable, The Two makes some sacrifices in consolation that shall be worthwhile for fans or smaller customers. The first subject is the restricted inside footprint, measuring simply over 26 sq. toes of space- the smallest of any two-person tent in our lineup. Mixed with the sloping facet partitions frequent in A-frame fashion tents that prohibit inside livability, The Two finally feels smaller than another two-person tent in our choice. 

In some methods, we perceive what Gossamer Gear is doing right here. They’re pursuing the lightest doable weights with silnylon and smaller dimensions to shave off some ounces. For shorter people, this received’t be a difficulty, however when our 5’11” tester positioned themselves on a 2.5-inch pad in a 20-degree quilt, the footbox was almost touching the wall, as was their head.

Fortuitously, the width is enough to accommodate two individuals, and the lateral headroom is superb. Gossamer Gear designs their tents with facet partitions that slope away from the top space, offering 64 inches of lateral headroom though the ground is barely 48 inches at its widest level. The peak of 43 inside inches is once more on the smaller facet, however it is sufficient to stop us from feeling cramped when stretching or altering garments.

The 2 doorways are small because of the tent’s general smaller dimensions, however they function comfy #3 zippers and will be tied again with easy toggle mechanisms. These result in giant vestibules secured by water resistant #3 zippers. Pockets subsequent to the door are spacious and user-friendly, simply accommodating our headlamp, cellphone, battery financial institution, and cables. Much less encouraging is the absence of any air flow.

With no peak vents, The Two accumulates condensation extra simply than different tents, and because of the single-wall design and small inside, it’s straightforward to brush towards the innermost layer. Moreover, for the reason that tent is made completely of silnylon, it is going to ultimately sag when moist, which means {that a} wall that was beforehand held away from the top or foot space will steadily creep downwards on significantly humid nights.

In apply, we haven’t examined The Two in humid situations sufficiently to make claims about how this impacts real-world livability. Nevertheless, the specs make us cautious.

Weight

With an astonishingly low weight of 25.3 ounces after we measured it, the Two stands out in a category of its personal amongst silnylon tents. Nothing else comes shut, as it’s nearer in weight to Dyneema Composite Fiber tents that price double the value. 

Silnylon is a time-tested materials with a wonderful strength-to-weight ratio. Nevertheless, the explanation no different silnylon tent comes shut is that Gossamer Gear makes use of an ultra-thin 10d cloth for each the cover and flooring. This actually decreases the load, however raises severe issues about sturdiness that we are going to focus on later. One other advantage of silnylon is its nice packed measurement, and when rolled up, The Two measures 5×11 inches.

Ease of Use

Like many A-frame tents, the Two is simple to arrange and use. With 4 nook stakes and trekking poles close to the doorways, we achieved a fantastic pitch on the primary strive. If you happen to’re not accustomed to establishing trekking pole tents, it’s vital to notice that it’ll take a while to get used to the method.

After a number of makes an attempt, we discover trekking pole tents as straightforward (if not simpler) than conventional pole tents. If you happen to don’t hike with trekking poles, Gossamer Gear sells pole units on the acceptable size, which is able to improve the general weight by 5.7 ounces for each poles.

The small doorways make ease of use considerably trickier than these of different shelters with bigger doorways, however our general expertise with The Two was simple and uncomplicated. We imagine anybody can grasp it with out an excessive amount of problem.

Climate Resistance

With a traditional design, The Two ought to carry out adequately in most climate situations encountered on the path, however sure design decisions recommend it wouldn’t be our first choice for extreme climate. The first subject is the massive back and front panels that catch wind extra successfully than most shelters. Whereas it gives wonderful headroom, The Two can also be wider than different A-frame tents. 

This exposes a big space of unsupported cloth on the head and foot ends. Whereas there’s a panel pull for attaching a supporting guyline, it may possibly provide solely restricted assist to the material. Throughout our backpacking journey within the Alps, close to the border of Switzerland and France, we confronted a summer season storm that swept via the peaks, flattening a number of tents of these surrounding us. The Two was amongst them, and watching the large panels battle towards the wind didn’t instill confidence that this tent was appropriate for storms. 

As a big caveat, we imagine that distinctive wind resistance will not be the first goal of this tent. Gossamer Gear even mentions of their FAQ that The Two would require some extra effort to resist windy situations. 

We like to see producers be open concerning the limitations of their tents and provide useful recommendation. This tent is designed with a deal with excessive weight financial savings for reasonable climate situations, and sturdy storm worthiness is just not throughout the design scope. For individuals climbing in areas that solely expertise occasional storms, or much less extreme winds, The Two ought to carry out adequately.

Sturdiness

As talked about above, the 10d silnylon flooring and rainfly are among the many thinnest supplies used within the business. Gossamer Gear is thought for its wonderful manufacturing high quality, however that received’t compensate for skinny supplies that merely aren’t designed to carry up in addition to thicker ones. We get the impression that that is the purpose of the shelter. 

It’s not meant to be a strong fortress or to resist careless use. It’s supposed for individuals who shall be making many different tradeoffs to maintain issues light-weight, and the decrease sturdiness of this tent is simply one other tradeoff according to their different decisions. If that sounds such as you, then the sturdiness provided right here must be passable.

