Exped Outer Space II Tent Review

The Exped Outer Space II is a large two-person double-wall freestanding tent with a front vestibule that’s large enough to seat two people. You can set up the rain fly first in order to keep the inner tent dry if it’s raining, or you can keep them together when you take the tent down and pitch them at the same time the next time you set the tent up. You can also just set up the rain fly by itself if you want a covered place to sit to get out of the sun or rain.

Specs at a Glance

• People: 2
• Type: Freestanding Double-Wall
• Doors: Two
• Minimum Trail Weight: 5 lbs 15.3 oz (including 2 stuff sacks)
  • Pole: 1 lb 15.4 oz
  • Inner Tent: 1 lb 4.6 oz
  • Rain Fly: 2 lbs 9.3 oz
• Floor Dimensions: 84.6″ x 51″
• Floor Area: 30 square feet
• Vestibule Area: 39.8 square feet
• Peak height: 59″
• Number of Poles: 1
• Minimum number of stakes to pitch: 2, but you’ll want at least 8 to hold it down in wind.
• Canopy Fabric: 40-denier ripstop nylon/15-denier no-see-um mosquito mesh
• Floor Fabric: 68-denier PU coated taffeta polyester, 5,000mm water column
• Rainfly Fabric: 40-denier PU coated ripstop nylon

The Outer Space II is a big tent and it takes little practice to set it up, although color-coded components are a big help. The tent only has one tent pole, but it has 31 shock-corded segments! While it is a little ungainly, the fact that there’s just one pole makes it a lot harder to lose than if you had to keep track of several poles.

The tent has two doors, one in front and one in back, which can be unzipped, rolled back, or vented in a number of different ways in order to reduce internal condensation buildup, even when it is raining. The front doors can be rolled back and secured with elastic cords and toggles to create a large vestibule space for covered gear storage, cooking, or lounging if you’ve brought along some camp chairs. The headroom under the front vestibule is excellent and you can even stand up to get dressed.  Just keep in mind that the front vestibule area is floorless and unscreened, so susceptible to insect pressure.

The inner tent hangs underneath the rain fly using toggles, which is a common design found in a lot of European tents. This makes it easy to remove if it’s not needed or easy to keep dry if you want to set up the rain fly first. The inner tent is shaped like a pyramid with a gear loft to hold a headlamp and two corner pockets to hold personal items. It has two doors, so you and a companion can have your own entrances. Solid fabric panels along the base provide extra privacy, while mesh uppers provide ventilation.

As you can imagine, the Outer Space II makes a big wind target when there’s a breeze. But it comes with numerous extra guy-out lines so you can anchor it securely. The tent includes short 4 and 5/8 inch plastic tent stakes, called Swiss Pirahna stakes, which provide a surprisingly secure hold.

 

However,  they can be difficult to drive into densely vegetated soil without a hammer, so I’d encourage you to bring a collection of different stakes so you can adapt to different soil/ground conditions. I’ve found that curved Shepard’s hook style stakes, like the red MSR Hook Stakes work best with this tent, plus the red color makes them difficult to lose.

At 5 lbs 15 oz, the Outer Space II is pretty heavy for backpacking use, although it would make a great basecamp tent if you split the tent with a partner. That said, if you normally carry a 3-person or 4-person tent for basecamping/backpacking because you want extra space and or room for a canine friend, the Outer Space becomes a much more attractive alternative.

Recommendation

The Exped Outer Space II is a large and luxurious two-person double-wall tent that can be set up fly-first to keep the inner tent dry. It’s well suited for basecamp-style backpacking with a huge front (floorless) vestibule and awning that you can sit under for sun or rain protection. The inner tent is well ventilated and spacious with two doors so occupants have their own entrances. But what sets this freestanding tent apart from other two-person tents, besides its huge interior volume, are the many ways it can be configured for different uses. For instance, if you want to just use the rain fly to sit or camp under, you don’t have to buy a separate footprint for a fly-only pitch. That’s just one of many ways you get more for your money with this tent. Exped is a Swiss Backpacking Gear Manufacturer that makes well designed, high-quality tents so it’s nice to see that they’re now carried by REI in the states.

Disclosure: Exped donated a tent for review.

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