Eureka Mountain Pass 3XTE

[TXST_Rider]

I appreciate the input from forum members here back when I was tent shopping. I received some input on this tent and a recommendation to check out the ManVenture Outpost as a source and found the best price I had seen on the tent at the time. I purchased this tent there for $144.

This tent has a variety of ventilation management features: Eureka calls it "high-low ventilation" or similar. The rain fly can be pulled out from the base of the tent along the "non-door" sides. Also, there are two flaps in the fly vestibules that can be opened, creating about a 10" tall by 12" wide gap at the furtherest point away from the tent (safe to prevent rain onto the tent). Also, there are 2 small "dormers" at the top of the fly that can be opened or shut. This system works surprisingly well as I will note later. The tent doors are double layer solid and mesh (solid on the inside) with options to open the solid panel as much or as little as one desires to accommodate more - or less - air flow. Sides of the tent are partial mesh to allow air flow and to allow moisture / condensation to escape the tent proper.

Finally, one feature which really attracted me about this tent is an additional pole which one installs across the top, inside the fly. This makes an "eyebrow" in the top of the vestibules on each side so, even if it is raining, one can open the vestibule and the tent will stay dry unless the wind is just simply blowing the rain in at a steep angle.

It was a bit of time before I actually used the tent enough to feel I could share my thoughts, but now I have and here ya go:

I've camped in this tent now 4 nights, temps ranging from high 30's F to low 70's F. I've set it up 4 times (first time in my living room after delivery) and packed it into my ST1100 bags 3 times.

Cold: on the chilly night, I found this tent a bit, um, chilly. It is not a full mesh tent shell, but it does have a fair bit of mesh - and THAT night I could have stood a bit less. I did have the fly battened down as much as I could see to do, and I would still have liked a little less air flow. The good news is there was no condensation inside the tent.

I used this tent on my trip to CampSTOC in Seneca Rocks, WV last weekend. Thursday night in Shady Valley, TN was mild temperatures and a bit humid. When I woke up Friday AM, the inside of the rain fly was fairly wet from condensation, but the tent and my sleeping bag were perfectly dry.

Friday night in Seneca Rocks, WV started of on the warm side. I opened the fly flap on one vestibule, the "dormers" on top, and pulled the sides away form the tent body as much as possible. I then opened the solid panels on the doors about 4" on the bottom. I stayed cool and, again, no dampness in the tent or on my bag. During the night, it rained - and a fair bit (not just a little sprinkle). I am MOST HAPPY to report NO water intrusion! WOOT! First tent I've ever owned that actually does NOT leak! P^

This is a 3 man tent with a LARGE fly housing 2 generous vestibules, so, needless to say, it is NOT the quintessential back-packer tent. It does not pack down extremely small or light, but I knew this going in to the purchase and chose to tolerate this trade off. Even so, I was able pack this tent in my ST1100 side saddlebag with some room to spare (I had a NUMBER of other items in with it).

This tent proved easy to set up and take down working by myself. In addition, the roominess, generous and well protected vestibules, and decent airflow management have proven this to be a choice with which I am well pleased. It also did not hurt my feelings any when, while chatting with a fellow camper in WV and telling him the tent I was using, he interrupted me and emphatically stated, "THAT... is a GOOD tent!"

Count me in the "happy camper" column!
;)

[Mr. Guy]

I didn't see if you mentioned if you were useing this tent "2-up" or solo. Is it big enough for "2-up" rides with 2 sets of gear inside or would you say it's only big enough for 1 and quite a bit of gear?

Guy

[TXST_Rider]

This tent is definitely large enough for 2 plus gear. Two doors provide those obvious adantages. The real selling point for two campers is the copious space provided by the truly functional vestibules.

[Yamifj1200]

First off I dont have the Mountain pass 3xte but I do have the Mountain pass 2xte. I have to say this is one tough DRY tent, This past weekend I was in Boone NC and Friday evening we had extremely violent thunderstorms roll through with heavy rain, intense lightning and large hail. Luckily we were under a shelter but I thought with the amount of hail that was comming down it would destroy my new Eureka. After the two hours of bad weather I found my tent in perfect shape, no damage at all and once inside it was completely dry surrounded by 3-4 inches of ice on the ground around the tent. These tents are Highly recomended......

