Winter camping on Mt Kosciuszko, August 2015
Thomas testing the Minaret in -7 degrees and strong winds on Mt Kosciuszko, August 2015
Macpac Minaret - Thomas in the Grampians National Park 2013
Owner: Thomas
Used since: 2011
Tested by: Thomas
Review by: Thomas
Primary Use: Hiking, base camping
Review:
The main motivation for me to buy this tent was an upcoming trip to South New Zealand, where I knew it would certainly rain more often than here in Australia. Since I had my daughter joining me on this trip I needed a small, relatively lightweight 2-person tent that can cope with rain, wind and whatever else nature can throw at you in this region. After some research I settled for the Macpac Minaret and have never regretted that decision.
Since that purchase I have used the tent on a regular basis when I camped out with 2 people or wanted to have a bit more space on my own. Strong winds on some mountain tops, snow and heavy rain - none of it was an issue for the Minaret. A highly recommendable tent.
Pros:
- Fairly good ventilation
- Very waterproof despite the thin fabric
- Lots of points for stabilising the tent in strong winds with additional strings and pegs
- Relatively lightweight for a solid 2-person tent
- Easy setup
- Excellent quality manufacturing
- Inner or outer tent can be pitched separately if required
- As with all Macpac tents - you need to seam seal it yourself with the Silicon glue provided in the pack. Although it is annoying to do that initially and takes good 2 hours (+ 12-24 hours drying time), I see it as an advantage because that type of sealant lasts forever whereas I have seen many tents with pre-sealed seams where the seal-strips start to break/crack or peel off after some 6+ years or so.
Cons:
- The base of the inner tent is shaped in a way that one person has more leg room than the other. So it is not ideal if both people are fairly tall. For couples it is usually a good fit since the woman is typically not as tall, hence length of the tent is not an issue.
- The yellow colour (you can also buy this tent in dark green) - I am not sure why insects love this colour more than others but especially in hot climate/seasons, hundreds of flies, bugs - big and small - may fly under the tent and then get trapped on the roof inside the tent. I don't have this issue with my dark green Macpac Microlight. Another team member (Dinesh) also has no issues with his dark green Macpac Minaret. Maybe a tip for manufacturers to consider the annoyance of insects when producing tents in certain colours.
Manufacturer Website:
http://www.macpac.com.au/equipment/tents/hiking-tramping-tent-minaret.html