Customer Reviews

Eureka Performance Pinnacle Pass 3XTA 7.5-Foot by 6.5-Foot Three-Person Backpacking Tent

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Easy set up and great performance. We stayed nice and warm in this tent. I thought it would be an issue because of all of the mesh fabric. We always hated being showered in dew in the morning because of condensation, but this tent is so well ventilated that it doesn't become an issue. If you have always purchased cheap tents like us in the past, you will love this tent. The floor of this tent is not like others though - it is the same thin material used on the sidewalls - they do this to conserve on weight if you want to go backpacking. You will need a good tarp under it. Eureka tents are finally affordable - you will not be disappointed with this model.

Pros: Roomy enough for two + gear. Me=6'0" Her=5'2" Like other Eureka tents, very intuitive, easy quick set-up. I hook a Coleman Zephyr LED tent fan/light ($20 at Chinamart) on the ceiling loop. This was a godsend on warm nights (see ventilation comment below). Decent price $160. This tent has seen a good dose of rain and it is watertight. I did seal the factory sealed seams with Kenyon Seam Sealer 3. Wind is also not an issue. I have great confidence in the strength of the aluminum frame.

Cons: Plastic tent stakes...boo! I use MSR Groundhogs-excellent in the hardest ground.MSR Groundhog Stake (Each) Model 312054
Unzipping the fly is a loooonnnng reach even for me (6'0"). Zipper is at the far corner of the vestibule and dew/rain on the fly will get you wet if not careful. Ventilation is inadequate in hot/muggy weather. In warm weather you may want to leave the fly unzipped on BOTH vestibules. The one vent doesn't seem to do much.

I considered the Eureka Pinnacle Pass 2A but I wanted the vestibules for more elbow room inside. Given the lack of ventilation with the 3XTA, I would give serious consideration to the 2A again.

I bought the 3XTA after having the Eureka Timberline2 for many years. I wanted something bigger than a 2 man and this does the trick. It is great for 2 people but 3 would be cramped if you start bringing in your packs.
Pros - Easy to set up and light weight. No problems for one person to set up and move around before putting the stakes down.
The mesh is really tight and if noseeums are a problem for you, this will stop them.
Having a door on each side allows each person to get in and out without bothering the other.

Cons - Be careful when setting up as the side with the little triangle window (the "!" logo) really needs to be facing towards the lowest grade of incline. We were almost flat but still had the window at the highest grade. It rained the 2nd night and although no rain got in, the rain slides right down the fly and over the window. This then leads to rain running under your tent instead of the ground tarp. Tent was wet between ground tarp but bone dry between ground and tarp. Glad I sealed everything even after factory tape seal.
Also, I miss being able to open a window without having the world look in. If the fly is open (for a breeze) you have no protection from people looking in. And it is either all or nothing to have it open.
Lastly, the fly zipper is really long. To get out, you have to reach all the way across the open ground to grab it. Tough if it rains and there is mud right outside your door. As soon as you open the fly, you will get rain coming into your tent through the mesh. Since the zipper head is at the ground level, it gets mud and dirt on it so it makes it tough to zip up or down.

Overall, I would probably not buy this again. At least not for my purposes. I'll probably buy a 4 season tent and use this as a back up or for the kids. At least the price was really good. Glad I only spent $161 on it.

This is a fine tent. If used by only two people, it is very roomy.

It has an excellent ventilation thanks to all the mesh on the walls and doors. This makes it a pleasure to sleep in on warm summer nights.

However, calling it a 3-season tent is a bit of a stretch. I slept in it in September in Yellowstone (elev. 7500ft/2300m), when the temperature outside was going down to 40F/+4C, and inside it would be just as cold! That's a side effect of that good ventilation, of thin materials used, and of the fact that the fly is too short to touch the ground. The tent simply won't hold inside any heat that your bodies generate. So, if you plan to use it outside of the warm summer season, make sure you have good sleeping bags.

Bought this tent last fall and I love it. Have been backpacking and regular car camping works great for both. I have been in all night rain storms and nights down in the low twenty's the tent has performed well. The three man size is great for two guys and backpacks. The vestibles are probably good for small packs, but not the larger 6500 size. But they are great for leaving your boots in and keeping the tent dry. The ventilation is great and only one side of the interior is actually not covered by the rain fly, this gives complete protection for the other three sides. This allows to to pack gear up against the sides and not get wet. Very lightweight and attaches easily right to my backpack.

I cant say enough about how happy I am with this tent Packs small goes up super easy tons of room for how small it packs lots of head room

This is the exact same tent as the Eureka Juno 3XTA offered by Amazon. Buy that one instead it will cost you less. The only diffrence is the color and the price.Eureka Juno 3 XTA 7.5- by 6.5-Foot Three-Person Rectangular Dome Tent (Amazon Exclusive)

I have had the Pinnacle Pass 3A for several years and it saw some heavy use. As with any tent, unless you are sleeping on top of each other, you will be hard pressed to fit three people in this tent. However, two people and gear fit very well.

The pros:
-Aluminum poles (a must for any tent)
-Uses clips and not sleeves (except on the one side), so setup is a snap.
-Two pole construction, making setup simple
-Price, even with it's faults, it's a quality tent for the price.


The Cons:
-The little cardboard arm to hold the vent open did not last long. It snapped in half after only a few uses and now it's tricky to keep the vent open.
-The snaps on the rain fly are metal and rust very easy, which then make them impossible to snap.
-If you don't snap the door, in heavy wind the zipper will work it's way open.
-It's a long reach to close the vestibule doors.
-The side with the vent can leak in very heavy rain. It would have been nice to make the rain fly go all the way down and just use more mesh for ventilation.

This is one of the best tents I have purchased for backpacking. It is very light but strong and sturdy. Myself and my brother are both 6 foot 1 and had plenty of room. Setup and takedown is very easy and a quick process. The 2 doors and vestibules are a great addition to this tent. Dont forget to waterproof and seam seal this tent and also place a tarp underneath it and it will last for a very long time. Eureka has done it again!