was reluctant at first because of the five pound weight attatched to the zephyr (purchaced green and black zersion now called mnt. pass 1 xt) but once hiking through floridas panhandle trails in the rain and humidity was glad for the ventalation and dryness afforded by the tent. easy to set up. with a bit of modification (taking old tent aluminum posts and making short shockcorded poles to go one on each side of the tent from one clip to the opposite side, front to back, and thereby stretching out the tent by a few inches, which also tightens rain fly making the hard to fasten velcro loop unessessary) the tent was quite comfortable. would have prefered the door open 'D' style but ok. window is really a nice feature especially when it rains all day.

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I lived in my Zephyr (non XT) for 3 months cycling cross the US in 1998. Great little tent. Self standing is good for cycling as you can set up under a picnic shelter. If you set it up right, it's quite stable in the wind. In a downpour the floor will get damp, but so has every other tent I've ever had. Next time I go out for 3 months, though, I'm taking a little bigger tent, as I have a 2-man that weighs about 5.5 lbs.

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No quality problems as others have reported.

I found this product to be just what I wanted. It gives you plenty of room to move around in but is small, light and self-standing. This is by far my favorite piece of equipment next to my Wolfskin Jack sleeping bag and my Mountainsmith packpack not to mention my Esbit stove....Oh well, the point is I REALLY like this tent and recommend it. I don't think I've been in a real rain storm in it yet so I can't really talk about that.

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Just thought I'd add my .02, I've found this tent to be great for my occasional solo backpacking needs. I have the XT, it's light and compact and definitely roomy enough for me. Never had a problem with the space under the rain fly for storing gear, either. I'd guess this is about as nice as you could expect without actually going to a 2-man. I was particularly motivated to review it positively after I took it to Burning Man 2000 in the Black Rock Desert, and it held up impressively well under some pretty heavy wind loads--my Apex 3XT right next to it was deforming all over the place. With better orientation to the wind it would have been near flawless.

One drawback I discovered is that it has a scoop-like vent in the fly roof which is very close to the mesh panels in the tent roof itself. This is just fine vs. rain but as I found, it's an open invitation to windblown dust and sand, which got everywhere. The vent's velcro seal is completely worthless and even duct taping it didn't seem to help a whole lot. I would think in similarly extreme wet weather conditions you'd be hating the scoop vent even worse.

However, all things considered I'm really happy with the tent. I doubt I'll have it in such extreme conditions again, so I'd have to give it 4 stars.

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Eureka Apex 3XT

i love this tent.the positives.good weight and compact.set up less then 5 min with fly.entry and exit are great with the large front door.inside is bright with enough room to sit up and party.outside vestibules add mega storage space.hi/lo ventilation system is no gimmick.it works.negatives.tie backs are awkward with knobs instead of cord locks.storage bags are smalland poorly placed inside.stakes would not kill dracula.and another roof scoop would achieve visual balance and even better ventilation.bottom line a corvette that could be a porsche with a little kaizen tweaking

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none

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this tent is great with the technology but the manufacturer is not the greatest because i bought one for a hiking trip and found that the No-See-Ums mesh was ripped and a week after that my dad bought one two and the zipper was screwed up so its an ok tent over all.

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I have the Xt model whcih has the full rain fly and double vestubule. Only one trip in so far and its been fine.

the problems with the basic model seems to be fixed with the xt. I have not had it ina heavy rain yet - but the fly looks like it should keep it out - unlike some of the issues with the basic one.

good price and a good alternative if you want to bable to sit up in the tent.

The Zephyr is a good low-cost single person tent -- The lack of a vestibule is a shortcoming in heavy rainfall, but I've overcome that using either a piece of lightweight plastic (tarp) or a solar blanket. The tent sets up in two minutes, and only needs to be staked in windy situations (the rainfly has two stakes of its own also).
Lots of headroom (sitting) inside, and an (optional) loft can be added.

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Eureka! Bivy shelter & Gossamer

I wanted a tent that had some headroom and was light enough for solo backpackpacking and cycle touring. Zephyr was an excellent answer. 3lbs 14oz is light enough and it has performed fine. Bug proof and reasonably rainproof. Also good was the air circulation.

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The previous tent I was replacing was a bivy shelter that was single layer (no rain fly) so it didn't breath, no head room and was rotten in the rain.

I wanted a lightweight, freestanding tent with sufficient height to permit sitting up. This tent was my answer.

Only drawbacks: construction is not exquisite -- but it is a bargain. I was also concerned about the rainfly coverage over the doorway. It's hard to avoid getting rain inside the tent during a downpour, when entering/exiting. I have sewn on an awning-type attachment which gets me past this little inconvenience.

I like the roominess. Without being excessive in size, it eliminates the cramped-in feeling that other small tents/bivies give.

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Gossamer -- a great tent, but doesn't have the space, especially the ceiling height. Walrus Tunnel Vision -- by comparison, it's just too much tent for solo hiking.