French F1 / F2 2-Person Tent, Surplus

This French commando tent looks like something from decades ago. Well, actually these are just that. Fits two persons and has luxurious space for one. If traditional design inspires you, this isn't a half-bad option for leisurely camping or festival life. It's sturdy army surplus and fairly lightweight.

The French didn't adopt the shelter-half style of pup tent like so many other European armies did but instead went for a nostalgic Snufkin-style tent. The waterproof groundsheet is sewn to the main fabric to keep scorpions and centipedes out. The F2 versions are made of nylon with aluminum poles, which makes them light to carry and quick to dry. Easy to pitch by two, can be done solo as well.

We previously had the occasional F1 cotton version, which is worse and no longer available. This may be reflected in some customer reviews.

The ends can be opened up quickly and the closed design means nothing gets inside if every opening is shut. Additionally, each end and sides have vents with mosquito nets. The side vents can be closed to retain heat, at the expense of increased condensation.

The green tents have doors on both ends, the khaki ones have a single entrance.

Technical info

*The stakes are unnecessarily heavy in our opinion. Ditch them for lighter ones or have your companion carry the stake set while you carry the rest of the tent to balance loads. Some tents have come with a stake set weighing at one pound. These have been surprises to us and we don't pick and choose these.

Contents

• The tent itself
• Two aluminum poles
• A bag of 17 stakes (8 for the guylines, 9 for anchoring the tent base to ground)
• Guylines: two long ones for the ends, six for the sides
• A nylon stuff sack

Modifications

You can lighten your load by using lighter stakes. The ones included are definitely strong but weigh a ton. You can also use wooden sticks to anchor the tent to the ground, so you really need maybe 8 stakes. We recommend using 6 smaller stakes and 2 bigger ones for the ends.

Additionally, consider cutting a big hole into the tent floor if you do not need it. This will help cleaning and drying the tent but also removes the "Insect-proof!" bit. Your call!

The tents alone do keep out water to a degree when waterproofed with a suitable agent and pitched taut. In heavy rain, you're supposed to rig a tarp or flysheet over the tent for protection. In sunny weather, a flysheet helps keep the tent cool.

French army surplus

Mostly unissued, but there might be some used ones (in a pretty shape of course) in the mix. In any case, you'll get a lot of tent for the buck!