For the adventurous couple on the move, the Spartan from Explore Planet Earth is a hiking and backpacking tent that manages to balance size with performance.
This single room tent has a vestibule and is compact enough to compress down to fit into a backpack. The colour coded frame means setup is going to be easy as, and the UV 50+ fire retardant fly will protect you from the elements. With a 4000mm rating, this tent has some serious water protection for a tent of its category.
The Doors have No-see-um mesh, so you will get plenty of ventilation inside your space. The Spartan 2P is perfect for the solo hiker or couple on a budget.
hi, can the vestibule be opened using only one half of the doors, ie with just one door rolled open and the other pegged, to create a little sheltered pocket ? hope that makes sense !
G'day Mark,
I think it makes sense! Do you mean like how the tent is set up in the first product photo?
If so you can do this with either side of the vestibule doors, so can tailor it to where the wind is coming from.
Hope that helps!
Hi, Just wondering if it's possible to use less pegs to achieve a lighter weight or swap to lightweight pegs? I'm comparing to the Mountain Designs Redline 2P. I prefer the Spartan but it's 600grams heavier
G'day Mitch,
As this is a free standing tent, you can get away without pegs if you wanted to use a rock or something to hold out the vestibules, or atleast take two pegs for those.
Realistically this would only be a functional option if you were doing overnighters and your body weight, etc was inside the tent. If you were wanting to set the tent up for a few days where you won't always be inside it, we'd recommend pegging it down.
We don't range Mountain Designs gear, so I cant comment on a comparison with their tents, sorry!
Hope that helps.
Can please tell me the weight without the fly?
G'day Penny,
The Spartan 2 tent weights 1720 grams without the fly sheet.
Which groundsheet do you recommend getting for this to extend the life of the base? Does it need one? Thanks in advance.
G'day Marian,
There's no groundsheet for the Spartan tents. Ultimately groundsheets are necessary unless you have an ultralight tent that has is made of less durable material, or if you are intending to regularly camp in environments with lots of ground debris that cants be cleared eg. rocks or grasses/small shrubs, etc.
I personally have not yet had a need to use a ground sheet with any of my hiking tents. If you do think a ground sheet will be best for your needs, the MSR Universal 2P Footprint will be the closest fit.
Hi, how does this tent stack up against the Blackwolf Stealth Mesh in terms of quality, ease of set-up and take down, and comfort? I need a tent for a five-day hike, but want something that will last a few years, can survive in weather, works in the heat and cold (Queensland winter), and hopefully in this price range. Not asking much, I know :)
G'day Wayne,
Both the Spartan and Stealth Mesh tents will take a similar amount of time to set up, with the Spartan taking slightly less time as it has less peg points to hold the fly in place. In terms of comfort, they both have a great waterhead rating so can handle wet weather, with the Spartan having a little more internal space, and the Stealth having a little more internal mesh, which might be a slight advantage in QLD. One main thing to consider is the poles - the Spartan has aluminium poles which can handle all weather conditions are generally very durable. The Stealth has fibreglass poles, which can become brittle in very low temperatures, and are more susceptible to damage if stored in variable temperatures - e.g. a shed.
Is this suitable for a 194cm person? One review indicated only suitable for 180cm person and advertised size was misleading. Please help clear this up for me.
G'day Chris,
That's a hard call, internally they are 215cm long, however, the curve of the tent does mean that for very tall people your head or foot might touch on the inside of the tent. We've popped a 1.85m staff member in the tent and he was ok inside but did mention he felt a little cramped. If you're a side sleeper and tend not to fully stretch you should be ok.
Hi team, First of all, many thanks for giving us such a wealth of information through your Q&A sessions. Learned a lot.. I am planning for Overland trek in sept with my son and thus looking for 2P free standing tent. I am indecisive between this and Spartan 2 Hiking Tent. Both are packed with required features ( waterproof, enough head space, internal space, free standing, less hassle to setup...) I am looking for a tent which we both can use in all of our treks (excluding snow). So basically, we are looking for a solid and sturdy 3 weather tent. Can you please guide me to pick the right one.
G'day Nitish,
Glad to hear you're learning lots from our Q&As! The Zempire Zeus is a slightly better quality product with slightly more durable materials and a higher waterhead rating on the fly and floor. This might help to keep you dry in Tassie! The Spartan 2 is a great tent too, but it is really an entry-level tent that might not quite give you the same lifetime as the Zeus. The Zeus also has a separately available compatible footprint that will help protect your floor from wear and tear. Overall they're both good tents, with the Zeus a slightly better quality option.
