Oh April! The month of many long weekends. To celebrate, Mr Price Sport is giving away a Trail Tech Summit 3-man tent, Trail Tech 0 degree senior cowl sleeping bag and Trail 35 litre backpack worth R499,99.
The Tent
The tent isn’t new to the store and we have reviewed it previously. Our current editor, Cameron Ewart-Smith gave it the once over.
Trail Tech Summit Series 3-person tent from Mr Price
Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to test this tent in suitable mountain conditions and so this ‘test’ is really a first impression.
The tent arrives packed in a neat stuff sack which has two compression straps on the outside to help reduce the bulk. There are five anodised aluminium poles; four keep the tent stable and a further pole gives the flysheet shape. This does seem excessive maybe, but it is in line with its more famous cousins – those mountain tents made by North Face and Mountain Hardware. The extra poles do add to the weight but will assist in making the tent way more storm resistant.
Most importantly the poles are colour coded – and are matched with colour flashes on their respective sleeves on the tent itself making it easy to erect – nice!
If there was something I didn’t like about the tent it was the new fangled tent pegs. These do not have a large enough hook to make them useful in pegging the tent itself down and so you’d be advised to consider a few old fashioned pegs for that purpose. The pegs were great holding the guy ropes it must be said.
Design and Waterproofing
The tent has a built-in ground sheet with an upper part constructed from breathable nylon that has a 450-millimetre water column ‘waterproof’ rating. Generally the stitching and detail work is good, although I was a little concerned with the tenacity of the Velcro patches – the stitching on these was a little loose on my test version.
The design is intelligent with doors on each end of the inner tent although the flysheet has a main door with lots of space for packs, you could even cook in the vestibule relatively comfortable if the weather demands. Each door has a nylon panel that can be zipped separately from a gauze window allowing for good airflow.
If there is a flaw in the design for South African conditions, where you tend to battle heat more than cold, is that the dome of the tent itself is solid nylon and even at its most breathable will trap more moisture and heat than a gauze ceiling. That said in really cold conditions the ‘sealed’ inner is a boon as it traps way more heat.
Final thoughts
At R2 299 the Summit 3-man tent offers good value for money and although it may not be able to tackle serious mountains like Everest, that is not its intended market and you’ll be very comfortable in most local conditions – especially if you hit a cold snap.
I must add, that the tent is quite heavy if you’re looking to hike and run around with it.
The Sleeping Bag
This sleeping bag is light and tiny, perfect for hiking or a quick getaway in a small car. it is a cowl shaped sleeping bag that can keep you warm in some of the coldest temperatures according to the brand.
Mr Price Sport Sleeping Bag
I have yet to take it to such dismal temperatures, but the sleeping bag is a comfortable night’s rest and promises warmth in temperatures a low as zero degrees. It measures 210 cm long and 55cm across at the feet and 85cm at the head, so it’s shaped to accommodate your shoulder width.
It’s filled with 150gm Silk Like Mocrofibers for warmth and the package is bundled into a ruler-length parcel about 15cm in diameter. That’s pretty small. The sleeping bag is also tightly strapped in with clip-on straps to maintain the size.
Mr Price Sport sleeping bag the length of a ruler
You pull it out and it fluffs up into a winter winner. Personally, I prefer cotton lining on the inside of a sleeping bag, because ployester ones can get very hot, but you may compromise it’s light weight. The bag also has a secret little velcro pocket on the inside which is cool, because you can stash your lighter, a small torch and your gloves or beanie.
Once unpacked, the sleeping bag looks impossible to fold back into its small package, but its actually easier than you think. It’s nearly a cinch to push back into the bag and zip it all closed with the straps.
Costs R499,99
