A solid tent is one of those essential mountain gear choices. It can also be one of the more expensive items in your pack. During cold and wet weather, it can also make life bearable from high wind, cold nights and protect your equipment. If you like to go deep into the back country, a 4 season tent may even be a life saver.

I’ve spent months at a time living out of a tent in the back country. In hot summers and cold Canadian winter. There is plenty to consider when choosing a tent. You need to grind though the research and find the right fit for you. Luckily, we have done all the research and have the experience to share with you to help guide you in the right direction.

This article is a KUIU Storm Star Sent review. I’ve been using the KUIU storm star 2p tent for a couple of seasons. My application doe it is high country mountains, 2-14 day, 2 day hike in/out, August – Oct, nasty weather, wind, rain, snow, with a partner.

This is an ultralight, mountain hunters tent, but when compared with tents of a similar class (ie: Hilleberg), it weighs less and costs less. It’s advertised for hunting, but I see no reason it wouldn’t be in the running for other general hiking applications.

With that established, here are the categories I would consider using it for:

• Weight (lightweight)
• Quality (or durability)
• Features (size, doors, pockets, lofts, room, space, setup in the rain, large vestibules, faster setup, air circulation, vents, pole crossings, etc.)
• Price
• Warranty

KUIU Storm Star Tent Review

Here is our personal tent review based on our research and our own experience using it in nasty weather including cold mountain hikes and mountain nights, high wind and more. This review is a true review, and we hope it will help you decide if this is the best light tent for you.

Weight Review

The storm star 2p tent is advertised at 6lbs 5oz with the gear loft and footprint. When mine showed up, it weighed in at 6lbs 11oz. I’m not sure about the discrepancy there but don’t be surprised if it is slightly more then advertised. KUIU’s website states that if you remove the tent body you can bring the weight down by 12oz.

Here are the weights specified by KUIU:

• 5lbs 14oz – KUIU storm star 2p tent with rain fly, tent body (inner tent), aluminum poles, pegs, guylines
• 7.1oz – Footprint
• 0.3oz – Loft
• 6lbs 5oz – Total

For a 4 season tent, that weight is light and is pretty competitive with the Hilleberg Staika (the direct competitor) which is a heavy 8lbs 13oz tent and costs almost twice the price.

Storm Star Tent | Quality Review

With tents, the durability of the build is super important. Attention to details in the zippers, seams, pole receiving pockets, body material, stake material, pole choice all need to come together in a good tent. I am happy to go into a detailed review of this tent from my own personal experiences with it.

Tent Material:

Fly material – 30D Silicone/PU Coated Double Ripstop Nylon. Dimension Polyant X-PAC TX07 at seams.

Body – 30D Ripstop Breathable Nylon with DWR

Floor & tub – 40D Silicone/PU Coated Ripstop Nylon

Footprint material – 40D Silicone/PU Coated Ripstop Nylon

Pole Material – DAC Featherlite NFL Green Aluminum. 9.3mm.

Stake material – Spiral Y stakes, cord attached

I like to compare tents to the Hilleberg equivalent model since Hilleberg is pretty much industry standard for durability.

The KUIU Storm Star 2p is almost a clone of the STAIKA. The STAIKA has a 40D fly, 40D body (inner tent), 100D floor. This explains its higher weight.

I use the footprint with the Storm Star, which results in a 80D floor and the added benefit of the replaceable footprint that is in contact with the ground. The pole diameter larger at 10mm for the STAIKA.

My real world experience:

I plan my trips months in advance so my team and I can get our vacation days booked. Weather conditions don’t stop us. I had the KUIU Storm Star in 60mph/100km/h wind on a trip last year.

I confirmed the weather via satellite with my spouse and the nearest community had those winds speeds. It was probably even higher where we were, since we camped on the peak that night fully exposed.

The Storm Star tent is solid and absolutely stood up to that beating while on the mountain.

Upon return, I had two pole segments that were bent. No rips, tears or any other damage. The wind that night was coming at the tent from the side/foot end corner. You don’t know how a tent is going to withstand nasty weather until you are actually in the situation, and most videos you watch or tent reviews you read do not have this real life experience.

Bad weather will not end your trip if you have this tent and it deserves the label bomb proof, and this is from my personal experience.

For a full list of the specifications see the KUIU storm star 2p tent specs.

Tent Features

A light tent design can have major impacts on its functionality and make it a pain or pleasure to use.

Here are the important points to consider when it comes to tent sizing:

• Room
• Space
• Door design
• Pockets
• Gear loft
• Air circulation
• Vents
• Pole crossings
• Can you set it up while raining?
• How’s the setup effort?
• Is the vestibule large enough for gear?
• Do you have to climb over your partner to get to sleep?

Even the size of the bags make a difference. I could write a book on this category but will break the Storm Star tent down item by each item listed above.

KUIU Storm Star Tent | Size

Packed size: 20.5″(52cm) x 7.5″(19cm).

Interior Tent: Length 83″(210cm), Width Head 56″(142cm), Width Foot 46″(116cm), Height 40″(100cm).

