Mountain Hardwear PCT2 Review

"I really like this tent. It is very easy to set up and has kept me dry in some nasty rain storms. I use it mostly for solo use but it will fit two if needed, though it will be tight. I am 6'1 and appreciate the extra length the PCT2 provides. It is not the lightest tent at 4.6lbs. but is nice to have if your waiting out a storm. It has 2 vestibles on each side which will hold boots and packs with no problem. This is not a freestanding tent and does require atleast 6 stakes. It has alot of mesh so ventilation is very good. This is not my only set-up, but I am glad I have it when needed."

"Good tent, very diverse with the footprint you do have to have anchor points, and the condensation can be bad at times, but it never gets you wet it just stays on the inside of the rainfly and falls to the ground. It will sleep two (but we are married) comfortably, and the six mesh pockets keep us organized. Very stable in windy weather, just don't expect to sit upright if your over six feet tall."

"This is a really great tent. Plenty of room for one or two plus their packs. Setup is quick and easy, even though its not a free standing tent. And at only a bit over 4 lbs., its one of the lightest double wall 2-person tents available. I liked it so much, I bought a second one for my son for Scouting - and he loves it too."

"I've purchased this tent in spring of 2003. Because of the bigger width at the head, this tent has plenty of room to roll/stretch arms. I never had two people in this tent but as with any other lightweight 2 person tents it'd be a cozy fit. I was happy with the weight 4 lb. 13 oz. Headroom was a bit tight for me but I have a long torso even for my height (6 foot 1 inch). So given that consideration, it should be ok for most. The spec lists the peak height at 39 inches.

I haven't had any problem with condensation. I didn't have any occassion to put it to test under inclement weather but I don't expect any problems. It's not a free standing tent but the set up is straight forward. At the minimum, you need to stake down 4 corners for the tent and 2 points for the rainfly. Two plastic windows are too small to make any use out of it, IMO.

As for the vestibules, if you lay the backpack down, it covers the 70-80% of the backpack. I am talking about the surface area not the volume of the vestibule. I usually lay it on the side to get 100% coverage.
In addition to the backpack, it has a room for boots and other wet gears. There is a vestibule on each side.

It has ample # of pockets for storage of small items.

Today, there might be better choices for 2 person lightweight tent such as MSR HubbaHubba and Marmot EOS2 among others. They weigh less and are free-standing. But they cost a bit more as well."

"i've had my pct2 now for 8 months or so. after nearly two months of research, i decided on the pct2, for its low weight, capacity, design, and the name mountain hardwear. so far, it has kept me satisfied in 45 mph winds, oodles of rain, and on many chilly nights and is the best sleeping tent i've ever been in.
i purchased it brand new with the footprint on ebay for 112 bucks. retailing for 200 (with the footprint), this was no doubt a great deal, but i would definitely pay twice that for this tent. bottom line: go to rei and set this tent up and see if you like it compared to the quarterdome or something slightly heavier/freestanding. from experience though, i recommend saving up and grabbing the pct2.

the good: low weight, sleeps two comfortably with room for packs in the vestibules, long enough for us tall people, near hurricane-proof, incredible ventilation, pack size smaller than most, sinches on inside to minimize distance between the fly and the tent inside at the gap between the two poles (reduces sagging of rain and snow!!).

the bad: not free standing, and harder to set up in the dark then most tents."

"This is simply a great tent for 3 season use. I bought mine because it packs very small and will fit in my kayak. I use this as a one person tent, and it has ample room for gear. I just used mine for 10 days kayaking and 5 more backpacking in Alaska and this tent was fantastic. I was dry even in 36 straight hours of rain. The ample mesh that keeps condensation down could be a downside when pitching or striking in a rainstorm. Set-up is easy, but it would be nice if it were free-standing."

"This was my first non-free standing tent purchase, but not the first time I've used one. I have to be honest, I will only buy free standing tents from now on. Some clouds rolled in while I was in the Catskills. The inside of this tent condenses water fairly easily because the doors are only mesh, no full windows. I couldn't shake out the tent very easily. A free standing tent gets wet/damp, you pick it up over your head and shake until the water is off. Not so with this tent. Love the company, decent design, but my personal preference is not there. Also hard to pitch on rocky terrain."

"Got this the beginning of summer '06. used it about ten times, from 105deg f at lake powell to a 30 deg snow/rain mix at 10,000 ft on Tennessee pass. I purchased the footprint and some msr groundhog stakes the same day as the tent. If you want to stake out all the guy lines and the tent you will need additional stakes as this is not a free standing tent so the the stakes it comes with are just enough for the tent only.
First off, for $120 this tent is first rate. The two person rating is very generous, but I'm 6'4" 240. The length of this tent was the deciding factor for me its about 7 feet long. The poles are high quality lightweight easton aluminum. The stakes are also heavy duty super light aluminum.
On to the review FOOT PRINT FOOT PRINT FOOT PRINT. By far one of the best features. camping out in the desert at 105 deg the foot print and fly make an awesome shelter its almost twice the space of the tent itself, tons of ventilation and very sturdy. Its also half the pack weight and size. With stood 25 mile an hour winds (I had guy lines staked) without any readjustment to the tent. Would imagine it could handle much higher winds if needed and with tent itself.
Camping at 10,000 feet outside of leadville colorado, this tent met tons and tons of rain and cold. The tent remained perfectly dry, I had my boots outside the tent under the vestibule and they too were perfectly dry. When I packed the tent up the next morn the footprint was soaked water poored off in buckets but it did its job in keeping my tent clean and dry.
My only complaint is that this tent is not easy to get in and out of(hence the 4 star). I actually ripped the seem in the rain fly were it comes over the zipper by standing up a little to soon. It didn't harm the integrity of the fly itself just the zipper flap, but a little mono filament line and some seam seal and its good as new. I noticed they don't have this model any more but a almost identical one with a front entry door, Which looks much much easier to get in and out of. I imagine I'm not the only one with problems crawling into this.
After five good rainy camp trips last summer I just washed and re-water proofed the tent and am looking forward to another year of outdoor fun. I would definitely recommend picking this tent up if you can find it for about the same price I paid (120$ at campmor).. Not a better tent out there at this price."