Comments, concerns, issues, experiences, regarding, the MSR Zoid tents.

I have the Walrus Zoid 1 (before they sold to MSR) and I really love it. It is quick to set up, has a decent vestibule, can be used without the rainfly to see the stars, and is a great tent! I got it on sale on Ebay ($100) about the time they switched to MSR. The main complaint from most zoid users is lack of head room and dressing room. I am 5'8" and have enough room to sit up comfortably, but not a lot of room for dressing. The light weight is worth giving up some room, in my opinion.

Same experience here with the Walrus (pre-MSR) Zoid I. Light and easy to set up. Pitches really tight and the fly goes all the way to the ground which is nice in a driving rain. Decent sized vestibule for boots and gear. Not the roomiest tent around but at 5'10" and 175 pounds it's perfect for me.
Was the favorite of all my tents (and I've got several) until my wife surprised me and ordered a Wanderlust Nomad Lite. Still like the Zoid but can't compare to that 1 pound 11 ounce Nomad.

I used a MSR Zoid 1 on my Wisconsin Ice Age Trail thru hike and liked it. Pretty light weight, decent interior room (I'm 5'11'', 200lbs) and is a nice LNT (leave no trace) brown color. Good for all those stealth camps I had to make! I loved the zippered side door, it was easy to get in and out as opposed to crawling in through the front like some small tents. I was able to set it up fast, especially when the mosquitos were trying to suck me dry, and it kept me dry in a couple of nasty storms. Towards the end of my walk I was getting a bit of moisture through the floor, but I didn't use a groundsheet to protect it.
I was going to use a tarp but the mosquitos up here are REALLY BAD and I was glad to have the mesh.

I've got one of the newer MSR Zoid 1 tents. I really like it. My only complaint is that I can't seem to get it to compress more when putting it in my pack. It seems to take up a lot of room. Like the others mentioned, it isn't the roomiest tent, but it works for me (I'm 5'9" 160lbs). I find that I can just barely get my pack and boots underneath the vestibule at night. Haven't been in a driving rainstorm yet, just a few sprinkles, but I stayed dry.

MSR Zoid 1.0 was my choice of tent. I really liked the side zipper that allowed me to reach everywhere inside the tent without crawling in.

I usually carry my tarp, but I carry the Zoid 1.5 when I need a tent. I'm 6'-2", so I needed the extra room of the 1.5. The 1.5 model has side entry on both sides. Also, the rainfly rolls up on each side of the tent allowing excellent cross ventillation . . . weather permitting. The tent, stakes, poles, and all stuff sacks weigh in at 3lb. 14oz. on my scale.

Last weekend while on a group hike in Florida the temps dipped to 35 on Saturday night. My tent was completely dry (rainfly completley closed) except under the groundsheet. Another person on the trip had the MSR Zoid 1.0 and had considerable condensation on the inside of the rainfly.

Is the advertised weight of the Zoid 1 correct?

Is there a problem with condensation?

I have the Walrus Zoid 1 (before they sold to MSR) and I really love it. It is quick to set up, has a decent vestibule, can be used without the rainfly to see the stars, and is a great tent! I got it on sale on Ebay ($100) about the time they switched to MSR. The main complaint from most zoid users is lack of head room and dressing room. I am 5'8" and have enough room to sit up comfortably, but not a lot of room for dressing. The light weight is worth giving up some room, in my opinion.I bought one of the first Walrus Zoids along with the fitted ground sheet when they were first introduced. It was my third tent from Walrus and I have to admit I was less than pleased by the lack of vents (later added by MSR to reduce condensation), and virtually useless "vestibule" space. I liked the green fly option, durable construction and light weight. Pitching time is minimal under good weather conditions but tight staking is essential. Personally, since I sleep in tents 100% of the time I prefer much more room and would rather carry the extra weight of a Zoid 2.0 so I'd have some space for my pack inside and I think smaller (low volume) tents are more prone to condensation problems all other factors being equal.

We HAD the MSR Zoid 1.5, which was plenty big enough for 2. We NOW have the Mtn Hdwr. Waypoint II, even bigger for 2. We like the Waypoint better, mainly because it saves 1.5 lbs or so. Both are great tents.

I did most of my thru-hike with the Zoid 2 only because the outfitters i was at when i had had it with my old tent didn't have a zoid 1.5. This series of tents are awesome. Rain ? What rain ? Rain has no chance with this tent and the wind doesn't either. Condensation is likewise !!!! enough said !

I own the walrus version and my brother owns the msr version. All thou they look simalar there are some differences that i noticted. Msr has a different type of material for the body and a vent opening in the top. Both tents are excellent tents. Msr is slightly lighter hence the different cloth used in making it. I can that this is a bomb proof tent in the rain wind and snow. Ive own a lot of tents in my years of hiking and this is by far my favorite. If you are looking for a little more room try the 1 and a half or 2 because the zoid one may be a bit cramped for some.

If anyone is interested, Sonoma Outfitters has the MSR Zoid 1.5 on sale for $159.95. That's $40 less than anywhere else I've seen it.