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The Exped Orion 2 UL is a specialized tent for extensive outdoor usage. It is spacious (with it's vertical innerwalls), has 10cms extra height (which is a very big plus), is lightweight, freestanding, installs fast and easily (being an all-in-one assembly), doesn't need lines and packs fast and easily (for that same reason). It is just handy.
And it is expensive. At the first day only, not over the years. But the tent has two problems of which you can solve only the minor one.
The
It is way too long which causes everybody passing to see your luggage. And as they say in the NL "de gelegenheid maakt de dief "🖱️.
Luckily the first and last part of this pole are half the length of all the other parts. I managed to set up the tent without using the last part at one end of the pole.
That "half" pole is about 25cms long and not using that length was exactly the trick
to have the tent stand normally.
During the months after this change I have not experienced a change in ventilation nor in condensation (but read on ...).
The
To make this very clear : all these pictures were taken in Morocco and Spain in summertime. There was no rain at all in Morocco and only once per 2 weeks or so in Spain. Temperatures were up to 40C at daytime and down to 20C during the night. So campingconditions actually were the best of the best.
However every 9 out of 10 nights (!) the outertent starts getting "bigger". It slackens until it hits the innertent and it does that very "succesfully". This is not a matter of tightening lines, or using them at all. Then the lines don't tighten the sheet but the seams. And it is the sheet that just "falls down" inbetween the seams.
That situation ofcourse blocks the "ventilation" of the innertent completely at that area 💣. And that area is about 75% of the roof. There is then no isolating airlayer inbetween the inner- and outer- sheets anymore so that area gets even more cold. All damp from your breathing then also condensates exactly there.
That condensation can not leave the innertent anymore so starts to roll down along the inside of the innertent. There it meets the sleepingbag which then also gets quite wet ... There have even been days there was some mold at the sleepingbag at the part that was getting wet.
Your tactic should be as follows. [Start] Stay awake as late as you can. Just before you fall asleep tighten the lines at maximum so they keep the outertent at maximum clearance from the innertent. Sleep well. However don't forget to set the alarm to tighten the lines once more during the night.
The next morning the outertent is hanging on the innertent and the lines have (therefor) completely slackened. So to pre-tighten them in the evening is actually useless. You can sleep early from now on if you wish to.
Tighten the lines in the morning to have the outertent freed from the innertent (which is not really possible anyway). And open both doors of outer- and innertent to get the inside dried up. Set another alarm to not forget to close them. After you have removed possible insects etc from the innertent, sleepingbag, clothes, etc.
During the course of the day the temperature raises and the outertent shrinks again. That might take quite some hours but it will shrink. And during that process it will also dry up. Then return to [Start], you have not earned any points.
The outertent shrinks even so much that the lines pull the pegs out of the ground (if you tightened them that morning). Even if you had to hammer the pegs into the ground. There have been several moments I was really afraid the outertent would tear.
In practice you have to pack the tent (and sleepingbag !) wet almost every morning. Although being it highsummer. If you happen to stay in a hotel that night don't forget to unpack all (somewhere ...) to get it dried. Which then also implies you have to pack your tent and sleepingbag despite having stayed in a hotel.
I did very extensive research before deciding what tent to buy.
This UL flysheet makes the tent actually useless (yes, sure).
After a long time of mental discussion I decided to order a new flysheet, but the Normal Type, so Not the UL version.
Except for this internal climate problem I like the tent since it is very practical and roamy.
But that