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 Eureka Solo Spitfire Tent By: Eureka Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 24 More Information Solid Solo Tent  On: 2010-02-01Eurekas Spitfire 3-season 1-person tent is a solid choice for the backpacker who is looking to go fairly light and compact weighing in at about 2 pounds, 2 ounces. Lets break it down. Set Up: The tent is very easy to set up and requires 15 - 20 minutes at most to set up. I highly recommend replacing the standard stakes that come with the tent and upgrade them. I went with the MSR Ground Hog stakes and they work really well for me. I have yet to have one of these stakes come loose. Door: There is one door on the left side of the tent. If you have a right side zipper on your sleeping bag this can get a little awkward but in no means should this be a deal breaker. I have yet to have any problems with the door zipper. It functions smoothly and does not snag or get caught up in anything. Inside: The tent is pretty roomy for a solo tent and has an interior height of 3 feet, 4 inches which provides plenty of space to sit up, change clothes, read a book and mess with some gear. Yes, there is room for some gear at the head of the tent but dont expect too much. I keep and extra set of clothes in the tent along with boots and some other smaller items. I have not had any problems with condensation buildup at all. If you opt to go without a rain fly you will be treated to an evening of great ventilation and an awesome view of the night time sky. There is a ton of mesh and a great feeling of openness. Rain Fly: The rain fly is why this tent gets 4 stars instead of 5. The fly is just a little short in providing complete coverage. This can be problematic if you are in a windy location with lots of rain or blowing sand. Also, one of the buckles that attach the rain fly broke the first time I used this tent. I must admit that I have used the rain fly with the broken buckle during a rainstorm and it functioned perfectly. Overall, I still would prefer complete coverage as opposed to being short a few inches. Overall: For the price I believe this tent is a great bargain and I highly recommend the Spitfire. It is a little challenging getting the tent back into the stuff sack but this seems to be a problem with most gear. If you are looking to go super ultra-light and compact then you best bet is a bivy bag. great tent  On: 2010-01-25I have hiked with Eureka tents for quite some time. This tent is 8 ounces heavier than the Eureka Ultralite, but it has a better rainfly. This rainfly comes closer to the ground than the Ultralite and thats why I bought it. Can it handle big wind? On: 2009-10-15On my first outing, I camped in this tent at 11,200 feet in a Sierra basin. There was a very big blow with gusts over 60 mph and the temp dove to below 15 degrees. The tent was subjected to a good thrashing. This was my biggest concern with the tent when I bought it. There was a fair amount of blown sand and dust that came through the mesh under the fly. As others have noted, it is difficult to get the fly taut and it really showed in this storm with a lot of flapping. A tent stake came lose in the middle of the night, even though I had replaced the cheesy steel stakes that came with the tent with a combination of longer aluminum stakes. But the tent came through the test without a rip, a tear or any damage. All in all, the tent performed extremely well. I am going to look into a way of converting the front and back tent fly points to accept stakes, instead of buckling into the tent body as was designed. This should make the fly more taut and the entire tent stronger. I think this tent has the almost perfect combination of size and weight for a solo tent. I really like the side entrance. Most solo tents have a front entrance that you have to crawl into. The tent fabric and poles are stronger than Big Agnes products. I really dont understand how Eureka could afford to price this below $120, but its the best bargain I have seen in a long time. Do everything tent On: 2009-10-12I just got this tent and took it out for the weekend at the lake. Not only did the tent hold up under crazy freezing rain and high winds the inside stayed pretty dry with the flap open. I left the flap closed one night to test the condensation factor and it passed the test and kept warm in 24 degree weather. A disappointment was what they call a vestibule that is extremely lacking but thankfully I sleep with my legs on my pack. Another great thing about the tent is the inside space. It is all that and a bag of chips I slept two people comfortably (with some snuggling). The rain fly needs the have its own stake down option, even with the clips completely cinched it wouldnt get all the way taught and some condensation made its way to my foot area. All in all this is the best buy for your money, warm, light, and plenty of room. I would tell all my friends which I already have to purchase this it is a steal at 102 for just over two lbs. Decent tent for the size and weight On: 2009-09-21I used this tent for one week in Abisko Sweden above the arctic circle. The tent is light and easy to set up and also kept the rain out well. But as with almost all tents the vent in the top isnt enough to vent out the condensation from breathing at night. I dont think thats avoidable though. One thing about this tent though is that it really suffered in the wind. The rain fly allows the wind to blow right through the tent, I wish it came closer to the ground or something to prevent this. I just suggest doing your best in trying to face the wind feet first so that the air flows over the tent instead of through. Also I brought only a 60 litre pack with me and there was barely room for that in the tent which was slightly annoying but tolerable. Besides those quibbles this tent did me well. But Id be interested to see how it does in the cold as it was warm, about 13-14 degrees celcius. You get what you pay for.  