Eureka! Backpacking-Tents Apex

I went on a 2 day hike with my father-in-law up the Estrella mountain in Phoenix, AZ. The mountain peak is over 4500 ft in elevation and base starts at just around 1100 ft. I purchased this tent specifically for this trip and am glad to say I will be using this tent more in the future. I don't take hiking lightly and this tent held up to my specs. If you are interested in the conditions I put this tent through than read the next paragraph. If not than skip to the pros and cons below:As previously stated my father-in-law and I went on a hike that was around 3500 ft change in elevation. We were in the dead middle of the desert hiking this mountain. There are no streams, rivers, or lakes nearby. We had to carry everything from rope, tent, sleeping bag, 2 gallons of water, and weapons (rattle snakes, coyotes, mountains lions, etc). This trip was not a light as we carried 45 lbs packs (each) in an all rocky terrain going up hill the entire time. If you are interested in seeing the terrain just google search (Quartz Peak Trail in Phoenix, Arizona). There is a lady who created a youtube video of the entire hike (4-5 different 10 min videos. She did speed up parts of the video to save a lot of time) This tent had positives and negatives that I would like to point out during this trip.Below are a few pros and cons that I would like to cover:Pros:- The tent alone is fairly lightweight without the cover. So if you know it will not rain I suggest leaving the cover behind- Cover is a durable material (If you need to tot it along that is. I brought the cover along even though I knew it was not going to rain. The cover turned into a great sun shade in the later afternoon)- Awesome ventilation- Majority is a mesh material to star gaze at night (this was an awesome feature to star gaze in the Arizona Desert)- There are a 2 pockets in the tent to place small belongings- Hoop to hang a flashlight inside the tent (that is what I used it for)Cons:- The floor on the tent is a thin, lightweight material. I was scared a rock would puncture the floor. Before the trip I measured a piece of material to place below the tent. I would have rather the tent weighed .25 to .5 lbs more and the material for the floor be more durable.- Provide options for different colors (I don't necessarily like how much the yellow stands out (small complaint and not at the top of my priority list)As one can see the tent provided more pros than cons. I am going to use this tent again for this terrain (I will be leaving the rain cover behind next time).

This is the best tent I have ever had. I have used this tent for about 3 years camping off my dual sport and adventure touring motorcycles. The thing I love most about he tent is how easy it is to unpack and set up as well and take down and repack. It takes my wife and I 5 min to do so. My tent is up before my buddies even have theirs unpacked. It also packs down small and is easy to get back in the bag it comes in unlike most tents. I have used this tent from 30 to 80 plus degrees many times and only one time did I have any condensation in the tent. That was the only issue I have had with it. I have not used the tent in any strong wind or heavy rain but I am confident it would hold up fine proving the correct use of seam sealer or whatever waterproofing procedure you use for a tent which is a fact with any tent no matter how expensive. I love the two vestibules to store or boots and things out of sight and the weather as well. There are many lighter weight tents out there but at over twice the price for just a little less weight. Weight on a motorcycle was not as big of a deal as it is backpacking but the packing size is. The tent has plenty of room for two people to sleep comfortably and even with a little gear inside. If I were to go back and buy a tent again I would go with the 3xt for the extra room. The packing size is just another inch diameter and same length plus a little more weight. If this tent ever wears out we will be getting another eureka apex, but probably the 3xt. I see no reason to even look at any other tents.I am now going on 5 or 6 years using this tent and it has been great. I am now doing some backpacking with tent and thought I would update a little. This tent works for backpacking with two people but is not ideal. To get it into my 65 liter pack I have to ditch the original stuff sack and roll it up differently and put my poles in the outside. Its also still a bit heavy and bulky for backpacking. Its fine for me since my trips are only a time or two a year and we split the tent between two packs but I was buying a tent specifically for backpacking I would look at other eureka tents like the apex 2 (not XT model) which has 1 door and vestibule. This would save considerable bulk and weight. Also the longer I have the tent the more issues I have with condensation, This tent is no worse than any other in its price range but Its not fun waking up on a 30 degree morning and my down bag is soaked with condensation. To be fair it was starting to mist rain so humidy was very high. My next tent I will be looking for 1 door/vestibule and all mesh under the rain fly.