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 Pagosa 2 (2007) 3-Season Backpacking Tent By: Kelty Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 3 More Information Kelty Pagosa 2 - Solid performer, great feature set  On: 2007-11-05We camp and backpack every month year-round across the Rocky Mountain West with the Boy Scouts, including longer expedition-style trips. We purchased this tent for ourselves - our son uses a different design that is easier for him to pitch. Kelty advertises this as one of their strongest, light-weight, 3-season backpacking tents. This is partly due to the hubbed pole design - the main poles are permanently coupled to each other at 2 crossing points front and rear, making this tent design 60% stronger per Keltys claims. Many 2-pole designs cross just once at the top of the tent, and very few use hubs to join them. After seeing different tent designs in action in the Rocky Mountains under very strong winds, Im inclined to believe Kelty on this point. The Pagosa 2 also uses a short (about 18 inch) "brow" pole between the 2 main poles at the very top of the tent to reduce snow loads and maintain ventilation - its a good solution without going to a full 3-pole design, which would be considerably heavier. All in all we have found that this particular tent offers the best combination of useful features and value in its class, after comparing across many different designs, manufacturers and price points. We did modify Keltys footprint (a made-to-match ground cloth) to extend into the vestibules, so that our packs wont sit in the mud. Were willing to carry a few extra ounces of weight to do so - your mileage may vary. The footprint also uses a different style clip to attach to the rainfly. If you pitch the tent without the tent body, you have to work around this problem by clipping the footprint directly to the rainflys strap, instead of to its clip - an unfortunate oversight on an otherwise excellent tent, but not a show-stopper. Pros: Not a true 4-season tent, but very good in bad weather, and much lighter for its size, 2 doors on either side, 2 large vestibules on either side, high-quality DAC Featherlite NSL aluminum poles, high-strength hubbed pole design, "brow" pole limits snow and water build-up on top of tent, built-in gear lofts (3), built-in end pockets (2), built-in rain-fly vents (2), large mesh panels for good ventilation on sides and top of tent body, built-in guy line tensioners, overall high-quality materials and workmanship. Cons: Keltys footprint does not extend into vestibules, footprint also does not use matching clips for rain-fly only tent pitching (without the tent body to save weight on warm, "low bug" trips), hubbed design can be tricky to pitch until you get the hang of it - we do not recommend this design for younger Scouts, included tent stakes should be upgraded for serious backpacking out on the trail. Best of Everything  On: 2007-07-13If I made a list of everthing I wanted in a two person, three season backpacking tent, this one would have it all. At 37 sq. ft. of floor area, theres room for two large sleeping pads, with enough space left over to keep your packs inside. Headroom is great even with the taut built in gear loft and flashlight ring. The overhead mesh pockets (in addition to the gear loft) are great for glasses or flashlights. The two large mesh pockets on each end add even more storage space. The two roof vents and tons of mesh help keep the tent cool in our hot and humid Missouri summer. The fly can also be unclipped and pulled up on the ends for even more ventilation. The two windows were great for keeping the inside bright when holed up during several spring thunderstorms. (Not a drop of water inside from condensation or the rain.) I especially love the two point vestibules that allow me to enter and exit the tent without crawling under the fly. Even the guy line tighteners are high tech. Pack size is only 6x20 inches and setup couldnt be easier either. At a little over 5 lbs., this extremly well designed tent has it all. Pagosa 2 worthwhile On: 2007-06-18I purchased this tent for my wife and myself so that we could do an occassional backpacking trip. The best thing about this tent is the price, we paid less than $200. The next best thing is the minimal weight, it is unusual to find a tent this light and with these features for this price. This tent is a bit small for two, however, our Exped Downmat 9 Deluxes, each measuring 26"x76", both fit with room to spare. The only problem we had was a blown out pole end. That was my fault as I put tension on the poles before the sleeve was completely in place and over its corresponding male end. Never-the-less, the tent funtioned just fine that night. Also, there may be a need for more guyout points on the rainfly in case of wind. Although we didnt encounter wind in the Redwood National Forest, where we first used the tent, we live in Wyoming (the Saudi Arabia of wind energy) where we are sure to encounter our fair share. It seems certain that more ways to tauten the rainfly will be necessary. Overall, I am reasonably satisfied. Pagosa 2 worthwhile On: 2007-06-17I purchased this tent for my wife and myself so that we could do an occassional backpacking trip. The best thing about this tent is the price, we paid less than $200. The next best thing is the minimal weight, it is unusual to find a tent this light and with these features for this price. This tent is a bit small for two, however, our Exped Downmat 9 Deluxes, each measuring 26"x76", both fit with room to spare. The only problem we had was a blown out pole end. That was my fault as I put tension on the poles before the sleeve was completely in place and over its corresponding male end. Never-the-less, the tent funtioned just fine that night. Also, there may be a need for more guyout points on the rainfly in case of wind. Although we didnt encounter wind in the Redwood National Forest, where we first used the tent, we live in Wyoming (the Saudi Arabia of wind energy) where we are sure to encounter our fair share. It seems certain that more ways to tauten the rainfly will be necessary. Overall, I am reasonably satisfied. |