Mountain Hardwear Room with a View
By Steve Mann

The Room with a View is one of the better two person tents made. It is definitely not the lightest tent at 7 pounds with poles and stakes, but you could ride out just about any 3-season storm in it. The interior offers a spacious 39 square feet, with an additional 9 square feet in the vestibule. However, the vestibule could be a little larger. There is not a whole lot of room for much more than a few pair of boots and maybe an empty backpack.

The three-pole design pulls the tent high and wide, giving you good headroom and width to spread out. At its widest point, which corresponds to where your shoulders lie, the tent measures an ample 67 inches. In many two-person tents I feel cramped with two people, but because of the high ceiling I don't feel that way in this one.

With four floor-level interior mesh pockets, there is plenty of inside storage space. Add to that a very large gear loft right above the door, and you'll find space for all your accessories, and they'll all be out of your way. Rhett especially liked the gear loft.

The Room with a View's claim to fame is its windows--clear UVX panels. One window allows you to peer out of the vestibule and a second huge panel lies directly overhead when you lay down in your sleeping bag. The big window on top completely changed my experience when I rode out a thunderstorm in Utah's Pine Valley Mountains. The lightning flashes were so much more spectacular because all the light was let into the tent.

Overall, the tent has a solid feel head to foot, top to bottom. The solid feel bears out in storms, as the tent sheds water and keeps you dry even in heavy rains and wind. The three poles hold up well under wind, and could handle the weight of some snow load, although it is not intended for 4-season usage.

As for the weight, by splitting the tent across two-people, the weight per person is about the same as a lightweight one-person tent.

I have a mixed opinion about the zipper at the head of the tent that supposedly allows you to roll the fly up and down from inside the tent. The idea is that you can roll up the fly for ventilation and better sky gazing. If it should start raining, or turn cold in the night, you can open the zipper and roll down the fly right from your sleeping bag. This would be great if caught in a sudden storm, but I found it very difficult to attach or detach the fly from the tent.

The Room with a View has the extras you'd expect from Mountain Hardwear, and for a tent in this price range, such as factory taped seams on the rainfly, high quality poles and stakes, and of course the namesake windows.

Summary: The Room with a View has become our test crew's favorite two-person tent on all but the longest treks when weight becomes an issue. For two-people, this tent offers more room, excellent views for star gazing, good ventilation, and superior stability and waterproofness. This tent is an all-around winner.

Specs:
Sleeps: 2
Weight: 6 lbs. 5 oz.
Poles 3, plus a brow pole for the vestibule
Suggested Retail Price: $295

For more information, contact:
Mountain Hardwear
4911 Central Avenue
Richmond, CA 94804
1-800-953-8375