The Magnum XL of the tent world. Big, strong, and lasts all night long.
Written: Oct 24 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Space, weight, awning, ease of use, huge door, huge floor, almost everything
Cons: No pockets, cheap tent stakes, color, non-free standing
The Bottom Line: Looking for a big tent that's light and strong and can deal with bugs and bad weather. MSR has found the missing link of light, durable, and weatherproof tents.
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| wvabackpacker's Full Review: MSR Missing Link Tent |
MSR Missing Link
~Introduction-
Looking for a shelter that is roomy for two but light enough for one to carry? Then you're at the right place. The award winning MSR Missing Link tent is both lightweight, roomy, and effective for three season camping.
~Specifications-
You'll find the MSR Missing Link at most retailers for around $229. But if you shop around and wait for sales you might get one for the price I paid--$150 at Galyan's.
The Missing Link weighs in at 3lbs 7oz with everything included. This is due to lightweight high tech materials used in construction. For instance the floor is made out of 1.9oz 70D Nylon Taffeta with a 5000mm coating of urethane while the body of the tent is made from 2.3oz 30D Ripstop Sil-Nylon with a 1500mm water resistant coating—as if Sil-Nylon wasn't water resist itself. To keep the bugs out the Missing Link uses 1.4oz 20D polyester no-see-um mesh—ain't no bugs gettin' in there. All of this plus a clever single-wall design adds up to a big roomy tent that weighs next to nothing—perfect.
The dimensions offer a generous amount of space. The floor offers 37 square feet of room in a trapezoid shape. It is 11ft wide at the back and 6ft at the front of the tent where the door is. The width is about 57 inches—now remember this is a trapezoid shape, not a square. The "vestibule" which isn't really a vestibule but more of a covered porch offers 14 square feet of storage space. The interior peak height (at the door) is 41 inches. The spacious design offers an impressive 180 degree view from the front door which has a closeable mesh window half the size of the door to save on weight as well as add ventilation.
There is enough room in this tent for two people and all of their gear. The back wall slopes up at an angle so the person sleeping in the back of the tent will have less above-the-head headroom than the person sleeping near the door of the tent. However, the person in the back has the most horizontal room—therefore most gear must be stored at t his persons head and feet due to the trapezoid shape. If the back wall isn't guyed out then the person sleeping in the back of the tent may feel crowded.
All of the seams in the tent are taped and reinforced as are all of the guy-out loops. The guy cords are also reflective unlike the black cords used in the Hennessy Hammock Explorer, thus no tripping over these cords at night.
~Setup-
Setup is fairly easy. The manufacturer claims it can be done by one person in under 3 minutes, I disagree. While setup is fairly easy it takes about three minutes to put all of the stakes into the ground—which essentially is the setup.
First stake one of the back corners into the ground, then stake out the opposite back corner pulling the fabric tight. Next pull one of the front corners tight and stake it and then repeat with the other corner. Setup is almost complete. Next extend your trekking poles to 150cm…what if your poles don't extend that far??? Rocks. Use a rock to add some height as pole height is important with this tent. If your poles aren't the correct length then the awning will sag as will the door. The sag will make the door hard to zip and unzip. This will also compromise the wind shedding ability of this tent as well as drive you crazy by flapping in the wind.
I suggest buying trekking poles that extend to 150cm. After extending the poles place the handle in the red pocket at the top of the tent and then pull the red rope attached to the awning tight and away from the tent at a 45 degree angle staking it firmly into the ground. The rope should have metal tensioners tied on already making setup easy by allowing you to loosely stake it to the ground and then tighten the rope. Then straighten the trekking pole making it perpendicular to the ground (straight up and down). Repeat this step with the other corner.
At this point the tent is setup and livable, but there are two more steps for a proper setup. Attach the extra rope and tensioner that came with the tent to the loop on the back wall halfway up from the ground. Pull this point out tight and stake it down. This point is optional but I suggest it as it will greatly increase the interior space of the tent as well as pull the wall further away from your body. The final step in setting up the tent is staking out the back vent. This step allows your tent to breath and helps keep condensation from building up. Pull it out tight and stake it to the ground. It should be close to the ground to prevent wind from blowing inside. If wind blows inside you will be colder, trust me on this.
If you don't have trekking poles you will need two more ropes (sold separately). Attach these ropes to the points where the trekking poles normally push up on the tent. Tie the other end of these ropes up to an overhead object such as a tree or rock. This will support your tent if you're an ultralighter, biker, kayaker, etc., and don't carry or use trekking poles.
If you're hiking with a partner who has a second set of trekking poles turn these poles upside down (handles on the ground) and place their points through the grommets on the awning and extend them until the awning is tight but still slightly sloped downward. This will increase the view from the front door as well as give you a little more head room getting in and out of the tent. Another reason this tent is perfect for two backpackers.
