Mountain Hardwear Hylo 2 Tent Review

June 1, 2017
Mountain Hardwear Hylo 2 Tent
MountainHardwear_Hylo-1.jpg
MountainHardwear_Hylo-2
Mountain Hardwear Hylo 2 Tent MountainHardwear_Hylo-1.jpg MountainHardwear_Hylo-2
GEAR INSTITUTE RATINGS
78
Shoulder Room
5
Packability
5
Set Up
9
Weatherproofness
6
Features
3

The Good

  • Fast pitch with integrated fly and body
  • Simple pole set up
  • Storm proof design

The Bad

  • Only one small door
  • Condensation issues with single wall roof
  • Water drips inside when vestibule open
THE VERDICT

Despite being one of the easiest tents we’ve tested to set up, this hybrid design has a few flaws. The small single door and single vestibule design work best as a palatial home for one. The single wall design is too warm for hot summer camping and too breezy for close to freezing. It has a storm proof feel that can be depended on in a highly packable package.

FULL REVIEW

Shoulder Room
At 27 square feet of interior room the Hylo is a couple feet smaller than many two-person tents, but area does not tell all. The interior height is generous and a central truss pulls the walls out to nearly vertical. The tent doesn’t feel smaller than the competition. 

Packability
At four pounds it’s not especially lightweight for this category, particularly considering it’s partially a single wall tent—i.e. instead of a tent body and separate fly, the two are combined for most of the tent. It is a burly design that withstood solid winds and precipitation without sagging or flapping. The single wall design cuts down on bulk, making this one of the trimmest tents. It was always easy to find room for it in a pack.

Set Up
Like the Kuiu, the poles clip onto the exterior of the tent, pitching it all in one go. This is great for keeping the tent out of the dirt and the interior dry when it’s raining. The asymmetric pole structure is simple and easy to figure out. With only one vestibule it was the fastest tent in the test to take from bag to moving in.

Weatherproof
The single wall design and steep walls helped this tent shed rain and even a few inches of snow. Winds caused a bit of flap when the two large vents were open. But our main complaint was that the fly doesn’t project far enough over the door to prevent drips from landing inside. When I opened the fly in a steady rain the drops landed on the tent door and dripped into the interior. 

Features
Single-wall tents are notoriously steamy—without the tent body all the condensation collects inside the tent. To combat this MH gave the Hylo two big vents and skirted the side of the tent opposite the door. This did a better than average job of venting the tent, but also exposed it to winds. In a breezy mountain campsite, testers had to choose between a cold sleep and a wet tent. The single door, single vestibule design means one of the tent mates has to climb over the other to get in and out. And the door itself felt cramped, like we were squeezing through a cave. 

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
USER REVIEWS

No reviews have been posted for this product.

Related posts
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x