Eureka! Spitfire - Tent (sleeps 1)

by Eureka

Product Features

• Two-pole hoop tent for one sleeper (18.12 square foot area)
• Tent body is constructed entirely of no-see-um mesh to maximize air flow
• Includes a good-sized vestibule for extra storage space
• Bathtub floor with taped seams protects against splashing rain
• Center height of 40 inches; weighs 2 pounds, 12 ounces

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The solo Eureka SpitFire tent has more headroom than most tents in its class, making it very easy and comfortable to sit up in. This two-pole hoop tent sleeps one person and includes a good-sized vestibule for extra storage space. It's also extremely well ventilated with large mesh panels--great for stargazing during summer trips. It has a large side door that makes it easy to get in and out of the tent. The bathtub floor keeps seams taut and high off the ground for superior protection.

The full coverage fly features a poke-out vent that's closable and accessible from inside the tent. Side release buckles attach the fly to body for fast easy set up. Only two stakes are required to secure the tent's body, and post and grommet corner attachments make set up easy. Other features include:

• 4 storm guyouts on fly
• 9 mm DAC Featherlite 7000 series aluminum frame
• Inside storage pocket holds essentials
• Flashlight loop
• Tent, pole and stake bags included.

Specifications:

• Area: 18.12 square feet
• Vestibule area: 4.4 square feet
• Floor size: 9 feet by 3 feet, 6 inches by 2 feet, 2 inches
• Center height: 3 feet, 4 inches
• Wall fabrics: 1.9-ounce Nylon taffeta w/1200mm coating
• Floor fabrics: 1.9-ounce 70D nylon taffeta w/1200mm coating
• Fly fabrics: 75D Stormshield polyester
• Pack size: 5 by 22 inches
• Weight: 2 pounds, 12 ounces

About Eureka
Though the exact year is unknown, Eureka’s long history begins prior to 1895 in Binghamton, New York, where the company still resides today. Then known as the Eureka Tent & Awning Company, its first wares were canvas products--most notably, Conestoga wagon covers and horse blankets for nineteenth century American frontiersmen--as well as American flags, store awnings, and camping tents.

The company increased production of its custom canvas products locally throughout the 1930s and during the 1940 and even fabricated and erected the IBM "tent cities" just outside Binghamton. The seven acres of tents housed thousands of IBM salesmen during the company’s annual stockholders meeting, which had since outgrown its previous locale. In the 1940s, with the advent of World War II and the increased demand for hospital ward tents, Eureka expanded operations and began shipping tents worldwide. Ultimately, upon the post-war return of the GIs and the resultant housing shortage, Eureka turned its attention to the home front during the 1950s by supplying awnings for the multitude of mobile homes that were purchased.

In 1960, Eureka’s new and innovative Draw-Tite tent, with its practical, free standing external frame, was used in a Himalayan Expedition to Nepal by world renowned Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person documented to summit Mt. Everest only six years earlier. In 1963, Eureka made history during its own Mt. Everest ascent, with more than 60 of its tents sheltering participants from fierce 60+ mph winds and temperatures reaching below -20°F during the first all American Mt. Everest Expedition.

For backpackers and families, Eureka introduced its legendary Timberline tent in the 1970s. Truly the first StormShield design, this completely self-supporting and lightweight backpacking tent became one of the most popular tents the entire industry with sales reaching over 1 million by its ten year anniversary.

Eureka tents have also traveled as part of several historic expeditions, including the American Women’s Himalayan Expedition to Annapurna I in 1978 and the first Mt. Everest ascents by a Canadian and American woman in 1986 and 1988. In recent history, tents specially designed and donated by Eureka sheltered Eric Simonson and his team on two historic research expeditions to Mount Everest, this time in a quest for truth regarding the 1924 attempted summit of early English explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. During the 1999 expedition, the team made history finding the remains of George Mallory, but the complete mystery remained unsolved. Returning in 2001 to search for more clues, the team found amazing historical artifacts which are now on display at the Smithsonian.

Amazon.com Tent Guide
Selecting a Tent
Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Expect the Worst
In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in! If you're a backpacker, alpine climber or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to take something designed to handle more adversity.

