Anyone use a Eureka Spitfire tent?

[Kara]

I have a Eureka Solo Spitfire. Don't think it's the UL, but according to the specs it should weigh close to 3 lbs (2lbs 12 oz). For those that have the solo, what do you use as a ground cover? Right now I have a heavy blue tarp from Mejier that I need to cut down to size.

[partinj]

Hi got my Spitfire from campmor on sale for 69.00 while back great tent the first week i had it set up in my yard and seam seal it. left it out to dry they were not calling for rain but a heady downpour came thur left it out till next day when out to check it dry as bone not one drop of water got in to the tent.Did not have a ground cloth under it.
the only thing was the stakes that came with it most of yard is like the AT lot of rocks
so i got new stakes for it the one that came with weight 10oz. just for the stakes i got some new lite weight stakes that work great. Tent is worth the money

[Newb]

Anyone used the new spitfire UL yet? Opinions??

that's what I'm carrying! it's really light and has survived one down pour. I do, however, find it hard to stake out real taut like the photo. It has an ok vestibule outsided and room behind my head inside. I'm 6ft tall and fit in it well.

[Newb]

I have a Eureka Solo Spitfire. Don't think it's the UL, but according to the specs it should weigh close to 3 lbs (2lbs 12 oz). For those that have the solo, what do you use as a ground cover? Right now I have a heavy blue tarp from Mejier that I need to cut down to size.

I just picked up a piece of Tyvek. I can use it as a ground cloth, sit on it if I have to...or use it as an emergency shelter.

[Bolo]

I like my Spitfire. Lightweight, fast, easy setup although I've never tried it in the rain. I find it easier to clip the fly to the tent, then stake it out. Small vestibule and no privacy without the fly (most of the tent is mesh). Plenty of head room. Never had a problem with water getting in. May replace the stakes with titanium.

Bolo

[rafe]

Anyone used the new spitfire UL yet? Opinions??

Yeah, tried it and returned it. It rained, I got wet. Problems with the fly's structure, near the foot of the tent. Bad design, in my opinion.

I'm sure the "regular" Spitfire is fine, but the UL tries to save weight in a bad way -- and it doesn't work. I have an ancient Eureka Gossamer that's still functional -- and never let me down.

[ihavgon]

Holy cow, that whole process looks convoluted and tedious. I'd like to watch her do that in a driving rain with 20 mph winds after backpacking for 8 hours.

I have used it. It is very simple. Just 3 pieces of guyline and 2 straps. I wouldn't want to do it the first time in a driving rain with 20 mph winds, but if you set up the spitfire a few times this way as practice you can do it in the same time as you nomally do.

I also like it as a method of just using the fly when I know bugs aren't an issue - gets the weight down to ~ 2 lbs.

I also found that if you don't want to make the straps that you can make a small loop of 1/8 guyline to on the fly end buckles, but the straps are nicer.

[ihavgon]

Just for clarity, the guylines are made in advance. If you tried to make them in the field while it was raining, it would be hard. LOL

[Beegfut]

I've owned the Spitfire since 2005, the year I finally I finished the AT. One afternoon in the 100 Mile we had a real gully washer. Lasted almost 2 hours. My three friends with me were in two other tents, both more expensive and with more brand cred than my humble Eureka. Guess who's tent was the only one still dry after the downpour? It's still my favorite of the 3 tents, an ID tarp and a Hennessy hammock that I own. Last year I sewed some velcro straps on the tent stuff sack and to enable me to attach it to the outside of one of my underseat panniers for bike-packing. Works great.

I am back in the market looking to buy another copy. On a recent trip to the Grand Canyon one section of the larger hoop was bent during very strong winds (40-60 mph). I am not sure how it happened since we were out day hiking up Clear Creek. When we returned, two tents that had been "staked out" to rocks had worked loose from one end. One was another Spitfire (undamaged) and the other a pricey $300 single layer 1-person Goretex tent. It was trashed. The wind had turned it over and then thrashed into the rocks and dirt (and into my tent besides). My tent was/is still usable despite the bent section. I priced replacement tent sections (about $7 a piece + shipping) but this tent is so inexpensive it makes more sense to buy a second copy so that I have a supply of parts readily available.

Bigfoot

[mudhead]

Solid report/endorsement.

[whitefoot_hp]

could someone six foot five fit in eureka spitfire?

[kyhiker1]

I have owned a Spitfire going on three years now and have had great success with it.I have endured hard rain downpours at 1-2hrs long and was very dry when they stopped.I have also encountered winds 20-40mph and the tent held up well.I have noticed when the temps dip down to around 20-25 degrees there is some noticeable sweating.I am 6'1" tall and I have room to sit up and move around.Overall,I would rate the Spitfire at a 8 out of 10.

[Beegfut]

could someone six foot five fit in eureka spitfire?

No way. I'm about 6' and there's not a lot of extra room. The guy who lost his pricey tent decided to try mine out. He's 6'2 or 6'3. Said the Spitfire was no worse fit than the one that was trashed. He thinks he might get it since there is not a lot of choice size-wise in low priced 1-person tents.

[deadhorsejoe]

I have owned a Eureka spitfire for the last 2 years. Great little tent. Have not been in it in heavy rains but several times in moderate rains and never a problem with leaking. Not very roomy on the inside but plenty big for my big agnes pad/bag and then stuff sacks of clothes, etc at the head and foot. Also some space on either side for additional storage of small items. There is a small pocket on the side away from the door for night time storage of small flashlight/glasses/etc. The vestibules are small but big enough for boots and a smallish pack. I put my empty Atmos 50 under the vestibule away from the door side and it works fine. The inside height of the tent is plenty tall for me to sit up (I am 5' 10''). I use a tyvek groundcloth with it.

I also made a fast pack "footprint" for it out of light weight webbing, grommets and plastic buckles. The "footprint", the poles, the fly and the tyvek groundcloth weigh a little over 2 lbs. Works fine for camping when bugs are not a big issue which is rare down here in Alabama.

In summary, in my opinion, the spitfire (standard not UL) is a great little tent for the money. You can get a lighter tent but you will pay 2 to 3 times more and the lighter version will probably be much more fragile and have much more problems with condensation. Just my opinion.

[lilricky]

Just an update about the Eureka Spitfire, both the Spitfire Solo and the Spitfire Ultralight have been discontinued. However both the Spitfire 1 (2lb 12oz)& Spitfire 2 (4lb 3oz) are still being manufactured and sold. I own the Spitfire 1 and love it, with one problem, the rainfly at the head touches the tent, causing some problems with condensation. Can't seem to figure out how to fix this. Has anyone been able to figure out a solution to this?