Walrus Terramoto

This tent is a good choice for those who want weather-worthiness and four-season versatility.

By Mike Youngblood, December 2000

Photo by Mike Youngblood Walrus Tarramoto

At 3 a.m., I awoke to winds that would have snapped poles and torn stitching on many tents. But, having spent 20 nights in the Walrus Terramoto under a variety of conditions in the Northwoods of Minnesota and Wisconsin, I simply sighed, rolled over in my sleeping bag, and went back to sleep. The two-person, four-season Terramoto is solidly built for such a lightweight tent. It has a tough, full-coverage fly with factory-sealed seams, some of the strongest aluminum poles in the industry, and a respectable weight of 7 pounds.

Where this tent economizes is in its compact rectangular floor plan (31 square feet) and sleek profile. With two people inside, neither the interior nor the vestibule will easily accommodate a pack, which is fine by me since I prefer to carry less tent and keep the pack outside. But the vestibule's 8 1/2 square feet of floor space were sufficient for stowing two pairs of boots and our outerwear during a week of snow and sleet in northern Minnesota's Sawtooth Mountains. When sleet turned into a day of cold rain, the tent proved roomy enough for my partner and me to play chess inside all morning without feeling cramped.

The Terramoto has a smart, three-pole design. Two poles cross diagonally to form a central dome, and one shorter pole arches laterally to support the entry and vestibule. The configuration causes some lifting and puckering across the width of the floor and, though this looks awkward, it actually helps to lift the floor's unsealed edge seams off the ground to prevent leakage. The design also provides significantly more structural stability at the door of the tent than at the rear. During one gusty night along Wisconsin's St. Croix River bluffs, I learned that the front end of the Terramoto will hold its shape well in a heavy wind, but the rear should be firmed-up with guylines. Fortunately, the rear of the fly has two well-placed guypoints for this purpose.

The first time I pitched the Terramoto was in the dark, after a midnight start from the trailhead. Setup was surprisingly simple, thanks to continuous sleeves that make pole placement elementary. All the pole ends fit into grommets (there are two grommets on each stake-out tab, permitting fine-tuning of the tension). In inclement weather, the freestanding design and glove-friendly, clip-in fly buckles make it possible to erect the canopy and attach the fly before staking out the floor. Basic setup runs about 4 minutes, and breaking down is equally quick, with everything rolling into a burrito-style stuff sack.

Both the fly and the inner tent are pale gray, which permits pleasant interior lighting and minimal heat absorption. The butterscotch trim and vestibule provide enough color to spot the tent at a distance.

The seams on the fly are well sealed. I didn't find a single leaker, even under direct assault with a garden hose. But the nylon/polyester fly has a tendency to sag and cling to the tent walls, especially in wet weather. This can wick condensation and dampen the interior. Staking the sides of the fly separately, away from the frame, helps, but adds both time and complexity to setup.

A mesh stargazing panel and extensive meshing at the door and rear make this an airy summer tent without the fly. These panels can be winterized with zip-shut nylon flaps. The fly extends nearly to the ground on all four sides, but a couple of nifty vents allow for some airflow. There is a wired scoop vent on the roof peak (adjustable from within the tent) and another wired "eyelid" vent on the vestibule, in addition to two-way zippers on the vestibule door. During cold nights in the Sawtooths, my partner and I found it easy to adjust these openings to prevent condensation. However, on a warm, windless, rainy spring night in a southern Minnesota forest, the Terramoto was muggy despite my best efforts get the air moving.

All things considered, I'd be happy to carry this as my regular tent (though not in warm, wet climates). There are a couple of things I'd do, however. First, I'd seal the seams around the floor; I didn't have a problem with seepage, but I prefer the better-safe-than-sorry approach. Then, I'd add a gear loft, or at least a line for drying my socks. Finally, I'd sew in a rear gear pocket. The Terramoto does have two large pockets on either side of the entry, but I'm a feet-to-the-door sleeper, and a pocket placed at the other end would give me somewhere to stow my spectacles.

Price: $249
Weight (tent, fly, poles, and stuff sack; mfr./BP): 6 lbs. 8 oz./7 lbs.
Packed size: 18" x 6" x 6"

Contact: Walrus, (800) 550-8368; http://www.walrusgear.com/.