MSR Access 3 Person Dome Tent Review

While creating this review of the Access 3, we studied the data against one hundred and seventy-seven other 3 person dome tents, comparing more than 60 different data points. We also looked at the total cost including shipping & discounts at thirteen various sellers online stores, to find the best price for you.

The Access Fly Open
MSR's Access 3 With the Fly Open
In this report, we will cover for you:
  • A recap of the customer reviews we found.
  • A detailed examination of the features, materials and dimensions.
  • The Pros and Cons of the tent.
  • Where you can save $358.96

Here at optimumtents.com all our reviews are produced from our individual dataset of over one thousand tents, that are sold in the United States. Our goal is to give you an objective report and our own exclusive rating based on the data, along with the lowest price and best value we could find.

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  • MSR Logo
  • Manufacturer: MSR
  • Model: Access
  • Year Introduced: 2016
  • MPN: 13133
  • Sleeping Capacity: 3 Persons
  • Designed For: 4 Seasons
  • Best Use: Mountaineering and Backpacking
  • Type: Dome Tent
  • Available in: Other Sizes
  • MSRP: $919.95

Access 3 Pictures and Videos

Click on an image or video to enlarge them!


The Access With the Fly Off

MSR Access 3 With the Fly Off
Fly Closed on the Access 3

Fly Closed Access 3

A video about the Access 3 tent.

Another video about MSR's tents.

QUICK OVERVIEW

Logo Representing the Features Section

Features


  • Freestanding: No
  • Color: Orange, Gray
  • Number of Rooms: 1
  • Number of Windows: None
  • Number of Doors: 2
  • Zippers: N/A
  • Storage Pockets & Gear Loft: Yes, N/A
  • Mesh Roof & Walls: No, No
  • Footprint: Not Included, Available Separately
  • Access 3 floor saver
Logo Representing the Materials Section

Materials and Extras


  • Inner Walls: 20D Ripstop Nylon & DWR
  • Full Fly: 20D Ripstop Nylon Durashield
    Fly Waterproof Ratings: 1200 mm
  • Floor Materials: 30D Ripstop Nylon, Xtreme Shield Polyurethane & Silicone
    Floor Waterproof Ratings: 3000 mm
  • Pole Material: Easton Syclone
  • Number Of Poles: 1
  • Pole Dimensions: 9.3mm
  • Guy Lines & Guy Outs: Yes, Yes
  • Stakes: Aluminum
Logo Representing the Dimensions Section

Dimensions


  • Floor Area: 41 sq. ft.
  • Center Height: 3 foot. 11 inches.
  • Packed Weight: 5 Lbs 1 Oz
    Trail Weight: 4 Lbs. 6 Oz.
  • Packed Size: 21 x 7 inches.
  • Number of Vestibules: 1
    Total Vestibule Area: 17.50 sq. ft.
  • Screened Areas: None
  • Awnings: None

Tent Set Up

Unified hubbed poles make tent quick to pitch in cold environments.


Warranty: MSR Warranty Info
Green Thumbs Up Logo

Summary: Favorable Reviews

People who bought the tent mentioned: That it packs up like a dream and is so light that I felt guilty for all the others in my party who had heavy packs. Easy to set up and down. I love the pole design. It is unexpectedly roomy for one person, and I can sit up and dress comfortably in it. It holds up well in the rain keeping you completely dry. To this date, MSR equipment has ever failed me on any trips. Set it up in the dark with no lights in under 5 minutes.


Teal Thumbs Down Logo

Summary: Unfavorable Reviews

Campers who have used the tent said: That there seem to be too many tie-downs and they cant get the vestibule door to tension just right. Some snow pegs as standard would have been excellent.


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SPECS AND CONFIGURATIONS

The Access 3 has two doors and a peak center height of 3' 11, which is a tiny bit smaller than the average height of the 147 different 3 person tents we have examined With 41 square feet of room inside, it is significantly smaller than some other 3-person tents, and it would be quite tight for you and, up to two other campers during the 4-seasons, this tent is suggested for use in, smaller tents similar to this one often make a great choice for campers who love spending lots of time outside exploring the great outdoors.

A few of the great points about dome tents are, that they are generally speaking lightweight, making them simple to carry around. In near all instances, tents used for backpacking are of the dome type. They are usually, freestanding and very straightforward to set up. In calm weather, you can do without guy lines and stakes, not that this is suggested.

