MSR Access 2 Tent Review

The MSR Access 2 Tent is a two-person, four-season tent designed for winter backpacking and ski touring. As far as winter gear goes, a good shelter is essential, and the MSR Access 2 lives up to its name – giving easy access to winter explorers who want a no-nonsense shelter that can handle snow loading and storms.

If you’re familiar with MSR tents, this is basically the four-season version of the MSR Hubba Hubba 2 and the lighter, more minimalist version of the MSR Remote 2.

As a two-person, four-season tent, the Access 2 is geared toward backcountry ski trips, snowshoers, or winter campers looking for a no-nonsense double-wall tent to stay warm in high wind or winter conditions. Here’s everything you need to know about the MSR Access 2.

Specs

• Capacity: 2
• Minimum Weight: 3.62 lb / 1.64 kg
• Packed Weight: 4.062 lb / 1.84 kg
• Interior Floor Dimensions: 84 x 50 in / 2.13 x 1.27 m
• Interior Floor Area: 29 ft² / 2.69 m²
• Vestibule Area: 17.5 ft² / 1.625 m²
• Tent Volume: 56 ft³ / 1.59 m³
• Peak Interior Height: 42 in / 106 cm
• Packed Size: 18.1 x 5.9 in / 46 x 15 cm
• Freestanding: Yes
• Canopy Fabric: 20D ripstop nylon, 10D micromesh polyester
• Floor Fabric: 30D ripstop nylon, 3,000 mm XtremeShield polyurethane, DWR
• Fly Fabric: 20D ripstop nylon, 1,200 mm XtremeShield polyurethane/silicone
• Poles: 1
• Pole Material: Easton Syclone composite
• Pole Diameter: 9.3 mm
• Color: Orange
• MSRP: $799.95

Photo Gallery

The Good

The Weatherproofness

If you’re looking into the Access 2, chances are you want a tent to protect you in four-season or winter conditions. The Access 2 did a fine job of keeping me warm, keeping out the wind, and staying securely staked to the ground (using snow stakes and all the appropriate guylines). I would use this tent again in similar conditions, but I’ve yet to test it under heavy snow loads or in a blizzard. That said, I would put enough faith in the Access 2 that I would be comfortable taking it out to tent in these conditions.

The Interior Space

I say this with the caveat that I’ve yet to use the MSR Access 2 with a second person, but as a single-person shelter (there is also a single-person version of the Access available), there is plenty of space for you and your gear – even before you count the vestibules. The tent has a total volume of 56 ft³ / 1.59 m³, a floor area of 29 ft² / 2.69 m², a peak interior height of 42 in / 106 cm, and an additional 17.5 ft² / 1.625 m² of floor space in the vestibules. All that said, unless you’re really looking to save on weight, I don’t know that I would use this for any more than a night or two as a two-person shelter.

The Vestibules

The Access 2 is designed to be somewhat liveable and not simply a shelter from the elements as would be the case with a more expedition-centric tent (like the MSR Advance Pro 2). As such, it has two generous vestibules with plenty of space for gear, whether you’re a pair of backcountry skiers or winter backpackers. Each vestibule has an approximate area of 8.75 ft² / 0.8125 m², bringing the total vestibule area/exterior gear storage space to 17.5 ft² / 1.625 m².

The Okay

The Mesh

The body of the MSR Access 2 has limited mesh. It’s a double-walled tent designed for four-season use, but the small mesh panel at the top of each door isn’t great at providing ventilation for the tent – even with just one person sleeping inside. The mesh is also up high enough that if you want to see down into the vestibule (without opening the doors), you need to press your head up against the peak of the tent. I know that having a huge mesh door/panel for a four-season tent isn’t ideal, but I would think that the Access 2 could have afforded a bit more mesh for the tent body.

The Poles

The MSR Access 2 has a single pole – but it feels more like three poles awkwardly attached to one another. Fortunately, the Easton Syclone poles are designed to be durable and to withstand snow loading and wind gusts, but folding them up, storing them, and even deploying them, can feel like a bit of a mess/hassle (especially when pitching the Access 2 by yourself). Once I got the tent pitched, the poles didn’t prove a nuisance, but transporting them and setting them up was not exactly enjoyable.

The Weight

There really isn’t anything as an ultralight freestanding four-season tent (you could make a case for some pyramid-style shelters being ultralight winter shelters, but that’s another discussion entirely). That said, the MSR Access 2 comes in at a relatively lightweight 3.62 lb / 1.64 kg minimum weight (weight without stakes, stuff sacks, or guylines) and has a packed weight of 4.062 lb / 1.84 kg (this includes everything that comes with the tent). It’s not the lightest option available, but it’s also not the heaviest. You can expect the weight penalty to be offset by gained durability and weather resistance.

The Bad

The Pockets

I am not at all a fan of the pockets in the MSR Access 2. The Access 2 has two pockets, one at the head of the tent and one at the foot of the tent. Each of these pockets spans the length of the tent’s side, and each of them is shallow. Usually, I like to fill larger tent pockets with jackets or bulkier items to keep the floor of my tent clean, but the pockets on the MSR Access 2 didn’t do a great job of accommodating my gear. I was also surprised to find that there were only two pockets. I would expect to find a more attractive pocket selection for a tent of this weight designed for winter conditions.

The Condensation

Perhaps due to the small mesh panels in the body described above, the two small vents available at the head and foot of the fly, or the fabric choices, I encountered a lot of condensation—even when using the tent as a single-person shelter. Frequently waking up in the middle of the night is a specialty of mine in the backcountry, so I was able to notice all the condensation building up inside the tent and on my sleeping bag so I – in light of the good weather on night one of using this tent – opened up the doors all the way and was able to mitigate the condensation. However, I can imagine things would have gotten a lot worse with an additional person in the tent and the doors closed all night.

Who’s It For

The MSR Access 2 is by no means an inexpensive tent and likely will be out of the price range for most people looking for a “simple” four-season shelter. I don’t know that I would want to bring the Access 2 on a longer trip – especially with another person – or that I would want to get it simply to do overnight trips. However, for two or three-night trips, used as a single-person shelter, where weight isn’t the absolute most important factor, the Access 2 won’t let you down.

MSR Access 2 Alternatives

Wrap Up

Shoutout to MSR for the easy name – the Access 2 – which gives a good idea of what this tent offers to anyone looking to sleep outside in four-season conditions, access. It’s not the lightest, not the fanciest, and not the most feature-laden four-season shelter, but it does a good job of striking a balance.

That said, it’s certainly an investment, and the price will likely be the primary obstacle for most would-be buyers. If you’re only going to be using the Access 2 in moderate winter conditions, you may be able to get away with a less-expensive three-season double-walled tent with some robust stakes and plenty of sleeping insulation.

But if you end up with the Access 2, chances are you won’t be disappointed in the tent’s protection or performance. Check it out here.

Rating + Recommendation

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