On: 2009-07-13I hate this tent. The price was right, but this tent is just not worth the hassle. There are 4 reasons for this: 1. The poles all need to be individually snapped into (and out of) the 10 holding rings on the mesh portion of the tent and are not very adjustable once they are in place. That means that you have to know exactly where they go otherwise you are snapping and unsnapping them repeatedly to achieve the right tension. They do not slide through the holes. And the process of attaching the poles is cumbersome and even painful if you have dexterity issues. 2. The vertical tension of the tent is great, however, there seemed to be nothing I could do to pull the sides of the tent or the fly taut except for where the poles are. So be prepared to have the wall flapping around with the wind all night. 3. Speaking of the fly, if you cant get the stakes all the way into the ground (which happened to me frequently), the fly will also not extend all the way to the ground, leading to a very drafty camping experience. 4. Finally, the tent only opens from one side. Maybe this is something I could get used to, but if Im putting gear in right vestibule, I like to be able to get to it without having to get out of the tent and walk around. I suppose it saved an ounce or two, but I just dont like it. Im not new to tents and expected to put up with a couple inconveniences due to the price and weight, but this is getting returned. Great tent for the money On: 2009-07-09I bought the solo Spitfire for bicycle touring about 3 years ago. Its been pitched at least 100 times and is still in good condition and I dont baby it. Ive sealed the fly seams twice. I especially like the peak height, side entry, lots of mesh, and the 2 stake minimal set up. If you have a full length Thermarest pad, it is freestanding, sans fly. As others have noted, the stock fly is hard to get taunt. Ive added some additional stake points to fix that, but only use them if I expect rain. This tent is not for really tall people. Id rate it comfortable for someone up to about 510". There are better solo tents, but for a much higher price. Bang for the buck, the Spitfire is unbeatable. Very pleased! On: 2009-07-01Im getting ready for a 1500mi. bicycle ride, and needed a light weight, and compact tent, that was long enough for a six foot tall camper. I was apprehensive about buying another Eureka tent, as I was disappointed with the last model I bought. I read the other reviews, and decided to give it a go. I received my new tent today, and put it up in the yard to test out. Im very happy. The build quality is quite good. it comes with 10 thin light tent stakes, but can be put up with two for the tent, and two for the privacy/rain fly. if its not windy, you could even get away with only two. the design offers good ventilation, and is pretty roomy, however it is no 9 feet long, as specified. It is however, around eight. This is at the sharply tapered ends, so offers little extra space, but does allow good head room, and a little storage. My only tiny gripe is the tubular bag for the rain fly uses the same material as the tent. This seems OK, till you try to stuff the fly inside, as the bag material has a rainproof grippy coating, that makes it difficult to get the fly back into the bag. I tried turning the bag inside out, it was easy to fill the bag, but now the bag would not fit into the tent bag easily (too grippy). I wound up using the bag from another tent. If you dont have this option, I would recommend just going without, rather than fight with this bag. Hope this helps with you selection! I gave four instead of five stars only because I have not yet camped with it, and the rain fly bag, but I would defiantly recommend this tent for its overall quality, and the unique shape, that make it very roomy for such a light weight tent! Great LITTLE tent On: 2009-06-25First off, this tent is small. Im just under 6 and while I can sleep in it and sit up comfortably, its too small to also fit my pack. It goes up pretty easily if you read the instructions and perform the steps in the right sequence. Like any tent, youd be prudent to actually erect it prior to getting into the backcountry - though planning ahead never was my strong point. As others have pointed out, the stakes it comes with are relatively heavy. I replaced mine with Titanium stakes - they arent a whole lot lighter the Aluminum ones, but they are an awful lot thinner and are easier to push in. Perfect for Boy Scouts Philmont On: 2009-06-07This light weight tent has enough head room and body room for an adult. Perfect for Philmont and other backpacking.... Great Tent On: 2009-06-04I took this tent camping on the A.T. It served me quite well on the warm nights and the very cold mornings. It was easy to setup and quite light. Recommended. Loved this tent! On: 2009-04-07My sister and I took this tent on a three day backpacking trip. We shared it, *not recommended unless you are tiny ppl and get along well!