User Review: Mountain Hardwear Trango 2

Mountain Hardwear Trango 2
Above: The current Trango 2, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed April 30, 1997 by ekkim@...

Rating:
Design: 4 season
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: easiest I've used, very intuitive
Weight: 7lb.s
Price Paid: $390

I've had the Trango for four months now, and have subjected it to five weekends in various conditions ranging from the Mendocino coast to Mt. Shasta. Initially I was skeptical about the usefullness of this tent as it is largely touted as being a bomber expedition shelter. But it has proved comfortable in temperatures ranging from below freezing to the upper 70s.

True to its hype, the Trango is definitely a tent for those who will appreciate little attributes that become huge assets on trips. You can find cheaper tents, lighter tents, and prettier tents that all do the same job, but you'll be hard pressed to find one as reliable and impervious to gale force winds as this one.

On a winter trip to Mt. Shasta, my group set up camp early due to nasty winds and horrible visibility. While my friends were setting up a North Face Mountain 24 (an admirable tent in its own right) my tent buddy and I had the Trango up before they even finished with one pole. Indeed, an all clips tent is much faster to set up and is just as strong as one with sleeves if it is designed correctly.

In addition to the ease of set up, the Trango stood fast in disgustingly strong and persistent cross winds. On that same trip to Shasta, My buddy and I were getting ready to put up the fly when we noticed a yellow appartition slowly moving by. The Mountain 24 had been blown on its side before it could be staked down and was sliding out of camp while the Trango, also unstaked, held its ground. If the Mountain 24's owner hadn't wisely thrown his pack inside to weigh it down, my Trango would surely have slept four that night.

At close to $400 it's defintitely an investment, but one that you can be sure of. As with any tent, you have to spend some quality time with it first and seam seal the tent body as well as the fly just to be sure.

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