Howdy folks. This week on the blog, we wanted to take a look at a real bargain for all you mountaineers out there: the Geertop Navigator 2 Plus. We’ve looked at both Geertop’s Plume and Libra offerings previously, and been impressed by both the quality and the price. But the Navigator 2 Plus offers something a little bit different – it’s an affordable tent designed specifically with mountaineers and hardcore 4-season campers in mind.
And you needn’t take our word for it. This tent was recently used by mountaineers The Lad From The Green Land in their expedition to Chongra Peak in the Himalayas, at an altitude of 6800m. Let’s dive in and take a look.
Design & Materials
The Geertop Navigator 2 Plus is double skinned, with a fairly standard cross-dome construction. This design ensures stability in strong winds, and it should be able to take the weight of some heavy snow too. There are 2 side doors into a generous front vestibule, and from there a double-skinned entry point into the living space. There are 2 standard velcro strap ventilation windows on the tent, 1 on each side. The Navigator also comes with a non-detachable snow skirt
The tent is made from 20D Nylon with a waterproof coating. In terms of how much water it can take, the outer fly has a hydrostatic head rating of 8000mm, with a 5000mm head for the tent floor. The stakes and poles for the Navigator 2 Plus are made of Aluminium.
Size & Weight
The Navigator 2 Plus has 210 x 120 cm of internal living space, with 110 cm of head height. The gear vestibule extends out a further 100 cm from the living compartment. When packed down, the tent fits into a 50 x 20 cm stuff sack – pretty small for such a feature-rich tent. The entire thing weighs just 3.2 kg (7.1 lbs).
Pitch
So one important thing to note about this tent is that it’s an outer-first pitch. You start off by laying out the fly, and inserting two cross poles diagonally into each corner. A third pole then gets inserted through the top arch of the vestibule. After this is done, you peg down the tent underneath the snow skirt and can then hang the inner tent inside.
This pitch style definitely has serious weather conditions in mind, as outer-first pitches generally allow you to get under cover quickly, then sort out your inner tent and gear situation.
Space & Storage
So first, let’s talk about the vestibule space. A 100 cm vestibule extending out from the main tent is a lot more generous than you’d find in your average 3-season tent. Gear storage space shouldn’t be an issue, even accounting for the extra gear that’s often necessary for mountaineering. When you also factor in the 110 cm head height – although this will taper down a bit towards the front of the tent – you can also comfortably cook in the vestibule.
When it comes to living space, this is also pretty roomy. If you’re using it as a 1-man tent, you’ll be able to starfish a little. If you’re using it as a 2-man it should still have adequate room, given the generous gear storage. Although it’s pretty much always going to get cozy when you’re buddying up in a 2-man tent!
Wallet & Weight Impact
Normally, mountaineering tents are among the most expensive to buy – and with good reason. They’re high performance, and usually feature a lot of extra weatherproofing. This in turn also puts the weight up. But the Geertop Navigator 2 Plus offers surprising value on both these fronts:
The weight, at 3.2kg, is certainly competitive. It’s definitely in the ballpark of what you’d expect a 4-season tent like this to weigh, maybe even a shade lighter.
When it comes to the money, however, you’re making a pretty epic saving. Most western-branded mountaineering tents would cost you around 3 x the price of the Navigator for a roughly equivalent spec. Given that the tent is out there being used by actual mountaineers, with pretty good feedback so far, the quality seems to be comparable with anything produced by the big name camping brands.
Verdict
If you’re looking to get started in mountaineering, and don’t have a fortune to spend on a 4-season tent, then the Geertop Navigator 2 Plus should definitely be on your wish list. There are certainly higher spec, or some with more fancy bells and whistles, but the Navigator will get you where you’re going and is unbeatable value to boot.
Well folks, that’s all for now -I hope you enjoyed this Geertop Navigator 2 Plus Tent review. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our blog for more tips, tricks and gear reviews from the trail. Until next time!