By TrickyNick from Hillsborough, NJ on 9/28/2008

I used this tent to camp out at the Nor'easter in two full days of rain. The Star 2+ succeeded in keeping me and all of my stuff bone dry. The fly extends past the base of the tent on all sides, so any water running off falls clear of the tent itself. Not only did it stand up to the rain, but it maintained its waterproofness. Other tents I've owned became saturated and slowly begin to let water permeate through. The same can be said for the floor. The tarp I laid beneath it had water pooled in it and even where the tent floor appeared wet, it could not be felt through the material. It is very easy to set up/tear down after a few dry runs. I bought this tent with the intentions of using it alone, in which case the interior space is more than sufficient, though I can see how two people could be a little cramped. The two vestibules provide ample room for gear with large doors for easy in/out. I also like the glow-in-the-dark rings on the ceiling for hanging things. I am very pleased with this tent.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

By Geezer Boy from Upstate rural New York, Alleghenies on 8/6/2008

There are many extras on this tent and the materials and especially the design are first rate. I would call this a perfect one person tent, not really for two except for minimalist users who don't mind being cramped, with their gear outside, under the fly rather than inside. But it is as bombproof, waterproof, and windproof a 3 season tent as any I've had. In other words, this is a tent I trust in extreme wind and rain. This is my eleventh tent . I live in my tents most of the summer. Mine was 6 pounds 2 ounces complete, out of the box, a little heavier than described, but that's not bad for a tent I can backpack in and *trust 100% when others' tents are collapsing in the wind and rain and the potential first snowfalls of the year in the Adirondack High Peaks.* That's worth a lot. The net areas on the roof are nice for starry nights. Easy setup on this tent also. I was disappointed that it is not really freestanding: you will need stakes unless there is no breeze and you don't need the fly. This tent replaces my worn-out Stephenson which cost over twice as much and which went around the world for years. Did I mention the excellent materials and construction?

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

By Coop from Boise, ID on 7/28/2008

I took this tent up for a backpacking trip in the Sawtooth Mountain range in ID. While it is a bit heavier than I'd like, splitting up the load made it more than bearable. Setup was simple and didn't require much time (and able to be done by one person- which I did while my boyfriend was busy gathering firewood).

One thing I didn't like was that the pole construction led to an odd distribution of space. Right above your head when you lay down the wall comes in, hovering just above your head. Not ideal for the claustrophobic sleeper like my boyfriend, and it left a large amount of space up top. If you had a gear loft it would hold quite a bit, but with the large vestibules as well, it just seemed like wasted space to me.

That is my only complaint. For the extra weight, it made up for it with ample room (besides the cons stated above). Having 2 doors made it nice to get up in the middle of the night and not have to stumble over someone else. And with so much vestibule room, there was space for our packs, shoes, and the dog under there as well. I know she surely appreciated the shelter as much as much as we did.

I was on a week long hike and there was a storm with high wind and rain the tent held up great. I had zero leaks. The times that it was raining and was able to leave the fly off was nice with wind blowing threw the tent. I hope if you get this you enjoy it as much as do.

By happy camper from Golden, co. on 7/13/2008

Tent ceiling did not properly connect to poles. But I love the idea of just using the fly and foot print as my shelter. Pray for no bugs

By patti-cakes from Connnecticut on 7/2/2008

In warm rainy weather I found the tent to be stuffy with the fly in place haven't used it when not rainy. Too small for two people.

By JD from Manchester, NH on 6/23/2008

One feature that I loved about this tent was the mesh roof so one could gaze at the stars at night. As luck would have it, every single time I used it, it rained. On the plus side, the rain fly is effective! I found the tent very easy to set up (once you practice it at home) and takes 5-10 minutes. Its not the lightest tent on the market but for the price its a great deal. The two entrances is great and there is enough room under the rain fly to store things outside. There is adequate room inside and there are a bunch of glow in the dark rings which make good places to hang a light on.

[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

By Mannington from New Haven, CT on 6/4/2008

We recently tried the Star 2+ on a small section of the AT in Connecticut that we hike frequently and the tent performed well. It is not the lightest tent on the market, but when we compared this particular tent to others on the market we found that for a few more ounces we were afforded the luxury or more room inside and more room in the 2 identical vestibules. Actually this two person rated tent had more room than most other 3 person tents. With that room we were able to sleep comfortably, play a few hands of Rummy 500 and store our packs, while still having a separate entrance for entering and exiting the tent. Included in the stake bag we found a few handy adjustable lines that we later used to rig a small headlamp inside the tent and illuminate the entire space. I would recommend this tent to everyone from backpackers to weekend adventurers.

By Karli and Stephen from Connecticut on 6/4/2008

I am a recreational hiker, and although I love the outdoors, I can really appreciate luxury and comfort as well. The EMS Star 2+ tent provides the best of both worlds. It is lightweight, yet durable. Very easy to set up and once inside, it is extremely accommodating and comfortable. The best part is that I know that this tent will grow with my experience! I would recommend this tent to both the novice and experienced hiker

I wanted a tent that packed small, but wasn't like climbing into a candy bar wrapper. I camp out of a kayak mostly, so I need good, small gear. The star 2 plus has large side entry doors that make it easy to climb in and out without dragging mud in with you. The fly gives lots of vestibule on both sides for storage. Plenty of room to remove and store muddy shoes. Stayed perfectly dry on a rainy weekend. The fly has a large foot print though, so you need lots of space to set it up, but all in all a great tent for the price.

Took this with my family up to Twin Mtn, NH near White Mountains. Rest of my family plus one guest was in our camper and I jumped at the opportunity to sleep in a tent instead. I'm a tall guy (almost 6ft 4in) and fit perfectly without having to align myself diagonally. LOVE the glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls for ease of entry! I slept alone and agree with previous review that it will likely be cozy if two people are using this tent, but the outdoors should bring people together. Thought twin vestibules would provide lots of room for people that need them. Slept through ~3 hrs of somewhat mild rain and fly seemed to protect me really well. Overall great tent and was easy to set up once I went through the frustrating process of understanding their directions at home and pitching it at home.

Jane and I are just returning to camping and wanted something that was minimal in size and easy to pitch. This tent fits the bill. Not much room inside, so if you're camping with someone you'd better be on good terms. Had good weather so can't testify to how it handles rain, etc.

Happy trails.