Eric M




This tent is definitely large enough for 2 plus gear. Two doors provide those obvious adantages. The real selling point for two campers is the copious space provided by the truly functional vestibules.

[seamus]

I own 4 Eureka's and other than really high prices for replacement poles they are great tents in almost all weather conditions. P^

[TreeMuncher]

I did a lot of research and thinking before purchasing this tent. Although I have not used it yet, I am very impressed with the design and construction. The venting system appears to be well thought out, entry in rain should keep the inside of the tent dry due to the design of the fly sheet (I doubt the doors could ever get wet), the vestibules are very large & spacious, double doors are convenient and 2 layer mesh & fabric doors only require one zipper to open the door.

During my research, I was never able to find component dimensions or weights. For those of you interested, here it is (minimum dimensions when compressed):

Rods & rod bag 1 lb 12.7 oz 18.5" x 2.5" diameter
Stakes, guy ropes, stake bag 10.4 oz
Gear loft .6 oz
Tent 2 lb 14.5 oz 13" x 5" diameter
Fly 3 lb 5.7 oz 11" x 5.5" diameter
carry bag 2.3 oz 26" x 8" diameter

minimum package size tent, fly, stakes in carry bag* 13"L x 10"w x 6.5"h
*(rods not included in bag)


The only drawback of this tent that I see is the size and weight of the package. This tent is built heavier than the other tents that I have owned but this should provide a much longer service life and less chance of getting wet. The rods fit in my ST sidebags without any problems but they will not fit in my Bestem box without being set on a diagonal (not a problem).

The advantage of this tent is the spaciousness, even for 2 people with gear. I have plenty of head space to sit up in, excessive amounts of vestibule space, well thought out design and build quality. Easy & quick set up too.

Prices are climbing on this tent. Most places are selling it for $200+ but I was able to purchase it for $173 shipped. I feel that the quality of the tent is worth the price. I also considered the Amazon exclusive Juno by Eureka but I doubt that tent is built to the same specs and it did not have the same venting system. I plan to keep this tent for a long time so a few extra bucks for heavier construction and better quality is worth the added cost. It does not pack as small and light as my Alps Mystique 2.0 but the added room, dry entry, huge vestibules make this trade off worth it.

I will report more after I use it a few times in the spring. I'm looking forward to my next event so that I can try it out.

Update: July 2011
Ok, I've used this tent several times at a few different events. I have been one up and two up with the tent. I've used it enough to give a fair report.

Bottom line: for me, this is the best tent that I have ever owned. It is dry in very wet weather, it is more than spacious when camping single and still roomy when two up. I wish that the ventilation system could prevent condensation but that is something that comes with camping - deal with it.
The tent goes up very, very easy, it is stable in windy conditions, the spacious vestibules on both sides make for a dry entry and keep my outside goods protected from the weather. The two entry doors make midnight potty trips better because you don't have to crawl over anyone to exit (if 2 up).

This tent is well made and I expect it will last for many years. I am well satisfied with my purchase and I would make the same purchase again. I would recommend this tent to anyone looking for a quality tent at a reasonable price.

[guymoto]

I just purchased this tent in the 2 man version and got it for $155 to my door. I have only been able to set it up in the yard but it is much easier than my 4 season mountaineering tent I was currently using. I think it packs up quite small given the space you get when set up. From what I have seen it will be more than enough for me solo and I could even use this 2 up given the Vestibules. but if I was planning to go 2 up I would have gotten the 3 man version. I will report more once I use it a few times..

[Bruce Storts]

I appreciate the input from forum members here back when I was tent shopping. I received some input on this tent and a recommendation to check out the ManVenture Outpost as a source and found the best price I had seen on the tent at the time. I purchased this tent there for $144.

