KUIU Mountain Star 2 Person Tent Review ***Updated 12/22/20***

[Justin Crossley]

Hey Roksliders,

I'm packed up for another mule deer scouting trip this weekend and will be giving the Kuiu Mountain Star a try. I ordered it early this week and just recieved it yesterday.

My son and I pulled it out of the box and set it up in the front yard to make sure everything was there. It was and it only took us a few minutes to get it figured out and set up. The tent, stakes, ground cloth, gear loft, and stuff sacks weighed about 3 lbs 13 oz on my scale. That didn't seem bad to me for a double wall, free standing, two man tent.

I'll be solo this weekend and moving a lot since I'm scouting. Should give me a good idea about ease of setup and packing.

Please let me know if there are any specific things you would like to know and I'll do my best to get answers.

***Update 12/22*** KUIU Mountain Star 2P Tent Review

 

[robby denning]

Hey Roksliders,

I'm packed up for another mule deer scouting trip this weekend and will be giving the Kuiu Mountain Star a try. I ordered it early this week and just recieved it yesterday.

My son and I pulled it out of the box and set it up in the front yard to make sure everything was there. It was and it only took us a few minutes to get it figured out and set up. The tent, stakes, ground cloth, gear loft, and stuff sacks weighed about 3 lbs 13 oz on my scale. That didn't seem bad to me for a double wall, free standing, two man tent.

I'll be solo this weekend and moving a lot since I'm scouting. Should give me a good idea about ease of setup and packing.

Please let me know if there are any specific things you would like to know and I'll do my best to get answers.

Great I wanted to see this tent in action since we saw it at Expo. Thanks!


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[bbckfh]

Ah! This one is on the short list... hope you have a great trip.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Setting up on the mountain was easy. It was windy at 10,000 ft like normal so I staked out the four corners and then inserted the poles per the directions. Since I was solo I had a ton of room!

I bought mine with the optional footprint and gear loft. I could do without the gear loft since there are built in mesh pockets on the sides of the tent.

The zippers are really smooth and didn't snag once on this trip.

Headroom seems really good when sitting up.

I think the vestibules will be a bit small if using this tent for two guys and gear on a hunt with bad weather.

 

[Bubba]

To further add to this review. I have hunted a few times out of the 2P tent. Its a little small for 2 people. I would recommend a 3P tent. Like above the vestibules are a little small for pack and boots when weather hits.

 

[wind gypsy]

Did you go with the aluminum poles Justin?

 

[Justin Crossley]

Did you go with the aluminum poles Justin?

I went with the carbon poles for mine.

Just got back from a high country mule deer hunt. My buddy and I slept in the Morning Star 2P four nights on the hunt. Space was tight as expected when using a two person tent for two guys but we were able to sleep and get dressed comfortably. The plus side to using a two person tent is the small footprint.

We had really good weather on this hunt so I wasn't able to test it against rain or condensation. I'll try to get it out this fall in some nasty weather even if I have to camp in the backyard to test it.

Overall, I'm really happy with the tent. It's a solid option for anyone looking for a free-standing one to two person shelter.

 

[BiggMc]

Heading to the mountain tops is always a breath of fresh air.

 

[swampthing]

I just shared a camp with a fellow who was using one. It looked good. He said the glow in the dark kuiu emblem gave him nightmares though!!

 

[Justin Crossley]

I just shared a camp with a fellow who was using one. It looked good. He said the glow in the dark kuiu emblem gave him nightmares though!!

I was going to mention that as one of the main selling points! If your tent doesn't have a glow-in-the-dark ram inside you are missing out. Haha

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[snakelk]

I've been using a Mountain Star 2P for the last few years and it has performed well. It has withstood torrential downpours and kept us and our gear dry. Yes, the vestibules are a little small for a full size pack and boots if there's two of you.

For the size and packed weight, it's a great tent in my opinion. Super easy to set up and take down too.

