GoLite Hex 3

Andrew Hanlon
Reviewed: 12 March 2010

LIGHTWEIGHT BEAUTY

Very light, outer is great by itself if you're trying to go super light and don't mind bugs. I find it very simple to set up even in heavy wind (peg out the flysheet first and then put in the pole). Lots of space - you can sit upright in it which is good if you're going to be spending a lot of time in it.

Central pole makes cuddling the girlfriend a bit difficult.
No porch means the entrance can get a bit muddy

I haven't had a problem with the vents in driving rain, but I haven't used it in those conditions so far. As far as heavy rain and condensation go though it is 100% watertight. The way you set this tent up makes a big difference to its performance, if you place the inner close to the outer you will obviously have problems with condensation, but generally there is plenty of space between the two. The headroom is enormous (my girlfriend can stand up in it). The sleeping space is equally enormous, although because it's circular there's only enough room for two people to lie down. But lots of room for kit. It packs up extremely quickly (just stuff it into a pack - two minutes max whatever the weather). If you want to go really light then the outer weighs no more than a tarp and takes much less time to set up. You can also hang it from an overhanging branch if you're lucky enough to find a suitable spot. Overall this is the best tent I've ever had for my needs and those are generally lightweight lowland backpacking. I haven't tried it in extreme conditions.

Will Legon
Reviewed: 16 May 2008

A DISAPPOINTMENT

Light weight - looks different. mmm ... Oh - and works well as a group shelter when I take small teams rock climbing on wet days in the Peak District. Good roomy space for cooking under when taking teams out wild camping. I bought mine direct from the US - must say I got excellent service from this store - www.mpgear.com - with a strong pound / weak dollar I'd certainly think about buying more kit from them - but beware the import tax!

Not easy to put up properly - and not forgiving if you put it up any less than perfectly when it's raining. Not so light once you've added the extra pegs you actually need. Not properly up to the job in UK mountain conditions - ie where it's likely to rain in high winds. No porch means that you tramp all your mud straight into the main compartment.

Over-rated in previous reviews.

Stuart Adams
Reviewed: 17 March 2008

GOOD BUT WATCH THAT DRIVING RAIN

Space huge amounts of it and small weight and pack size. I've seen bigger pack sizes for 1 man tents this is a dream.

The groundsheet doesn't attach well to the fly and sags to the ground in middle sections. No peging out point for center of the door. Driving rain comes through the vents like a shower, on recent trip we got quite wet. Also due to size of it pitching on an even surface can be problematic. If not pitched on even ground gaps appear at edges and wind comes rushing through.

It has it's place and is excellent but be prepared to for those weaknesses i.e. vents at 90 degrees to wind etc when raining, prop sides of ground sheet up with your gear.

Andrew Millar
Reviewed: 25 February 2008

LIGHT, ADAPTABLE AND SIMPLE

Tiny pack size. Simple to use. Small weight for benefits.

Not many. Tents are not always ideal as the weather will dictate what works best and we all know that changable is the only accurate forecast to trust. Rain can pass through the vent but as the cowl is outside anyway, I've attached a thread to it running back through the mesh onto a draw cord toggle. This allows you to pull in the cowl a little. Not a complete solution but it helps.

Tiny pack size and simple to use. Spend a couple of pounds on titanium pegs and pack a length of cord and you cant go far wrong. Cook, sit and change without the backside pogo in other styles of tents. I love it! I have the ground sheet as in Scotland a bathtub is usually needed but a half version of this would be great.

obscured by clouds v
Reviewed: 25 January 2008

LOVE MY HEX 3

light, roomy, adaptable easy to put up. You can hang it from a tree or rock, use a bipod pole arrangement, walking pole and extention [but don't] or in extremis a length of tree. modular so you can go with the fly only or fly and g/sheet ar if you have reached the stage of needing comfort.. the whole nest/fly combo.

a bit pricy and the lack of a porch somewhat problematic in wet weather [I use a small tarp to get round this] Not realy a 3 man, but bags of room for 2 luxury for one. It helps if you are under 6' too!
not necessarily a weakness, but all that unsupported fabric can get noisy.

it takes soemthing good to tempt me from my hennessey hammock and back into a tent. The hex 3 delivers.