[Review] The Aspect 3 Tent by Mountain Hardwear

The Aspect 3 Tent by Mountain Hardwear is a lightweight, well-built and well-designed tent that will give you unrestricted 360-degree views of the stars at night. This could be the tent we’ve always needed to up our star-gazing game. If you’re sleeping outside but you’re like us and like the security blanket of a tent, the Aspect 3 will give you unobstructed views while keeping the bugs at bay. With the included rainfly, you’ll stay dry when the weather turns.

If you’re someone who dabbles in car camping, backpacking, moto camping or any combination of different types of camping, this is the perfect one quiver tent. It’s not so lightweight and compressible that it’s super expensive however it’s small enough and light enough to take on the backpacking trip you may go on once a year. We love how well this tent compresses which makes it the perfect candidate for our moto camping trips. When it’s packed it’s 6″ x 22.5″ and only weighs 4 lbs 2.1 oz.

Mountain Hardwear is cutting weight where they can (without compromising function) and it’s worth mentioning that not only are they cutting weight but also making this tent more packable and compressible. Instead of the traditional plastic clips you may be used to, to attach the poles to the tent body Mountain Hardwear is using a cord system. It’s super easy and if you’re setting up your tent in the cold mountain air and your hands are freezing, you’ll be really thankful for this. This is a simple feature but what sets this tent apart in my opinion. All of the systems of this tent are very refined, simple and often replace plastic pieces with cord and lightweight aluminum to keep the weight down.

This tent is similar in size to most 3-person tents except Mountain Hardwear integrated a pre-bend pole design, which improves headroom and interior space. If you look at the photos, you’ll notice that instead of just curving down, the poles are strategically bent out to add additional space. A very minor adjustment but one that we can get behind – especially on those rainy days when you’re stuck inside a 3-person tent. We personally prefer the 3-person size because we have Hank and a 2-person just often feels way to tight for 2 adults and a 90-pound hound. If you are a 2-person tent kind of person, you can find the same features in the Aspect 2.

The stakes included with the Aspect 3 are worth writing home about. No matter what, stakes seem to be a touchy subject when it comes to tents. Of all of our years of being camping gear consumers, we’ve never had tent stakes like the high-quality DAC J-Stakes included with the Aspect 3. Not only are the J-Stakes lightweight, but they are also ultra-durable and hold up to the abuse that tent stakes will endure. Again, this is a simple feature of the Aspect 3, but one worth mentioning. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bent a tent stake and with the DAC J-Stakes, I think it will be a more impossible feat.

When inside the tent, there are multiple mesh pockets on the sidewalls and ceiling, as well as loops for lanterns or lights or any gear you may want to hang. It’s easy to stay organized inside the Aspect 3 but be careful to not obstruct your night-sky view when filling the ceiling pockets.

Setting up tents has only gotten easier since my childhood and the Aspect 3 is no exception to that. It’s quick and easy to set up. We always get to test that because it seems that all too often we are racing the rain when setting up camp.

If you’re looking for a relatively affordable tent that gives you unmatched 360-degree views of the night sky and is also packable and light, we definitely recommend the Aspect 3. You’ll continue to be pleasantly surprised by small features that make your camp life easier. The only downfall we can find when talking about the Aspect 3 is that it’ll be hard to close your eyes when you can see the views at night like you can from the tent floor.

The Aspect 3 doesn’t come with a footprint but that is something we would definitely recommend purchasing as it will extend the life of your tent and protect it from rough terrain. Also, be sure to check out the reviews of our Mountain Hardwear sleeping bags – which both compliment and complete our camping kit of the summer.

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