Gossamer Gear The Two Assessment

Backside Line

For an unbeatable worth for its weight, the Two is a tent targeted on trade-offs that ought to entice a selected sort of ultralight backpacker. Whereas we imagine this tent serves a distinct segment market, it’s not significantly massive. Nevertheless, inside that area of interest, we predict it’s implausible and may make many individuals very joyful on their adventures. For basic suggestions, we imagine most individuals are higher off both saving up for a extra versatile tent or choosing a inexpensive choice that gives better consolation and sturdiness. We offer examples of each in our information to the finest ultralight tents. 

For starters, The Two feels cramped. Each by way of numbers and practicality, the 26 sq. toes of ground house isn’t essentially the most comfy, particularly for taller folks. The ground is just 84 inches, and with steeply sloping partitions, the usable size is even much less. When testing aspect by aspect with different tents in native parks within the Midwest, this was the one the place we felt essentially the most claustrophobic. Nevertheless, it does supply a very outstanding quantity of lateral headroom as a result of its slanted trekking pole design, one thing we respect. However that headroom additionally means The Two is disproportionately extensive, which makes it battle much more within the wind. This isn’t our favourite shelter for weathering storms within the rain, and the shortage of vents means it gained’t be nice in areas vulnerable to condensation both. Including to that is the 10d material used for each the fly and the ground, leaving us with a shelter that balances many trade-offs.

Nevertheless, simply as The Two can’t run from its spec sheet, we will’t deny that it presents one thing that nothing else can: a outstanding worth and weight mixture. For many individuals, that’s prone to be sufficient. The Two isn’t a nasty shelter in any respect; it simply isn’t targeted on interesting to everybody. So, if after studying by way of all its drawbacks you’re nonetheless , we imagine it’s an important tent, simply not as a basic advice.

Consolation

For a shelter targeted on being as inexpensive and light-weight as attainable, The Two makes some sacrifices in consolation that can be worthwhile for fanatics or smaller customers. The first problem is the restricted inside footprint, measuring simply over 26 sq. toes of space- the smallest of any two-person tent in our lineup. Mixed with the sloping aspect partitions frequent in A-frame fashion tents that prohibit inside livability, The Two finally feels smaller than every other two-person tent in our choice. 

In some methods, we perceive what Gossamer Gear is doing right here. They’re pursuing the lightest attainable weights with silnylon and smaller dimensions to shave off some ounces. For shorter people, this gained’t be a problem, however when our 5’11” tester positioned themselves on a 2.5-inch pad in a 20-degree quilt, the footbox was practically touching the wall, as was their head.

Luckily, the width is ample to accommodate two folks, and the lateral headroom is superb. Gossamer Gear designs their tents with aspect partitions that slope away from the top space, offering 64 inches of lateral headroom regardless that the ground is just 48 inches at its widest level. The peak of 43 inside inches is once more on the smaller aspect, however it is sufficient to stop us from feeling cramped when stretching or altering garments.

The 2 doorways are small as a result of tent’s total smaller dimensions, however they characteristic comfy #3 zippers and will be tied again with easy toggle mechanisms. These result in massive vestibules secured by waterproof #3 zippers. Pockets subsequent to the door are spacious and user-friendly, simply accommodating our headlamp, telephone, battery financial institution, and cables. Much less encouraging is the absence of any air flow.

With no peak vents, The Two accumulates condensation extra simply than different tents, and as a result of single-wall design and small inside, it’s simple to brush towards the innermost layer. Moreover, because the tent is made completely of silnylon, it’s going to finally sag when moist, which means {that a} wall that was beforehand held away from the top or foot space will steadily creep downwards on significantly humid nights.

In apply, we haven’t examined The Two in humid circumstances sufficiently to make claims about how this impacts real-world livability. Nevertheless, the specs make us cautious.

Weight

With an astonishingly low weight of 25.3 ounces after we measured it, the Two stands out in a category of its personal amongst silnylon tents. Nothing else comes shut, as it’s nearer in weight to Dyneema Composite Fiber tents that price double the value. 

