Exped Venus II UL Tent

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A spacious 2-person tent with large liveable vestibules. Its low-profile design helps wind roll over it.

Exped says:

The Venus II UL offers the advantages of the Venus Extreme at a reduced weight. This makes our classic the perfect 3-season tent and a comfortable and spacious shelter for a longer trekking adventures in moderate climates.

The Venus II UL is extremely wind resistant for its size. It is also super easy to pitch. The structural design is a combination of tunnel and ridge pole tent making it virtually freestanding. This results not only in high stability, but also in an optimal space-to-weight ratio.

An entrance with a spacious vestibule is available on both sides. The generous inner tent doors make getting in and out particularly comfortable. Clothes or similar can be hung on an adjustable, elastic cord under the tent canopy.

Our Verdict

This is a spacious “true” two-person tent with room for two wide mats or a double mat; you also get four internal pockets and a washing line to organise the gear and make it feel more homely; both vestibules are large and can store a lot of equipment. The internal doors are enormous and open almost entirely, allowing lots of air to pass through the tent; brilliant on warm days or if you need to dry the tent out.

I found this tent challenging to pitch, I put a lot of tents up, and they are usually intuitive, but this one took a bit of brain power. The pole sleeves are numbered; however, the poles are not. Each pole must also be inserted the correct way round so the individually shaped grommets line up correctly. It all seemed overly complicated. I would familiarise myself with this tent before going into the wild; I would not like to put it up in the wet without watching a YouTube video.

It’s a strong tent that copes with most weather; however, I would pitch in a sheltered spot in strong winds.

– Reviewed by Ultralight Outdoor Gear

Features

• Virtually freestanding construction
• Quick setup
• Excellent wind and weather protection
• Canopy dimensions suits large sleepers
• 4 fixed guy out points
• Update: Tonal color update of fly and canopy 
• Update: Updated dimensions 
• Update: New DAC pole diameters for added strength 
• Update: Steeper side walls 
• Update: Internal pole sleeves reduce weight 
• Update: Larger canopy doors 
• Update: Durable black mosquito mesh doors 
• Update: Re-designed gear loft 
• Intended for fast and lite backpacking and micro adventures

Specifications

Our weights

• Flysheet and Inner weighs: 1630g
• Poles weigh: 497
• Total weight: 2127g (excludes pegs & bags)
• Pegs x 18 weigh: 193g

Exped Specs

• Minimum weight: 2.10kg
• Packed weight: 2.40kg
• Persons: 2
• Floor size: 220 x 130cm
• Inner height: 112cm
• Canopy area: 2.85 m²
• Vestibule area: 2.20 m²
• Packed size: 46 x 14cm
• Canopy fits to 2 M or 2 LW mats

Material

• Rainfly: 15 D ripstop nylon, silicone/PU coated, factory seam taped, Oeko Tex® 100 certified, PFC-free, flame-retardant free
• Canopy: 15 D ripstop nylon, 20 D No-See-Um mosquito mesh, Oeko Tex® 100 certified, DWR C6, flame-retardant free
• Floor: 40 D ripstop nylon laminated, 10 000 mm water column, Oeko Tex® 100 certified, PFC-free, flame-retardant free
• Poles: DAC Featherlite NSL 9 mm and 10.25 mm TH72M, green anodizing

Help & advice:

• The Ultimate Guide to Ultralight Tents
• Time-Saver Guide to Choosing a Tent
• When pegs go bad – Everything you need to know about tent pegs
• Are Tent Footprints Worth It?
• Why is ‘PFC Free’ Important?
• About Exped