* Anyways, the tent was great. It RAINED the first day and the tent stayed remarkably dry and warm. It was also easy to set up. Im glad I got this tent and not the solitaire! love it On: 2009-03-25great tent, im 6"5 and it fits me and my gear. I have a bigger tent for cammping parties. But this one comes in handy if i kayak to an island and choose to stay alone. Sets up fast, and easy. Lightweight and good poles. Might suggest buying the 2 man instead, i think i would have prefered that extra space. I fit in it just fine but youre very close to your gear. Hope this helps you tall people out there. Cool factor high On: 2008-12-27Got this tent for my 11-year-old boy scout who is gradually paring down camping supplies to prepare for backpack camping. He wanted a tent that was small enough and light enough to fit in his day pack. This one fit the bill and rated high on the "cool factor" with friends and fellow scouts. He declared his first night "cozy" as the temperature dropped to about 34 degrees after torrential rain. He did have some condensation on the inside the next morning, but not enough to wet anything. I did have trouble believing reviews by 6 adults who claimed there was enough room for them and their pack. It was pretty snug for my 5 son and his mid-size pack. Beyond that, it seems very well made and was easy for him to set up and take down by himself even the first time. I would definitely recommend this tent. Great lightweight tent On: 2008-07-18Very easy to pitch & almost as easy to pack away. Nice and light. Plenty of room for me (less than 6ft) and a few bits & pieces. Vestibule big enough for boots, but not for a pack. A taller friend bought the same tent and seems happy with it, but he got some light spray inside during heavy rain (hed not sealed the seams; not sure if theyre already taped or not... they look like they are). Excellent backpacking tent On: 2008-04-18On any backpacking trip, weight and shelter are huge considerations. This tent delivers with an ultra-lightweight package while still providing ample room. The tent is easy to setup, taking only a few mins without any strain. It folds down easily and comes with its own stuff sack. The tent is not freestanding, however that was not a concern in my case. The rainfly provides sufficient coverage to keep mositure out, and the ability to open the vent from inside the tent is a great feature. I am about 5 7", and was able to comfortably sit up and manuver around in the tent, not to mention streatch out fully without being pushed up against the walls. I only docked the tent a star because the vestibule area is so small; a bigger area would have been great, but it would not stop me from buying this tent again. Quick and comfortable On: 2008-04-09I have spent my first weekend in my tent. The tent is easy and quick to set up. Even my somewhat skeptical camping companions were impressed with how fast the tent could be set up. I did have to do some in the field, or rather, in the tent, trimming of my foam sleeping pad because it was to wide. But a couple minutes of cutting with a sharp knife quickly remedied the situation. If you are six feet tall and you are thinking that the vestibule will give you room for your backpack, I think you will be disapppointed. There is space to put your boots at the bottom of the tent and a little space above your head (a triangle shaped area with about one foot long). The rain fly can be easily asjusted so that all or part of the tent is covered. If you leave it open on the door side of the tent, it makes for interesting viewing of racoons as they go about raiding your campsite at Cumberland Island National Park. I am very pleased with the tent and I think it is an excellent value for the price. Eureka Spitfire Solo vs. REI Chrysalis UL On: 2008-01-12In January of 2008, REI put their Chrysalis UL single person backpacking tent on sell (115 dollars). I had just received an Eureka Spitfire (not UL) tent as a Christmas gift (89 dollars). Both of these two wall tents received many favorable reviews on the internet. Both tents advertise a weight of ~3 lbs. I decided to do a non-outing tent to tent comparison. If you look at all the web reviews available, it is clear both these tents can handle weather that you would prefer not to be out in. That was not my concern. I was more interested in which of these tents worked best for me and if there were any show stoppers between the two. Component weights (ozs): -------------------------------------------------------- Eureka Spitfire Poles:................8.875 Fly:...................18 Body:..................17 Stakes:...............6.25 Stake Bag:............0.375 Pole Bag:.............0.625 Stuff Sack:...........1 Guy Lines:...........0.5 --------------------------- Total wt:...........52.625 Ti Stakes:...........2.5 (8) Total wt. with Ti Stakes:..........48.25 --------------------------- Min wt. (poles, fly, body, Ti Stakes, Guy Lines):..........46.875 ................