Mont Dragonfly

A place to share systematic reviews of bushwalking equipment, services and idea.
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This is a place to share fair and systematic reviews of gear. Share the good, bad and ugly as well as including how you tested it and reviewed the gear. This is not the place to carry on about a bit of gear that failed, sometimes good gear has a lemon - this is more about systematic reviews. Although this can be a way to help gear manufactures with feedback, this is not the place to hassle them or ask for money back.

Start each thread with
[tag]Brand, product, RRP in AUD. The tags have two parts the type of gear and type of testing/review. eg
[Sleeping bag | Unboxing] Kmart Summit Hooded $29
[Stove | Field test]Jetboil, flash $150

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Mont Dragonfly

Postby founders » Fri 02 Dec, 2022 1:19 pm

When I was on the hunt for a new tent, the lack of meaningful reviews for a lot of models was quite frustrating. I thought I'd pop a quick rundown on the site for any future shoppers looking on the site.

Background:

I was looking for a new tent. I have a one person tent, as well as a cheap, lightweight "3-season" tent. I've been venturing out into Tasmanian wilderness more often, and leaning away from a fair weather walker.

I wanted a 4-season, 2-person tent. I was hopeful for a freestanding model, as well as aiming for a relatively larger floorspace (I'm a restless sleeper, and my tossing drives my girlfriend nuts). I prefer two door tents, but in saying that, I've rarely slept in single door, end entry tents. After a bit of looking around, I settled on the Mont Dragonfly, as it best ticked all the boxes.


Features:
- Freestanding design
- 2+ person tent (floor dimensions are 220x140, not big enough for 3 people for mine, but very spacious two person)
- 2 doors
- Full nylon inner
- Full mesh windows in both doors
- 2 roof vents
- 30d 2000mm fly
- 70d 25,000mm floor

Things I like:
- I'm a big fan of the floor's waterhead rating. It doesn't seem to be more damage resistant, but I always felt that when a tent was setup on truly sodden ground, when you kneel, water would often get through. This floor hasn't leaked in the slightest
- Large floor space, as well as very upright walls makes for a spacious interior
- Full windows in both doors as well as the roof vents means that ventilation has been straightforward
- For a dome tent, it has been very sturdy in high winds, and I'd have a lot of faith in it during the worst conditions
- No trouble with managing severe downpours
- The vestibules are well designed, and easy to adjust how much you open them with multiple stake points
- Being freestanding, the tent is a breeze to set up on tent platforms or rock
- The pole segments are only about 42cm, making them relatively bikepacking friendly compared to some other similar tents that I looked at

Things I don't:
- Mont have reversed the zip design. Rather than the zips meeting in the middle when the tent is closed, they are at either end when the tent is closed. I presume this has been done so that the zips are always in the same spot when trying to open the tent, but in practice this makes it harder to open the tent to grab things out, or put things in. I've gotten used to it, but it took me a while. I'd probably prefer it to be changed to the standard format.
- The vestibules are quite functional. But I spent a full 36 hours trapped in the tent during a storm, and learned that they aren't the most comfortable space to cook in. I'm excessively cautious about using a stove anywhere near the inner or fly, and I found it hard to make enough space to cook with a door partially open
- The overall space that the tent takes up is quite large, and in tight places, it could be a bit hard to squeeze in
- The lack of a simple integral pitch option is frustrating, but I chose a tent without this, and it's rarely an issue.
- Putting the tent up solo in rough conditions is challenging. Proceed with caution.


Caveats:
- I haven't had the tent out during snow yet. I have no doubts that it would be fine
- I've read people hate the current Mont pegs. I don't mind them at all, but haven't had to give them a proper belting yet
- I've not used it during proper summer heat. I know people who have used the tent in Central Australia, and when well ventilated it seems to go fine


Summary:

I've had the tent for nearly a year now, slept in it about 30 nights, and overall I've been very happy with it. I have some minor gripes, but mostly the tent has exceeded my expectations.

I considered some other tents, with the WE Arrow series being the closest to beating the Mont. The First Arrow was the only model I would have bought. It was technically spacious enough, but I found with the orientation, that I felt more cramped than in the Mont. The fact that it wasn't freestanding also put me off, and it would have cost me an extra $200. The only benefits in my mind was the integral pitch, and that it weighs about 300-400g lighter.

I'm giving this tent a strong recommendation, but it's not going to be worth the spend for everyone.

Apologies for the lack of photos - I never remember to take any. Next time I'm out I'll try to remember, and upload them when I can.
founders
Nothofagus cunninghamii
Nothofagus cunninghamii
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat 05 Nov, 2022 4:36 pm
Region: Tasmania
Gender: Male

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