Review: MSR Fast Stash 2

**Review update here.**

The people at MSR sent me the Fast Stash 2 tent to review.

I've had it for a month or so and finally took it out last night for the first time.

The upshot:

• Set up is a bit fussier than I'm used to, but once I figured it out, it'll be quicker next time.
• It's huge. For two, it's adequate. For one, as a base camp tent, it's rad.
• The sloping walls, combined with condensation, would make sleeping for two-- and staying dry --  a bit of a challenge.
• Probably a better tent for hikers than for touring cyclists. But would make a great base camp tent.
• Retail $300. Made in Taiwan.

Set up
There's a video on the MSR site that shows how to set it up. I watched a few weeks ago and probably should've watched it again before I set off last night. In the dark. In the rain. So, setting it up for the first time in the rainy dark was a tad frustrating. There are directions on the stuff sack.

See those poles? They won't stand up unless everything is tied down.
Especially in the wind. (Did I mention dark and rain?)

But one step in the directions is whacked. The tent is optimized to be set up with trekking poles. It comes with two light DAC poles for non-hikers. So, it's held up with these poles, then tied down with the guy lines.

The step that's crack-smoking is one where it says something like, "put the poles in, angle them towards the door to hold up the tent, then tie down the guys." It just doesn't stay up doing it that way without help. With help, I'm thinkning there would be no issues. Alone (in the dark rain), you gotta sort of tie it down, then wedge the poles in there.

Anyway -- a lot virtual ink here, but the net: I think after setting it up a couple times alone, or if I had help setting it up, it would be trivial.

Size
For two, on a dry night, I think it would be fine. But it's a single wall tent. So on a rainy night, even where I put my head next to the side screen, in an attempt to not build condensation, the walls were dripping by morning. Given how the inside slopes, if you've got two in there, the person on the sloping wall is probably going to get pretty wet. So for two. Not so great.

Once that wall loads up with condensation, you don't want to be sleeping on it.
I like how tall the front of the tent is. And the door configuration is cool: you can sit with your butt in the tent, take off your shoes while their outside, and you get a bit of coverage over the door. Nice design.

For one: this would work great as a base camp. I'm looking forward to setting this up at the river next year and any National Forest trips we make. It's perfect for one-biker base-camper.

As a bike touring tent for two. I'd have to figure out that condensation thing before taking it on the road. If you did tour with it, you could have one cyclist take the poles and one take the tent to sort of break up the load. It's 4 pounds all up.

Loads of room.