User Review: Eureka! Zeus 2EXO

Reviewed January 19, 2003 by Eric Lee Green

Rating: rated 3 of 5 stars
Design: three-season freestanding dome
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: Very easy
Weight: 4lb 2oz
Price Paid: $134.96

This might well be called a one-and-a-half-wall tent. First, there's the weight. The weight above is the real weight of the tent, stuff sacks, poles, and stakes, measured on my postal scale. As you can see, Eureka! exaggerated the light weight of the tent slightly, but no more so than any other manufacturer, and it's still the lightest free standing 2 man dome tent on the market. It's as light as many non-free-standing "hoop" type tents such as the SD Clip Flashlight, but much roomier and easier to set up (ridiculously easy to set up -- stake out the 4 corners, poke poles into their receptacles on the corners, clip carabiners to poles, stake out vestibule and flies, and you're done).

Secondly, the one and a half wall part. The downfall of single-wall tents is typically condensation getting you and your gear wet. The EXO series fights this by moving the condensation to above where you and your gear reside using selective mini-flys. I backpack in Arizona, which is a fairly dry state (heh), but it does get cold at night, and the last place I pitched the tent was in a protected location with no wind (that is, no ventilation). The front of the 2EXO is covered by the vestibule fly and does not condense (the condensation happens on the vestibule fly). The sides are covered by the pull-out vent flys to about 1 foot above the ground. I found that the sides do condense starting above the vent flys, but that's above me and my gear so it is acceptable (in Arizona). The foot of the tent has a small fly over the roof vent, but otherwise has no fly at all, but I've never had it condense -- I think the normal warm air rises physics directs the moisture to the top of the tent and the roof vent even when there's no wind (not to mention that your feet don't emit much water vapor!). For Arizona weather, the condensation is acceptable -- you and your gear are below the 1 foot mark and still remain dry, which is the point. It might not be acceptable if you're in the Northwest or the Southeast, which have much more humid weather. Someone in such a climate will have to tell you whether the EXO "rains" on you there, rather than the mild dew-like condensations that happen here in Arizona.

Regarding the seams, this tent is unusual amongst Eureka tents in that it requires all seams to be sealed. Most Eureka tents are pre-taped and only require selected portions of the seams to be sealed (typically the corners of the bathtub floors). Due to the side vents this tent also has a fairly short bathtub wall, unlike most Eureka tents that have a veritable bathtub. The bathtub floor also seems to be made of a lighter material than the typical Eureka tent. What this means is that a) if you don't seal the seams with the provided seam sealer, expect to get wet when it rains (like that other reviewer who obviously didn't seal his seams), and b) if you set up the tent in a depression, expect to need your swimming trunks when it rains. And c) if you don't use a ground sheet, expect to need your swimming trunks when it rains.

The 2EXO is rated for 2 people, and 2 people could fit into it, but they better be close friends. Someone taller than six feet may also have trouble, the foot of my bag is almost at the back wall when my head is at the zipper. It is downright palatial for one (not too tall) person though. The vestibule is also not big enough for two packs. I would rate this as more of a 1 1/2 person tent than a 2 person tent.

Do I recommend the 2EXO? With caveats -- the first caveat being that if you're in a wet climate, check reviews specific to your climate, because it does condense above the mini-flies on the sides, which is no problem in my climate (Arizona) but could possibly result in rainfall inside your tent in more humid climates. You also have to be more careful about where you pitch the tent than with the double-wall Eureka tents (which are pretty much bomb-proof), because rain can blow in the vents if you pitch it in an unprotected location, and the bathtub floor doesn't extend high enough to protect you if you pitch it in a depression. However, the tradeoffs for that are low weight and a lot of room compared to other tents of that weight. For the price, you can't get another tent with this combination of low weight and room. You can get lighter tents, but either by paying much more for basically hand-crafted sil-nylon (e.g. Wanderlust's Nomad Lite), or by giving up room and basically buying an overglorified hoop bivvy. I expect my 2EXO to remain a standard part of my stable until I can afford the much more expensive tent.

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