Backpacking~$340MSR
MSR Elixir
No citable rating — see why we hide some.
The Elixir is the tent people buy once and use for a decade: 75D polyester everywhere, a 3000 mm floor, a footprint in the box, and a 7000-series aluminium pole set that does not feel precious. Eighty-two ounces for the 2-person is five pounds, which nobody is carrying on a thru-hike, but the 52-inch rectangular floor takes two wide pads and the fabric survives being packed damp and dragged over gravel. The Elixir 4 at 55 square feet is the cheapest freestanding four-person backpacking tent here.
Floor area per person
15.0 sq ft
Standard — 14 to 17 sq ft each — the normal two-pads-and-no-spare-room fit
Weight per person
41 oz
from the trail weight of 5 lb 2 oz
Peak height
41 in
Approx. price
~$340
Pads: 26.0 in of floor width each — 2 × 25 in pads fit.
Length: a 84 in floor leaves room for a sleeper up to about 6ft 6in once you allow six inches for a foot box and a pillow.
Best for
A durable first tent, or the tent that lives in the car and gets used badly for years.
The size run
One design, 4 capacities. The numbers at the top of this page describe the 2; every size has its own figures below.
| Size | Sleeps | Floor area | Sq ft each | Vestibule | Trail weight | Packed weight | Floor L × W | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 18 sq ft | 18.0 | 8 sq ft | 4 lb 1 oz | 5 lb 2 oz | 88 × 30 in | ~$290 |
| 2 | 2 | 30 sq ft | 15.0 | 15 sq ft | 5 lb 2 oz | 6 lb 3 oz | 84 × 52 in | ~$340 |
| 3 | 3 | 41 sq ft | 13.7 | 15 sq ft | 6 lb 1 oz | 7 lb 2 oz | 84 × 70 in | ~$390 |
| 4 | 4 | 55 sq ft | 13.8 | 16 sq ft | 8 lb 3 oz | 9 lb 4 oz | 90 × 88 in | ~$490 |
Specifications
- Type
- Backpacking
- Rated capacity
- 2-person
- Floor area per person(estimated)
- 15.0 sq ft (standard)
- Floor area
- 30 sq ft
- Vestibule area
- 15 sq ft
- Peak height
- 41 in
- Minimum trail weight
- 5 lb 2 oz
- Packed weight
- 6 lb 3 oz
- Weight per person(estimated)
- 41 oz (trail weight)
- Packed size
- 20 x 6.5 in
- Interior floor width
- 52 in
- Pad fit(estimated)
- 2 × 25 in pads fit
- Fits sleepers up to(estimated)
- 6ft 6in tall
- Doors
- 2
- Vestibules
- 2
- Freestanding
- freestanding
- Poles
- aluminum
- Wall type
- double wall
- Season rating
- 3-season
- Fly fabric
- 75D ripstop polyester, 1500 mm polyether urethane and PFAS-free DWR
- Floor fabric
- 75D taffeta polyester, 3000 mm polyether urethane and PFAS-free DWR
- Floor denier
- 75D
- Floor hydrostatic head
- 3,000 mm
- PFAS-free treatment
- stated PFAS-free
- Approx. price
- ~$340
Features
- Footprint included in the box in every size
- 3000 mm 75D polyester floor
- 52 in rectangular floor width on the 2-person
- 7000-series aluminium poles
- Gear loft and two lower pockets standard
- Sold in 1, 2, 3 and 4 person, all with the footprint included
In its favour
- 3000 mm 75D floor outlasts the thin-fabric tents by years, not seasons
- 52 in rectangular floor fits two 25 in pads
- Footprint included, so the sticker price is the real price
- PFAS-free treatments on both fly and floor
- The 4-person at $490 is the cheapest freestanding 4P backpacking tent here
Against it
- 82 oz for the 2-person is more than double the ultralight options
- 84 in floor length is short for a tall sleeper
- Packs to 20 x 6.5 in, which is a lot of pack volume
- Fly is only 1500 mm despite the tough 3000 mm floor
Written from the published specification sheet, not from owner reports.
What owners report
Drawn from archived owner discussions, not from a test of our own.
What owners like
- Owners describe it as bombproof and say so unprompted — it is the word that keeps coming up
- First-trip reactions are unusually enthusiastic for a mid-price tent
- Owners who move to something lighter still describe the Elixir as the tent they trust
- The privacy of the inner with the fly off gets specific praise from owners who use it that way
- It is in the shortlist for almost every sub-$400 two-person recommendation, and the footprint is included
Common complaints
- Rainfly waterproofing flaking after about a year is reported repeatedly, as are seam sealers disintegrating on older examples
- Poles prone to splitting or breaking is a specific, recurring complaint in reviews owners quote
- Replacement poles — especially the short cross pole — are hard to source, and owners ask about them often
- The 2-person at 6.2 lb is described by its own owners as very heavy for solo use
- The 1-person is reported as cramped even for people it is supposedly sized for
Owners call the Elixir bombproof and then complain about it in detail, which is a familiar shape for a long-lived mid-price design. The enthusiasm is real — first-trip posts about it are unusually warm, and owners who have moved on to lighter tents still talk about it as the one they trust in bad weather.
Complaints cluster on two things. Coatings: the rainfly's waterproofing flaking after roughly a year appears in reviews owners quote at each other, and seam sealer disintegrating on tents around eight years old is reported first-hand. And poles: splitting or breaking gets named in the same breath, and finding a replacement — particularly the short cross pole that creates the headroom — is a recurring problem.
Weight is the other consistent note. At 6.2 lb packed for the 2-person, owners who bought it for two people and then went out alone describe it as very heavy. It is a car-camping and short-carry tent that happens to be shaped like a backpacking one.
Questions people ask about it
Does the Elixir's rainfly coating really flake?
It is a recurring report — flaking after around a year in reviews owners cite, and seam sealer disintegrating on older tents. Storing it completely dry helps a great deal; polyurethane coatings hydrolyse when packed damp, and that is the usual cause.
How hard is it to replace a pole?
Harder than it should be, judging by how often owners ask. The short cross pole that connects the two main poles is the one people lose and the one they struggle to find. Third-party pole makers can match it, but you will be measuring rather than ordering by part number.
Is the Elixir 1 big enough for a tall person?
Owners report it as cramped — one describes returning it and finding a replacement even more cramped. Eighteen square feet on an 88 by 30 inch floor is narrow. Tall owners are generally happier in the 2.
Is 6.2 lb too heavy to backpack with?
Split between two people for a weekend, no. Carried solo, its own owners call it very heavy and that is what drives most of them to a second, lighter tent. The Elixir's real home is the car boot and the short walk in.