Tarptent MesoSpire 2 Tent Overview

Backside Line

For the perfect tackle a four-pole ultralight tent, the Tarptent MesoSpire 2 largely delivers on its promise, and we got here away relatively keen on it. The perfect a part of this tent is how effectively it balances the basics. It’s roomy for an ultralight tent, it’s largely simple to arrange, and it’s not going to interrupt the financial institution. What’s to not love?

When testing it through the Minnesota spring thaw, we woke as much as an extremely slippery ground. Not distinctive to this tent, however not superb. The staking loops have been additionally too small to make use of comfortably with the included stakes, making for a considerably irritating setup expertise. And the magnetic door toggles have been too quick and appeared to have flipped polarity, making them uncomfortable to make use of. That provides as much as an total optimistic, however combined, expertise. 

On the plus facet, we expect this is among the higher two-person interiors for consolation. And there’s no denying the worth is stable. You additionally get Tarptent’s typical high quality design (door magnets and vent designs apart) and good sturdiness for an ultralight tent. We’d like to see a few of these points refined sooner or later. However that doesn’t detract from a very powerful factor: we appreciated backpacking with this tent. It’s not excellent, it has its quirks, however we expect it would discover many followers.

Consolation

We have been particularly drawn to the Tarptent MesoSpire 2 for its consolation potential, and we’re happy to report that it delivers. This is among the most snug two-person trekking pole tents on the market. Tarptent carried out a brand new twist on its signature — and sometimes divisive — PitchLoc nook strut system. To know what makes the MesoSpire so modern, it’s price understanding how trekking pole tents usually undergo.

All trekking pole tents are pyramid-shaped, both with a single pole or double poles. However when the fly material reaches the bottom, it wastes a variety of materials and area. To not point out, it causes massive footprints. Take a look at traditional pyramid shapes just like the bomber Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid2 we love for expeditions to see how a lot inside perimeter area is wasted. The MesoSpire 2 solves this by figuring out the world with probably the most wasted area and putting two trekking poles there. This offers construction to the corners and provides inside livability. For a two-person tent the place customers usually carry 4 trekking poles in complete, this is a wonderful concept.

In observe, we discovered the inside to be good and roomy, however not gigantic, so it felt a pleasant measurement and never an excessive amount of extra. For a automotive tenting tent, that may sound like a foul factor. However for a backpacking tent, you don’t need to carry more room — which interprets to weight — than it’s good to. Our lead tester is 5 ft, 11 inches, and had no points stretching out on a regular pad with a backpacking quilt. Head and foot clearance have been snug, though with an inside size of 86 inches, we wouldn’t suggest it for folks above 6 ft, 2 inches.

Weight

The Tarptent MesoSpire 2 is barely above common weight for its peer group. Make no mistake, 36 ounces for a snug two-person tent shouldn’t be a burden. And it says loads about how superior the ultralight tent market has gotten that 36 ounces is taken into account above common.

A part of this additional weight in comparison with different tents is because of barely extra sturdy supplies and extra built-up elements of the tent. The 30-denier nylon ground and 20-denier fly are stability of weight and sturdiness. However the nook strut system most likely makes the MesoSpire heavier than it will be with out it. That’s the value for a smaller footprint and a roomier inside, and that trade-off may make sense for somebody who isn’t as involved about weight.

Ease of Use

It’s right here that the Tarptent MesoSpire 2 falters a bit. And will probably be a matter of private desire whether or not these points are dealbreakers. On the plus facet, we discovered the tent fairly simple to arrange, just like different trekking-pole shelters, although with a couple of additional steps. Even with some inexperience, it was simple to get an honest pitch on the primary attempt, and subsequent pitches improved. We additionally suppose the inside expertise is stable, with good pocket placement and sufficient area to make transferring across the tent simple.

It’s the small print, nevertheless, the place the MesoSpire left a bit to be desired. The staking loops on two corners have been tight across the included stakes, making it extra irritating to pitch the shelter. The 30-denier nylon ground can also be very slippery. Whereas not distinctive to this tent, it’s nonetheless a minor frustration when different tents on this class don’t have the identical concern. On our first night time within the MesoSpire, we awoke on the opposite facet of the tent after about two hours of sleep, and that was on a reasonable slope. Customers of tents with this concern usually place strips of silicone on the ground to enhance grip or place ⅛-inch foam pads below their sleeping pads. 

The magnetic door toggles have been additionally troublesome. They’re a bit quick to be simple to make use of. And the magnets appear to be flipped in polarity from their superb place, so it’s good to curl the flap round itself or twist it to snap securely. This was significantly irritating when testing in early spring, when the temps dropped to freezing, and our numb arms fumbled with the doorways, attempting to get them to work correctly.

