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V2 is excellent. On our last outing, we had Walrus, Coleman, Sierra Designs, and Peak One tents. After pouring for a 1.5 days, the Kelty was the ONLY tent that didn''t leak.

Customer Service

Usless. I have other Kelty products and the few times I had to call or email, I could never get an intelligable response.

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Red Cloud Backpack, Sleeping Bag, Baby Carrier.

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This pack is excellent. During a recent backpacking trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone we encountered some serious weather (snow, all night driving rain storm and intense wind - 75 mph??). The tent bent a bit in the wind, but did not collapse. And not a drop of water inside the tent even though it rained all night and snowed all morning. Compared to two groups near us who had way more expense Sierra Design tents that actually collapsed during the same storm, I was very happy. Generally, the tent is slightly heavy for a two person tent. However, it has two doors, two massive vestibules, comes with a tent attic, is amazingly easy and fast to set up and is very comfortable and roomy for two people. Plus, I''ve heard you can buy a "hard cover" rain fly from a different 4 season Kelty tent (Jetstream, I think) which fits the Vortex, converting it to a four season tent. All in all, a great tent.

Customer Service

Haven''t had to use it.

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REI dome tent.

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This pack is excellent. During a recent backpacking trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone we encountered some serious weather (snow, all night driving rain storm and intense wind - 75 mph??). The tent bent a bit in the wind, but did not collapse. And not a drop of water inside the tent even though it rained all night and snowed all morning. Compared to two groups near us who had way more expense Sierra Design tents that actually collapsed during the same storm, I was very happy. Generally, the tent is slightly heavy for a two person tent. However, it has two doors, two massive vestibules, comes with a tent attic, is amazingly easy and fast to set up and is very comfortable and roomy for two people. Plus, I''ve heard you can buy a "hard cover" rain fly from a different 4 season Kelty tent (Jetstream, I think) which fits the Vortex, converting it to a four season tent. All in all, a great tent.

Customer Service

Haven''t had to use it.

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REI dome tent.

Nice tent in general, but as others
have mentioned, it does not seem
very water proof. I took it on a 3
day rim-to-rim-to-rim hike in the
Grand-Canyon, and there was a fair
amount of rain on one night. The
entire bottom of the tent was wet,
getting our sleeping bags etc etc.

Customer Service

I called up Kelty's customer service,
and was a bit taken aback when the
service rep suggested that the tent
might have gotten wet because of some
thing wrong I did. I was under the
impression that Kelty would just offer
to replace the tent no questions asked,
but not so. I had to literally bargain
with the rep. to make him understand
that there could be something wrong
with the tent itself ...

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I'm extremely happy with this tent. It has kept my son & me dry in sideways rain, winds 60-80mph. Kept my wife & me dry in downpoors all night, in a campsite where travel trailers and RV's were heading home because they were miserable and had leaks! I think that's funny! As far as condensation: keep windows down and guy out sides of fly. Problem solved! I would prefer something a little lighter, however, it is light compared to the others; and I don't want to compensate on any of it's features... Great headroom, tons of covered space outside for packs, boots, cooking etc., plenty of space for two. I think Kelty did it right. I emailed them about my two complaints- I want a window in the fly, and I thought I wanted a vent until I figured the venting out. Turns out the 2000 version has both! However, I have read complaints about Kelty vents leaking. Anyone know about this? I wish they left it out and just put in the window... Anyway, this is a great tent, easy to setup. It takes me 2-3 minutes since I wrap it in the ground cloth, with the fly already on and the opposing vortex doors already tied back... It works and I trust it strongly!

Customer Service

I emailed them about condensation, never heard back. But, as I said above, I figured out that problem already. (they must get sick of us asking them the question about condensation when the whole "vortex" concept is realy a simple one...

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K-mart $40 dome as a kid. I was always wet! ha ha ha...

In a nutshell, bombproof. I have been through some storms so severe I was sure the end times were upon us, and not a drop of water made it inside. The poles flexed some in what I guess was 50+ mile an hour gusts, but it was partially my fault for not guying it out before diving in from the rain. Even so, it held up fine. Even survived a 2 hour 2-inch deep river running underneath without a leak. Also, the tent has excellent ventilation (my '96 model does, the '00 and '01's have improved it with vents for foul weather, a definite plus). All in all, a great deal, but....

BE CAREFUL. Those of you who are looking at the V2, V3 and V4 in Campmor for a great deal, the deal comes at a price. I looked into it, wanting to supplement my 2-man with a 3 or 4 man model. The V2 and the Vortex 2 are slightly different. The primary difference comes in the pole sleeves. In the V's, they are made of mesh. Kelty stopped making this version after a few months in 1997 (?) because of too many warranty requests due to ripped mesh pole sleeves. Basically the same tent except for the pole sleeves. That factor caused me to pass and go with a 2000 model Vortex 4. You are still getting a good tent for a great deal, just know what you are getting and that it is NOT the same exact thing as the Vortex 2 you looked at in the local outfitter. In my mind, it was worth the extra money to get the Vortex 4 and not have that worry, plus they have added some new features that are great. Anyway, consider yourselves warned.

Customer Service

Kelty outsources customer service to a company called American Wilderness Gear. I tend to question their motives on some responses to questions since they are a major kelty dealer, but I still have had very positive experiences.

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Bought this for me & wife to use - first time out (Red River Gorge), the flies were driving us nuts. Went up in less that five minutes (without the cover), and we sat (with gear) in it until dark without crowding or discomfort. The pockets/loft make stowing necessaries (flashlight/glowsticks) easy. The weight is a little more than I'd like - mostly from the cover.

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Had several one-person tents, this is the best two-person for the price

This is an overall excellent tent. I have used it for several years for backpacking and car camping. Lasted through several days of rain without any leaks. The two doors make it excellent for easy in and out. The gear loft is also a great option. The price for what you get is awesome.

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This tent rocks! The first time I used it we were surprised by a rainstorm just after we got to camp. There was lightning flashing on some peaks nearby and we were wiorried about getting drenched. The tent was up in seconds and me, my wife and her friend were inside with and dry before the storm really hit. The three of us ended up spending the next fourteen hours inside the tent with all of our gear as well. It was rather cozy and the girls felt a little crowded but I was just fine and was stoked that we could have all three of us and our gear inside and I could still stretch out for a normal nights sleep. We didn't get wet despite the deluge beneath our tent and even in the morning there wasn't much condensation on the inside of the tent. I would reccomend this tent to anyone. It is light and tough to beat for its price

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North Face Peregrine

This tent rocks! The first time I used it we were surprised by a rainstorm just after we got to camp. There was lightning flashing on some peaks nearby and we were wiorried about getting drenched. The tent was up in seconds and me, my wife and her friend were inside with and dry before the storm really hit. The three of us ended up spending the next fourteen hours inside the tent with all of our gear as well. It was rather cozy and the girls felt a little crowded but I was just fine and was stoked that we could have all three of us and our gear inside and I could still stretch out for a normal nights sleep. We didn't get wet despite the deluge beneath our tent and even in the morning there wasn't much condensation on the inside of the tent. I would reccomend this tent to anyone. It is light and tough to beat for its price

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