~Field Test-
The first night I used this tent was a cold (40F) and rainy night. Being single wall I expected condensation and condensation is what I got. After a night of sleep I woke to slightly damp walls, no dripping. The upper (above the door) and lower vent (bottom back wall) did a great job of removing most of the water. The back wall was more damp than any other part of the tent. None of my gear was wet including my sleeping bag, the floor was also dry.
The second night was colder (35F) but no rain. I experienced zero condensation this night. I did get pretty cold in my North Face Kilo Down 32F sleeping bag. This was due to the single wall construction. This tent is designed to vent air, not trap it. In a double wall tent such as the REI Half Dome Plus 2 warm air is trapped inside the tent so the interior temperature is slightly higher than the temperature outside. With the MSR Missing Link air is efficiently vented through the upper and lower vents thus keeping the interior temperature the same as the temperature outside. I would not use this tent in weather below 40F. While it will shed a fair amount of wind, I highly doubt it will stand up in snow or keep you warm and dry at low temperatures.
The first bad thing I noticed is this tent has no pockets inside, nadda. No where to put your glasses or pocket contents. There are two nylon loops near the door where you could hang a flashlight or a bag, but other then that there are no organizational features.
My other complaint is with the needle stakes. These are junk. I bent one the first time I used the tent. They are hard to put into the ground and even harder to remove. I recommend throwing away these cheap pieces of junk as soon as you get the tent. Get a stronger, easier to use stake such as the MSR Groundhog Stakes. It's somewhat ironic that MSR makes some of the best tent stakes out there but they don't give you any with one of their $230 tents.
On a positive note I love the awning. Compared to a traditional closed vestibule this thing is spacious. With other tents if you're expecting rainy weather you might want to bring along a tarp to cook under since your vestibule might be too small. With the Missing Link don't worry—two or three people can cook under the awning—staying dry and keeping flames safely away from the tent. In fact two people can sit side by side in the door of the tent without crowding one another. More tents should have awnings instead of traditional vestibules.
~Accessories-
MSR Groundhog Stakes - HIGHLY Recommended. They will work with any tent/shelter.
~Customer Service-
MSR/Cascade Designs has excellent customer service. I own many of their products and they handle repairs and replacements in a timely manner. They can be reached by calling 1-800-531-9531. On a side note, a dedicated MSR/Cascade Designs employee hangs around several of the popular backpacking and hiking forums on the internet. If you post a complaint on one of their products often this individual will offer you any assistance you need over the internet without waiting—to me that is A+ service.
~Conclusion-
Why would you want to buy an MSR Missing Link? Well you might want to lighten the weight of your shelter but still have protection from bugs and inclement weather—protection not offered by a lightweight shelter such as a tarp. And since the Missing Link weighs slightly more than a tarp but offers a little more protection—that makes it a pretty sweet deal. For one person this tent is just about the roomiest, lightest, multi-purpose shelter you can find. For two people this tent is an absolute dream come true for three season camping. I am very happy to have this tent in my collection of backpacking gear—and this tent isn't a collectors item—it's an item I plan to use as often as I can. I would highly recommend one of these not just for thru-hikers or someone wanting to save some weight, but for everyone who calls the backcountry their home.
© 2004 WVaBackpacker (Jeremy W. Hays)
Written for http://jeremy.qn.net/ 22 October 2004
~Outdoor Reviews by WVaBackpacker-
--Backpacks-
Gregory Shasta Backpack | Dana Design Glacier | Osprey Aether 60
--Tents-
REI Half Dome Plus 2 | Mountain Hardware Trinity | Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD | Sierra Designs Ultra Light Year CD Solo Tent | Hennessy Hammock Explorer - NEW
--Sleeping Gear-
The North Face Thunderhead 3D | The North Face Kilo Down 32F | Cascade Designs Therm-a-Rest Luxury LE Self-inflating Mattress | Down Sleeping Bag Buying Guide | Therm-a-Rest Prolite 4
--Hydration-
MSR Dromedary Bag | Platypus Big Zip | SweetWater Walkabout Microfilter | SweetWater Walkabout Replacement Filter | SweetWater SiltStopper
--Misc Gear-
Black Diamond LED Hybrid Headlamp | Petzl Tikka Plus (+) - NEW | Camp Lite 20 Chair | MSR Groundhog Stakes
--Destinations-
Heart Lake, Yellowstone National Park | Keyhole State Park, Wyoming
--Books-
The Backpackers Handbook
Recommended:
Yes
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wvabackpacker
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Member: Jeremy Hays
Location: Columbus, OH, USA
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 46 members
About Me:
Maybe I'll write another review someday...lots of new gear...
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