So, when I purchased a half price on sale tent from Rock and Run I was delighted.
Being a fan of MSR their top pf the range tents had often been an object of desire but with pricing at £700 for a Carbon reflex 3 I thought it would always be beyond my ability to justify a purchase. Then came along Rock and Run with a half price sale! £350! I was in...
That was over a year ago and along came the knee jerk reaction causing a crisis response to Covid 19, which remains a virus with an overall 99.7% survival rate and of course the lockdowns. I was unable to use my new tent and especially not able to use it on my planned north to south trek through the centre of Iceland in July 2020.
Thank God!
Thank god because I would likely have trusted MSR and not pitched it first, flying out with it and using it in anger in Iceland, for the first time. Well, I have used it, two weekends ago in fact, and it is absolutely not fit for purpose.
It's a three season tent but I will have to say it is a zero season tent as any wind or any rain will cause serious problems. You see it has an innovative but totally crap flysheet closure system. Two hooks and two short pieces of velcro, and not industrial velcro at that.
In the photo above you can see the fly being pitched with a gaping hole down one side. This hole is repeated on the other side as it has two openings. In wind the hooks become loosened and come apart as they are just a hook and a loop with non closure system. The velcro then comes apart and hey ho, t's like having no flysheet but with the noise of the flysheet flapping about!
And then the rain. Even in calm conditions the rain seeps in but in windy with the flapping about the rain soaks the inner tent and anything contained inside.
What The Fuck Were They Thinking?
I have sent the tent back to Rock and Run with the demand that they make MSR close up one entrance and add a zip to the other, or add zips to both and to have a re think about their design, which is not gaining much in the way of favour from commentators across the internet review sites.
Fingers crossed.
I want the tent back. It remains a remarkably light and spacious tent and if I have to I will personally stitch in more fly and add full length industrial velcro to ensure an all night long and watertight seal.
What Are They Fucking Thinking?
They are still selling this fly as I have described. Criminal design and could lead to very many uncomfortable if not dangerous nights.
I've lost a weekend camping, was meant to be out last weekend but I had to cancel that trip as I only had the MSR with me and I did not trust it to work for me in Wales in May. That kind says it all...
Join Us!