Silnylon is a time-tested materials with a superb strength-to-weight ratio. Nevertheless, the explanation no different silnylon tent comes shut is that Gossamer Gear makes use of an ultra-thin 10d material for each the cover and ground. This definitely decreases the load, however raises critical issues about sturdiness that we are going to focus on later. One other good thing about silnylon is its nice packed measurement, and when rolled up, The Two measures 5×11 inches.

Ease of Use

Like many A-frame tents, the Two is simple to arrange and use. With 4 nook stakes and trekking poles close to the doorways, we achieved an important pitch on the primary attempt. In the event you’re not accustomed to establishing trekking pole tents, it’s essential to notice that it’ll take a while to get used to the method.

After a number of makes an attempt, we discover trekking pole tents as simple (if not simpler) than conventional pole tents. In the event you don’t hike with trekking poles, Gossamer Gear sells pole units on the applicable size, which is able to improve the general weight by 5.7 ounces for each poles.

The small doorways make ease of use considerably trickier than these of different shelters with bigger doorways, however our total expertise with The Two was easy and uncomplicated. We imagine anybody can grasp it with out an excessive amount of issue.

Climate Resistance

With a traditional design, The Two ought to carry out adequately in most climate circumstances encountered on the path, however sure design decisions counsel it wouldn’t be our first choice for extreme climate. The first problem is the massive back and front panels that catch wind extra successfully than most shelters. Whereas it presents wonderful headroom, The Two can also be wider than different A-frame tents. 

This exposes a big space of unsupported material on the head and foot ends. Whereas there’s a panel pull for attaching a supporting guyline, it might probably supply solely restricted assist to the material. Throughout our backpacking journey within the Alps, close to the border of Switzerland and France, we confronted a summer time storm that swept by way of the peaks, flattening a number of tents of these surrounding us. The Two was amongst them, and watching the large panels battle towards the wind didn’t instill confidence that this tent was appropriate for storms. 

As a big caveat, we imagine that distinctive wind resistance shouldn’t be the first objective of this tent. Gossamer Gear even mentions of their FAQ that The Two would require some further effort to resist windy circumstances. 

We like to see producers be open concerning the limitations of their tents and supply useful recommendation. This tent is designed with a deal with excessive weight financial savings for reasonable climate circumstances, and sturdy storm worthiness is just not throughout the design scope. For folks mountaineering in areas that solely expertise occasional storms, or much less extreme winds, The Two ought to carry out adequately.

Sturdiness

As talked about above, the 10d silnylon ground and rainfly are among the many thinnest supplies used within the business. Gossamer Gear is understood for its wonderful manufacturing high quality, however that gained’t compensate for skinny supplies that merely aren’t designed to carry up in addition to thicker ones. We get the impression that that is the purpose of the shelter. 

It’s not meant to be a sturdy fortress or to resist careless use. It’s supposed for individuals who can be making many different tradeoffs to maintain issues light-weight, and the decrease sturdiness of this tent is simply one other tradeoff consistent with their different decisions. If that sounds such as you, then the sturdiness provided right here ought to be passable.

That mentioned, that is on the decrease finish of sturdiness amongst all our shelters. We haven’t taken it on a full thru-hike to evaluate the way it holds up over days of use, however we’d particularly advise warning concerning the ground when utilizing it on rocky or onerous terrain. 

Gossamer Gear recommends utilizing a groundsheet like polycryo. Whereas groundsheets will be light-weight, they nonetheless add further ounces and complexity to setup; nonetheless, we imagine it’s extra of a necessity than a desire with this tent if you need it to final.

Ought to You Purchase the Gossamer Gear The Two Tent?

Greater than different ultralight tents, The Two is about trade-offs. Among the many metrics we use to judge our tents, The Two sacrifices livability, climate resistance, and sturdiness in pursuit of attaining an unbelievable worth and weight mixture. It’s not essentially the most inexpensive two-person tent available on the market, however the one different to attaining this weight is to spend double the cash on a Dyneema Composite Material shelter. That’s spectacular.

