Eureka! Apex 3XTA

Man is it hot! There is nothing like a stuffy, humid, summer night to make your trip the absolute pits. When you have the fly off and STILL can't seem to stop sweating.... that's the worst. The problem with most tents that offer tons of ventilation is that water also likes to travel the same highways as air. Soggy tents are no fun either.

The Eureka 3XTA is a great tent with tons of ventilation with no leak problems. If there is a breeze... this tent will pass it on to you. One end of the body is completely mesh. The fly is best described as 3/4 coverage, leaving the bottom open to let in the breeze, but since you have a bathtub floor, no water is making it in there. The nylon end of this tent even has a small push-out vent provided.

Another reviewer was upset that when entering and exiting the tent, rain can drip into the inside of the open door. He has a point. But a very small one. This may happen if it is pouring down and for some reason, you want to go out in it. But, ummm..... why?

It offers you the best of two worlds. Air without water.

If you are used to 300+ dollar tents... you will never be happy with a $150 tent. Period! But, if you are like me and want a good entry level, backpack, 2 person (let's not kid ourself about the stated occupancy of 3), waterproof, 3 season tent for less than $200...... this is a very good choice. The quality is absolutely awesome! The features are great! The price is right!

My wife and I used the APEX 3XTA tent one week, setting it up and taking it down three times in that period. We were initially impressed with the new technology it contained: bathtub floor that stayed dry in the rain; coated poles that were fully guided in mesh sleeves, clips, pins and snap bucles to make set up easy; and excellent ventilation. At the end of the week it started to rain heavily. The interior of the tent remained dry; however, when we opened the tent door, then the rainfly, water rained down directly into the tent. This is because the unzippered rainfly configuration does not fully cover the tent doorway. (If you drop a plumb line from the open rainfly zipper, highest point, it lands about 6 inches into the tent.) I would say this is a serious design insufficiency for those of us who must get up at night to exit the tent. (There is not enough room in the vestibule when the rainfly is closed to exit the tent and then turn around and zip up the tent door first before opening the fly.) Also, several nights were in the 40s and it would have been nice had we been able to close down some of the screened wall with an interior zippered flap cover. I would have to say that to achieve the good ventilation, there is a sacrifice of ability to stay warm in cold spring or fall weather.

I enjoyed my APEX 3XTA very much... No problem with rain coming in the doors, the ventilation was great, the size was perfect for 2 + gear. Definitely a car camping tent! I would not use it on a hike, I have a sil-nylon tarp for that.  

I have since sold it (reason stated below) and now own the Eureka! USMC Combat Tent (like the Assault 4, but better). I must say that I am impressed by Eureka! tents, but definitely not their customer service.  

I had complained about some guy out lines, stakes and some accessories from them when I owned the tent 6 years ago and was told they would send me replacements free of charge.  I still have not received my items.

Anyways, my only complaint about this tent (and many by Eureka) is the color. I understand being visible for rescue applications, but sometimes I like to be invisible. My color complaint mainly comes from the fact that the BRIGHT YELLOW is a real "rude awakening" (literally). Never got to "sleep in" in that tent and always felt like I was hung over by the intense light magnification.

Otherwise GREAT tent! Easy set up, fast, watertight, great ventilation... Just a literal headache in the mornings. I would definitely buy another if it came in green like my USMC C T, with its light impermeable fly.

This tent is the "official car camping tent" of my household, and for that purpose, it does the job. It's far too heavy to be a backpacking tent (weighed it with stakes, fly, and stuff sack at home, and it comes in at 7 lbs 7 oz, considerably higher than the advertised 7 lbs 1 oz packed / 6 lb 9 oz trail weight) and it might be a squeeze for three larger folks, but it's sturdy, goes up quick, and is plenty big for me, my fiance, and dog.

The vestibules are spacious, and allow lots of storage, but I did feel that the ventilation in there was lacking - condensation was apparant in there, even with the fly open and tied back for extra breeze - but when the rain came, it performed admirably. (Unlike some folks, when I get up to pee in the middle of the night in the rain, and leave the fly all the way open, I kinda expect to get wet!)

All in all, this is a fantastic tent for the budget conscious car camper, but if you want something you can carry on the trail, I'd look to spend an extra couple bucks on something else.

Fantastic tent, I used it plenty of times for weekend campouts before I took it up for a trip to the Boundary Waters. I loved the nice big vestibules and the absolute ease of set up. The 3xta is a "3" person tent however I find it is best as a 2 person plus gear tent.

The only gripe that I had is that in a strong wind, make sure the guide lines are in. I didn't do that when we went up to the Boundary Waters. A storm came one night and snapped one of the aluminum poles at the joint. I don't blame the tent as much as myself. I've been an avid camper for over 10 years and I know better.

Needless to say aside from that little mistake the tent has performed admirably. Learn from my mistake, set it up correctly and use the guide wires and you'll have no issues.

Used this tent for 50+ nights on a trip to Alaska with complete satisfaction. 2 door design is outstanding as one party can exit without bothering the other party in the middle of the night. Probably a tight 3 man, but great 2 man plus the dog. Stood up well to some ratty weather, including standing water under the tent. Dried very nicely. Easy to keep clean. Good zippers. Light bright panels keep you from going suicidal when using the rain fly.