Bushwalk Australia

Hi All.
Am in the market for a new 4 season tent and would like some feedback from owners of the current generation 2nd Arrow (u/l and X).
Previous experience with a lightweight "cottage industry" shelter has tainted my opinion of l/w tents. Therefore, I am seeking reviews from those who have actually used their Arrows in anger.
Thanks

Bomber tent FF
and quite light too
John

I've used the Second Arrow UL for about five years now, and here is my take (of the 2015 vintage):

1.The tent weighs under 2 kgs (barely) with all its parts;
2. The tent is robust and waterproof;
3. It has a high degree of wind and weather resistance;
4. It can be a bit cramped for two large people, and is best as a bombproof single person shelter;
5. It is easy to erect and can conveniently be put up in one go, with three tent pegs;
6. You can fit two sleeping mats inside;
7. The vestibule is average but will hold two full sized packs;
8. I've used in the snow and in rainforest, it has been great.

I've used it throughout Qld, NSW,Victoria and Tasmania. It sheds moderate snow well and handles heavy rain.The floor is excellent and in conjunction with good ventilation it handles even camping in boggy ground well.

As for after sales service,I have on two separate occasions found it necessary to contact Wilderness Equipment and on both instances were impressed with their efficiency. WE is now part of Sea to Summit, and customer support is run by the son of the WE founder. This is not a fly by night organisation.On the second occasion i had somehow cracked a pole tip and WE immediately replaced the entire set.

in summary, a very good tent backed by a reputable company. There are lighter tents, but this is stronger by a long way. highly recommended.

Had this for 6 years, highly recommended if what you're after is a light weight 4 season tent. Versatile and adjustable tent - can be closed for spindrift, opened up for summer ventilation. In mild weather the whole front opens up, letting the view in. I've spent heaps of days/half days waiting out storms, it's spacious for solo use (if you're not too tall). Main weaknesses are: camping on rock; there are much lighter tents these days for 3 season trips; a tall person may find the tent cramped.

I read somewhere that the new version is longer but is it long enough for someone 6'2" (185cm)?
Sounds like the standard WE 2nd Arrow performs well above the tree line. Anyone been caught out in the UL version? Wondering if the UL is a false saving for a tent intended mainly for Apline Winter use?

Got caught in the First Arrow UL on a very exposed mountain top in unforecast strong winds for most of the evening and night. I'm not good at estimating wind strength, but it was strong enough to make it very hard to stand still enough to take photos. It's been in heavy rain and moderate winds another time. No problems, and I felt very secure.

One of the things I love about it is its versatility, as Krunel said. You can get heaps of ventilation in warm weather. I love how easy it is to make the vestibule larger for easy living, and return it to a larger bedroom at night.

I'm short, but decided to go with the First rather than the Second Arrow as I'm a light sleeper, and wake up if my tent buddy bumps me. I love my palace to share.

One thing that frustrated me when I bought mine was that some of the loops were too big for the toggles (attaching the inner to the fly), so they often slipped out when packing up, while others were too small (extending/shrinking the bedroom). I ended up unpicking / stitching as necessary to make it more user-friendly. Apparently they have addressed this issue since then, but I haven't seen them in person.

Excellent customer service :
https://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=32635

Have looked at the 2nd Arrow many times, but not in the flesh, so have been unable to satisfy myself as to ventilation/condensation.

Posts here suggest that ventilation is fine, but I can't see how it works. Is it achieved by partially unzipping each end up high behind what appears to a flap or mini awning ? Or ??

For me, an up high vent at either end has seemed to be reliable in minimising condensation. (Think Hilleberg Nammadj, and Macpac Minaret.)

It looks like Bogong no longer carries them although they are still listed by W/E, but with all variants being categorised by W/E as Expedition tents, which should be encouraging.

The Second Arrow is the least condensation-prone tent I've ever had. Partly the two upper vents, and partly the height of the fly.
There are things about it I find annoying (ie: the height of the fly and the splashback you get from that in heavy rain) but condensation is not an issue.

