User Review: Eureka! Solitaire

I have been reading a lot of complaints about this tent, and all I can do really is laugh. Some complain about the small size and the fact you can't sit up straight, or it is hard to assemble or that if you're 6 feet or taller it is uncomfortable. I'm 6' 3'' and here is my review.

I bought this tent 6 years ago and in the past year I have camped quite a bit in Western Montana and just yesterday arrived back from a 5 day voyage to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. We got lucky because the days were free of rain for the most part, and mostly sunny despite the early date, but last two nights we woke up to it snowing outside! Although the tent is only a 3 season it held up just fine in the blistering, howling winds, that pervaded our peninsula situated campsite.

The morns before were at first warm, and though the sun shone down on the tent, there was no condensation to be found. I am continually amazed at how well ventilated and "climate controlled" this tent was engineered to be, whether be happenstance or not.

Yes, it can be a tad finicky to position yourself into the tent, but it is VERY comfortable once you get in, and easily allows one to read a book as they fall asleep or smoke. It's a small price to pay for a very comfortable nights sleep.

For those who gripe about not being able to sit up straight in the Solitaire, I respond it is for sleeping and if you're not sitting by the campfire until your tired then what are you doing camping?

As for the complaint about setting the tent up, it is the easiest tent to set up and take down I have ever used, and I am not mechanically inclined by any means--there are only two poles, how difficult could it be? As for setting it up so you get the maximum stretch, pay attention to staking it somewhat square and you'll be fine.

This is a GREAT tent especially if you do long hikes in the backcountry and want minimal weight. One last great thing is you don't need much space to set this puppy up, meaning the chances you'll find a small rectangle of flat ground or in a nook between trees away from the wind are much greater than any larger tent.

What a brilliant piece of camping equipment.