Want to know if this tent is worth purchasing?
Are you on the fence, wondering if it lives up to the description that the manufacturers claim?
Watch me in my MSR Elixir 2 Person Tent review as I debunk everything this tent offers, find the true quality of it, then provide my honest opinion.
Bad Feedback For No Reason?
Summary:
This tent has a small number of people giving it bad reviews for little things that don’t really matter – hence why it doesn’t have as big of a reputation that it deserves. However, with all that aside, it’s highly wind and rain-resistant and constructed of high quality material, so it’s bound to last a long time.
Pros | Cons |
|
|
Specs
Product name: MSR Elixir 2-Person Tent
Cheapest place to buy: Amazon.com
Color: Red/White
Sleeps: 2
Season: 3
Trail Weight: 3.9 pounds
Packed Weight: 4.10 pounds
Center Height: 3.3 feet
Floor Size: 7 x 4.1 feet
Floor Area: 29 Sq. ft
Gear Loft Included: No
Footprint Included: Yes
Brief Overview
The MSR Elixir 2 Person Tent is light enough to go backpacking with and surprisingly easy to setup/take down.
It’s been described as the “most livable” backpacking tent in its class, and that’s due to the many features it provides.
There are two large doors and two vestibules to go with them, providing spacious, water-resistant areas for your backpacks and boots.
The frame has specifically been created to provide warmth (with solid fabric), along with mesh for ventilation, stopping condensation building up, and of course privacy – which I think is a great design if you ask me.
And yes, this tent does come with a footprint protector, providing multiple setup options!
This means it can be pitched without the body, JUST the rain fly, stakes and footprint – a good choice for in the summer time.
The Fast & Light Feature (no tent body)
Features
Double Vestibules – It’s great to get a tent with a vestibule area, but even better when you come across one with 2 of them. They are bigger than your traditional vestibule areas as well
Double Doors – Two doors when you’re camping with other people makes staying in the outdoors so much easier and better, one reason why I religiously search for this feature when I’m shopping for a new tent 😛
Easy Set Up – You will find that there are color-coded poles, clips and webbing, and even a freestanding design – specifically created to make this tent easy to setup in a fast amount of time
Fast & Light Setup – If being incredibly easy to setup isn’t enough, the Fast & Light features means you can stay out in the warmer months and sleep under the stars, literally! This is a good idea for ultralight backpackers since you can leave the rain fly at home
Increased Headroom – The unique pole geometry actually LIFTS the tent up where your head lays, making you much more comfortable while you’re laying down or sleeping inside the tent
What Stands Out To Me The Most
Increased head space is a feature you don’t see very often, especially in 2-person tents.
Apart from that, this tent doesn’t offer very much else than what you can find on similar designs.
The Fast & Light system isn’t used on many other tents though, so this is definitely a feature that I like.
Who It’s Best Suited For
Hands down, a backpacker who’s looking for something lightweight and large enough tent to house 2 people “comfortably” will find this tent to suit them.
It isn’t extremely lightweight, and not too heavy either, so it can definitely still be used for camping if you wanted to.
If you’re looking for a tent that contains many features, especially the Fast & Light to use on the more warmer nights, then you’ll fall in love with this tent soon enough.
Pricing & Availability
The MSR Elixir 2-Person Tent can be purchased from Amazon.com.
There are multiple reasons why I choose to shop with Amazon, and my favorites being the fast shipping, free shipping, and most of all the 30-day return policy.
This is a money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund if you decide the tent wasn’t as good as you thought it was.
All damages will be repaired free of charge as well. It’s a no brainer, in my honest opinion.
Prices & Availability >>>
My Personal Take On This Tent
I simply can not believe how much great feedback this tent has received and ONLY a small number of negative reviews.
Believe it or not…
But the negative feedback were from people nitpicking at everything.
It comes with a free footprint protector, yet somebody still gives it a low star rating because “that person doesn’t want to carry an extra piece of equipment while backpacking”.
Really? They get a free piece of equipment and STILL complain.
Also…
People setting it up in their homes first, NOT EVEN testing it in the field and already providing their opinion on it.
Not to mention the users that are saying the material is heavy and cheaply-made, again, when they haven’t even tried the tent out yet!
As I can clearly see from my observations around the internet, this tent has accumulated a good reputation with people that love their purchase, and only a few people nitpicking at every single detail.
I would have to say that the MSR Elixir 2 Person Tent is highly recommended!
Other 2-Person Tents
There is another tent that has better stakes, which is the ALPS Mountaineering Taurus 2 Tent. It’s a lot cheaper, but might not last as long – still a good alternative backpacking tent nonetheless.
Even the Kelty Grand Mesa 2 Tent never ceases to amaze me. It’s in a much cheaper price range and does well in the rain and wind. The only downsides is that it doesn’t offer as many features as the MSR Elixir 2 Person Tent, nor will it handle snowfall.
Final Opinion
If you go and look at the negative reviews for the MSR Elixir 2 Tent, you will soon realize that the reviewers are just nitpicking, complaining about things that DON’T actually matter.
I simply could not believe the vast majority of people that were receiving the tent, giving it a once-over, sending it back, then giving a 1-2 star rating because they “don’t want to carry the footprint”.
That’s okay though, because we can take advantage of the great benefits that this tent provides and the complainers/whingers can be left in the slow lane.
Anyway, let’s wrap this review up.
This tent has a boatload of features, stands the test of time, and performs better than I initially expected it to.
What a great job done by MSR!
Highly recommended!
Check Price & Availability Here >>>
Not the answer you were looking for? Then comment your question below! I’d love to hear from ya 🙂
-Brandon
Bad Feedback For No Reason?
Summary:
This tent has a small number of people giving it bad reviews for little things that don’t really matter – hence why it doesn’t have as big of a reputation that it deserves. However, with all that aside, it’s highly wind and rain-resistant and constructed of high quality material, so it’s bound to last a long time.