Brilliant NNW. Thank you

Yep - height of the fly above the ground is always a compromise between splash and condensation. C'est la vie.

There was a thread on the WE first arrow, viewtopic.php?f=63&t=27833&hilit=arrow

I have the "older" style 2nd Arrow, the yellow one made from SN240 material. It's an awesome tent, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It can be snug for two people (I'm 187 cm), but that is the only downside. The new one is supposed to be roomier and around 500 g lighter, I’m very tempted to upgrade.

It’s a very well made, versatile and well designed tent. I have been in very high winds and heavy rain, no issues at all. I’ve had snow, but that was not by design, ie. I was in Tasmania, in summer, but it was fine. Ventilation is super adaptable.

crollsurf wrote:I read somewhere that the new version is longer but is it long enough for someone 6'2" (185cm)?
Sounds like the standard WE 2nd Arrow performs well above the tree line. Anyone been caught out in the UL version? Wondering if the UL is a false saving for a tent intended mainly for Apline Winter use?

Just to answer my own question. I managed to pick up a 1st Arrow UL on ebay and with a 2.15m floor length, it was just long enough for someone 185cm with toes touching end. On an angle, it's fine. The 2nd Arrow is 2.2m length so that 5cm would make the difference but still, I think if you were 6'4", it would be doable but short.

Definitely long enough for someone 170cm tall. Thank you

This thread has been very helpful, thanks all.

W/E say that seam sealing should be unnecessary because of the siliconised thread that is used, but I recall that one poster had a leak over the main hoop.

What is the general opinion of users of the Arrows. ? Simplest thing would be to simply do it, but seam sealing is not my favourite chore.

Just do it Stry.
Really good tent.
John

stry wrote:Definitely long enough for someone 170cm tall. Thank you

This thread has been very helpful, thanks all.

W/E say that seam sealing should be unnecessary because of the siliconised thread that is used, but I recall that one poster had a leak over the main hoop.

What is the general opinion of users of the Arrows. ? Simplest thing would be to simply do it, but seam sealing is not my favourite chore.

I have not had to seam seal my 2nd Arrow and it's never leaked...

Look what Auspost brought.

Crappy pitch, but I have yet to master all the bitties that make the flexibility of this tent possible.

Haven't gone forensic on the detail yet, but it appears to be well made and certainly has plenty of width. Length will be fine for me, but may still be a bit snug for tall people, particularly with thick mats and lofty bags/quilts. Definitely a 2P otherwise, whereas the Minaret is a great, but heavy 1P unless the occupants are midgets. For me a bit slower to pitch than the ole Minaret, but the benefits and flexibility outweigh this - and familiarity with the gee gaws will definitely make me faster.

I am relying on the breathability reports of others here to invalidate my concern about the way in which the eave seems to lie very close to the fly openings front and rear. Time will tell.

Now for my multi dayer planned for next week, do I play safe and take this or allow myself to be seduced by the weight saving of the X-Mid 1P ? With my reduced tolerance of cold, and expected temps below 0, I feel that caution suggests the 2nd Arrow, even though the weather is forecast to be fine. I have already substituted the WM Apache for my quilt, which adds around 400g, but light and cold does not appeal.

As has been mentioned elsewhere here, bumping up the shelter, the insulation in clothing and bed, and the body fuel can very quickly add 2kg or more, but it beats being miserable - or worse.

Make sure it's pitched tail into the wind, and both front and rear zips open at the top unless it's raining.

Will do, thank you

And I've replaced the single rear peg with a ground hog. The supplied peg seemed to be working a bit hard when I worked at tightening the pitch. See how I go with actual use, but I may end up replacing all pegs with groundhogs, as the weight difference is bugger all.

Love my arrow.
Two best tips I have.
1. Make sure front zips are done up and secured before the pitch. This deals with a lot of negative feedback in the past about zips not doing up.
2. Getting the rear hoop vertical will set the rest up for a taut pitch.
I generally have the inner zips open to a degree to allow an airflow overnight.
I cook inside - solid fuel makes this possible and safe.
Enjoy the palace.

Oops. I digress...