Again, comparing the the STAIKA which is Length 90″(230cm), Width Head 55″(140cm), Width Foot 55″(140cm), Height 41″(105cm). Packed size 20.5″(52cm) x 7.5″(19cm).

The inside dimensions of the Storm Star tent will be one of the first things you check when it comes to choosing a tent. Can you sit up? Is there space for your sleeping bag and mattress?

I am a 5’8″ (265cm) tall person with normal sized shoulders. I fit well in tents that are these dimensions. Most tents that are advertised as “2 person” do not fit two people larger then me.

My hunting partner is the same size I am and we fit comfortably in the KUIU Storm Star. That said, tent manufactures should really consider a few extra inches at the head end. If this tent was 60″(152cm) I would call it perfect.

Watch my video review showing exactly that. You stay over a week in a tent that’s too small and you will be longing for the trip home. I’ve spent weeks in a sleeping bag inside this tent and its just about right but I wouldn’t say it has ample room.

One issue I’ve come across- the length. With the tent coming in at 83″(210cm) my sleeping bag just touches the foot of the tent wall. That means moisture in the tent where the sleeping bag touches it, will get my sleeping bag damp.

I use my rain gear and cover the end of my sleeping bag to solve this problem. Personally speaking though, it’s not a make or break for me. I wouldn’t lengthen the tent as I prefer the weight savings.

Air circulation and venting in the KUIU Tent

I like a tent with increased air circulation and good vents. With good sleeping bags, maintaining your warmth you can open up the vents and keep that respiration moisture away from your bag and gear.

Wet in winter from the snow, or wet due to the shoulder season is not a good combination and can make for long cold nights on the mountain. The Storm Star comes with two vents with kick stands on the tent fly and bug screen on each door.

The air circulation seems adequate with expected droplet buildup in cold conditions.

Doorways and Vestibules

There are side entrance doors each with a vestibule. This is the only design I’m really interested in, because I’m almost always overnight hiking with a partner. I don’t like climbing over someone else gear or sleeping system to get to my spot. The doors are adequate size, zippers are robust enough and they include bug screens. The vestibules are barely large enough for a 14 day pack though. You will have to crawl over some of your gear on the way in and out if you are packing large.

The vestibules are large enough for food prep, cook and to keep boots, socks, pack, clothing dry. The vestibule size is not something I would change though. My only comment for improvement is the design of the door retention string. It causes the door to flop closed. See that detail in my video.

Setup and Tear Down of this KUIU tent

This design is well thought out in regards to setup. It includes color coding for pole placement. After you set it up once, you wont forget how to do again even if it has been a year since you had it out.

It’s designed so you can set it up in the rain while keeping the inside dry. Just make sure you zip the doors closed when putting it away.

The poles are high quality and easy to assemble thanks to the exterior design. As usual, you will want a flat site for setting it up. Setup in high winds would best be done with a partner but you could do it alone in a pinch.

When putting the tent away, just take the poles apart and roll everything up in the footprint. The bags are a perfect size and not hard to put the tent into if you take your time and roll it well. The bag could actually be smaller if you wanted to save some bag volume when packing, but some generic pack straps would take care of that.

Other notable features

I’ll include in here the gear loft and internal storage areas. I don’t pack a lot of extra stuff so the 8 pocket plus the gear loft is definitely adequate for my needs. I do notice that when internal storage pockets get weighted down, they tend to hang in your face. But with 8 pockets to choose from, you can spread your headlamp, reading material, hat, etc. around the tent to avoid this.

The other comment I’ll make here is on the general design. This is the double intersecting hoop pole design. This is where I feel KUIU has the Hilleberg STAIKA beat. Each pole crossing provides increased strength to the design.

The Storm Star has 4 crossings at the poles and the stability was noticeable in high winds. All this while keeping it lightweight.

Here’s a quick tour of one of my tent setup locations from my YouTube channel:

Price Review

For hunting or hiking 4 season tents that can handle winter, snow, sleep 2 people and not get blown off the mountain, the Storm Star price point is middle of the pack and is a good price when compared to the Hilleberg.

Warranty Review

The KUIU website states “This warranty covers any manufacturer workmanship defects in your KUIU gear. This warranty applies to consumer use only and is null and void if the product is used in a manner it is not intended for.” and its for “lifetime of the product”. It does not cover “Damage from normal wear and tear”.

I contacted KUIU about the bent poles and explained the 60mph (100km/h) winds. Their response: “Thank you for reaching out to us! We are sorry to hear that this has happened and are more than happy to assist you. The Aluminum poles are actually designed to bend when they meet the maximum stress points, unlike carbon fiber poles which would break. With that being said, we can send replacement segments of the extremely bent portions. Just send me measurements of the segments that are bent, should be somewhere around 17 7/8 inches with the metal insert. Thank you and I look forward to hearing back to you!”.

After this experience I feel the warranty is pretty good.

Conclusion

I’ve spent a solid amount of time in tents and a good 4 season tent is a necessity for my mountain activities. The trick is getting it light and still capable in tough mountain winter conditions. I feel this tent will stand up to the climate and provide good service for a long time. It’s a good balance of rugged and lightweight design.