Nevertheless, it additionally highlights one other problem: the query to think about is, “Why do folks trouble with these DCF tents if The Two is almost as gentle for half the value?” The reply is that these different tents don’t compromise livability, climate resistance, or sturdiness to the identical extent as The Two. In truth, a number of the most livable and sturdy shelters we examined had been constructed from DCF. The tough place The Two finds itself in is that for most individuals in search of a shelter at this weight, it’s wiser to save lots of up extra and spend money on one thing extra comfy, sturdy, and weather-resistant. Moreover, these shelters are even lighter, which means that these pursuing actually ultralight weights will typically overlook The Two.

We don’t wish to be overly unfavorable right here; there’s a particular sort of one who would actually thrive utilizing The Two. In the event you usually journey with a accomplice, are shorter, are on a funds, hike in honest climate, and take further care together with your gear, then this selection is superb. Deciding on a very good match for an ultralight tent is all about understanding the trade-offs concerned. There is no such thing as a magic “finest tent ever” and there by no means can be, however The Two definitely has a distinct segment that may delight many individuals.

What Different Ultralight Tents Ought to You Take into account?

If the Gossamer Gear The Two isn’t the proper match, our finest ultralight tents information has many different choices.

3FUL Lanshan Professional 2 Assessment: For most individuals pursuing ultralight weights on a funds, the Lanshan 2 Professional is a better option than The Two. It’s seven ounces heavier however considerably cheaper, because it is without doubt one of the few tents that outperforms The Two by way of worth and weight mixture. We discovered it extra spacious and comfy to make use of, due to its bigger footprint, taller peak peak, peak vents, and improved doorways. Whereas it’s not as prime quality – Gossamer Gear has top-notch stitching – it could be extra sturdy as a result of its 20d nylon ground and 15d rainfly, offered these materials are of respectable high quality.

Durston X-Mid Professional 2+ Assessment: In case your curiosity in The Two stems primarily from its unbelievable weight however you’re keen to save lots of a bit extra, the X-Mid Professional 2+ demonstrates how light-weight and comfy backpacking will be. With a powerful 32.5 sq. toes of ground house, a beneficiant 49 inches of peak, and a extra volumetrically environment friendly design, this was essentially the most comfy two-person tent we examined. Though it’s priced at double that of The Two and solely sheds 3.5 ounces, the consolation enhancements – particularly for taller people – justify the funding. We imagine that most individuals are higher off saving up and investing in a tent they’ll genuinely stay up for utilizing on the finish of the day, significantly in the event that they plan to take it on a via hike.

Gossamer Gear The One Assessment: In the event you favored the thought of The Two however want it had been designed for one individual, we’ve obtained nice information: the appropriately named The One exists! That includes the identical benefits and trade-offs as The Two, it maintains a small footprint, presents nice headroom, has poor sturdiness, shows middling climate resistance, and boasts an unbeatable weight for the value. One benefit over The Two is its higher air flow, because it doesn’t have two vestibules; nonetheless, the draw back is that it performs even worse in wind than its bigger sibling. Nonetheless, we imagine it’s going to enchantment to the identical sort of people that would love The Two. 

Floorless Perimeter Internet Shelters: We often don’t make suggestions like this, however for the kind of individual that The Two appeals to, we imagine that contemplating floorless perimeter internet shelters could be extra wise. Since The Two includes important tradeoffs, we encourage folks to make one main tradeoff – a ground – for substantial advantages in different areas. This ends in a notable enchancment to livability, extra sturdy supplies, elevated affordability, entry to backpacks with out sacrificing bug safety, and enhanced climate safety. With perimeter bug netting, you’ll obtain solely modest bug safety, and sometimes you’ll want a groundsheet, however apart from that, it’s fairly ample. For these pursuing the lightest weights on the most inexpensive costs, this route is your best option, and we really feel these choices surpass The Two in their very own area. Examples of tents on this class embrace the Tarptent Preamble, Six Moon Designs Owlhee, Black Diamond Betalight, and for a single-person ultralight choice, Gossamer Gear presents The Whisper, used personally by their founder. Though these shelters aren’t for everybody – a motive we didn’t make a basic advice in our ultralight tent information – we imagine they could be significantly interesting to those that respect The Two.