This tent has a variety of ventilation management features: Eureka calls it "high-low ventilation" or similar. The rain fly can be pulled out from the base of the tent along the "non-door" sides. Also, there are two flaps in the fly vestibules that can be opened, creating about a 10" tall by 12" wide gap at the furtherest point away from the tent (safe to prevent rain onto the tent). Also, there are 2 small "dormers" at the top of the fly that can be opened or shut. This system works surprisingly well as I will note later. The tent doors are double layer solid and mesh (solid on the inside) with options to open the solid panel as much or as little as one desires to accommodate more - or less - air flow. Sides of the tent are partial mesh to allow air flow and to allow moisture / condensation to escape the tent proper.

Finally, one feature which really attracted me about this tent is an additional pole which one installs across the top, inside the fly. This makes an "eyebrow" in the top of the vestibules on each side so, even if it is raining, one can open the vestibule and the tent will stay dry unless the wind is just simply blowing the rain in at a steep angle.

It was a bit of time before I actually used the tent enough to feel I could share my thoughts, but now I have and here ya go:

I've camped in this tent now 4 nights, temps ranging from high 30's F to low 70's F. I've set it up 4 times (first time in my living room after delivery) and packed it into my ST1100 bags 3 times.

Cold: on the chilly night, I found this tent a bit, um, chilly. It is not a full mesh tent shell, but it does have a fair bit of mesh - and THAT night I could have stood a bit less. I did have the fly battened down as much as I could see to do, and I would still have liked a little less air flow. The good news is there was no condensation inside the tent.

I used this tent on my trip to CampSTOC in Seneca Rocks, WV last weekend. Thursday night in Shady Valley, TN was mild temperatures and a bit humid. When I woke up Friday AM, the inside of the rain fly was fairly wet from condensation, but the tent and my sleeping bag were perfectly dry.

Friday night in Seneca Rocks, WV started of on the warm side. I opened the fly flap on one vestibule, the "dormers" on top, and pulled the sides away form the tent body as much as possible. I then opened the solid panels on the doors about 4" on the bottom. I stayed cool and, again, no dampness in the tent or on my bag. During the night, it rained - and a fair bit (not just a little sprinkle). I am MOST HAPPY to report NO water intrusion! WOOT! First tent I've ever owned that actually does NOT leak! P^

This is a 3 man tent with a LARGE fly housing 2 generous vestibules, so, needless to say, it is NOT the quintessential back-packer tent. It does not pack down extremely small or light, but I knew this going in to the purchase and chose to tolerate this trade off. Even so, I was able pack this tent in my ST1100 side saddlebag with some room to spare (I had a NUMBER of other items in with it).

This tent proved easy to set up and take down working by myself. In addition, the roominess, generous and well protected vestibules, and decent airflow management have proven this to be a choice with which I am well pleased. It also did not hurt my feelings any when, while chatting with a fellow camper in WV and telling him the tent I was using, he interrupted me and emphatically stated, "THAT... is a GOOD tent!"

Count me in the "happy camper" column!
;)

My 2 cents on Eureka tents: They are to beat. My wife and I started camping in 1980's (late) We tried a couple small tents, and there is anyhing like a good rain weed out a tent. We purchased a Eureka Alpine Meadows 4 man. It has 20 years later and it is still working, i new zipper(replaced for free) one new rain fly (my fault impropper care) and a set of crossover poles. We purchased a Kelly to try same thing different (mistake). They nolonger make this still,but would buy another Eurka in a minute

[Bruce Storts]

My 2 cents on Eureka tents: They are hard to beat. My wife and I started camping in 1980's (late) We tried a couple small tents, and there is nothing like a good rain weed out a tent. We purchased a Eureka Alpine Meadows 4 man. It has 20 years later and it is still working, 1new zipper(replaced for free) one new rain fly (my fault impropper care) and a set of crossover poles. We purchased a Kelly to try same thing different (mistake). They no longer make this still,but would buy another Eurka in a minute

bruce

[TXST_Rider]

Used this tent again a couple of weeks ago on my Blue Ridge Gathering run to NC. I tried something a little different when I packed it down for the return trip. I rolled it narrower (and tight!) and I was able to STAND IT UP in the pannier on my ST1100! Of course, I had the tent poles packed separate in my top box.

I am very pleased with this tent, it is my favorite - and my other serious tent is a Mountain Hardware 2 man.

Happy moto-camping! (Sure wish I had time to do more of it...)

- kbt