Three- and Four-Season Tents
For summer, early fall and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain-fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are more specifically designed for summer backpacking and other activities. Many premium tents will feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain-fly for enhanced waterproofness.

For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.

Domes and Tunnels
Tents are broadly categorized into two types, freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and those that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floor-plan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being more lightweight. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.

Size Matters
Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.

Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is also available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.

Product Description

Loaded with mesh for great ventilation, and ample-sized headroom area that's as large or larger than the competition's!

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 21 x 4.5 x 4.3 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000EQ8VIS
• Item model number: 2628315
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

179 of 180 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eureka Spitfire Solo vs. REI Chrysalis UL, January 12, 2008

By 

D. Paradis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eureka! Spitfire - Tent (sleeps 1) (Sports)

In January of 2008, REI put their Chrysalis UL single person backpacking tent on sell (115 dollars). I had just received an Eureka Spitfire (not UL) tent as a Christmas gift (89 dollars). Both of these two wall tents received many favorable reviews on the internet. Both tents advertise a weight of ~3 lbs. I decided to do a non-outing tent to tent comparison. If you look at all the web reviews available, it is clear both these tents can handle weather that you would prefer not to be out in. That was not my concern. I was more interested in which of these tents worked best for me and if there were any show stoppers between the two.

Component weights (ozs):
--------------------------------------------------------
Eureka Spitfire
Poles:................8.875
Fly:...................18
Body:..................17
Stakes:...............6.25
Stake Bag:............0.375
Pole Bag:.............0.625
Stuff Sack:...........1
Guy Lines:...........0.5
---------------------------
Total wt:...........52.625
Ti Stakes:...........2.5 (8)
Total wt. with
Ti Stakes:..........48.25
---------------------------
Min wt. (poles,
fly, body,
Ti Stakes,
Guy Lines):..........46.875
................(2 lb 14.875 oz)

--------------------------------------------------------
REI Chrysalis UL
Poles:.................12.125
w/o pole repair tube:..11.75
Fly:...................16.125
Body:..................17.375
Stakes:.................3.375
Stake Bag:..............0.25
Pole Bag:...............0.5
Stuff Sack:.............2.75
Guy Lines:,.............1.375
------------------------------
Total wt................53.875
Ti Stakes................2.25 (7)
Total wt. with
Ti Stakes...............52.375
-------------------------------
Min wt. (poles,
fly, body,
Ti Stakes,
Guy Lines)..............49.25
....................(3 lb 1.25 oz)
--------------------------------------------------------

The component weights show some of the compromises that were made in packaging the tents for sell. The fact that the Chrysalis is free standing results in a higher pole weight. The steel stakes that are standard with the Spitfire weigh too much. The Chrysalis UL's stakes are lighter, and of better quality, however I personally do not like the design. I strongly suggest the stakes for both tents be replaced with Ti stakes. The stuff sack used on the Spitfire is a simple no frill sack. The Chrysalis UL stuff sack has provisions for compressing the radius of the sack. This results in extra weight without any real advantage. If you wanted to use a tent compression bag, it should be the tent fabric parts only, and compress both the radius and length.

Both tents have a vent in their fly to help control condensation. The Spitfire also has a zipper at the top of the tent body that allows you to access the vent. When examining this zipper, I noticed as others have that the zipper does not completely close. A small opening about 1/2 the size of the radius of a tent stake remains open. A little better zipper termination would have eliminated this issue. This should be of no major concern, but it distracts from the tent's design. In the Chrysalis, the tent door needs to be opened to reach the vent.

The overall quality of the materials, sewing, and finishing of both tents is very good. The Chrysalis is a little better than the Spitfire, but this should not be an issue for either of the tents. When examining the fly coverage of the tents I noticed that the very end of the Spitfire tent body was not completely covered by the fly. There is about 1 to 2 inches of seam right at the end buckle that you would need to be sure you sealed. I do not consider this a major issue, but again something that could have been avoided in the tent design.

