Mountain Hardwear Nightview Review

"After too many nights in a lousy (and cheap) 3 season tent, I decided to go for a tent that was more suitable for the climate of the Canadian rockies. After a month or more of searching, I discovered the mountain hardware "nightview". My first few hikes left me saying, "Wow, what a tent!" It looked small in the store but can very easily sleep 3. I have found it to be light and quite compact. The setup is a breeze, even for a beginner, and IT'S WARM!! I am waiting for the snow to fall this year to try it out in the winter. For now I know that it is very toasty at slightly above zero. The fact that it is a 3-4 season convertible makes it easy to adjust to any comfort level. The only drawback I have found is that if you don't want to open any of the vents at the start of the night then you have to wake up later to do it. If you don't, then you'll be swamped with condensation inside. The vestibule is big and the extra head space doubles as a second vestibule. The lifetime warranty is a bonus and the team at mountain hardware are very helpful. Overall at about $600 cdn (with the footprint) it is an excellent buy."

"This is my fourth backpacking tent and by far the best one of them all. I've used this tent in all four seasons in the Cascades & Olympics, and it never fails to satisfy. I carried it this summer on a 70 mile trip with two friends, planning to let them sleep in it while I bivied. However, one of them had brought an insufficient sleeping bag, and after two nights of freezing his knickers off, begged me to pile in the tent too. It slept the 3 of us no problem. I was impressed. It has so far been completely bomb-proof, and I expect it will remain so for many years to come. Highly recommended."

"I bought my M.H. Nightview about 2 years ago. The Positives: 1)Bullet proof, high quality, made to last constuction. Very good zippers, poles, seams, stakes, and material. 2) Easy to vent. Has nice options for moving air. 3)Rain fly is unbelievably adjustable. So often you can never get a rain fly to sit on top of the tent just so. This one has tension staps so you can adjust the rain fly after it is on, VERY NICE FEATURE. This means the rain fly is always tight, and sheds water like a rain fly should, not like other tents that get saggy and touch the tent. 4)The 4 pole construction has saved me a couple of nights in high winds, when my buddies were up all night holding their tent together. And, not too hard to set up alone. 5)Spacious. For two people this tent has MORE THAN ENOUGH ROOM. So, on those rainy in-tent days, you wont go nuts. You can sit up comfortably. Although, wish the vestiblule would have been a bit bigger for those days. 6)It is a "warm" tent, probably because the material is so thick. 7) With the rain fly on IT LOOKS AWESOME!

The Negatives: 1) It is a heavy tent. I think I was told the pask weight was around 9.5lbs. But I would say it is over 11lbs. Either way, it is a pretty heavy load. It has thick material, heavyduty zippers, lots of interior shelfs and pockets, tons of tension straps for adjusting, and sturdy 4 pole construction, all which are nice to have, so that is the trade off. 2)Price. Put me out about $400. a couple of years ago. 3) Vestibule is just a bit too small. Not bad though, very minor. Makes heating up water on those rain days a little tenative. 4)The door is at such an angle so that you can not quite get out and stand up without hooking your back on the top of the door. Annoying, but not that big of deal. 5)The weight (again).

Overall, I would recomend this tent for serious four season hikers. If you only go for warm weather, this may be too much weight in material and poles for it to be justified. The construction quality is fantastic, but you will pay for that, big time. The final note: Me and my 5 buddies were in the Montana Rockies in October. My brother and I were in my NightView, 2 of my friends were in a ClipFlashlight (Sierra Designs tent), and 1 in a North Face, the Rock. After the second morning of heavy snow, hehe, both of there tents where caving in. They all had moist sleeping bags from the snow touching them in the night. Those 2, two-season tents looked pathetic all droopy and such. AND THEN THERE WAS THE NIGHTVIEW. It looked beautiful, all orange and glowing in the fresh snow! It made me proud, and comfortable, and made my trip in the snow one of my favorite hikes. Enough said."

"Great Tent!!! I have used it a bunch and couldn't be happier. I have had it for about a year now and plan on having it for many more to come. The ventilation is great, and the fly is awesome. The floor area is perfect for two...and why not squeeze a third in there...cause it can handle it. Couldn't have made a better buy. Lucky for the people reading these reviews..I think they are on sale on many websites for way less than I paid, which was $400.00. I've seen it for $250.00. So if you're in the market for an all around great tent...go grab a Mountain Hardwear Nightview!"