Looking at specs Spartan has better water ratings on floor and fly, slightly lighter, slightly cheaper, slightly less width to the pro hiker though. No season rating for Spartan but 3 season for pro hiker. Which is best for two adults 18 day hike in winter? Wanting tent under $200 and freestanding. Cheers
G'day Michelle,
Both tents should do the trick for the trip you've described. The Pro Hiker will give you a slightly larger sleeping area, but the Spartan has a slightly different pole design that will give you a slightly large vestibule space. The Pro Hiker has a little more internal mesh, so might not be quite as warm in winter. Overall we'd be happy to recommend either option.
Hi team, I bought the Spartan 2 from Snowy’s and now I would like to buy a tent footprint to protect the base. Could you please recommend a footprint that would fit the dimensions of the Spartan 2? Thanks
G'day Ej,
The Explore Planet Earth Spartan 2 does not have its own footprint option, however an excellent alternative would be the Zempire Zeus Footprint.
Hope that helps.
A short gold tube about 5cm x 1 cm came with this tent. What's it's function?
G'day Gerry,
The short gold tube can be used to splint the tent pole if you have an accidental pole breakage while on a trip.
Hi Snowys, Are the doors on this tent full mesh? Or are they double doors with mesh and solid fabric? Thank you.
G'day Anne On,
The Spartan 2 doors are fully meshed, with no solid second layer.
Hi guys, Just wondering how the inner tent attaches to the poles? Are they clips or sleeves? Also, do you happen to have a photo of the tent without the fly on? Cheers
G'day Brennan,
I've just double-checked and the inner tent attaches to the frame with C-Clips. We don't have any other images, but there is a handy YouTube clip on the suppliers YouTube page.
Hi, is the storage bag waterproof? Wondering if I could strap it to the outside of my pack.
G'day Emily,
The bag for the Spart 2 Hiking Tent is just a nylon type material so while it might be ok in a light shower we wouldn't recommend having the tent on the outside of your pack in wet weather. You could utilize a pack cover, or purchase a dry bag to pack the tent into and then you'd be fine to strap it to the outside of your pack.
Is this a free standing tent? Are you able to pick it up with the inner assembled and reposition it or dose it need the 4 corners pegged out to retain its shape?
G'day Jay,
Can the tent be set up with the poles and fly only?
Unfortunately, you can't set this one up as a flysheet only, Doug. The Flysheet clips to the corners of the inner tent, which means you would need to replace the inner with a footprint... something that EPE doesn't make for this tent.
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G'day Lauren,
I've just run a quick straw poll around our staff and it looks like most would go with the Black Wolf option, although you would be more than happy with either tent.
.
G'day Lauren,
The Explore Planet Earth Spartan 2 Hiking Tent doesn't come with an official season rating but given the Waterhead rating and the fact that the poles are made of aluminium, I'd suggest that it sits around the 3 season mark.
Is this tent dual vestibule?
G'day John,
I've just double checked this for you and can confirm that the EPE Spartan 2 Hiking Tent does have dual vestibules.
Dont know what to say here :)
G'day Elaine,
The Spartan tents are very new to us, but from looking at the specs it seems this tent has a 4000mm waterhead rating for the fly and 5000mm rated floor plus the seams are sealed - so unless it's extreme weather you should be nice and dry inside this tent.
Hi, does this tent have an internal no-see-um mesh that is stand alone without the fly? I would be using it in a hot environment mostly and want something that is pretty much pure mesh on the top with a reliable fly. Obviously without spending a heap of money too.
G'day Jenny, Â
The Explore Planet Earth Spartan 2 Tent has a solid inner with mesh doors which attaches to the poles/frame so it will stand on its own – but it’s not made entirely of mesh. If you have a watch of this video at 00:25 you can see the Spartan without its fly which will give you an idea of the inner.Â
There isn’t a 2 person hiking tent with an entirely mesh inner in that price range, but for a little bit extra you may want to consider the Zempire Atom Hiking tent. The Atom has a full mesh inner, and a quality fly with a water head rating of 5000mm, plus it is an extremely well-made tent so that's a model to keep in mind.Â