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[mosadalee]

I am late to the party - but wanted to provide my 2 cents. I loved the tent with 2 main issues -

I am 6' 3" 235 lbs. There is no way humanly possible that this is a 2 man tent with me in it. My 5 year old had to almost lay on me in the tent.

The length of the tent is short which causes condensation issues where your bag hits the tent (if you are tall).

I do love the lightweight, freestanding and vestibule design. It is my recommendation if you are 5'10 or under and only want a 1 person tent with a bit of space. I am moving to the 3 p tarp design and looking at options.

 

[rileybassman]

It's a great tent - I got it this spring and have had it out half a dozen times... one in a major hail/rain storm. Stayed dry each time.
It's snug, but if you aren't super tall and are good friends or related to the other person, two can fit.

With carbon poles and titanium stakes I'm at sub 4lbs. including the heavier storm footprint

Edit to add: my one small annoyance so far has been the lack of 2 zippers... so you always have to go to the same corner spot to zip/unzip

 

[AKDoc]

Great review Justin, as well as right on contributions from others. I totally concur.

I've run a 2-person Mountain Star up here for several years...three times sheep hunting with my daughter, as well as a couple of remote, hundred-mile pack-raft floats as a solo shelter for myself. It has done real well for me. I'm 5'10" and I like it as a single person tent. My daughter is petite, so we were also able to use it well for both of us, but I wouldn't want to share with another guy. It could be done, but would be too tight for my comfort...personal preference.

The one thing I'll add that has not been mentioned. Up here we can and often do have a lot of rain, so I went the extra precaution and I spray it with a silicone water-repellency tx every year (Obenhauf's). The Mountain-Star has never let me down in Alaskan wx...even took a light (1 inch) snow load on a sheep hunt.

(just a few Alaska scenes to enjoy...)

 

[Hoosier.270]

I just shared a camp with a fellow who was using one. It looked good. He said the glow in the dark kuiu emblem gave him nightmares though!!

That’s hilarious. Thing does look like the pet of satan.

 

[raskgc]

Good review been on the fence about this tent

 

[ianpadron]

I picked one up earlier this year to use on summer scouting trips when bugs would be an issue.

Overall, VERY nice tent. Easy to set up, good design/features, pretty dang light, holds up in wind like a freaking BEAST.

Nitpicky things: at 6'2" it's a touch too short for me, and the no-see-um mesh is pretty low quality. I sent my first one back because there were pulls all over the inner, CS told me my guy outs were too tight and that's what caused it...not the case since the replacement was exactly the same before I even set it up.

Overall it does exactly what I bought it to do, and I enjoyed using it this past scouting season and into bear season quite a bit.

 

[robby denning]

Great review Justin, as well as right on contributions from others. I totally concur.

I've run a 2-person Mountain Star up here for several years...three times sheep hunting with my daughter, as well as a couple of remote, hundred-mile pack-raft floats as a solo shelter for myself. It has done real well for me. I'm 5'10" and I like it as a single person tent. My daughter is petite, so we were also able to use it well for both of us, but I wouldn't want to share with another guy. It could be done, but would be too tight for my comfort...personal preference.

The one thing I'll add that has not been mentioned. Up here we can and often do have a lot of rain, so I went the extra precaution and I spray it with a silicone water-repellency tx every year (Obenhauf's). The Mountain-Star has never let me down in Alaskan wx...even took a light (1 inch) snow load on a sheep hunt.

(just a few Alaska scenes to enjoy...)
View attachment 224431View attachment 224432View attachment 224433

love the pics

thanks for the feedback too


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[Justin Crossley]

Hey all, my review is complete. Check it out and let me know if I missed anything you would like to know.

KUIU Mountain Star 2P Tent Review

 

[realunlucky]

Thanks for the review Justin. I've been thinking of getting a free standing tent for a hunt I'm hoping to draw next year. Definitely made the Kuiu the front runner.

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