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January 2023 graced us in the north east of England with a drop to sub-zero temperatures, a scattering of snow and a calm northerly wind blowing through. We can normally camp here year-round with 3-season kit, however when a wintry blast coincides with the arrival at Basecamp Gear of MSR’s new  Tindheim 2, 2 person, 3 season tunnel tent it seemed only right to take it for a night out.

The Tindheim 2 has a basic weight of 2.48kg (our total including pegs, storage bag and ground sheet was 3.5kg). and can be split to divide the weight between 2 people. As the inner and outer tent were already attached on our tent, we kept this joined for one person to carry and split off the groundsheet, pegs and poles to share the load.

As we approached our overnight spot, freezing fog followed us up the hillside and blanketed everything in a cold, damp film and encouraged a swift pitch to seek shelter. Thankfully, as the  Tindheim pitches outer first, only the outer surface of the rainfly got damp and the inner remained dry. The sturdy rainfly is 68 denier Ripstop Poly PE & DWR with 1500mm hydrostatic head. The two identical Aluminium 700 series poles are slotted together and inserted through the two sleeves that run across the rainfly and locate into the brass eyelet tabs at either end. The tension on the poles is quite tight and we found that it was better to undo the tension ribbon that runs across the bottom of the tent first then reattach the clip once the poles are in situ.

Once fully erected the tension is adjusted using tabs at the base of each pole and on the 4 corners. Front and back guy points keep the ventilation windows open and maintain front to back stability. The side guy ropes are also essential to maintain a tight pitch, particularly through the mid-section and add stability to the overall tent, though you will require additional pegs for these.

Accessing the vestibule is through a single door on the side of the front section. This door can be secured open using the toggle and loop. Internal vestibule storage is spacious and perfect for our 2 x 55 litre rucksacks and boots. The groundsheet also covers the vestibule area, keeping our kit off the floor, clean and dry.

Entry into the inner tent is via the wide D shaped door with sufficient headroom for easy access. The 2-layer door can be divided and the fabric inner layer rolled back to leave a mesh door for added ventilation. There is also a small window at the opposite end that can be open or zipped close to control airflow. We kept this closed and had the fabric door fully zipped too, which did result in some condensation build up by the morning, I think with a few more outings, we will get to know how to manage this better. The canopy of the inner tent is light grey 68 denier Taffeta Poly fabric with DWR, so won’t become saturated by condensation. The floor is 68 denier Taffeta Poly with DWR and a 3000mm hydrostatic head in MSR’s iconic red colour. The interior height is just over 1 metre throughout the inner tent, so sitting is possible at either end. The floor area is 1.4m x 2.34m large enough for up to 3 regular sleeping mats, so although this is classed as a 2 person tent, it can squeeze a child or dog if required. We had a third person in the tent for evening snacks and banter and all managed to sit comfortable for a couple of hours without requiring too many yoga manoeuvres. The inner tent has pockets either side of the door and at the opposite end for small items and a string running front to back for drying damp items which I found to be very useful to hang a headtorch to provide evening lighting. If you are looking for something a little larger, the  Tindheim™ 3 is also available.

Overnight the temperatures dropped to about -7°C and was still in minus figures when we ventured out the next morning. The outer was heavily frosted and had sagged, but I believe if we had sufficient pegs to guy out the middle section and had been a little less time pressured to put the tent up swiftly, this would have been minimised.

Overall, I was very impressed with the new  MSR Tindheim™ 2, their first tunnel tent, and it left me planning my next trip with the confidence that it is suitable for a wide range of winter environments. It is a very competitively priced 4 season tent and I think it will prove popular with experienced winter adventurers and those looking for 4 season equipment for the first time. I will remember to pack additional pegs and be mindful of the importance of overnight ventilation. 

Lois Fife
Lois is a keen cyclist and is always plotting a route… either for her next trip or looking for a different way to commute to work! She is regularly seen heading for the hills on a packed-up bike, be it for a quick overnight wild camp, or a longer multi-day adventure. She is currently plotting her route to walk the TGO across Scotland. She is a British Cycling level 2 leader and has been involved with MTB Guisborough encouraging the next generation of mountain bikers. Lois joined Ultralight Outdoor Gear in 2021 and is part of the Customer Service Team. She is always keen to get her hands on new kit to try in the field and share her findings on the website. Read more from Lois Fife