Moss Little Dipper

Review Date
October 10, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: sean (Unregistered User) ,  Paddler , from toronto

Price Paid:  $650.00 at mountain equipment c

Summary:
Greetings to everyone!
My name is Sean and I am the proud owner of a moss little dipper. First of all in discusing such a high priced piece of equipment is the dollar value. Granted it is expensive, and I am greatfull that my hard work allows me to go off, now and then. I do find in life that the old sayings are true. Case in point...
You Get What You Pay For
Quality is Expensive.
Granted I have not taken this tent to the ends of the Earth and part of me hopes to never experience weather that will push this tent to its limits, however I do take comfort in knowing that my wife, daughter and I have the freedom to pick up and go at any time if the need or fancy should arise. All this for much less than rent!

My lttldppr is a made in USA ,year 2000
model (cream color rainfly),2001 model ground sheet(brown).
Upon first packing of tent for travel
I found the top pole, that crowns the tent and keeps the very top of the rainfly from forming a "bird bath", about 4inches longer than the rest of the poles.
This can potentionaly expose this pole to violence that would otherwise be shared among the rest of the poles. 2001 models have a different rig in this area(a 4 spoked hub)that breaks down smaller but I have not worked with it. This longer top pole has not flipped down on me in the field creating said "birdbath".But it is possible! The uncompressed tent is alittle girthy.I use three compression straps along the length of the tent bag(without the pole bag inside) to bring it down to a manageable size for my packpack.

Setup can be done by one person in about 8-15 min. The four main poles are very long affecting speed of setup dependig on the campsite. Once set up the tent looks sharp with or w/out rainfly. So good in fact that I do not like to leave it at popular busy campsites for fear of theft. We stay dry in rain and snow, and have not hade a problem with condensation nor has the tent noticeably
shrunk under about a foot of light snow.
the vestibule can store our two large packs and gear, but I prefer to bring them inside with my wife, 3year old daughter, and myself. We sleep very comfy on our three selfinflating mats and packs inside our tent. This tent will hold three adults no problem 4 adults cozily.
I have not seamsealed the tent but have not ruled it out should the need arise.
3 of the 4 walls can be zipped open to netting and there is

Customer Service:
n/a

Similar Products Used:
woods (great tent fraction of the price of a moss)

Review Date
June 20, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: JerryG(Unregistered User) ,  Paddler , from Dekalb, IL 60115

Price Paid:  $499.00 at REI

Summary:
While reviewing this tent may appear late in the game, given that Moss is no longer in business, I felt that after having used my little dipper it was still worth reviewing. People will probably be buying older versions of this tend or the new MSR version for years to come. So, I thought it might be useful to review it. Most recently I was on a weeklong trip to Manitoba where we experienced some very bad weather. We had storms with straight line winds that knocked down many trees.
During all this bad weather, the tent flaps on my little dipper barely russled while those on my Eureka Mountain Pass shook with vigor. The little dipper is a great tent. It is roomy for 2, well laid out with a square floor, good ventilation, well-made, and very sturdy. I never felt threatened by storms or winds. Put simply, this tent is a tank. Its drawbacks: It is harder to put up than a clip version. The full length sleeves take a bit of work but not that much. Once up, the tent is very sturdy. Also, this
tend does weigh in at about 12 lbs which is heavy, unless you use a canoe. I am really sorry to see the Moss line pass away. These are not only well made tents, they are aesthetically pleasing and fun to live in. If you get the chance to purchase one on a sale closeout I would hightly recommend it

Customer Service:
Have not had to use

Similar Products Used:
Eureka, Kelty, Coleman.

Review Date
September 9, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: stephenvandermark(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Wageningen, The Netherlands

Price Paid:  $750.00 at SPAC Sport Nijmegen

Summary:
I bought this tent a couple of months ago and I jost LOVE it. I like the square floor plan, appr. 50 sq. feet and lots of headroom. The tent is well-thought true with lots of pockets for small gear, a nice roomy vestibule, good quality materials etc. I normally use the tent during my bicycle trips throughout Europe, normally with a cycle buddy, sometimes alone. Although the tent weighs more than 5 kg, on the bike this doesn't pose a problem. I have used the tent during backbacking trips and then you definately need somebody to share the weight. Summarizing the basic qualities:
WEIGHT: okay, it's on the heavy side but you know what you get; a bit heavy for only 2 on a backpacking trip but still not a big problem if you are used to carry around up to 50lbs. A roomy, well build tent, at home in all weather conditions.
MATERIALS: top quality!!!! Attention to details is great; big stakeloops, reflective guylines, etc., etc..
SPACE: great tent for 2 on bicycle trips, great for 3 on backpacking trips. STURDYNESS: I have used this tent in heavy snow conditions ( 1 meter of snow on the roof), no problem. Used it in Dutch autumn downpours, no problem. Used it in 45 degree summers, no problem. All thanks to top-quality materials (e.g. DAC 9.3 mm poles, brass grommets etc.)

Putting up the tent takes a bit of time, especially alone. I still manage to do it within 12 minutes, ALONE. And then the ambient light conditions inside ...... great!!!!!I would recommend this tent to anybody!

Customer Service:
No experience so far

Similar Products Used:
None

Review Date
October 29, 2000

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Big Ian Nicholson(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Seattle, Wa

Price Paid:  $489.00 at Second bounce

Summary:
I love my little dipper!!! I've taken it up Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainer and many other climbs. It handels wind, snow or anything you have to go threw. I do alot of back country stuff and it's awsome for that too. I've taken it to the beach and with all the venting options it's great. Though it is kinda on the heavy side for 3 season stuff. It has a huge hooped vestuble (which can hold 3-4 big packs) and it sleeps 3 big people or 4 small people comfortably.

Customer Service:
They are very nice, I had some questions about my tent and I got a e-mail back the next day

Similar Products Used:
Sierra designs trios
North face Mountain 25
Moss super Dome
the North face VE-25

Review Date
October 13, 2000

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: chris(Unregistered User) ,  Paddler , from claryville, ny

Price Paid:  $800.00 at tent n trails, nyc

Summary:
Great tent! I've had this tent for over five years now and been in just about everything in it. It did get some condensation one winter ski trip, but I think that's because I didn't open any of the vents. In every other case I've been warm and dry.

By coinicidence, I too was in a brutal rainstorm in this tent at Assateague National Seashore, MD. I rolled over and told my wife to relax, we'd be fine, and watched as she and my baby slept right through the night. All around us I heard the moans caused by collapsing tents and the slamming of car doors as people bailed in the midst of the storm. I just chuckled and burrowed deeper into my bag. My wife and baby awoke the next morning having no idea of the extent of the storm, nor the damage it caused most camping gear. Our Moss was loking like new, and I revelled in how cozy and safe we'd felt.

Snow camping, car camping, even backpacking (if you get someone to help shoulder the load), this tent rules! Definitely not the thing for a solo AT hike, but when weight isn't an issue (or can be shared) this tent is da bomb!

Customer Service:
Had a problem with a fairly severe tear in another Moss of mine (Outland). Moss immediately replaced it...

Similar Products Used:
None