So here we are in the beautiful Owyhee desert on a cold January day and this
is the MSR Access 3 and i am going to struggle reviewing this because there's really nothing
i don't like about this tent. Currently i own three backpacking tents. A one person Nemo Hornet
a two person Nemo Dagger and this MSR Access 3 tent. Now i thought there would be no way i could like
a tent more than i love my Nemo Dagger two-person tent but i don't know this thing is definitely
giving it a run for its money and in terms of four season tents this is absolutely my favorite tent
for getting out into the back country. Now here's the question we're gonna ask today. Should this
be the first backpacking tent that you own? Now before you hit the comment section and jump all
over me hear me out listen to my reason. Now one thing you might be saying to yourself is Jon that
is way too heavy of a backpacking tent and you're right for a traditional three season backpacking
tent this is somewhat heavy but for a four season tent it is extremely light. It comes in at just
over four pounds. Compare that to other four season tents on the market it is significantly less
weight and compare that to my Nemo Dagger that is just over three pounds it isn't significantly
more weight than my three season tent. Tther things cost and size. Yes this is a three person,
four season, mountaineering tent. It is going to cost more. But i'm getting ahead of myself let's
just talk about some of the features that i love about this as a four season tent and what makes
this the best 4 season tent on the market. Now we already talked weight and in terms of weight this
is a very very light four season tent. In terms of construction this thing is sturdy as (). I have used
this in harsh conditions, in the Sawtooth mountains, in the middle of winter, up here
in wind, in snow and this thing just handles like a champ. It has a singular pole design and those
poles are super light. They're in is the cost. There in is the light weight and there is more to
this pole system than a traditional three season tent because you need your tent in four seasons
to be stronger. To be able to handle snow, to be able to handle stronger winds, so as you'll see
with this MSR Access 3 the poles don't only just connect at the corners, they connect at the
midsection as well giving it a sturdier pitch. Also this thing is designed to keep your heat
inside the tent, it knows what it is, it knows it's going to be used in cold temperatures and the
design of it caters to that. Also, unlike some other four season shelters that i've used in the past
i have no problems with condensation with this thing. So not only does it keep your heat in
it really breathes well so you don't wake up to a soaking wet tent. It's very very easy to set up and
i love the two-door system. This is a three-person tent and i love that i love the space. I am a
pretty decent sized fella and if you ever want to take someone with you you're going to need room
for them and you're going to need room for your gear in the wintertime. So with a three person tent
you can fit two people and gear inside of it no problem. You can sit up in this thing. That's
another thing in the winter time there is a lot less daylight so you end up spending a lot more
time in your tent and for me, someone who actually wants to enjoy my time out here it's really nice
to have that extra room where i can sit, i can hang out, hell if i had someone else in there we could
play a game of cards in there no problem. Just sit there and be fine. I love that extra space
and with the two-door system if you have another person in there you don't have to climb over
people to get out of the tent at night to go to the bathroom or if you're the first one to wake up.
It would really suck if there was only one door to this thing and you were at the far side of
that door and to get out at night to pee you had to climb over gear and another person to get out.
MSR thought of that, there's a two-door system, that is super smart design i love it and with those two
doors there's a vestibule on each side of it even more space for even more stuff i dig that.
Your big honking boots that you wear in the winter time can go right outside your door. There are
plenty of places to guy line this out for those extra harsh conditions and it's got plenty of
pockets and nooks and crannies that you can store stuff in. If i have one knock on this tent the only
knock is that they are really really really trying to save weight and the stakes that come with it
don't have um any line or anything to be able to pull them out so you can easily lose one of your
stakes if you pound it in too far. Come on MSR i mean put a few guidelines in the stakes so i
can pull them out it's not going to be that much weight it's fine it's fine you're already light
enough. All right so back to my original question. Should this be the first backpacking tent you buy?
Okay maybe maybe not. First of all you need to ask yourself do you like backpacking? If you
aren't sure if you even like backpacking chances are no this is not the first tent you should buy.
But if you're able to borrow a tent and go do a little bit backpacking and you get the bug and
trust me you will know the bug when you feel it okay. Just itching to get out, itching to get your
backpack on. If you get that bug and you don't own a tent then i am going to make the argument
that this should be the first tent that you get because this tent can do everything and you won't
have to buy a second or a third tent. Yes $699 is a big price but if you end up buying three tents
for three different situations are you gonna end up paying 700 bucks? Probably, probably more.
First of all i truly believe your first tent should never be a one-person tent okay. You are going to
want room sometimes, you are gonna want the option to be able to bring a friend. A one-person tent is
your, at least your second tent okay. You are going out and you're doing solo stuff
and long miles and you are very advanced. That's when you spring for a one person tent.
So you need at least a two person tent as your first tent in my opinion. Now this is a little bit bigger
than that, this is three but even so even more room. You are definitely going to be able to fit
your girlfriend and her dog or your wife and your two small children in this thing if you want to go
backpacking, if you want to get them involved in backpacking, and again there's that four season
functionality. Maybe right now you're only doing summer stuff but you want to start to push the
edges. Maybe extend into November. Maybe actually try your hand at some winter backpacking then you
already have the tent and this is a very popular item i have seen it on sale. I actually purchased
this one for about $550 so if you can get this thing on sale i think there is a good argument to
be made that this should be your first backpacking tent. So hey let me know what you think of my idea?
What do you think should be someone's first backpacking tent? If you're interested in more
gear reviews i got a great playlist right here. Some more awesome hikes and backpacking adventures
over here. Youtube thinks you'll like this one. Thanks for watching i'll see you next time.