New for this coming autumn, the Mountainsmith Mountain Dome 2 tent is neither super light nor architecturally radical. But with a solid design, good price, and modular setup options we see big market potential for the three-pole dome.
Its hub-based pole system is intuitive and easy to set up. The tent body is made largely of mesh for lots of ventilation, which is also encouraged by large vestibules and vents in the rainfly. The inside is spacious, with storage for personal items right where you want it and plenty of room for two adults.
I spent a night camping in this to-be-released model and expect it to be a popular choice of those looking at one tent that can fill a lot of roles.
The Gear: Mountainsmith Mountain Dome 2 (also available in 3-person model)
Price: $239 ($269 for 3-person model)
Available: January 2015
First Impressions: Easy to set up with color-coded poles and attachment points and a very effective “hub” system that holds poles together and upright even without the tent body attached.
Once staked and guyed, the tent is taut and stable. A light rain fell on the tent overnight during my test, and as expected it didn’t leak a drop. The polyester fly (less stretchy than nylon) remained tight even when wet.
