Exped Mira II HL Tent is a lightweight 3-season backpacking tent for 2 people, with 2 doors and 2 vestibules, DAC NFL aluminum poles, and a quality waterproof fabric.
Key features
- Lightweight tent.
- Aluminum poles.
- Two doors & two vestibules.
- Semi-freestanding.
So what is Exped Mira II HL
Exped is famous for their sleeping pads, but they also have a number of excellent tents on the market, and the largest of them is the Exped Ursus VI. This Mira II is from the series that also includes the tents for one and three people.
Mira II has the letters HL in the name and this is supposed to mean ‘hyper light’. But I would rather describe it as a very light tent, there are far lighter options on the market, see this Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL as an example.
This is a tent with two doors and two vestibules and with enough space for two users on the trail. The tent is a two-layer structure with the inner tent and a full-coverage fly. I would describe it as a semi-freestanding tent and by this I mean the following.
If you happen to be on a terrain where you cannot stake its two critical corners in the feet area (see the picture below), you can certainly spend the night without staking it down. But the walls will not be extended to their full width. However, when you put an Exped duo sleeping pad on the floor or two Exped SynMat 9 pads, the tent’s floor will get its full shape even without stakes.
Who is it for
Space-wise: The picture below shows the dimensions and the floor plan. So you realize that you have 29 ft² (2.7 m²) of the inner floor area and this means 14.5 ft² (1.35 m²) per person. This is a lot for a backpacking tent, and there are also two vestibules that add 14 ft² (1.3 m²) of the protected area. You will see below how it stands when compared with some other tents of this type.
Seasons-wise, they described it as a 3-season tent. So in view of its waterproof rating and the full coverage fly, the tent surely provides all the protection. Though the picture above shows the inner tent which is almost all mesh so this would not be the best option in a very cold environment.
Note also that this is a semi-freestanding tent, the poles are high quality. The structure does not look particularly strong but the poles go through sleeves and this makes it much stronger than it looks.
Weight-wise, this is a lightweight tent and you will see how it compares with some other top-notch items built in the same style. So all in all, this is a great tent for hikers and backpackers.
Materials
The poles
The tent has one main ridge pole, plus two shorter poles. One of them makes the loop at one end of the structure and makes it freestanding. The second of the shorter poles is a cross pole that gives lots of headroom and makes the walls vertical, see the picture below.
The material they use is among the best on the market, so you have DAC Featherlite NFL 9 mm and 8.5 mm TH72M aluminum. DAC is the leading manufacturer of tent poles based in South Korea, and Featherlite NFL is one of the best they have built specifically for ultra-light backpacking.
TH72M is a special aluminum alloy produced for DAC poles, it has set the new benchmark for poles strength. Note also that the poles are anodized to prevent corrosion. DAC is proud of developing the unique green anodizing process by avoiding the use of toxic chemicals.
The stakes are Y-shaped in the cross-section, see the picture, I have the same in my Exio 4 tent. Note that they use the same stuff sack for the poles and the stakes, but you have two separate compartments with entrances from the two ends, very clever.
The fabric
The materials are thin as expected from a backpacking tent, but of high quality. So the rainfly is a 20D ripstop nylon, silicone-PU coated with factory taped seams and 1500 mm waterproof rating. The canopy is a 15D ripstop nylon and a 15D No-See-Um mosquito mesh nylon with 1500 mesh/square inch. The floor is a 20D ripstop nylon, laminated, factory seam taped and with the same 1500 mm waterproof rating, and it is a bathtub style.
The materials are free from flame retardants and Oeko-Tex 100 certified. With such a thin floor you might want to use a footprint which they have built specifically for this tent. Note that everything is color-coded, red and gray, and the fly clips to the tent’s frame with buckles.
Ventilation
With so much mesh ventilation here is almost perfect although there are no vents on the fly. But they have added two-way zippers on the vestibules so you can unzip it from the top and use a stiffener which you have in place to create vents. See it in the picture:
Other features
- The carry bag is nicely designed with separate sections for the tent and the poles.
- The zippers are with a glow in the dark beads so you can locate them at night.
- Pockets are on the wall on both sides.
- There are 5 webbing loops on the ceiling to put a guyline and hang the stuff.
Setup
Please see this video with all the details:
All the features of this great tent are summarized in this video, take a look:
Specifications
- Type: semi-freestanding backpacking tent.
- Capacity: 2 people.
- Max. weight: 3.3 lb (1.5 kg). This implies the weight of rainfly, canopy, poles, stuff sacks, and the accessory bag with pegs, guy-lines, and repair kit.
- Min. weight: 2.9 lb (1.3 kg). This is the weight of rainfly, canopy, and poles.
- Dimensions: 84.6 x 49.2 in (215 x 125 cm).
- Inner floor area: 29 ft² (2.7 m²).
- Inner floor area per person: 14.5 ft² (1.35 m²).
- Vestibule area: 14 ft² (1.3 m²).
- Total protected area: 43 ft² (4 m²).
- Total protected area per person: 21.5 ft² (2 m²).
- Inner peak height: 43.3 in (110 cm).
- Packed size: 16.5 x 5.9 in (42 x 15 cm).
- Warranty: 2 years.
Exped Mira II HL Tent vs Competitor
I have decided to show you this tent side by side with two 2-person tents from other top brands. I choose the tents with a somewhat similar frame, though the Marmot’s tent is fully freestanding. As you realize, the inner floor area is the same, and there are some small differences in the vestibules area. But this Mira 2 person tent is more expensive than the other two.
Weight, lb (kg)
Floor size, sq ft (sq m)
Peak height, in (cm)
Packed size, in (cm)
Doors
Vestibules
Poles
Freestanding
Footprint
Price
Exped Mira II HL
3.3 (1.5)
29 (2.7)
43.3 (110)
16.5 x 5.9 (42 x 15)
2
2
aluminum
yes
no
$$$
Sierra Designs Sweet Suite 2
3.625 (1.64)
29 (2.7)
41 (104)
16.5 x 6.5 (42 x 16.5)
2
2
aluminum
yes
no
$$
Marmot Force 2
3.5 (1.58)
29 (2.7)
41 (104)
18 x 6.7 (46 x 17)
2
2
aluminum
yes
no
$$
Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons
So this Exped Mira II HL Tent is a great combination of weight, space, and comfort, with quality materials used in its construction. It is nice to have two doors and vestibules; observe also that the vestibule door drip line is outside of the inner tent and this prevents the rain from getting inside. The tent is sturdy enough for most of the situations in a 3-season use, but it is best to avoid exposed windy places above the treeline. It is expensive but worth the investment.
Please see how I rate it, the same criteria are used for all the tents in the site:
Exped Mira II Hyperlite 2 Person Backpacking Tent
Pros
- Very lightweight.
- Great packed size.
- Easy setup.
- 2 Vestibules & 2 doors.
Cons
- Expensive.
- Low floor rating.
Please check my page with tents if you need more options to consider, in particular my list with the best 2-person backpacking tents. If this tent is not light enough, please check this Marmot Bolt UL 2P Tent which is lighter.
Note that this is not a sponsored text and I am not paid by the manufacturer. Let us know what you think about this text, there is a comment box below. Have a nice day.
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