Eureka! Mountain Pass 1XT

The Mountain Pass 1XT is no longer made by Eureka, but it set the standard for their now current Apex series tents. A lot of the improved design changes were obviously passed on to the Apex series.

I have owned my Mountain Pass 1XT since 2002. I love this tent. It has lots of vent options, plenty of vestibule space for gear, gear pockets on the inside for organizing all your stuff and aluminum poles. Overall, this is a great tent for the price! One of the neatest things about this tent and the element that I think sets up way above the pack is the SIZE when it is packed up. The tent poles fold down to 12 inches long and so you have a 12 inch long backpacking tent! That is WONDERFUL when packing it in a pack...it fits all the way to the bottom of the pack resting horizontal. It is a snap to stuff in a compartment of a kayak or the side pocket of a motorcycle or bicycle rack.

The only negative things I can say about the Mountain Pass 1XT is poor access to your gear in the back vestibule. You have to pull the stake holding the vestibule to access your gear from the outside. That is a little frustrating but not bad. The only other deal is the front vestibule zippers that are in an upside down u shape that are exposed. Water pours into the seams of the zipper when you are in a downpour.

Other than those minor quirks, this tent is easy to set up, and can withstand high winds as well as a small amount of snow. When it first hit the market, it was advertised as a 3-1/2 season tent. I think it could take some small amounts of snow and would certianly hold up well in high winds with its low profile.

Overall, a great tent for the price. The only downside is that with all of it being a great tent, Eureka! still sells NO footprints for its tents so look for some piece of tarp to place under the tent when setting it up.

Great small one-person tent. Very packable with short pole sections and it's a tough design!

I have had this tent about three years now and it has become my go-to one-man tent. I have hiked many miles with it, been in some really bad storms, and it's always asked for more.

I was into the Eureka TCOP military combat tents because they are VERY tough and can handle a snow load. I found this online and bought it because it looked similar but was less weight. It has been one of the best finds I have ever had. I keep looking on eBay for another... keep seeing two- or three-man versions but most people won't part with these one-man designs because they are nice. 

The "hi-low" venting works great. The top closable vent on the fly really works and if the vents inside are done right you can actually feel the air move up and out like through a chimney. Mesh on the entire large door can be opened / closed in different configurations. There is another small moon shaped vent in the front door towards one corner that can be opened separate from the zippered door and it makes venting just a little air very nice!

The two quality aluminum poles are only 12" long so packing it down small is a breeze. It weighs in at 5 lb 2 oz the way I have it set up but the extra weight is worth it. The material is tough and the seams are all taped. I replaced the stakes with Catoma x-3 stakes (like them) and ran better guy out lines but otherwise it's a tough little tent! The "window" on the fly is a neat idea but you cant really see clearly through it. I can vent the entire front section or close it down and only have about 5% mesh at the top!

It is GREAT for winter camping. Was in a few really bad storms at 13,500 feet in the South San Juan Mountains and woke up one morning with about 14" of snow on the top... no problems! The back door and vestibule could be a little bigger. You can get your hands through and keep small stuff back there but can't really access a pack. I keep my empty pack and boots stored there if I am set up in camp for a few days. The front vestibule and door are large and easy to get in and out of. You can set up in the center (I am 6') and changing close is easy.

Overall I am VERY happy with it and grab it first for shorter hikes.

I make a habit of visiting the 2 area Goodwill stores at least twice a week looking for good or repairable tents/packs ect. I picked up this Eureka for $16 and it had never been out of the black tote bag it was originally purchased in.

Judging by the reviews, I believe I've made a memorable buy. Never take Goodwill for granted when looking for good used gear, especially in the off-season and even more so when you live in an outdoor oriented area such as I do Flagstaff/Grand Canyon. Many of the 5 million visitors to the Canyon and surrounding areas arrive by air, purchase new camping gear, use it during their brief stay, then give it to the Goodwill.

A great 3 season+ tent. Rectangular 3'x 8' floor gives plenty of room to stretch out--even for tall guys. Height in center of tent is 3' -tall enough to sit up in (a big help on rainy days/evenings spent indoors!) 2 vestibules- 1 in front, 1 in back. Plent of room to store your pack, or even a dog. Good construction.

2 complaints: I needed to seal the seams around the vestibule zipper, and the steaks that come with it are pretty flimsy--buy better ones. Is it the best solo tent out there? No. But it's BY FAR the best sub-$200 solo tent out there, and I expect to get many years use out of it.