The Mountainsmith Morrison EVO 4 Tent is from a new series, very reliable, $187 only, with footprint and gear loft included. Read more in the text.
Key benefits & features
- Footprint included.
- Detachable ceiling loft pocket included.
- Very affordable price.
- Durable materials.
Who is it for
This is a camping tent, reliable, and most suitable to be used in 3 seasons. For winter conditions you would need something else, see more here.
The EVO 4 is not so lightweight tent and probably not the best option for backpacking, but it is good enough for hikers and mountaineers when its elements are shared and carried separately by participants.
They describe it as ‘roomy’ and indeed it is not small, but ideally, think about this as a 3-person tent. The tent is free-standing, so you can pitch it on any terrain, and no need to stake it to the ground, but you have stakes included and it is best to do so.
Description
The EVO series currently includes two tents, for 2 people and for 4 people. The main difference regarding the classic award-winning Morrison series is that there is a brow pole that adds internal volume and headspace.
So EVO 4 tent includes 56 ft² (5.2 m²) plus 22 ft² (2.04 m²) in the two vestibules. This is a tent for 4 people, with 2 side doors. The effective floor area per person is 1.3 m², the vestibules are relatively large and here you can store your gear, yet you will be cramped inside. As I mentioned above, a far better option is to use it for 3 people.
One of the bonuses is the footprint, it adds value and a lot of weight, but you do not have to use it. It protects the floor from the ground, and it also allows for the fast-fly variant, see the picture below. This means you can use it only with the poles and the fly for super light 5 pounds setup for backpacking adventures.
Do not be worried when you see that the footprint is slightly smaller than the tent floor. This is by design, to avoid water being funneled under the tent. A bit more about footprints, in general, you can see here.
Yet another bonus is a detachable ceiling loft for overhead storage, always useful to have. Note also that you have mesh pockets in the corners of the walls, and the mesh zippered doors also have their storage pockets on the sides. The doors are simply huge, I like to see this.
In the specifications below, you will see that there are differences in the trail weight, packed weight, and the mentioned fast-fly weight. This terminology is explained in my another text.
Poles
There are two main shock-corded poles plus a short brow pole which is there to pull the side walls up, so it adds a lot of volume by making the sidewalls much more vertical. All poles are 7000 series aluminum alloy.
Materials
All materials are pretty durable, 68D for all fabric elements, see more in the specifications. This also adds weight, this tent is not so lightweight option. Waterproofness rating for the fly and the floor is 2000 mm and 5000 mm, respectively, which is better than many other top notch tents of this kind.
The tent attachment to the poles is through clips and sleeves. There is a lot of mesh in the tent body for ventilation, and also two vents are available in the rain fly.
Everything is made watertight with fully taped seams on the fly and the floor, and you have a bathtub floor construction. The guylines are reflective for an increased visibility.
The setup is standard for this type of tents, you can see it all in this short video by Mountainsmith:
Specifications
- Type: freestanding, 3-season, 4-person tent.
- Trail weight: 7 lb 1 oz (3.2 kg).
- Packaged weight: 8 lb 6 oz (3.8 kg).
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 95 x 84 x 51 in (241 x 213 x 130 cm).
- Packed size: 20 x 9 in (51 x 23 cm).
- Floor area: 56 ft² (5.2 m²).
- Vestibule area: 22 ft² (2.04 m²).
- Peak height: 51 in (114.3 cm).
- Materials:
– Fly: 68D x 185T poly PU 2000 mm.
– Tent: 68D x 185T breathable poly.
– Floor: 68D x 190tD poly PU 5000 mm.
– Poles: 7000 series aluminum alloy.
– Storage sack: 68D poly ripstop.
– V-Stakes: 7075 aluminum. - Lifetime warranty against manufacturer’s defects.
- Footprint included.
- Detachable ceiling loft pocket.
- Two doors & two vestibules.
- Fast fly set-up.
- Poles: 3.
- Brow pole for increased interior headroom.
- Taped seams.
- Bathtub floor construction.
- Fly vents.
- No-See-Um mesh wall panels.
- Interior mesh storage pockets.
- Clip-pole attachment.
- Reflective guylines with tension lock cord adjustment.
- Reflective highlights for stakeout points.
About Mountainsmith Company
Mountainsmith is a renown US-based company founded in 1979 by Patrick Smith with the idea to build durable outdoor gear. So indeed they build the most durable and functional equipment, you can see their awarded Mountainsmith Lariat 65 backpack which I describe through their words as ‘forged for life’.
They produce various pieces of outdoor equipment, like backpacks, tents, trekking poles, and sleeping bags; see some of their tents in the links below.
Summary, rating, pros & cons
So to conclude this overview of the Mountainsmith Morrison EVO 4 Tent, what you have here is a high quality and a great price combination, so how better it can be. It is hard to find a match for this tent, and I can warmly recommend it. I have included it on my list of top backpacking tents. Note again that there is a smaller version for 2 people from the same series.
Please see how I rate this tent:
Mountainsmith Morrison EVO 4 Tent
Pros
- Freestanding.
- Easy setup.
- Spacious vestibules.
- Very reliable.
- Really affordable price.
- Bonuses (footprint & gear loft).
Cons
- Small area.
There are many more tents described on this site. This Mountainsmith Genesee 4 is from the same brand and almost the same weight. You might want to see also this Bear Creek 4 tent from the same brand. If you need something bigger and higher, please check this Kelty Camp Cabin, or their Mirada tent.
Thank you for reading. Please let me know if you have questions or comments, there is a comment box below. I wish you a pleasant day.
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