4 stars solely as a starter tent rating 3.5 stars if i could rate that - Eureka Apex 2 Backcountry Tent

So this was my first tent ever. It served me very well, and I keep it to this day. I used it for a year and a half in all conditions except the dead of winter. Used it in the desert, in late fall/early winter, rainy spring season, etc. It weighs a decent amount for a 2 person tent I will say. The fly doesn't leak in the rain, but the rain gets in just a little if it isn't coming directly straight down since the fly only covers maybe 2/3 of the tent to save some weight. I had it in a 4 hour downpour and only some rain got in (couldn't have our gear near the edges of the tent), but it wasn't terrible for how long it was raining and how hard, but still rain got in. It is a very sturdy tent and held up to some pretty good wind gusts too. It is very roomy and fit me (5'11", 185lbs) and my gf (5'7", 130lbs) with all of our gear with room to move still. It comes with an overhead gearloft, and 4 pockets on the side. Two doors is nice to have, but the vestibules are useless I will say. There isn't a ton of mesh which is good and bad. The good is that it can stay warmer in colder weather as it blocks wind well, and it doesn't let dust in easily in the desert. The downside is that there is a lot of condensation that forms so your stuff will be a little wet each morning. The mesh doors zip up with ripstop nylon, which is a good feature to have especially to keep the rain out. Not sure where the rain got in during the 4 hour rain storm, but I think it just started penetrating the sides of the tent that weren't covered by the fly. The tent doesn't pack down super small, but it is very durable and rips were not a concern at all. Overall, this tent was an excellent starter tent for a great price. Just be wary if it's going to rain hard, you may want to modify the rain fly or get a different one somehow. I ended up modifying mine with some sewing and ripstop nylon. I do recommend it as a starter tent though unless you plan to do a lot of trips right away and have the money then I would definitely go with something a bit more pricey, but weighs less and has a full rainfly.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.