EMS Velocity 1 Tent

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Velocity 1 Tent:

Overall a great product. Its very lightweight and well constructed. I recently used it on the nankoweap trail in the Grand canyon. It was 103 deg and the tent ventilated well W/O rainfly attached. Sleeping under the stars was great. I felt every breeze blow thru the mesh top. I am 5'11" and the tent length fit well, but if you are any taller I would reconsider since I was end to end. I was also able to sit up and get dressed inside. My only real concern are the jakes feat. Here in AZ, sun and heat kills plastic. I have been reassured from EMS that I will have no problems because the plastic is infused with Nylon. They seem very sturdy yet flexible so far. Unfortunatley EMS doesn't carry any tent replacment parts except for the Jakes feet. Any of the unusual clips that attach to the polls are unavailable? This I don't like because eventually you will break them. I have a Kelty tent that is over 11 years old and is still an awsome buy. I recently broke a clip and they sent me 2 replacments on a discontinued tent after a decade!! EMS should follow suit especially for the price. I like to get years out of my gear and fix it in the field if need be. This is really my only complaint is lack of support.

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Velocity 1 Tent:

I used this tent 100+ times while thru hiking the AT in 2011. I was able to easily set it up in the dark. It withstood heavy winds, downpours, even a little snow. A couple of mornings it was covered in ice. It held together over five months of my abuse, the abuse of the trail, the mud, rocks and dirt. If you are skinny, not claustrophobic and a lightweight, bug proof, tough shelter is important to you then this is the product. Enjoy!

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Velocity 1 Tent:

I've used this on a number spring-fall backpacks, multiple nights each time and found this to be a great piece of gear. I have never used any other solo tents, so i don't have a lot to compare to but can't imagine something else being much better. It's got plenty of room for me (5' 11", 150), huge vestibule (bigger than some of my 2-person tents, plenty of room for pack, boots, stove, etc.), goes up easy, packs small, is light and super weather proof. Don't know what else you could ask for. Well thought out design.

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Velocity 1 Tent:

I only used the tent on 3 different trips, each 2 nights long. At the very top of the tent the screen is ripping. I am very careful with my gear bc I have OCD. It looks like it just riped due to the stretch that takes place during pitching the tent, very disapointed bc of the money and its a really cool tent.

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Velocity 1 Tent:

I've used this tent on a handful of overnight trips as well as a three day three night trip to eagle cap wilderness. Overall the tent design is well thought out and solidly constructed, however the bottom of the tent now has a puncture wound. I don't know exactly when it happened, but my best guess is that a stick or a sharp rock rubbed through due to me shifting around inside the tent. I did buy the footprint, which can be semi-permanently attached (awesome feature), but the material is too thin. Although it's true that lightweight backpacking gear needs to be treated with care, I believe EMS chose a nylon weave that was not abrasion resistant enough to withstand normal use (this goes for both the tent bottom and the footprint, as they both have holes in them). Still, this doesn't deter me from recommending this product.

Tent setup: super easy to do by yourself... No problems.

Internal space: adequate for someone under 6 feet tall and thinly built. READ: it is a very compact setup... If you sleep on your side, curled up, you will be touching the sides of the tent. Also, there is no way to store your backpack inside the tent body. However, the tent vestibule is generously sized (I had no problem fitting my 65 liter pack and boots inside with room to shift them out of the way for entry and exit).

Rain Fly: it works. My buddy and I endured an hour and a half long thunderstorm inside our tents... No leaks to report. It also has two top vents that seem to work well.

Sturdy-ness: durning the aforementioned T-Storm, the winds gusted to maybe 20 MPH and the tent showed no signs of buckling. I have the utmost confidence in the structural integrity of this tent.

Internal storage: ample. It has 4 mesh pockets located near floor level (two at the head and two at the foot) as well as a suspended mesh gear holder overhead for things like a map, your reading or a sleeping bag compression sack.

Overall: it's a great tent that satisfies my single person needs more than adequately.

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Velocity 1 Tent:

I really like the tent EH! So far everything about the tent is as advertised except one thing, unless I have it wrong. I don't see how you can set the tent up with fly and footprint only without undoing the clips off the tent and using them and then reinstalling them back on the tent later. I'm either mistaken or the advertising is a bit misleading. Otherwise good tent EH!