Mountainsmith Morrison Evo 2 Review

This tent is an inexpensive and stealthy addition to anyone's outdoor arsenal. It has a lot of features and high livability. Though it is not a very lightweight tent for carrying on your back, we still love it for lounging.

Performance Comparison

The Mountainsmith Morrison 2 is supremely comfortable and easy to pitch. Its weight holds it back, but this tent still shines in the top half of our review.

This tent offers a spacious experience wherever it goes.

Comfort

This tent has a lot to like about its interior comfort. At 92" x 56" it is the longest and widest tent in this review. Its 43" peak height is the second highest. There's just a lot of space in there. It has a two-side-door design and the doors themselves zip off almost all the way around for a real open-air feel. The orientation of the doors suggest that sleepers are meant to go head-to-toe.

There is plenty of headroom to go around in this tent.

There are additional storage pockets, an included gear loft, and when you are not storing the door in the side pocket, there is even more space to tuck away clothes and equipment. The vestibules are large enough for each person to store a pack and footwear.

The door can stow away in one of the side pockets, which can also be used for other items when the door is zipped.

This tent has a combination of mesh and other fabric throughout the canopy, which has its advantages and disadvantages. It is less breathable than tents with more mesh but potentially retains warmth more. We also like the look of it. The light green and gray colors can be very stealthy for tucking away in the woods.

Though it is incredibly comfortable, other top nods include the The North Face Stormbreak 2 and the REI Passage 2.

Ease of Set-up

The Morrison 2 is easy tents to set up. It has a simple two-pole design. Each pole end slides into grommets at the tent corners. A cross pole in the middle increases headroom. The fly clips in at each corner and the tent battens down with its two end guy lines and vestibule doors. We like that the guyline is already attached to the fly, however, we found that properly tensioning the single point fly was difficult (as opposed to the trapezoidal flies of the REI Passage 2 and The North Face Stormbreak 2.

The two crossing poles offer a straightforward, traditional pitch.

Weather Resistance

The Morrison 2 stands up to rain relatively well but because of issues with the fly tension, it could be better. It has a burly fly and floor that withstood the moisture we encountered while testing. It would benefit from a couple more guy points to help it better withstand strong winds. Its 43-inch peak height offers a lot of headroom but can also catch some serious wind. The low running vestibules are nice a preventing splashback but there are so many ripples in the fly that precipitation still channels down in specific spots as opposed to uniformly dripping off.

Even after readjustment, the fly still has a lot of extra material we would prefer to tension out.

The venting options on this tent are very nice though. In addition to proper ventilation at the top, the open doors create an excellent cross breeze and the fly door has dual zippers that can open up to keep air moving without having to unstake any part of it.

Durability

The Morrison 2 has much the same fly and floor materials as other tents. The fabrics themselves hold up, the issue is the cheaper polyurethane coating that tends to degrade over time, especially when the tent is not dried out and stored properly. Check out our Buying Advice article for more about materials. Otherwise, we think this model seems quite durable and well made. The inclusion of a footprint only helps to increase the longevity of this behemoth.

In the top right corner, the true vent is visible in addition to the open vestibule door. Both facilitate good ventilation.

Weight & Packed Size

Alas, all good things must come to an end. This tent is quite a heavy package, tipping the scales at 5 pounds, 8 ounces. It is not quite as heavy as the The North Face Stormbreak 2 but it's not far off. It packs to 8" x 17" — in the middle of the group.

This stout model (middle) side-by-side with the Big Agnes C Bar (left) and Sierra Design Clip Flashlight 2 (right).

Best Application

We think this tent is best as a front country friend. Its weight makes it somewhat impractical for long backcountry hauls but we would love it for car camping. We took this tent on horse pack supported trips, and one of our testers wanted to take it with her on a motorcycle touring trip. If you just need a tent for even more casual use, it could be an excellent choice for backyard camping for the kids as well.

This tent also pitches in fast fly mode without the main tent body. If it's past bug season, this can be a good way to reduce weight (but you also reduce comfort).

Value

This tent is a good deal at $200. Though it has an above-average price tag for this budget review, it is loaded with features, has a great spacious interior, and can withstand hard use for a number of years. We think that for the right car camper, this model offers great value.

Conclusion

Although it is heavy, the Mountainsmith Morrison 2 is a solid workhorse tent. You won't mind spending time in its luxurious interior. We like all the pockets and variations of its interior doors. We worry that it whips in high winds and may not withstand a punishing rainstorm.