The Mega Horn II is a roomy hexagonal tipi design at an amazingly low price. The headroom is excellent – I can walk around inside – and there’s room for four full-length sleeping mats plus space for gear. You’ll need to add a groundsheet for four people though as the supplied inner is for two only. There’s plenty of room for cooking safely inside and a wood burning stove with chimney could be used. The weight and bulk are quite high but not prohibitive for backpacking for two to four people.
Pitching is easy and can be done quite quickly by one person. The centre pole is thick and solid and there are four double guylines. The Mega Horn is very stable. I’ve had it up in strong winds and heavy rain and it’s been fi ne. It also has snow valances round the perimeter for use in winter. These do impede air fl ow under the flysheet but also help in keeping out insects. There is good ventilation through the adjustable and removable chimney cap, which has insect netting inside that fastens round the pole.
The mesh inner clips into the tent and attaches at the top with a single hook. It’s big enough for two sleeping mats and has a T-shape door that means one whole side can be opened up. It doesn’t have the headroom of the tent though and is quite loose, feeling more like a suspended insect net than an inner tent. However it can easily be lowered and only used for sleeping or if insects are biting. It’s not claimed to be midge proof but I’ve not had any inside.
For base camps and backpacking when weight isn’t an issue the Mega Horn II is excellent, especially given the price.
