Kelty® Teton 2 Tent

I just returned from a 6-day/5-night camping trip and this is the tent I used. I did quite a bit of research before making my purchase and these were the requirements of what I was looking for in a tent:

1.) reasonably priced
2.) well made (duh--but you know what I'm talking about...something that doesn't rival one of those CHEAP 30-dollar wannabe-tents from Target and other places)
3.) easily assembled by one person--and quickly
4.) small and light
5.) could manage under high winds and torrential downpours.

Well, after whittling down my list of possible tents, this is the one that remained. Here's why I'm happy with my choice:

-At $100 (understandably, a steep price for some), for those that know that a cheap tent is nearly as bad as no tent at all, this was definitely a price that was reasonable.

-Many seams on the tent and rainfly had a pretty nice factory seal and the stitching seems tight and strong. The tent has excellent ventilation with much of the tent comprised of the fine, breathable mesh allowing air to easily come in and out.

-Excellent design for one man assembly. There are no annoying sleeves to slide the two press-fit poles through; they simply and sturdily attach to clips lining down to the four corners of the tent. I was able to set everything up within 5 minutes.

-While this can be used for two people, it would be cramped (31-sqft). It is perfect for one person and the extra gear (The previous reviewer's comment on the paltry vestibule was spot-on). The tent barely weighs over 4 lbs. which is outstanding!! In fact, on my final day right before tear-down, when I picked up the entire assembled tent to carry to another spot so it could dry in the sunlight, I was amazed at how virtually weightless it seemed to be.

-Two of the days and nights were clear with lots of sun of stars. The others were filled with a windy lightning storm--a slow, long and perpetually annoying drizzle--and a few unrelenting downpours. The tent held up extremely well allowing only a small amount of water in at the corners...which was entirely my fault (See below).

I'm very pleased with this purchase. For the purposes of my trip, viz., solo, weeklong camping--where weight, quality, and price were the major concerns--if there is a better tent out there, its existence must have snuck past me. I'm planning an anniversary backpacking trip for next spring for me and the wife, so a new tent will be necessary (for which price will become less of a factor and where ultimate quality will be of paramount importance); however, for everything else involving just me, this will definitely be my tent of choice.

A few suggestions if purchasing the Teton 2. I would strongly advise purchasing the special Kelty Teton 2 footprint along with the tent. While $30 may seem like a very expensive accessory (maybe this is why the previous reviewer opted not to purchase it), it was a tremendous improvement on other materials I've used in the past under previous tents. It will protect your tent floor against minor damage as well as keeping it dry--and because it is specially made for this tent, it is extremely light (easily packs with the rest of the tent) and you never see it when the tent is set up (as opposed to using annoying and heavy tarps). Finally, a word on seam sealing. While all of the seams on the rainfly are adequately sealed and a few on the actual tent, the seam connecting the floor to the rest of the tent MUST BE SEALED!! I recommend using Seam Grip made by McNett (others more experienced than me have spoken of simply using silicone mixed with mineral spirits)...but the one thing I ignorantly failed to do was completely seal the vertical seams of the four corners--which led to a little water seeping in at the corners during heavy rain. If one seals the tent properly, however, the first time, the tent should keep all water out.

I recently went on a 6 day pack and paddle in my home state of Indiana, well known for it's humidity and wicked thunderstorms.
Before I went I had decided to upgrade my tent. The one that I chose was the Teton 2 by Kelty.
On the third day of my trip the weather turned very ugly letting loose with a storm that knocked down more than a few healthy trees near my campsite. At first I was pretty concerned but my fears were unfounded. Kelty's Teton 2 withstood a storm that would have torn other tents to peices. the only complaints I have are.
1-this is very small for a two person tent.
2-the vestibule was large enough for my boots only so I had to store my gear inside
3- I had some moderate condensation issuses that probably will be fixed with the use of a better ground cloth. ( I opted to use my own instead of buying the matching footprint.)
Overall this is one tough little tent worth every penny and more.