That mentioned, that is on the decrease finish of sturdiness amongst all our shelters. We haven’t taken it on a full thru-hike to evaluate the way it holds up over days of use, however we’d particularly advise warning relating to the ground when utilizing it on rocky or onerous terrain. 

Gossamer Gear recommends utilizing a groundsheet like polycryo. Whereas groundsheets will be light-weight, they nonetheless add additional ounces and complexity to setup; nevertheless, we imagine it’s extra of a necessity than a choice with this tent if you would like it to final.

Ought to You Purchase the Gossamer Gear The Two Tent?

Greater than different ultralight tents, The Two is about trade-offs. Among the many metrics we use to judge our tents, The Two sacrifices livability, climate resistance, and sturdiness in pursuit of attaining an unimaginable value and weight mixture. It’s not essentially the most reasonably priced two-person tent in the marketplace, however the one different to attaining this weight is to spend double the cash on a Dyneema Composite Cloth shelter. That’s spectacular.

Nevertheless, it additionally highlights one other subject: the query to think about is, “Why do individuals hassle with these DCF tents if The Two is almost as gentle for half the value?” The reply is that these different tents don’t compromise livability, climate resistance, or sturdiness to the identical extent as The Two. Actually, among the most livable and sturdy shelters we examined have been made out of DCF. The troublesome place The Two finds itself in is that for most individuals searching for a shelter at this weight, it’s wiser to save lots of up extra and put money into one thing extra comfy, sturdy, and weather-resistant. Moreover, these shelters are even lighter, which means that these pursuing actually ultralight weights will typically overlook The Two.

We don’t wish to be overly detrimental right here; there’s a particular sort of one that would actually thrive utilizing The Two. If you happen to usually journey with a companion, are shorter, are on a finances, hike in honest climate, and take additional care along with your gear, then this selection is superb. Deciding on a very good match for an ultralight tent is all about understanding the trade-offs concerned. There is no such thing as a magic “greatest tent ever” and there by no means shall be, however The Two actually has a distinct segment that may delight many individuals.

What Different Ultralight Tents Ought to You Contemplate?

If the Gossamer Gear The Two isn’t the proper match, our greatest ultralight tents information has many different choices.

3FUL Lanshan Professional 2 Evaluation: For most individuals pursuing ultralight weights on a finances, the Lanshan 2 Professional is a better option than The Two. It’s seven ounces heavier however considerably cheaper, because it is among the few tents that outperforms The Two by way of value and weight mixture. We discovered it extra spacious and comfy to make use of, because of its bigger footprint, taller peak top, peak vents, and improved doorways. Whereas it’s not as top quality – Gossamer Gear has top-notch stitching – it could be extra sturdy as a result of its 20d nylon flooring and 15d rainfly, supplied these materials are of first rate high quality.

Durston X-Mid Professional 2+ Evaluation: In case your curiosity in The Two stems primarily from its unimaginable weight however you’re prepared to save lots of a bit extra, the X-Mid Professional 2+ demonstrates how light-weight and comfy backpacking will be. With a powerful 32.5 sq. toes of flooring area, a beneficiant 49 inches of top, and a extra volumetrically environment friendly design, this was essentially the most comfy two-person tent we examined. Though it’s priced at double that of The Two and solely sheds 3.5 ounces, the consolation enhancements – particularly for taller people – justify the funding. We imagine that most individuals are higher off saving up and investing in a tent they’ll genuinely look ahead to utilizing on the finish of the day, significantly in the event that they plan to take it on a via hike.

Gossamer Gear The One Evaluation: If you happen to favored the concept of The Two however want it have been designed for one particular person, we’ve obtained nice information: the appropriately named The One exists! That includes the identical benefits and trade-offs as The Two, it maintains a small footprint, gives nice headroom, has poor sturdiness, shows middling climate resistance, and boasts an unbeatable weight for the value. One benefit over The Two is its higher air flow, because it doesn’t have two vestibules; nevertheless, the draw back is that it performs even worse in wind than its bigger sibling. Nonetheless, we imagine it is going to enchantment to the identical sort of people that would love The Two. 

Floorless Perimeter Internet Shelters: We often don’t make suggestions like this, however for the kind of person who The Two appeals to, we imagine that contemplating floorless perimeter internet shelters is perhaps extra wise. Since The Two entails vital tradeoffs, we encourage individuals to make one main tradeoff – a flooring – for substantial advantages in different areas. This leads to a notable enchancment to livability, extra sturdy supplies, elevated affordability, entry to backpacks with out sacrificing bug safety, and enhanced climate safety. With perimeter bug netting, you’ll obtain solely modest bug safety, and infrequently you’ll want a groundsheet, however in addition to that, it’s fairly enough. For these pursuing the lightest weights on the most reasonably priced costs, this route is the only option, and we really feel these choices surpass The Two in their very own area. Examples of tents on this class embrace the Tarptent Preamble, Six Moon Designs Owlhee, Black Diamond Betalight, and for a single-person ultralight choice, Gossamer Gear gives The Whisper, used personally by their founder. Though these shelters aren’t for everybody – a motive we didn’t make a common suggestion in our ultralight tent information – we imagine they could be significantly interesting to those that admire The Two.