Kelty Gunnison 2 - 2 Person, 3 Season
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Rhodes's Review of Kelty Gunnison 2 - 2 Person, 3 Season

Kelty tents have a reputation for being very well built and more spacious than other similarly sized tents. To further explain;
I own a few different brands of tents, all are two person backpacking tents. The Kelty is very noticeably the strongest of the lot. The fabric material is thicker and more robust and the tent poles are slightly larger in diameter with a thicker wall section. As such, the Kelty is a little heavier than my other two tents. However, I am not a weakling and have no problem carrying a little extra weight. One or two more pounds isn't going to kill me. One of my other tents is an MSR Hubba-Hubba NX2. It is weighs much less than the Kelty and the pack size is smaller, too. However, in order the achieve the amazingly light-weight, small packed size of this tent the materials are super thin and fragile. The pole tube thickness (wall thickness) is so thin it is scary. I feel like I have to be sooo careful when pitching it. In fact, there is a REAL issue with owners breaking the poles even on their first pitch.
On one very wet backpacking trip with my wife, we experienced torrential rain fall for three days straight. The MSR finally began to seep water through the rain fly. The fabric was saturated! It is just too thin to hold up to extreme weather. On the other hand, the Kelty (on the same trip) never leaked or become saturated. It was our go-to or backup stronghold. I know this sounds like a review of the MSR Hubb-Hubba NX2 but by comparison the point I want to make is that the Kelty is built to take it! With a little more weight comes piece of mind that nothing is going to break and you will be protected from weather.
Also, the Kelty tents (all models) are sized honestly. The 2-person Kelty is 4 inches wider than the MSR, and 6 inches longer (pitched floor dimensions). This would account for a little more weight, but worth it. I am 6'4" and the MSR is borderline too small. My North Face 2-man tent is even smaller and has been handed down to the kids.
Pros:
  • Strong and spacious
Cons:
  • Heavier than the ultralight variety
Best Used for:
  • Backpacking or car camping
Would Recommend: Yes
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