Lastly, the setup course of does contain the additional poles within the corners, which is the purpose of a four-pole shelter, however it’s additionally yet another step. Until you don’t thoughts storing your tent vertically in your pack, you’ll must take away these carbon fiber poles every time. 

None of those points is a dealbreaker by itself, however they add as much as a tent that’s just a bit extra tedious to make use of than others. That tediousness is counterbalanced by a very snug expertise, and we may see many individuals gladly taking that commerce.

Climate Resistance

We haven’t been in a position to take the Tarptent MesoSpire 2 out right into a storm but. However primarily based on all the things we learn about tent efficiency, this appears like a winner in dangerous climate. The pyramidal form cuts by means of the wind. And the nook struts do extra than simply break up the material panels; they supply one other steady place to anchor to within the winds, offered the staking is sufficient.

There are a couple of different options that present extra resistance. The pre-attached peak guylines on the principle poles are a fantastic addition, offering a ton of additional assist in dangerous climate. The rain fly goes low to the bottom, stopping splashback (when rain splatters close to the sting of the fly, the splash droplets bounce into the vestibule, bringing filth with them). The tent additionally makes use of waterproof zippers, and the underside of the zippers contains a clip to take pressure off the enamel. That is simply a tent that we’d belief to take into reasonably stormy situations, no less than as a lot as every other commonplace three-season backpacking shelter.

Sturdiness

We love the considerate, sturdy design Tarptent makes use of in its tents, and the MesoSpire 2 isn’t any exception. When taking it out in early spring and spreading it over onerous acorns, small sticks, and pebbles, it was reassuring to know the 30-denier silnylon ground would maintain up, and it did with no scratch. With ultralight tents, there’s at all times a cautious balancing act between weight and sturdiness. And whereas the MesoSpire leans a bit extra in direction of sturdiness than in direction of weight, we expect many individuals will like that.

The remainder of the supplies impressed confidence when used, with good cordage in every single place — together with nice pre-attached peak guylines — and powerful no-see-um mesh. Staking it out and pulling the pitch tight, all the things felt robust with no give to the seams or {hardware}. And inspecting the stitching high quality discovered no flaws. Our one nitpick is that stiff sections on the height vents aren’t our favourite design on account of repeated creasing throughout folding, however they need to nonetheless work tremendous for most individuals. General, the Tartpet MesoSpire 2 is an ultralight tent that doesn’t make you are concerned about its longevity. We may see this being a workhorse tent for customers for a few years.

Ought to You Purchase the Tarptent Mesospire 2?

For those who can stay with the listed downsides — and they’re minor — we expect the Tarptent MesoSpire 2 is a superb all-around backpacking tent. It efficiently executes on a four-pole idea and comes at an inexpensive worth, too. That being stated, it doesn’t essentially blow us away in comparison with another tents and lands firmly within the “really useful for the correct particular person” class relatively than a full common suggestion.

What Different Ultralight Tents Ought to You Contemplate?

If the Tarptent MesoSpire 2 isn’t the right match, our finest ultralight tents information has many different choices.

Tarptent Double Rainbow Overview: For those who love Tarptent, we expect the Double Rainbow is a extra typically recommendable tent than the Mesospire. For a similar worth and solely 0.6 extra ounces, you get a semi-freestanding design that may be made absolutely freestanding, good inside livability, and wonderful on-the-fly porch mode for wet days. It nonetheless has two nitpicks from the MesoSpire — the slippery ground and the vent design — however it comes collectively as a extra complete-feeling tent and doesn’t have the tough staking loops within the corners. 

3FUL Lanshan 2 Professional Overview: If all you need is an efficient backpacking tent that received’t break the financial institution and hits the basics, the Lanshan is price a glance. It’s lighter, cheaper, and simpler to arrange than the MesoSpire, however has poor pockets, a worse vent design, and barely much less inside room. None of these points are sufficient to dissuade us from recommending the Lanshan. We nonetheless would fortunately backpack with this tent for a lot of miles and like it over the MesoSpire when you’re after a extra simple expertise.

Gossamer Gear The Two Overview: For those who’re critical about ultralight however can’t spend loads, The Two is your finest guess. With a surprisingly low weight of 23.5 ounces, that is the perfect you’ll get with out spending Dyneema cash. That does include a ton of tradeoffs that we expect a variety of ultralighters will likely be prepared to just accept, however they’re steep. Tremendous-thin supplies, poor climate resistance, poor air flow, and a cramped inside make The Two match for sure folks, however not for everybody. For those who have a look at the MesoSpire and suppose, “it’s good however a bit huge, and I’m tremendous cautious with my gear,” then The Two could be match.