Moss Little Dipper Tents Review

Review Date
May 10, 2013

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Doug(Unregistered User) ,  Climber

Summary:
This tent can literally save your life. I have owned my Moss Little Dipper for over 20 years. Burly and Bomb Proof. If you can find one Buy It! I'd buy it again for twice the price I paid. It's that good.

Review Date
March 12, 2012

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Pete(Unregistered User) ,  Paddler

Summary:
I've owned this tent for maybe 8 years now, and decided it was time to share my experiences. I notice they are periodically available on ebay.

Since it is great, I will give only its deficiencies: 1) the 4-poles+polypropylene circle for preventing the top bathtub--the edges of the polypro are rather square, and can dig into the polyurethane of the fly, & they should be ground down to a smoother curve; 2) it can sometimes be difficult to get good fly coverage on the "rear" base of the tent, leaving some of the tent corners exposed, which receive rain and wick water elsewhere to the tent; 3) threading 3rd & 4th poles puts a lot of strain on the sleeves, which can become compromised; 4) DAC aluminum pole ends crack under hard use; 5) tent must be pitched before fly is attached, meaning the tent gets soaked if you set up in rain, not under a tarp; 6) extreme weight.

As with all things, this tent is a series of trade-offs; it is not perfect in every way. If you are paranoid about durability under brutal conditions, buy it; if you want a tent that is more friendly but not a fortress, don't buy it. Mine has survived the requisite 20 cm of WET snow, the 100+ km/h straight-line wind responsible for the Boundary Waters blowdown, and absolutely torrential pre- and post-tornado rains in Minnesota. There has been condensation 3 times: 1) late Nov., 1-4 degrees C, raining for a week straight in northern MN; 2) spring on N. shore of L. Michigan, rainy & really foggy for 3 days; 3) 4 days in WA, in the Hoh River Valley, rained for a whole week.

The weight of this tent really sucks, even canoeing, portaging it sucks. The design, with minor flaws, is near perfect for durability and usability. I would like to see it re-issued, but with a lighter silnylon fabric, and carbon poles if possible.

I have slight mildew on one tent panel, which is trivial considering what it has been through. You can't tell unless you look closely. No smell, no funk. GREAT tent for 2-person basecamp, along with a good tarp or wing.

Customer Service:
This tent has, I believe, a lifetime pole guarantee. I sent 2 pole sections in for return several years ago (cracked), and received replacements fast and free. I will send in 3 more sections soon, based on this excellent experience. I believe MSR, the successor to Moss, honours the lifetime warranty. Excellent tent, excellent service.

Similar Products Used:
I went through everything before buying this tent, which is the "best" tent money can buy, from a certain perspective.

Review Date
October 10, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

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

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, 2.00 votes

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

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

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