Gear Army: MSR Skinny Too Tent
The first thing out of my mouth when I set up this beast was, "This thing's freakin' huge!"
MSR’s latest addition to its fast-and-light series of tents, the Skinny Too ($250), is a lightweight yet roomy two-person tent for adventures of all types. Did I say roomy? Perhaps generously voluminous, would be more accurate.
Comparable in packed weight (a dainty 4.6 lbs) to its similarly-sized, single-walled competitors, this tent just feels bigger than most. It's hoop design has almost completely-vertical walls which made me feel like I was getting every last inch of its marketed 25 square feet. It's nice to have reprieve from the sloping walls of a dome-style tent too.
Single wall construction not only means guaranteed weather protection, it also scratches weight (no fly) and makes for easy set-up (again, no fly). It does result in nixing one of my favorite things, though: star-gazing on clear, warm nights. It also tends to make for a lot of condensation but, unlike other single wall tents I've used, the Skinny Too had no problems with moisture as long as a vent was open somewhere (even mid-summer in Michigan's Upper Peninsula).
While breathability was a bonus, the vestibule situation was not. First of all, there was only one which made for a crowded entrance and exit. Had it been a little larger (it's eight-and-a-half square feet), there might have at least been passing room amidst our gear. But, I guess that's where the weight-savings comes in.
The Skinny Too kept my wife and I bone dry on a recent through-hike of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and there was plenty of room for both of our sleeping pads and a little extra gear within its confines. I would recommend this tent to anyone looking for a lightweight and reasonably-priced single wall tent that will deliver performance when needed.
--Dan Smith is a student by day, but moonlights as an outdoor
addict. His longest trip, a week in Michigan's Porcupine Mountains,
hardly rivals his recent summer schedule: a 25k run, backpacking in Colorado's
Elk Range, volunteering in Panama, and hiking Pictured Rocks National
Lakeshore.
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I have to respectfully disagree with much of this review. After using the tent myself in various Colorado conditions, I found a couple things that vary from Dan's findings.
1: Even with the top vent and the window cracked, I had to wake up once during the night to wipe down the inner walls of the tent due to condensation. I also had to do the same again in the morning - no matter if it was just me in the tent or my wife and I. That was in a variety of conditions ranging form lows in the mid 20s to mid 40s.
2: It's incredibly hard to set up by yourself and make it taught enough to prevent water/snow from pooling on the top making it sag more. While that's one con of many non-freestanding tents, it was a bigger issue with the Skinny.
That being said, it does feel roomy (if you can get it tight enough) and the vestibule is a pain in the butt.
Posted by: Ryan Dionne | November 13, 2009 at 01:05 PM
Hello
Hey this tent looks very nice and I like its features very much and most good thing that it is lightweight.I also like its attractive color.Thank you for sharing this with us.
Posted by: fer | November 14, 2009 at 12:31 AM
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Posted by: The Gear Army | November 14, 2009 at 12:31 AM