Is it me or is it annoying how many tents some keen outdoor enthusiasts own? Many of the folk I love watching on the internet almost appear to have a different one for each day of the week. Yes they may have built up this collection over years, but I still wonder where they get the money. The cost of living has never been so high and therefore having choice like this simply isn’t an option for many of us including me. This is why I’ve decided to write this OEX Jackal II review. With this tent, it may well be the best value two man tent you can buy. It could well be the only tent you need in your collection too. Let’s now take a look at why it’s such a great option.

The Price

Let’s get this out of the way to start off with. At the time of writing this, the OEX Jackal II costs £149.00 on Amazon and well-known dealers such as Blacks and Go Outdoors. It is still a fair bit of money, but most certainly within the budget category when purchasing a tent. Just for comparison, many good quality two-man tents cost in excess of £200 and some by a considerable margin.

There are of course tents out there for a less than the Jackal, but the many customer reviews I have read show that they don’t offer the quality that the Jackal offers. It is actually pretty hard to find a bad review of the Jackal II online. Just have a look at the reviews left on Amazon or in fact any other online retailer selling it to see this. This is one of the factors that helped me choose this tent, when there is so much choice available. You get a lot of bang for your buck as the saying goes, which again shows it is right up there as being the best value two man tent you can buy.

The Size

You may well be wondering why a two- man tent could be your best option if you are planning to travel solo. After completing many trips and having also used my one man OEX Bobcat tent, I can certainly state that I always appreciate the extra space the Jackal II affords me.

The Bobcat is a very similar tent in many ways. Despite this, I still only use it for multi-day hikes when the extra weight of a larger tent becomes more of an issue. I used the Bobcat on a recent trip to Scotland. It did a great job in protecting me from the elements and the many millions of midges trying to get at me through the bug net on Jura. There is only enough room to sleep inside though and thus it wasn’t a comfortable place to spend considerable time sheltering from the winged bugs of doom. The Jackal II would have made the experience much more comfortable.

In my opinion, the internal space of the Jackal II makes it a great ally when you need to spend considerable time inside it. We all know how wonderful winter camping can be, but I can confidently state that I wouldn’t want to spend fourteen hours in a small one man tent. The same goes for prolonged periods of rain or other grim weather. A two man tent like the Jackal is practical, as you can change easily, cook if necessary and store all gear without fear of running out of room. In short, it just lends itself to a more comfortable camp and is more practical in most ways.

Tent Dimensions

At 184 cm tall myself, I’d say there is still a good ten centimetres to spare when laying down. That means you only need to consider opting for a longer tent if you stand in excess of 194cm.

The tent’s width means it can accommodate two people with relative ease. I have share with another person on two occasions and have found there isn’t much space left inside the main sleeping area once the mats and sleeping bags are down. A generously sized porch area is plenty large enough though to store two backpacks and your shoes.

I have found that the tent is also tall enough to sit up in with a slight stoop, however this experience will vary depending on your size. Any shorter than me and you’ll find it more than adequate, whereas a taller person may well get fed up contorting their upper bodies so they don’t need to spend all time laying down.

Weight

The Jackal II tent weights in at 2.95kg, which is certainly no lightweight. The Bobcat tent is a whole kilogram lighter and there are many two man options, which weight less as well. Their price tags are much higher though. A cheaper tent is always going to weigh more, so it is best to compare it against similarly priced items.

In short, I have found The Jackal to be competitive when compared against similarly priced tents of similar dimensions. As somebody who has climbed mountains with it, I’d also say that it isn’t any real drag to carry. Separate carry bags for the inner and outer makes it breeze to carry and you could even share the weight if hiking with another person. The thicker feel of the outer is also obvious when compared to a much lighter tent like The Alpkit Soloist. That tent is great for lightweight bike packing or multi-day hikes, but it didn’t feel as robust as the Jackal or Bobcat when I explored it in a friend’s garden. This extra material on the OEX tents adds to their strength and endurance in tough conditions.

Durability

Other than its price, this for me is the Jackal’s main strength. Having owned this tent for two years, it has been used in a whole variety of conditions and not once has it let me down. There hasn’t even been a single issue with any of the zips. With this tent, I pitch up feeling confident that I’ll be protected by pretty much anything the elements throw at me.

How does it cope with wind?

I’ve yet to use the tent in gale force winds, but I have pitched it in blustery conditions. It has always felt solid and nothing has broken as of yet. I have heard others claiming that it has survived very windy conditions and I can well believe it judging by what I’ve experienced so far. I’m still not sure if it designed for extreme conditions though. That is where a much more expensive piece of kit like the Hilleberg comes into its own. For most conditions experienced in the UK though, the Jackal II is more than up to the job.

Waterproofing

The video below shows how well the Jackal II copes in heavy rain. Both the groundsheet and flysheet have hydrostatic heads of 5000mm. This is a reassuring number and it hasn’t leaked at all in the two years I’ve owned the tent. I haven’t even had to treat the material to maintain its ability to repel water. You can certainly pitch the tent in very wet conditions knowing that you’ll have a dry night ahead. It’s also rather relaxing listening to the rain above your head as you drift off to sleep.

Ease Of Pitching

This is another area where the tent excels. It has a two pole design and the outer being pitched first makes it practical when the rain is falling. Instructions are also clear and a colour coding on the poles and tent outer make them very easy to follow. I’ve only got it wrong once and that was when it was dark. Even if practical skills aren’t your forte, you can rest assured that you won’t have any difficulty pitching the tent in only a few minutes.

Other Parts Of The Tent

The Jackal II comes well supplied with strong mental pegs, which are robust and long lasting. There are also plentiful guy lines, which are easy adjustable to ensure tension is correct on all of them. You can see me doing my best to demonstrate this below:

Ventilation

I’ve seen some campers, who end up with very damp conditions inside their tent, especially after longer winter nights. This isn’t something I’ve ever experienced in the Jackal. There are mesh sections at each end of the inner and I find that just using the mesh section at the door is sufficient when the the porch area is zipped closed.

I must add at this point that the meshed sections are exactly the same as in the smaller Bobcat tent. Because of this, they do an excellent job in keeping bugs and midges out. This point is obviously crucial if you plan to be using it up in Scotland during the warmer months.

Storage Points

There are two pockets on each side of the tent inner. These are large enough to store keys, glasses and other small bits. A hook is also provided at one end to hand a lantern or other light you may wish to use.

Other OEX Tents

This is the only two man tent I’ve ever owned and to be honest that isn’t going to change. That old saying of ‘ if it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it’ comes to mind. With the above points considered, it is hard to beat and could well be the best value two man tent you can buy.

Despite this, I thought I’d still add that OEX do offer other 2 man tents at prices similar to the Jackal. They also receive good reviews; the Jackal seems to always come out with the best ones from what I’ve seen. If you do wish to have a look at the other models, then please click the links below to find out more:

The OEX Rakoon II

The Phoxx II

I hope you have found this review helpful. The link here will take you to Amazon, who offer it at a competitive price. Which ever tent you decide to buy, I hope you enjoy many happy adventures in it.