(2 lb 14.875 oz) -------------------------------------------------------- REI Chrysalis UL Poles:.................12.125 w/o pole repair tube:..11.75 Fly:...................16.125 Body:..................17.375 Stakes:.................3.375 Stake Bag:..............0.25 Pole Bag:...............0.5 Stuff Sack:.............2.75 Guy Lines:,.............1.375 ------------------------------ Total wt................53.875 Ti Stakes................2.25 (7) Total wt. with Ti Stakes...............52.375 ------------------------------- Min wt. (poles, fly, body, Ti Stakes, Guy Lines)..............49.25 ....................(3 lb 1.25 oz) -------------------------------------------------------- The component weights show some of the compromises that were made in packaging the tents for sell. The fact that the Chrysalis is free standing results in a higher pole weight. The steel stakes that are standard with the Spitfire weigh too much. The Chrysalis ULs stakes are lighter, and of better quality, however I personally do not like the design. I strongly suggest the stakes for both tents be replaced with Ti stakes. The stuff sack used on the Spitfire is a simple no frill sack. The Chrysalis UL stuff sack has provisions for compressing the radius of the sack. This results in extra weight without any real advantage. If you wanted to use a tent compression bag, it should be the tent fabric parts only, and compress both the radius and length. Both tents have a vent in their fly to help control condensation. The Spitfire also has a zipper at the top of the tent body that allows you to access the vent. When examining this zipper, I noticed as others have that the zipper does not completely close. A small opening about 1/2 the size of the radius of a tent stake remains open. A little better zipper termination would have eliminated this issue. This should be of no major concern, but it distracts from the tents design. In the Chrysalis, the tent door needs to be opened to reach the vent. The overall quality of the materials, sewing, and finishing of both tents is very good. The Chrysalis is a little better than the Spitfire, but this should not be an issue for either of the tents. When examining the fly coverage of the tents I noticed that the very end of the Spitfire tent body was not completely covered by the fly. There is about 1 to 2 inches of seam right at the end buckle that you would need to be sure you sealed. I do not consider this a major issue, but again something that could have been avoided in the tent design. Both tents are very easy to set up. As mentioned before, the Chrysalis is free standing. The Spitfire is not free standing. The Spitfire is so easy to setup, I do not consider this a major reason for choosing one tent over the other. One of the advantages of a free standing tent is that the poles and fly can be put up first in rain and the rest of the tent pitched under the protection of the fly. In the case of the Spitfire, Velco ties on the underside of the fly and the tent bodys external clip system also allow the fly to be setup first in the rain. You do have to improvise a loop on the fly end snaps (both ends) to do this. In this manner, both tents can be setup as a fly/poles only tarp. The Spitfires vestibule is only large enough for boots. It is triangular shaped with a ground apex of ~ 1 foot. A second similar area is available under the fly, but only accessable by being outside and reaching under the fly. The vestibule is considerably larger in the Chrysalis (apex ~2.5 feet). You could put your boots and a small pack in it. A large pack would not fit. The Spitfire has some built in pockets in the mesh side that are big enough to hold glasses and a flashlight. Head room in both tents is adequate for me to sit without touching the roof. The Spitfire has a few extra inches of head room compared to the Chrysalis UL. The Spitfire has considerable more mesh than the Chrysalis. This would be an advantage when a person wanted to do without the fly. The Chrysalis has a little porthole window in the fly, and the tent body has some panels of translucent fabric that make it very light inside. The porthole window is intriguing. It would be easier to look out at the weather with the fly on, but I would need more data on whether it would hold up. It seems a little like a gimmick. When I lay in both tents, I came across a show stopper. I was able to lie in the Spitfire with over 6 inches at both ends of the tent to spare. Not all of this space would be usable by a taller individual, but it was there never the less. I was able to roll side to side without touching the tent sides. In the Chrysalis, my feet were touching the bottom of the tent and my head was touching the front of the tent. It was very uncomfortable. Im 5 feet, 8 inches tall. The Chrysalis floor plan is nonsymmetrical at the wide end and narrow end of the tent. It forms an uneven parallelogram like shape. This results in an large unusable area next to your head and a similar small area at your feet. My decision was to keep the Eureka Spitfire and return the REI Chrysalis UL. Great deal on a solo tent On: 2007-10-22I purchased this tent new from Amazon.com for [...]