Last November, some friends and I went to the Mountain Hardwear factory sale held at the MHW headquarters in the Bay Area California. A friend of mine was lucky enough to pick up a pre-production version of the EV Direct 2 for quite a steep discount. At the time we couldn’t find anything about the specific model, but we knew it was a super light weight 4 season tent.
Well, Mountain Hardwear has finally released its spring models and the EV Direct 2 is part of the catalog. While this tent does remind me of my Marmot Alpinist 2P (sans vestible), this tent looks like it can certainly hold its own. The company claims that the fabric is 25% more breathable than the regular EV2. At 4.45 pounds, the EV Direct 2 shaves .67 pounds off the weight of the regular EV2. If you want an ultralight tent that will stand up to the harshest winter conditions, this will certainly fit the bill.
With an MSRP of $550, this isn’t what you would call an affordable family tent. The EV Direct 2 is clearly made for those who are willing to spare no cost for the lightest winter tent they can get. For some more information about the tent, check out this interview from the friendly folks over at spadout.com.
