Head to head
MSR Access vs MSR Advance Pro 2
The MSR Access gives each person more floor — 14.5 sq ft against 12.0, which is the difference between standard and tight. The MSR Advance Pro 2 is the lighter carry at 46 oz, and the MSR Access is the cheaper of the two at ~$800.
 MSR MSR Access |  MSR MSR Advance Pro 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | 4-season | 4-season |
| Rated capacity | 2-person | 2-person |
| Floor area per personestimated | 14.5 sq ft (standard) | 12.0 sq ft (tight) |
| Floor area | 29 sq ft | 24 sq ft |
| Vestibule area | 17.5 sq ft | 0 sq ft |
| Peak height | 42 in | 44 in |
| Minimum trail weight | 3 lb 10 oz | 46 oz |
| Packed weight | 4 lb 1 oz | 3 lb 3 oz |
| Weight per personestimated | 29 oz (trail weight) | 23 oz (trail weight) |
| Pad fitestimated | 2 × 25 in pads fit | 2 × 20 in pads fit, 25 in pads do not |
| Fits sleepers up toestimated | 6ft 6in tall | 6ft 4in tall |
| Doors | 2 | 1 |
| Freestanding | freestanding | freestanding |
| Poles | carbon | carbon |
| Wall type | double wall | single wall |
| Season rating | 4-season | 4-season |
| Floor hydrostatic head | 3,000 mm | 3,000 mm |
| Packed size | 18 x 6 in | 18 x 6 in |
| Approx. price | ~$800 | ~$800 |
MSR Access
The Access exists for the trip that is winter but not an expedition: ski touring, hut-to-hut, spring alpine. It uses Easton Syclone composite poles, which flex rather than snap under a snow load, a solid nylon inner instead of mesh, and a 3000 mm floor — but only 58 ounces in the two-person, which is a normal three-season weight. The two doors and 17.5 square feet of vestibule are unusually generous for the category; the 1200 mm fly is the compromise that keeps it light.
Best for
Ski touring and spring alpine trips where a full expedition tent is more weight than the conditions justify.
MSR Advance Pro 2
A 46-ounce four-season tent is only possible by dropping the second wall, and the Advance Pro does exactly that: one layer of two-ply breathable nylon, one door, no vestibule at all, 24 square feet of floor. It is a bivy alternative for alpine climbers who need somewhere to sit out a night on a ledge, not a tent for sleeping two people comfortably. Twelve square feet each is the tightest per-person figure in this catalog, and that is the design working as intended.
Best for
Alpine climbing where the pitch is a ledge and the tent has to fit in a climbing pack.
Rows where the two differ are tinted. Specs are the makers’ own; floor area per person, weight per person and pad fit are our arithmetic on them.