. Elsewhere it was seling for [...] so I got what I considered a great deal. I think Amazon.com was normally selling it for [...] or so. Im tall (6 4") and fit in this tent with a little room to spare for gear. Ive only used it once on a Boy Scout campout and it worked fine (we had a rainshower one night). The tent has a lot of netting which allows for good air ciculation. I had no condensation on the underside of the fly during the campout. My only issue with this tent is that when it is fully staked out tautly, the rainfly rests on the head end of the tent (the netting above the front tent stake). This COULD allow any condensation that collects on the underside of the fly to end up in the tent. I didnt experience this, but I could see where this might be an issue. For drier climates, this shouldnt be a problem though. Two other issues: I replaced the steel tent stakes with aluminum ones and the stuff sack for the tent is pretty tight. The tent weighs 3lbs. 6ozs. on my scale (with the aluminum tent pegs) and easily fits in my pack. The quality of materials and stiching looked decent. I expect this solo tent will serve me well for backpacking in the Sierras in the summertime. Very nice little tent. On: 2007-10-07Let me start by saying that I have only been camping for a few years now. I purchased this tent because I wanted a lighter tent and didnt want to pay an extravegant price for it. This tent fit the bill. It is fairly light ~3 pounds, packs pretty well, and takes nothing to setup. You can do it with just 2 stakes if you really want to. It has plenty of room for me (Im a little guy ~130pound), and my pack. My last camping trip me and my brother both where inside playing cards (It was pouring rain), he is a little guy too. My only complaint i would have , is that i have a difficult time getting the rainfly as taunt as i would like, thus when it rains out i get small leak points where the fly touches the tent. I am sure this is my inexperience and not the tent design though. Even though i get these small spots the tent held up well in about 6-8 hours of rain, thunder and lightning on a trip i had a few weeks ago. So for the price i dont feel i have anything to truly complain about. Just my two cents. DO NOT BUY A CHINOOK BIVY SACK  On: 2007-10-01THIS REVIEW IS A WARNING TO ANYONE WANTING TO BUY A CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE BIVY SACK FOUND ON EBAY SOLD BY MTS & ScoutTech. CHINOOK BIVY SACKS ARE NOT WATERPROOF AT ALL AND LEAK PUDDLES OF WATER THROUGH THE FABRIC. WHEN I RETURNED THE PRODUCT TO MTS & ScoutTech THEY INSULTED ME AND ONLY OFFERED A PARTIAL REFUND DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY GUARANTEE 100% SATISFACTION. BUYER BEWARE. great tent! On: 2007-08-19I was a little queasy about ordering a tent online--not being overly familiar with lightweight, single man tents, I thought it might be safer to check them out in a shop. But, hey, this is a cool tent! It sort of exceeded expectations--better looking than the ad, more vertical room than Id anticipated, goes up and packs away nicely. great tent! On: 2007-08-18I was a little queasy about ordering a tent online--not being overly familiar with lightweight, single man tents, I thought it might be safer to check them out in a shop. But, hey, this is a cool tent! It sort of exceeded expectations--better looking than the ad, more vertical room than Id anticipated, goes up and packs away nicely. not bad at all On: 2007-07-23I was expecting to be a little dissapointed at first considering the relatively low price of this backpacking tent. But for a staked tent, its actually quite sturdy and does a really good job at keeping the rain and bugs off..provided you go over the seams with tent sealer before first use as recommended. Probably the only complaint I ahve is that the tent stakes could be a tad better. All in all, a good buy. great backpacking tent On: 2007-01-30very cheap. very light. worth it. the steel stakes are a pain to have because they are heavy, but they are easily replaced. warm with the fly on; cool with the fly off. great tent, well worth the money. Light weight backpacker On: 2006-08-07At age 55 and chasing SCOUTS all over the country, I need a light weight edge to keep up. I had a EUREKA ZEUS single wall but did not like the slight condensation that accumulated inside nor the inabilaty to take off the rain fly. I like to be able to star gaze and avoid the bugs. On our last adventure, to the Chiago Basin in Colorado, the Spitfire kept the rain out during frequent thunderstorms and the bugs at bay. It is as light as the single wall and I had the ability to fold the rain fly back for some fantastic night time views of the sky. I had NO condensation problems at all. The onlt problem was the stakes it came with were steel. Phurchased titanium stakes , Problem solved. GREAT BACKPACKING TENT Light weight backpacker On: 2006-08-06At age 55 and chasing SCOUTS all over the country, I need a light weight edge to keep up. I had a EUREKA ZEUS single wall but did not like the slight condensation that accumulated inside nor the inabilaty to take off the rain fly. I like to be able to star gaze and avoid the bugs. On our last adventure, to the Chiago Basin in Colorado, the Spitfire kept the rain out during frequent thunderstorms and the bugs at bay. It is as light as the single wall and I had the ability to fold the rain fly back for some fantastic night time views of the sky. I had NO condensation problems at all. The onlt problem was the stakes it came with were steel. Phurchased titanium stakes , Problem solved. GREAT BACKPACKING TENT |