Kelty Typhoon 4

This tent is definately a bombproof shelter which can withstand any weather God can throw at you. I have camped in extreme thunderstorms and stayed bone dry (gear included). Since this is a 4 season expedition tent, I thought there would be alot of condensation on the inside of the tent (the ouside temp was over 100 degrees) but the walls, roof and floor were all bone dry with no condensation at all. The venting in the tent is fantastic for summer and winter use in all weather conditions no matter how hot, cold, wet or humid it is. There is PLENTY of gear space if you are only sleeping 2 people in the tent and the included gear loft is not needed due to the many pockets along the inside of the tent. The specs on the FLOOR of this tent are wrong on most web pages. The TRUE floor specs are: 3.0 Oz. with multi-coated waterproofing. You can feel the quality of the tent jut by running your hands over the material. The colors are bright and nice to look at both during the day and night. The poles included are Aluminum 7079-T9 and are stronger than any other aluminum tent pole I have ever encountered. The strings inside the pole are thick and very strong as well. I compared this tent with the Walrus Arc4 at Campmor (they were both set up) and the Kelty Typhoon 4 not only looked nicer, but the exceptional quality of the materials were not only visible but also physical (to the touch). I actually stood in the store and tried pushing and shaking on the exterior of the Typhoon 4 and it would not budge! The strength and sturdy frame of this tent are amazing. The Walrus Arc4 wobbled side to side and back to front with just a minimal push on the sides. ALL of the seams on the Kelty Typhoon 4 are factory seam taped so there is no reason to use seam sealor anywhere on this tent at all. Even the gear pouches on the inside are taped! The Rain Fly is also factory seam taped and would not budge even if you kicked it. It has front and rear vestabules which keep your gear bone dry (if needed) and it has fast clips to attach it to the frame of the tent quickly. The only drawback to the Rain Fly is that the sleve for the aluminum pole on the front vestabule is rather small and can be a pain to slip the pole thru.

DRAWBACKS:

1) It definately takes practice to set this tent up alone. Once you are used to setting it up then it is very simple.

2) It is rather heavy BUT it does fit nicely on an external frame backpack.

3) Set up and take down takes approx: 8-9 minutes with 2 people setting the tent up. (Again, practice before you use this tent.)

4) When removing the tent poles you have to either push the pole from the bottom (rubber stopper end), or use a push then extend the tent fabric, then push the pole again type method. It takes practice and time to get used to it.

5) The zipper on the front of the tent sometimes requires a little nudging to seal the tent up completely at the bottom corner of the tent (not the rain fly).

6) The front vestabule is very low to the ground so entering/exiting the tent requires alot of back bending.

OVERALL:

I would reccomend this tent to anyone who has experience in 4 season expedition camping. It can withstand ANY weather in ANY condition or altitude. This tent is the strongest tent I have ever used or seen anywhere. The tent is very nice to look at both structurally and color wise. The only problem with the structure of the tent was that the front vestabule is low to the ground so you always have to bend down to exit or enter the tent which can be a nusance when putting your gear inside, and the pole for the front vestabule is rather hard to insert at first. It can fit 3 people comfortably with no gear inside, however, if only 2 people sleep inside you could fit all of your gear in the tent with plenty of stretching room. I am 6'1" tall and had plenty of stretch out room and could sleep lengthwise without touching the front OR back of the tent walls (with another person inside.) I LOVE this tent but I would only recommend it to people who have alot of experience in setting up tents. Even they will need to set it up at least 2 times before they get used to it.

Thanks for reading this :) >Bow< :::Elvis has left the tent:::

I purchased this tent 2 years ago and it is still the best tent I have ever used in any weather condition. Last camping trip some park rangers saw it and said they were looking into a walrus tent...but after being in my Kelty Typhoon 4 they are going to switch to Kelty. In my opinion the Kelty Typhoon 4 is the most Bomb-Proof tent available. I reccomend it to anyone looking for the best.

BK