EPE Spartan tent

[clelander]

First post after much lurking and searching among the many interesting topics here...

In short, EPE Spartan 1 Person Ultralight Hiking Tent. 3000mm fly, 5000mm floor. Seems pretty impressive stats for a $135 tent.

Has anyone used one and can provide some feedback? I'm after a 3 season lightweight hiking tent for non-alpine Australia year round.

[christophermoore]

I reckon the ventilation would be terrible, leading to lots of condensation in the morning.

[Strider]

No vestibule either. Fine if you're ok with storing dirty/wet gear inside your tent, and don't need to cook anything.

[Franco]

There are two main reasons for condensation in this type of design;
1) your mouth tends to be very close to the fly (particularly if using a thick mat) so it does not have much of a chance to disperse before hitting the fly.
2) they usually have a largish vestibule and again because of the shape it can collect a lot of ground evaporation.
This particular tent shuld mitigate N1 a bit because of the fabric inner and it does not have a vestibule .
It is rather long at 3m but apart from platforms it is usually easier to find room for a wedge like that then a square end.
Franco

[roysta]

Nice to see tent makers playing on nonsense, like light weight and nothing else.
I'll stick to that Soulo at 2.2kg knowing that condensation is zero and the tent will be standing in the morning no matter where I am.

[Franco]

knowing that condensation is zero

I have never seen or heard of a tent that gets 0 condensation...
Of course in some situations most tents get 0 condensation, but in others all tents get some.
Even very expensive ones , same reason why a parked Porsche will be wet some mornings just as much as an humble Barina next to it.
BTW, the Soulo delivered to AU is about 5x the cost of the one the OP had in mind.
Franco

[Chrikka]

Just bought one a couple of weeks ago but havent used it. Tested it in the backyard with about 30mins of the hose on it and no leaks, so it passes the first test. I was impressed by the weight and packed size but again no real field experience,,,,am uber excited about putting it to use though. Wasnt worried about vestibule as for the weight savings dont really need one. I did however make a footprint out of blue tarp like material from Bunnings for about $10 all up so that should save the floor. Keep in touch if anyone tests it.

[Dale]

A good way to reduce condensation in tents is to hold your breath all night, or pitch the tent and sleep in a hut.

Clelander, not seen the Spartan before but sure looks like good value. If you pull the trigger on it be sure to publish a review. Good luck with your selection.

[mattmacman]

I think that the tent design has allot of potential, there's definitely flaws but I think with some improvements to the design it could fit a niche.
I think that if the tent were pitch as one (with an pole sleeve in the fly), and they incorporated a small vestibule by making the pole larger and having a larger fly width that the inner did not take up completely. I would love to see something like that.

[stepbystep]

Nice to see tent makers playing on nonsense, like light weight and nothing else.
I'll stick to that Soulo at 2.2kg knowing that condensation is zero and the tent will be standing in the morning no matter where I am.

My understanding is that the Soulo is actually pretty bad compared to many other tents for condensation....

[roysta]

There must be two Soulos out there then, I've had some bad tents for condensation through the years, but the Hilleberg Soulo I own isn't among them.

[Mark F]

The Spartan is a copy of a model offered by one of the US UL gear manufacturers - I can't immediately think of their name - and I seem to have seen it elsewhere. The design is quite good and requires minimal pegs and is a reasonable weight for the price. My take is that in rain the inner will get wet every time you open the door and the tent has to be very long because of the pointed ends to get adequate width.

When you do the trigonometry on the design you will find that only 1.7 m of the total length has 60 cm or more width at floor level and this decreases quite quickly as you move above ground level and away from the centre. I always consider the width 30cm above the floor as this is a minimum height that my mat, quilt and body will fit under. Similarly the height of the inner above the floor is 60cm or less if there is any sag in the inner - so < 30 cm from your face when sleeping.

If you are tall or large then you may find it a bit tight so do try it out with a sleeping bag and mat before plonking down your dollars.

No - I won't suggest you buy a Hilleberg - I don't have a desperate need to justify my purchasing decisions.

[Strider]

The Spartan is a copy of a model offered by one of the US UL gear manufacturers - I can't immediately think of their name - and I seem to have seen it elsewhere.

It looks somewhat similar to the Lightheart Gear Solo. Although the Spartan uses an arch pole, whereas the Solo sets up with trekking poles.

[Franco]

it's a single hoop design, yes nothing new.
You may be thinking of the ID Sildome (Canadian) in that case it appears to be the same but it isn't.(trapezoid foot print)

The Mont Bell Crescent is more like it (Japan)
There is also copy of the Wanderlust Nomad Light made that is somewhat like that but using trekking poles .

There was also a Dana Design Javelina, that also used trekking poles...
Somehow I think one of the brands that MSR absorbed (not Moss nor Walrus , can't remember the name...) also had one.

never mind. It was Armadillo but the pole was on the long side...

Franco
I see Strider though along the same lines..

[Mark F]

Thanks Franco, it's the Mont Bell I was thinking of. I have a few pieces of their clothing - now non-exportable from US. It is interesting how larger corporations in the land of the "free" can restrict others from free trade while that bastion of socialist ideology the EU prevents such actions.

[north-north-west]

Nice to see tent makers playing on nonsense, like light weight and nothing else.
I'll stick to that Soulo at 2.2kg knowing that condensation is zero and the tent will be standing in the morning no matter where I am.

My understanding is that the Soulo is actually pretty bad compared to many other tents for condensation....

I'd be surprised. Not that I've ever used one but, with the vent in the ceiling, it should logically breathe better than a tent with lower vents.
My Salewa Sierra Ultra II had high level vents too, and I never had an issue with condensation in it.

[Chris8546]

Iv'e had one of these for about a year and cant really fault it. It's light, compact and waterproof. It goes up in about 2 mins and comes down in half that time.
Thus far I haven't had any significant condensation issues and Ive used it in every season on multiple occasions.
There isn't a lot of space inside, once it's set up. My sleeping pad and bag fills up about 90% of the available internal space. I keep my backpack inside the fly sheet by pegging one end at a 90 degree angle, thus providing a small vestibule type scenario. My pack is pretty large (90L) but it fits well in said place and stays dry.
There should be a photo attached that shows it set up in a live camping situation.
For people who want something lightweight and compact (all packed up it fits easily inside my pack) you really cant go wrong for the price. A big thumbs up from me!

[Neo]

I still like my Spartan 2 even though I then upgraded/downsized to a Tarptent.

Good design an build, OK materials just 'heavy'.

[DESERT ROSE]

I have the Spartan 2 picked it up for $90 on gumtree i'm the budget hiker- used it in high wind and rain on Kangaroo Island, *&%$#! perfect, enough room to spread out the gear, i really like the zip and velcro on the double fly entrance points, very accessible and heaps of room to leave your boots in the dry. Repacked mine in a sleeping bag compression sack and stuffed the fly in my pack with the poles in side pocket.
Cant fault it love it.