Eureka Spitfire tent and Casper Sleeping bag

[Tuckahoe]

Hey guys,

I am shopping for a new tent and sleeping bag and I would like to get the opinions on a couple Eureka products.

First on the tent I am looking at the Spitfire 1 & 2 and wondering about which one would best fit me and my needs, especially since I am not a small guy (6’1” 275lbs). How are these tents working out for those that use them?

What I am especially interested in is how well these tents can be compressed and packed away into the pack. The specs on the Spitfire 1 say that its packed dimensions are 5”x22”, which I would assume is the tent rolled up with its pegs and polls in its bag. Same with the Spitfire 2, being 5”x17” (why does the 2 have a smaller dimension than the 1?). If I packed the pegs and polls strapped to the outside of the pack, can these tents be compressed to a smaller dimension?

Same questions for the sleeping bag. I am interested in the Eureka Casper and would like the opinions of those that use this sleeping bag as well. And as with the tents, I am interested in how well this sleeping bag compress compared to its stated stuff sack size of 8.5” x 12.5”.

None of the local stores carry these products and so I am looking at ordering them from Campmor.com and since I can’t check these out myself, I really appreciate the thoughts of others.

Thanks

[XCskiNYC]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqRBM0zMPKM

[Tuckahoe]

Thanks, had already viewed that video.

[deadhorsejoe]

Tuckahoe

I have been using the Spitfire 1 for about 3 years now and really like it. It is small but fits me just fine (5' 10"). It has good head room allowing you to sit up without touching your head (unless you are very tall) For the price (you should be able to find it for around 75.00) it is a real bargain. I dont roll mine up or stuff it in stuff sacks. I just stuff the tent body and the rain fly down into my pack (GoLite Pinnacle) to fill up spaces created by other things that are in stuff sacks. I put the aluminum poles on the outside of my pack under the side compression straps with the ends of the poles in one of the water bottle pockets. Stakes are in a bag in the pack. You will find that there is not much vestibule space in the spitfire 1 but most of my stuff I put in the tent with me. There is some room above your head and below your feet and some on either side of your pad and sleeping bag. There are two small pockets sown into the tent body to store your glasses, light etc). I put my boots in the small vestibule by the door. The vestibule on the other side of the tent is not accessable from within the tent. Sturdy little tent for the price and it weighs less than 3 lbs.

deadhorse

[Highstepper]

I have the long model of the Casper bag. The information on the compression sack states the stuff size as 16" X 8.5". With the compression straps I was able to reduce the size to 11" x 8.5 " without too much effort. This is a good bag for the money.

[twilight]

I would give the Spitfire a thumbs up. I am pretty large guy myself and I have no confinement problems at all. I'll share an experience about my first weekend with the tent. We set up at Manasses Gap and I put my tent up in low area. And you guessed it, that night it rained...hard! I thought I would be soaked in the morning. Especially, when it felt like I had set my Spitfire up in creek. I litterly felt water flowing under the floor of my tent. I unzipped the the door a bit and stuck my hand in about inch of water. Which was all around the tent. But, I'd have to say the bathtub design floor kept me dry!

If I remember correctly I got mine for about 68 bucks.


Twilight

[Tuckahoe]

Hey guys thanks for the input. I wish I could find a spitfire for about $68-70, but the best price I have found is about $110