Dome tents are without a doubt the most commonly seen of all the various sorts of tents you will see when camping. They tend to fair better in bad weather than other types, allowing water to easily slide off the sloped sides, unlike cabin tents that have flat tops, resulting in the rain pooling on the top of the tent. The most basic dome tent should have a rectangular floor, sloped sides two or more poles which cross in the middle of the roof. Because of the way they are made, it is usually thought of that they are best for up to a maximum of 6 campers.

Underneath you can check out an account of the tent's strongest and weakest points.

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PROS

  1. Vestibule. Having one vestibule. Affords you somewhere to store shoes and other items that can get dirty, muddy, this is a huge plus.
  2. Internal storage. It is nice to see MSR has added a gear loft and pockets in the interior to store some of your gear.
  3. More than one door. With 2 doors, it is simpler to get in and out of the tent, in the middle of the night if needed.
  4. Durable, water-resistant floor. The floor material is 30D ripstop nylon, Xtreme Shield polyurethane & silicone, which is a substantially thick and high-strength fabric. Meaning the base is not prone to rips and punctures. Also, the material has a 3000 mm waterproofing rating, which is pretty good for most circumstances.
  5. The rainfly completely covers the tent body. The rainfly covers the whole body of the tent from the top to the bottom and has a waterproof rating of 1200mm. Meaning it will easily protect you against heavy downpours.
  6. Available in other sizes. MSR has also made this model available in Other Sizes.

CONS

  1. Not roomy. With a floor area of 41 square feet, the Access 3 is smaller than quite a few of the 147 other 3 person tents we have looked at.
  2. Lacking in Headroom. With 7% less headroom than similar sized tents, one can see how this could be a negative factor for some people.
  3. Footprint not Included. There is no included footprint, there is one sold separately specifically for the Access 3 footprint Even though the floor may be made of 30D ripstop nylon, Xtreme Shield polyurethane & silicone, it is still better to protect it further with a footprint, especially on rough terrain.
  4. Sloping walls. Even though Dome tents have heaps of attributes to rave about. The sloping sides do tend to make it all the more smaller inside.

CONCLUSION

5 Stars Logo

Our Ratings: 5.0 STARS

MSR's Access 3 tent is suitable for mountaineering and backpacking. Here are a few other cool things not already mentioned above which, we noticed and liked, while reviewing the model: The Access 3 winter touring tent was built to meet the needs of backcountry skiers, splitboarders and snowshoers., Central-support frame optimizes interior space and resists snow loading and Rainfly vents reduce condensation along with Xtreme Shield waterproof coating for long-term durability.

With favorable ratings, and headroom of 3' and 41 square feet of space for sleeping, this tent is like your own modest flat. This allows you to enjoy some really enjoyable moments in the outdoors. We found a decent amount of pros about the tent that you can study above.

If you found this website looking for recommendations about this actual tent, we think, it should make for a very good purchase. If you simply happened to land on this page while browsing for a brand new tent having not heard of this brand or this tent model previously, it is probably a good thing to look at some other similar tents also.

Value for money: When considering value for money, this tent is more expensive than the usual price of all the one hundred and ninety-four, three-person tents we have taken a look at, this by itself is not a negative thing. We also need to look at other things in detail, as we do for each tent.

When we tally up the ratings of a single tent, we regard a good deal of conditions, finding things where the tent could outdo other very similar tents and where it is coming up short. On this occasion, with a total score of 5.0 and the price info above, It is simple to observe that with a price of $560.99 info_outline The Access 3 is a great bargain though it may be thought of as quite pricey when set side by side with comparable tents.

Its ratings show that the build and capacity the tent provides make it a good buy for people searching for a tent that will be used for lots of years. It is also worth noting it is marked down by 39% from the manufactures suggested retail price. It will make a good choice for nearly all people searching for a comfy four-season backpacking tent to go camping with, that will serve you well for years to come.

Best Value & Low Price

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Fast 2 Day Shipping Available to Most Locations
$560.99 info_outline
You Save $358.96 (39%)
FREE SHIPPING
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COMPARE WITH OTHER SIMILAR TENTS

MSR TENT MODELS

BACKPACKING TENTS || 4 PERSON TENTS

Other Sizes and Variations of the MSR Access Model

Model Headroom Sleeping Area

MSR Access 1
Access 1

3' 4"19 sq ft

MSR Access 2
Access 2

3' 6"29 sq ft

MSR Access 3
Access 3

3' 11"41 sq ft
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