Kelty Outfitter Pro 2 Tent – Gear Review

With Labor Day now in our rear-view mirror, it’s natural for people to lose focus on outdoor adventures and head inside for a nice bowl of chili and some football. At Busted Wallet we’re never quite ready to say goodbye to the outdoors. The folks at Kelty agreed with us that Fall is the perfect time to get out in the wilderness and have an adventure. So recently they hooked us up with their Outfitter Pro 2 tent and SB 20 sleeping bag, which features their DriDown technology. Today we are going to focus on the tent, but stay tuned next week for our take on the SB 20 sleeping bag.

Kelty describes the Outfitter 2 as a tent that is simply designed, durable, field-repairable, and built to take a licking. With a straightforward, two-pole construction combined with heavy-duty floor, oversized poles, and replaceable 10 zippers that makes this shelter ideal for those lucky enough to spend more nights outdoors than in. We were more than happy to see if Kelty’s words ended up holding true! Read on for the good stuff!

Tech Specs: 

• Seasons: 3
• Number of doors: 2
• Number of vestibules: 2
• Capacity: 2 people
• Number of poles: 2
• Weight: 6 lbs 14 oz

Design:

The Kelty Outfitter 2 Pro was built to be incredibly durable and is intended to be field-repairable so nothing can disrupt your adventure. We believe the Kelty Outfitter Pro is going to quickly become a favorite of any outdoor enthusiast who wants a tent that can handle a variety of seasons. The sturdy construction ensures a reliable 3-season backpacking performance.  The tent features two DAC Pressfit aluminum poles that give the tent a very sturdy frame.  The freestanding design allows you to pitch the tent anwhere and then move it around to find the best position for a good night’s sleep.

The Outfitter Pro 2 was designed to provide 35 square feet of interior space and a very spacious 43″ overhead peak height. A simple but nice touch on the tent was the internal storage pockets that make it easy to stow gear and keep less clutter on the floor. The two door design provide convenient exit and entry points. Which means no worrying about climbing over or waking up your tent-mate in the middle of the night to take a trip to the bathroom.

The tent is built with a quality 75D Polyester body that should hold up in a variety of elements and last for quite a few years.  The 40D mesh panels allow a nice, consistent airflow to make the tent very breathable but yet seals up nicely and is still able to prevent condensation.  Finally, Kelty’s patented ArcEdge construction lifts the taped, floor seams up off the ground, eliminating potential for leaks.

Overall, the design and build of the tent was very impressive, which we have come to expect from this Boulder Colorado based company.

Comfort:

With a tent that is built for two people but also designed to be small, lightweight, and easily packable you’re instantly going to worry about space. With the length of the tent coming in at 89 inches and the width at 57 inches, we found plenty of space to fit two people. What we really enjoyed is the height at 43 inches which gave us a lot of breathing room. The storage compartments inside the tent allow you to take the clutter that would normally take up floor space and hang it up and open up the floor. With the freestanding the design it is very easy to move the tent to find a nice comfortable spot to rest easy after a long day in the wilderness.

Assembly:

Utilizing two DAC poles and an easy to follow color coded system for setup, this tent is quite easy to setup and tear down with only one person. The rain fly is easy to attach as well and all he clips and hardware feel very rugged. In total, setup takes about 5 minutes and tear down is about half that.

Durability:

Built to handle three seasons, the Kelty Outfitter Pro 2 is definitely able to taking a solid pounding. We got caught in a storm where winds reached 40 mph and had a nice steady rain and we were able to stay warm and dry. After the storm passed we inspected for any small tears or durability issues and the tent looked as good as new. Kelty said this tent was able to take a licking and we feel confident that it can withstand most of your outdoor adventures.

Value: 

Priced at $269.99 the Kelty Outfitter Pro 2 is a very reasonable priced for for outdoor enthusiasts. If you are just looking for a summer tent for a casual camping adventure, there are cheaper alternatives out there. If you are looking for a tent that will allow you to get into the deep country woods and want something light, small, but able to hold up in all conditions, then the Outfitter Pro 2 deserves your attention.