Customer Reviews

Eureka! Solitaire - Tent (sleeps 1)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This tent is extremely good for its designed purpose; a lightweight backpacking tent. It packs extremely small and light. Have used it in all night rain and wind with no leaks (without sealing the seams or additional waterproofing). I am 6'2" and can fit in the tent without touching any sides, but space is very tight and there is no room for gear. Plan for your boots and pack to be outside. I have found a large black trash bag is sufficient to keep everything dry outside of the tent and adds no additional weight to my pack, plus I have something to put wet stuff in the next day. It takes some practice to learn to get into and out of the tent, but it is worth it for the light weight and weather protection this tent provides.

I have no idea what the people complaining about long setup time or needing 12 stakes to set it up are talking about. The first time I ever set this tent up was in a snow storm at night by flashlight and it was up and ready in no time. It was much warmer than expected, the night temp got down below 13 degrees but I stayed warm. However I do not recommend this tent for that! I am 5'10" and 220 lbs and I fit in it with my boots and pack inside. It is not a roomy tent, but anyone should be able to see it is NOT a family cabin tent! I have used this tent for backpacking over 150 miles of the AT and dozens of other trips with NO problems. No broken poles nor moisture leaking inside. My only complaint is I wish it was about 4 inches taller at the entrance.

The Solitare is exceptionally light and packs very compactly. It is fairly easy to set up even if it is non self supporting. Unfortunately, being non self supporting means you MUST have sufficient soil to plant the stakes which is difficult in extremely rocky sites.

Practically, the Solitare is a pain in the [...]. It is actually more of a bivy sack than a tent. Even when it is correctly set up it is so small that you can expect to be touching tent walls on 3 if not 4 (or 5) sides at once. There is no space inside for any gear stowage and the vestibule is so low overhead that storing your boots out of the rain is about all that is possible. It takes great flexibility to get in and out of the Solitare without stretching the fabric unacceptably. Getting in and out of the tent in more than a light drizzle will ensure that you get soaking wet. Getting dressed within the Solitare is impossible.

I would buy this tent again, but only for situations that require extremely light gear and temperatures above 50F with virtually no rain.

The Solitaire is very easy to pack and carry... but it is snug. I'm 29 y.o., 6'2" 180 and fit in there fine, but it is true that I'm about ALL that fits in there. For short trips (couple of days), I just take my 30L pack, and this tent fits in there fine w/ my compressed down sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and other gear.

I have also taken this tent on fairly rugged weeklong backcountry trips on Teton Crest Trail (WY), the Wonderland Trail (Mt. Rainier), and in the Smoky Mtns. This thing has held up like a champ to a VIOLENT summer thunderstorm on the edge of Death Canyon Shelf in the Tetons, multiple inches of snowfall, and even a branch falling on me one night in North GA. Has yet to leak in the heaviest of rains (I also use a tarp as a ground cloth).

The Solitaire doesn't allow much room to toss and turn, and it does take some getting used to. But for the weight, ease, and (so far) reliability, this is a steal for the price-conscious backpacker.

I purchased 2 of these tents about a year ago for my son and myself. I am an assistant Scoutmaster and my son is a boyscout in our troop. The 1st time we used these tents was at a backyard campout in October. The weather was wet (rained for about 3 hours during the night) and chilly (about 45 degrees F) but neither my son or I got wet or cold. The only problem with these tents are the FG poles. The longer pole on my son's tent split while setting it up. We wrapped it with electrical tape and it has worked for the next dozen campouts. I just ordered new Easton aluminum poles from www.polesforyou.com. This should turn this great little 3 season tent into a 3.5 or 4 season tent. On many wet campouts neither tent has leaked or condensated. Ventilation is excellent and setup though cumbersome at 1st is very quick and easy with practice. This tent does seem to have a little more room than the old Gossamer tent and has some nice new features to boot. Overall I would recommend this tent to anyone who is less than 6' 2", wants a small, lightweight, well made tent. If you are going to use this tent for extended campouts, I would recommend you get a set of aluminum poles.

great price. poles need improvement. mesh netting sags by morning and your bag is partly wet. Performed great backpacking in the Sierras last February with me and my 60 lb dog. I think for the price it is the best deal going. Im also pleased with my Eureka Alpinlight winter tent.

I love my solitaire. It's incredibly lightweight and inexpensive. I use this tent for multiple day bicycle trips and solo backpacking or kayaking trips. I've never had a problem with rain/snow (I've had it snow as much as 3 inches while sleeping in mine).

There are at least two models, and I think the newer one has aluminum poles and a zipper down the middle for getting out. I'd go with the aluminum poles if you can find them. One of my poles is held together with electrical tape (only reason I'm not giving 5 stars). The other downside is the 12 or so stakes required to hold it up.

So I bought this tent about 2yrs ago and have enjoyed many trips with it. This is a great backpacking tent. I like it better than a bivy (although still be wary if you don't like closed in spaces). I can fit my hiking boots at my head or along my sides without difficulty (being 5'10" and 215lbs). I've slept in hot nights, cold nights, driving rain, heavy winds and all have kept me dry and comfortable without any treatment or seam sealing. Straight out of the box.
Now why did I give this tent 4 stars? Two reasons.

Reason #1- It's true there is no where to store gear in this tent. On a very rainy campout this does bring down the morale level. But a quick solution was to buy a raincover for my pack, which I simply lean against a nearby tree or friends pack and problem solved. I do find that I can change clothes inside my tent with little difficulty.

Reason #2- Yes I too was a victim of a broken pole. After having the tent for two years, I had a pole split during a trip. My solution was to duct tape it and finish the trip; then try to get it replaced when I returned home. I started looking at camping stores and even "googled" Eureka Solitaire replacement poles! only to find blogs about other victims' woes. Finally, I simply took my chances with Johnson Outdoor's customer service. Not only did I get information on purchasing replacement poles (roughly $12 for those interested). They asked me to send my tent in for an inspection. The result?!! free repair on my broken pole and an extension to the ring and pin causing "less stress to the poles during set up". I have not had the chance to take this out to test the repair, but once the snow thaws I will give it a full test run.

Four stars because it would be nice to have a little more vestibule to shelter some wet shoes in a rain storm and I think if the fix for broken poles is so easy, it should be changed in the design.

I still feel that Eureka is the best tent maker out there (I own two other models besides this one) and still feel that this is one of the best backpacking tents on the market today.

My old 1 man tent ripped during a gear check prior to a 4 night excursion to Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy. I ordered this tent despite the reviews of the poles. I could bend the poles almost into a circle without any cracking or creaking. The tent set up fast and I found that only the tent stakes directly attached to the tent were required. I did not use the cords that pull the ends tight and had no issues. The mesh top was awesome and allowed me to see the gorgeous stars like no other tent I've had. It withstood heavy winds and thunderstorm downpours. I was able to test the waterproof rainfly on site with 2 days of non-stop rain. It held up well and I particularly liked the raised rubberized bottom/sides. The only downside is no footprint is available and my footprint was too large. Overall, this tent was great and endured a full range of weather situations. Bring a poncho if you expect rain, waiting out a rain storm in this little guy would not be ideal.

I had the usual problem with this tent. The rear fiber glass pole failed on the first outing (bent, not broke). So I bought a 3/16 fiber glass rod from Tap Plastic, cut it into the proper lengths, glued (thin CA) a 1" sheath of 7/32 aluminum tubing over each end of each rod section, and glued (thin CA) a 2" piece of 5/16 OD x 7/32 ID aluminum tube over one end for the connector. This produced a segmented pole without a shock cord but lighter, far stronger, and just as easy to use. Great tent, great price, you just have to make new poles for it.