Eureka Zephyr Review

"This is a true one-person tent, not a bivy bag. It is rated as a 3 1/2
season tent, good enough for anything I'm likely to encounter in
Michigan or thereabouts. Comes with a fly, six very light stakes,
seam sealer bottle (I made a mess with it :-) and the bags. At 3
lbs. 14 oz. (including everything) it is the lightest true tent I've seen.
If you are solo hiking and want to sleep in something large enough
to sit up in and change inside, this is much better than lugging a
2-person tent that weighs 5-7 lbs. Not that it is spacious, but I'm
6' tall and it's a comfortable fit for me. The tent is freestanding and
uses two shock-corded aluminum poles for support. The tent
attaches to the poles with plastic clips, and the fly attaches with
velcro and quick-release buckles. Once you are familiar with it
you can put this tent up *fast*, which I love since I abhor wasting
time with chores on the trail. You really only need the stakes for
windy weather. Even then I've gotten by simply by staking down
the corners on the windward side. I badly bent up two of the
stakes trying to push them into frozen ground this January. For my
planned trip to Isle Royale this May, I'll substitute several heavier
stakes instead, since the ones that come with the bag just won't
survive long in soil that is rocky, frozen, or has tree roots in it. The
tent features a screen window in the roof, so ventilation is not a
problem. In winter this feature increases windchill, but also seems
to help prevent condensation. Sleep without the fly and you'll be
able to see the stars. The Zephyr is advertised around $130, but I
was able to pick mine up for $100. Unless you want a heavy-duty
4 season tent or just want to sprawl out more, I'd recommend this
tent to any solo hiker."

"This is a good tent for solo hikes. It weighs about a pound more than tube-style bivy tents, but it is roomier and doesn't give you the feeling that your lying in a casket. It's also free standing, so you don't have to stake it to keep it up. The rainfly covers the whole tent down to the ground but there's no vestibule. Although I haven't used it in the rain, the seams look pretty tight and should hold up well. The headroom is good but not as high as a 2-person dome tent. This is a good 3-season tent for a solo hike and it's reasonably priced (around $100)."

"This is a well made one-person tent. It has the room to sleep and most other things you need even in rainy areas. The only shortcoming is the lack of a vestibule. I have used mine in the rockies, smokies and the coast. It has held up well and at 3 lbs. 10 oz., it is light enough and large enough for most of my trips."

"Great tent if you are not in a rainy area. I like the free-standing feature and headroom.

Mine doesn't have a full rain fly, so it is not that great when it rains."

"The Zepher is a bargain for the Solo packer at around $119 via Campmor, it is free standing, light at 3 pounds 14 onces complete and takes a load off your mind when you just wnat to set it up crawl in and go to sleep. You can set up in it, flop your stove outside, lean on an elbow and watch it rain while cook diner. It will keep the bugs out, and it ventilates well. It packs small very small, is roomier than a bivy bag though not much heavier and far better than a tarp. If you wake up in the mountains and its a rainy day you will be glad you brought the Zepher and left the bivy at home. There is some concern about the lack of a full coverage fly but if you seal the seams corractly you shouldn't have any problems unless you camp under water! The walls are water proof except for the top part covered by the rain fly! The newer ones from what I can tell have factory sealed seams. Mine is an older model and is grey and purple. I don't like the newer colors at all! To boy scoutish for my tastes. Is anyone at Eureka listening? As an experienced hiker I have never regretted buying this tent! Because of its low, but not to low profile and aluminium poles I wouldn't be afraid to turn it into the wind and use it on a solo winter trip in snow country. A vestibule would be nice, but I have found that I have enough room at 24 squre feet to bring just about every thing inside and just throw a trash bag over the Greg. One last thing, becuase the Zepher only has a three by eight feet foot print, it doesn't take up a lot of room, so its easier to find a place to pitch it!"