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I purchased the Mountain Hardwear Hammerhead 2 a couple seasons
ago. So far, this tent has held up very well under prolonged adverse
conditions. The Hammerhead is a two door, two person three to
four season convertible tent ideal for camping in most conditions.
Two thirds of the top portion of the tent are mesh, and one large
wall of the tent is also completely mesh. This serves as one large
piece of mesh which can be zipped off with fabric to block cold
weather if you so choose. It also provides for excellent stargazing
and serves to adequately ventilate the tent in warmer weather
or for condensation prevention purposes.
The Hammerhead 2 has a much wider top section where
the doors are located, and begins to narrow at the portion where
your feet go This is the first tent I have had which offered this
tapered effect. At the end of this section is a small portion
of mesh which you can zip off with fabric. This foot section of
mesh is important for allowing maximum airflow throughout the
tent to prevent condensation or overheating. The Hammerhead 2
tent is one of the best ventilated tents I have used. My only
complaint is that the doors are not completely mesh, but rather
have a small portion of mesh at the bottom corner of the door.
The flipside of this is that the tent will be warmer in the cold
seasons near the door panels. When things get too stuffy, it's
very easy to get a breeze going. Simply unzip the small mesh on
the doors and unzip the mesh in the foot box area of the tent.
If that does not do the trick unzip either a portion of the roof
to reveal the mesh, or unzip the entire panel. This solves all
ventilation issues immediately.
The front of the Hammerhead 2 tent with fly pulled
back.
In the camping world, you can almost always be sure that tent
size and sleeping bag temperature ratings are not exactly what
they claim to be. While the Hammerhead 2 tent claims to be a 2
person, I would only apply that description if you were very comfortable
with the other person. At six foot three and two hundred pounds,
I find the Hammerhead 2 to function more as a one and a half person
tent. Inside my sleeping bag, my feet lightly touch the fabric
at the end of the tent in the foot box area. It's not enough to
cause concern. There is plenty of shoulder room and I sleep very
comfortably. With another person things get pretty tight. This
can be an advantage when temperatures drop during winter, however.
I find that I can easily use this with my girlfriend. Those who
are not as close with their camping pals may want to go for the
Hammerhead 3 if planning to share a tent.
In the two years I have owned the Hammerhead 2, I have found the
tent to be absolutely one hundred percent storm proof. The tent
has been snowed on, sleeted on, hit with 60 MPH winds, drizzled
on for two days straight and has never let a drop inside of it!
On top of this, I never bothered to seam seal the tent for environmental
reasons. Mountain Hardware has done an incredible job taping this
tent and making sure it was storm-ready out of the box.
Looking through the huge mesh wall of the tent.
My Hammerhead 2 has seen a couple "fringe"
seasons in the Rockies. Late fall in Glacier National Park is
a fine setting for testing a convertible three to four season
tent. The Hammerhead 2 held up wonderfully in snow, ice and freezing
rain. High winds were often experienced(up to 60 MPH) and these
were not a problem for the Hammerhead 2 tent. One thing that readers
will want to know right off the bat is that the Hammerhead 2 needs
to be staked out before setting up. I would not consider this
a free standing tent. I did experience a few instances in which
the tent was difficult to set up because of rocky terrain. Because
of this, I had to use rocks on the tent stake tabs, or I simply
found locations which were easier to stake in. Obviously with
high winds you are going to be completely staked out for optimal
storm resistance. A taut tent also helps shed water more quickie
and keeps the fly from touching the main tent wall which ultimately
prevents condensation. Mountain Hardwear claims that all Hammerhead
tents are "rain room tested with 1200" of rain in 24
hours" and I completely believe their claim. This is a fantastic
tent in bad weather.
One area where the Hammerhead 2 really shines is the dual doors.
The beauty of this is more flexibility for people entering and
exiting the tent. No more crawling over your camping pal in order
to use the bathroom at one in the morning. The two door design
of the Hammerhead 2 also allows for two very roomy vestibules(7.5
sq ft each). I can keep my boots and pack dry under these good
sized vestibules during storms without worry of cramping the area
or having gear sticking out the edge of the fly being exposed
to the weather.
