The quality and durability of this tent is excellent. The tent is light weight and carries well. I would make just a couple of changes in the next design and these are based on my personal preferences. 1.Increase storage by extending the fly for packs. 2. Find a way to effectively cover the window to block the sun in the morning.
This tent is highly recommended for small frame individuals of medium height. It's a bit cramped for two six footers. If I could do it over I would have purchased the three person version.

When it comes down to this tent, I believe this story pretty much somes up the quality and durability of the MH Room with a View tent. This is by no means an exagerration, and I will stand by this tent through it all. There was 80 - 100 m.p.h. gusts in the area that evening (in fact, several tornados touched down within 20 miles) and my friends and I were car camping for the weekend - due to a concert event!!! For several hours, the rain and wind battered our tent, as well as the hundred or so other tents in the area that stormy Wisconsin evening. You could hear many people frustrated and screaming about getting soaked or having their tents collapse and intermixed with the rumbles of thunder, car doors were opening and slamming shut (probably those individuals who found that their tent could not handle the deluge of rain. The next morning, as I awoke and peered out of this sturdy, bomb-shelter like tent, I viewed other tents scattered about. Suprisingly, I had even saw several tents dangling 20 ft. above in a maple tree. The Room with a View went through the storm unscathed. However, besides standing up to the challenge this frightful night, it works very well for the numerous multiple night trips that I take. Light, easily packed, sturdy, provides great ventilation, and allows you to view the stars at night...what more could you ask for??? In this case, you definatley pay for the quality.

This is a very solid 3 season tent for 2 people who want to have plently of space and be comfortable. On the plus side: This tent has plenty of interior room, and lots of headspace. It is not crowded with 2 ""full size"" adults. A very comfortable tent. The ventalation is super, and there are lots of pockets in clever places to hold your glasses, etc. Especially usefull is the so called ""tension shelf"" right inside/over the inner door where you can stick a wet jacket, etc., if you don't want to leave it in the vestibule. The tent is very weathertight, at least through a couple of heavy thunderstorms. The clear window in the fly sheet is useful for checking the weather and letting in some light during rainy days. On the minus side: This tent is a real pain to seam seal, because of all the seams on the fly. The vestibule is too small to do anything other than keep your boots dry. It is also too heavy to consider lugging this tent without a partner to split the weight.

Similar Products Used:

Marmot Peapod, TNF Cirrus

I love the features this tent has to offer. It is to have windows that let in light and nice to have a back part of a fly that rolls up to get a great cross breeze on warm nights. The vestibule space is very nice, and the brow pole is one of the greatest in ventions. It is sweet to be able to have my door open, even when it is raining. Although I do not like how there fly does not cover the last three inches of my tent. I did have to coat my tent with a silicone spary to keep the water out. Overall, it is a really nice tent that has super features that even fit my picky needs. This is a great tent for anyone who needs a tent that is very stable, dry, and roomy.

Customer Service

Well not with my tent, but I work for a retailer and I man had a problem with has tent and we called Mountain HardWear, and they were extremely helpful.

Nice tent. Stable, comfortable, dry, well designed - and incredibly well constructed. The bar tacks are amazing!
The tension shelf (a by- product of the brow pole) is definitely worthwile; it adds a surprising amount of storage space to the tent.
I can usually fit two days worth of clothes up there with room to spare.
This helps to free up the floor for the rest of your gear if you hate storing stuff outside, as I do.
By the way , the brow pole adds a measurable amount of stability to the structure while giving the vestibule an extended shelf to rest on- although it is a bit minimal.
The marginal vestibule space , combined with an equally not- generous doorway, make every entry somewhat of a contortionist experience.
And two rather lame features that border on gimmicky marketing: The windows in the fly, which can't be seen too clearly and allow too much light in when I'd rather sleep late and the stick - your - hand - out - the -door -when -it's -raining -and -roll-the -fly -down-feature.
Both of these features add unnecessary weight and complexity and should be killed.
Overall, a recommended buy.

Similar Products Used:

Marmot Sanctum

Although this tent is a little pricey, it is totally worth it. I took it on a very wet Boundary Waters/Quetico Park week long trip and everything inside and in the vestibule stayed bone dry. It also held up to some pretty stong winds in the Uinta mountains of Utah. I also like the extensive windows and the window on the fly, you can stargaze even with the fly on. Plenty of pockets inside to stash stuff also is a nice feature. The tent is a little on the heavy side, and the vestibule could be a little bigger, but I give this tent 2 thumbs up. The extra weight is worth carrying if I know it will stand up to a tough storm.

