For over a year I have been beating up what I understood to be a cheap and underperforming tent from a company that I had never heard of. I gave this Trekker Tent 2 the business on seven trips in the last 11 months. I wanted to make sure I had enough evidence under my belt before I aired out my opinions…..for better or for worse.
For those of you who have read my gear reviews before…you know that I am skeptical of those dudes you see that have all the best gear and look like they just stepped out of an Orvis add…or Sitka…or First Lite…..you know the folks I am talking about….I think in Texas they call them “All Hat & No Cattle”. Now I love cool gear…light gear….I love things that make my trips in the woods easier and more comfortable. But I am not one to waste money. I am not one to outfit myself for an artic expedition when I am just hunting white tails in the Appalachians. I also am part “cranky old nostalgic guy” (even though I am just in my early 40’s….). By cranky I mean that I grew hunting in crappy boots and jeans. When I was in the boy scouts we did not have Gortex and high performance underwear….we had cotton….and some wool….and we froze to death….and we liked it…..
So with all my crankiness behind us….I was cruising Amazon for a light backpacking tent. A one man, possibly a two man. I needed room for me, my pack, and my gun. Cost was a factor…a big factor. I am in all sorts of social media groups where guys show off their kick ass back country tents that weigh nothing and have stoves and 4 season this and that. As I said above…I don’t need that. I needed light weight, I needed a small packable size, I needed protection from snow and rain, and I needed an affordable price. After checking out a few dozen tents and reading hundreds of reviews…I settled on this River Country Trekker 2 Tent. $50 bucks. Really….I think I paid $69 dollars as I opted for the combination package that came with the trekking poles. The price was right…for sure! The reviews were mostly positive. I had a hard time believing that for way under a hundred bucks I could get a tent that was well under 3 pounds. I took a chance, ordered it up, and sure enough Amazon Prime shipped it in 48 hours.
Here are the vitals:
- Tent, stuff sack, and 8 stakes are 2 lbs & 12 oz.
- When packed up, the tent is a littler bigger than a football. About 12” by 6” by about 6 inches around.
- 42 inches tall, 7 feet long, and 5 feet wide.
- Tent material is PU coated polyester.
- This is not a free standing tent, you need to use two trekking poles or you can use any sticks that are at least 43 inches tall. I think you can do a ridgeline set up with rope in between two trees (I have not done this as of yet).
- Current pricing on Amazon is $51.95 for tent/poles/stuff sack or $71.95 with carbon fiber reinforced aluminum trekking poles check my links below…(I am an amazon affiliate…so if you use my links I can earn a few bucks…thanks in advance).
Please check out my review on YouTube…it may be easier to watch than reading my rambling opinions…..Anyway. Here goes. Seven trips in the past year. From scouting turkeys, to a brutal rain filled solo turkey hunting trip, fishing with my son Beau, to a few back country deer hunts in the mountains. This tent has seen 90-degree heat, lots of rain, and falling snow at 30 degrees. I feel pretty comfortable that I have enough time spent with the Trekker 2 to voice my amateur opinion.
Next, one of the main reasons I bought this tent was the reviews on River Country’s customer service. Time after time on Amazon, folks that had issues raved about the excellent customer service. It seemed to me that this company stood buy their products and was genuinely interested in having happy customers. Well, I like that…and that was enough for me to give them a shot. Almost a year later, I can raise my hands and testify that River Country does, in fact, have kick ass customer service. After my summer fishing trip, I realized that I had bent one of the trekking poles. No big deal really, my fault…..not the end of the world. I emailed customer service to ask if I could purchase the poles direct from them. Just needed one pole really…but I was fine with buying a new pair. River Country’s customer service emailed me back in about a day and told me not to worry about paying, they looked up my address from the Amazon order, shipped me two brand new upgraded trekking poles……for free. Done deal. Just like that. And don’t think I am special, read all the on-line reviews of their products. Never have I read a review where someone did not rave about how great River Country is to work with. So, if that is not enough to start a little love affair with this company…I don’t know what is.
Next….functionality. We talked about the weight…and size. I can tell you that this tent took up minimal space in my pack. Big marks for size and weight!! How about the set-up time? The first time I set up the tent it took me about 4 minutes. After that, I can set this thing up in about 2 minutes. Pin down 4 stakes on the corners, prop up the ends with your trekking poles, and secure 4 guy lines. Again…big marks for simplicity and ease of use. Now, let’s talk about comfort. I am 6 feet tall, 170 pounds, and I fit in this tent easily. They say it is a 2 man tent..but it is really a one man tent with plenty of room for your gear. Two grown men in this tent would be a little “intimate” if you know what I mean. For me and my gear….I have to say it is perfect…Big marks again on comfort. Now for my first beef…..condensation. This tent is a single wall tent, so no rain fly. When the temps were super cold, I had a bunch of condensation inside the tent as I woke in the mornings. I adjusted the vents on the rear of the tent and positioned my sleeping bag so my head was by the screened door…and this helped A LOT…..cut the condensation down by about half. All kidding aside, I have condensation issues in my 300-dollar tent too. Some super smart guys say you exhale the equivalent of a pint of water while you sleep…so that moisture has to go somewhere. So, while I am complaining here about condensation….I don’t think it is an issue that is solely with this tent. Also…I read that using a small candle lantern in your tent at night can cut down on condensation, so I am going to pick one up and give that a shot. Lastly, is the Trekker 2 waterproof? Yep! It is! I bought some Gear Aid Seam Grip and sealed every seam on this tent before I took to the woods. I also sprayed it with a normal silicone water proofing spray from Wall Mart. With the super “tub” like floor on this tent and using that seam sealant, I did not have one water intrusion issue…not even in summer South Carolina gully washing thunderstorms. Big marks again!
Alright…that is all I got….thanks for reading, thanks for watching, leave a comment if you can about your experiences with the River Country Trekker 2. I was so impressed after using this tent for a year that I just bought the Trekker 2V. River Country is shipping as I am typing this and I should have it in a day or two. I will put up a review of the 2V after I get some time under my belt. It looks totally cool…..a two wall version of the Trekker 2 with a vestibule. If the 2V can hold up like the Trekker 2….it will be a killer tent for an amazing price.
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C
