The Gear Guy's Favorite Things

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The Gear Guy's Favorite Things
Mountain Hardwear Waypoint 2
($250; www.mountainhardwear.com)


	(courtesy, Mountain Hardwear)

Like many people, I'm interested in shaving pounds from my pack. But I don't want to sacrifice a lot while doing so. As a result, while I was keenly interested in the two-person Waypoint 2's light weight (three pounds, seven ounces) I was also a little skeptical about how well it would work. After all, the Waypoint is a single-wall tent that doesn't even try to use any super-exotic fabrics to vent moisture from its occupants' exhalations.

HOLIDAY SWEEPSTAKES

CLICK HERE for your chance to win one of four Waypoint 2 tents, as well as throw your name into the hat for the next three days of sweepstakes mania!

Its silicon-coated fabric is totally waterproof, so the Waypoint relies on clever engineering and vent placement to ensure that moist air gets out before it condenses on the tent fabric.

And it works—fabulously well. I first used the Waypoint for a May climb of Mount Stuart in the central Washington Cascades. We camped in the snow, on a damp evening with occasional rain showers. Perfect conditions for a wet night in the tent, but in the morning we had just the lightest touch of condensation inside the tent.

JUST FOR FUN:
The Waypoint 2 is not a geodesic-dome design, but many tents made today are. Who invented the geodesic dome?
check back tomorrow for the answer
yesterday's Q&A: What do astronomers call the distance (93 million miles) from the earth to the sun? (One Astronomical Unit)

This past fall, the Waypoint was the tent I took for my weeklong bicycle trek through Montana. It set up quickly, packed down neatly, didn't weigh much, and best of all kept us dry during some truly thunderous downpours. In short, a great tent for about half the weight of most two-person, three-season models.

We have four Waypoint tents to give away! For your chance to win, ENTER YOUR NAME into our sweepstakes contest. And, check back tomorrow to see what's next in the Gear Guy's rundown of the all-star Hall of Gear!

Next Page: Marmot Arroyo
($259; www.marmot.com)