Setting up the Hammerhead 2 tent is as simple as it gets. Mountain
Hardwear has implemented a cross style three pole design. Simply
attach the two long poles diagonally across the tent into the
corner tabs, then pick both of them up where they cross just up
from the foot box, and hook them together with the clasp attached
to the main tent wall. When this is complete, attach the shorter
pole across the narrow mid section of the tent. Here you will
attach the clasps which are attached to the main tent where the
middle section pole meets the two longer diagonal poles at two
points. This will erect the tent, but from there you need to attach
all of the clips on the main tent walls to the poles. As you do
so, the tent will become tighter and more rigid. I prefer to attach
the doors and the mesh roof last which tends to make things very
tight, increasing water shedding ability and wind resistance.
The Hammerhead 2 also comes equipped with guy loops and reflective
starter points. A plastic window on the tent fly is a nice added
touch. It provides a nice little lookout during long periods of
poor weather and adds some light into the tent.
The roof of the Hammerhead 2 unzipped, but with
the fly attached.
The Mountain Hardwear Hammerhead 2 is not the lightest tent for
backpacking. Those interested in an ultralight experience may
opt for something much lighter. Mountain Hardwear kind of saw
this coming, so they enabled the fly of the Hammerhead 2 to be
used as an ultralight weight shelter with their "Pitch Light"
system which uses only the fly and the poles. It's a neat design
that makes this a more versatile offering. If you value a very
sturdy and weatherproof tent for hiking and don't mind the 6.8
pounds, this is a great tent. Personally, I prefer carrying the
weight as I camp in grizzly bear country and have no interest
in animals being able to stick their noses into my sleeping area
without any kind of resistance.
I found the quality control of the tent to be very good. Zippers
work smoothly, the fabric seems of good quality and there were
no holes or signs of wear in the extensive mesh. This would be
a deal breaker in the summer time when the bugs are out in force.
The tent came in a compact stuff sack with instruction manual
and a full array of tent stakes. I have found that the tent stakes
supplied with the tent bend rather easily and I am currently looking
for sturdier replacements. When you are using a tent that requires
staking down, sturdy tent stakes are a high priority. Overall
there is a strong feeling of quality and craftsmanship with the
Hammerhead 2 tent.
The Hammerhead 2 tent without the fly.
Things you will like about the Mountain Hardwear
Hammerhead 2 tent:
1. Two doors
2. Big dual vestibules
3. 4 season capability
4. Excellent ventilation options
5. Easy to set up for the most part
6. Absolutely weatherproof out of the box
7. Fly can be pitched
8. Sharp looks
9. Sleeping under the stars without mosquitos on your face
10. Relatively high ceiling
Things you may not like about the Mountain Hardwear Hammerhead
2 tent:
1. Not really free standing, needs to be staked
2. Wimpy stakes provided in package
3. More of a person and a half tent
4. Weight
Overall, I can't help but highly recommend the Hammerhead 2 tent.
It has a perfect combination of quality, aesthetics and creature
comforts. It is a tent I look forward to using long into the future
at numerous campgrounds across the country. After two years of
numerous parks, forest and wicked storms, I can only give a "highly
recommended" to this excellent piece of camping gear.
Purchase the Mountain Hardwear Hammerhead 2 Tent 
Floor Area: 35.9sq ft / 3.3sq m
Vestibule Area: 7.5sq ft / 0.7sq m
Interior Height: 3.73in / 114.3cm
Body Fabric: 68D Polyester Ripstop DWR
Fly Fabric: 75D Polyester Taffeta 1500mm PU
Number of Poles: 3
Minimum Weight: 6.8lb / 3.1kgMinimum Weight: 6.8lb / 3.1kg
Pitch Light Weight: 2.1lb / 0.96kg
Packed weight: 7.7lb / 3.5kg
Two large doors with dual slider zippers - easy entry
Two vestibules
Reflective starter point and guy-out loops
Color coded pole loops for easy set up
Number of Vestibules: 2
Tent Capacity: 2
Number of Doors: 2
Atlas 7001 pole system
Top image note: The Mountain Hardweare Hammerhead 2 tent erect
at a campsite in Glacier National Park after twenty four hours
of constant rain. The tent was as dry as could be with no moisture
at all inside.
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