Customer Service

No experience.

The Room with a View is a great tent if you like a tough tent with plenty of room and features. This tent is heavier than other models, but that extra weight is a blessing on those rainy, tent-bound days. The tent is designed perfectly for two people lying side-by-side. The floor plan flares near the shoulders, providing plenty of room for storing all of your necessary equipment inside of the tent. And if there is not enough floor space within the tent, the walls and ceiling are crawling with pockets that can hold everything. A truly innovative feature is the "Tension Shelf" which is located over the door and is like a real attic. It is also a very safe storage area because things will not get wet or stepped on up there. There is tons of mesh in the tent, which can make it breezy in winter conditions, but I've never had any problems. The pole structure and fly are very stable and wind/rain resistant. Especially now that the seams are taped, the tent is nearly perfect. The tent also goes up very quickly with the clips and sturdy poles (Easton 7075 series) (which I believe are much superior to sleeves - I've watched my friend struggle setting up the sleeves of a Kelty Cyclone 2. That tent definitely requires 2 people to set up while the Room with a View requires only 1). Another great feature is the ability to roll up the front of the tent to facilitate breezes into the tent. If it starts to rain, all you have to do is reach out and pull the fly down. Very convenient. The tent is very adjustable, all over. Everything on the tent has multiple options.
However, I have a few minor complaints. The first is that the door to the tent is rather small and requires some bending to fit in (I am 6'4"). However, this is an advantage because it prevents any water from getting anywhere close to the inner tent. I do not like the tents that have doors on the side for two reasons. First, to exit the tent, you must climb over your partner. Second, the open door leaves the whole side of the tent open to the elements, which is not good. The other complaint I had was the windows (2 of them). The look great on the showroom floor, but in the wilds they are generally useless. Yes they are very useful when something is happening right out the front door, but if it is anywhere else, you're out of luck. The overhead window allows a great view of the stars... if its not cloudy or you didn't camp under trees. However, the overhead window provides lots of light that really helps the interior of the tent seem nice and pleasant (especially in pounding thunderstorms). The vestibule is also rather limited in its space. It will easily store two bulky packs, but climbing over them to exit the tent becomes a chore. The vestibule can be used for either cooking or gear storage, but not both at the same time.
I would recommend this tent to 3-season backpackers who like a bombproof tent that has plenty of room. Those people must not mind shouldering an extra 1/2 to 1 pound.

Customer Service

When I bought the tent, Mountain Hardwear did not seal the seams, leaving it up to the customer. However, I apparently did not do a good job and I was getting leaks in the tent. I sent the fly back to Mountain Hardwear and they checked it out. They said I missed some spots to seal and I could have fixed it myself, but to save me the trouble, they sent me a brand new, seam-sealed fly. In addition, I inadvertently chipped a pole, which they promptly replaced. All of my dealings with their repair department have been quick and courteous. Please note that none of the returns were Mountain Hardwear's fault, rather they were mine. This is why I will buy MH from now on, they take care of their customers.

Similar Products Used:

Mountain Hardwear Tensile Tarp 11.5
Mountain Hardwear Light Wedge 3
Eureka Timberline (2 & 4 person)
Eureka Cirrus

I lived in this tent for two weeks in New Mexico, and it worked great. While camping in New Mexico, it stood up to 30-40 mph winds and dust associated with such winds. One great feature about this tent is that it's fly can be rolled up and down allowing ventilation during the night. It fits two people comfortably, with room for a couple of packs.
The only problem I had with the tent was its instructions, which were kinda hard to understand, but the tent is a breeze to put together once you figure out how (even in 30-40mph winds).

Similar Products Used:

None

This is a great two man tent. Very roomy, I've even slept three adults in it. The design is one of the best i've seen. I really like how your feet face the doorside. I think it should be considered a three and a half season. I've slept in 5 inches of snow and down to 5 degrees in this thing. The amount of mesh will let the cold air in, but a decent sleeping bag will take care of that. The vestibule is big enough faor pack, boots, what ever. I do wish the fly was polyester so it wouldn't stretch when wet(it doesn't that much), but i think all tent should use polyester flys. The ceiling window is nice, but will fog up in cooler temps. All-around I'd say this is one of the nicest tents on the market, and tough as hell.

Similar Products Used:

Kelty Zen, Eureka Timberline, MH solitude.