Both tents are very easy to set up. As mentioned before, the Chrysalis is free standing. The Spitfire is not free standing. The Spitfire is so easy to setup, I do not consider this a major reason for choosing one tent over the other. One of the advantages of a free standing tent is that the poles and fly can be put up first in rain and the rest of the tent pitched under the protection of the fly. In the case of the Spitfire, Velco ties on the underside of the fly and the tent body's external clip system also allow the fly to be setup first in the rain. You do have to improvise a loop on the fly end snaps (both ends) to do this. In this manner, both tents can be setup as a fly/poles only tarp.

The Spitfire's vestibule is only large enough for boots. It is triangular shaped with a ground apex of ~ 1 foot. A second similar area is available under the fly, but only accessable by being outside and reaching under the fly. The vestibule is considerably larger in the Chrysalis (apex ~2.5 feet). You could put your boots and a small pack in it. A large pack would not fit. The Spitfire has some built in pockets in the mesh side that are big enough to hold glasses and a flashlight. Head room in both tents is adequate for me to sit without touching the roof. The Spitfire has a few extra inches of head room compared to the Chrysalis UL.

The Spitfire has considerable more mesh than the Chrysalis. This would be an advantage when a person wanted to do without the fly. The Chrysalis has a little porthole window in the fly, and the tent body has some panels of translucent fabric that make it very light inside. The porthole window is intriguing. It would be easier to look out at the weather with the fly on, but I would need more data on whether it would hold up. It seems a little like a gimmick.

When I lay in both tents, I came across a show stopper. I was able to lie in the Spitfire with over 6 inches at both ends of the tent to spare. Not all of this space would be usable by a taller individual, but it was there never the less. I was able to roll side to side without touching the tent sides. In the Chrysalis, my feet were touching the bottom of the tent and my head was touching the front of the tent. It was very uncomfortable. I'm 5 feet, 8 inches tall. The Chrysalis floor plan is nonsymmetrical at the wide end and narrow end of the tent. It forms an uneven parallelogram like shape. This results in an large unusable area next to your head and a similar small area at your feet.

My decision was to keep the Eureka Spitfire and return the REI Chrysalis UL.

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Light weight backpacker, August 6, 2006

By 

Denny Alexander "ROUND THE NEXT BEND" (ARDMORE, OKLAHOMA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eureka! Spitfire - Tent (sleeps 1) (Sports)

At age 55 and chasing SCOUTS all over the country, I need a light weight edge to keep up. I had a EUREKA ZEUS single wall but did not like the slight condensation that accumulated inside nor the inabilaty to take off the rain fly. I like to be able to star gaze and avoid the bugs. On our last adventure, to the Chiago Basin in Colorado, the Spitfire kept the rain out during frequent thunderstorms and the bugs at bay. It is as light as the single wall and I had the ability to fold the rain fly back for some fantastic night time views of the sky. I had NO condensation problems at all. The onlt problem was the stakes it came with were steel. Phurchased titanium stakes , Problem solved. GREAT BACKPACKING TENT

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great deal on a solo tent, October 22, 2007

By 

Eric Weinmann - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eureka! Spitfire - Tent (sleeps 1) (Sports)

I purchased this tent new from Amazon.com for [...]. Elsewhere it was seling for [...] so I got what I considered a great deal. I think Amazon.com was normally selling it for [...] or so.

I'm tall (6' 4") and fit in this tent with a little room to spare for gear. I've only used it once on a Boy Scout campout and it worked fine (we had a rainshower one night). The tent has a lot of netting which allows for good air ciculation. I had no condensation on the underside of the fly during the campout. My only issue with this tent is that when it is fully staked out tautly, the rainfly rests on the head end of the tent (the netting above the front tent stake). This COULD allow any condensation that collects on the underside of the fly to end up in the tent. I didn't experience this, but I could see where this might be an issue. For drier climates, this shouldn't be a problem though.

Two other issues: I replaced the steel tent stakes with aluminum ones and the stuff sack for the tent is pretty tight.

The tent weighs 3lbs. 6ozs. on my scale (with the aluminum tent pegs) and easily fits in my pack. The quality of materials and stiching looked decent. I expect this solo tent will serve me well for backpacking in the Sierras in the summertime.