G'day John,

We don't currently have a display model tent to give this a whirl for you, however based on the footprint we'd think it should be ok. It does taper toward the foot end, however there is plenty of length for it to fit up the head and middle end. We think it should be ok, however as we're not able to test it, we'd be happy to pay your return shipping costs if you give it a try and it doesn't work out.

G'day Michael,

The second product image is actually of the tent without the fly - so the inner roof itself is not mesh.
There is some mesh paneling on the two side doors, and on the head end wall.
Hope that helps!

G'day John,

As this is not a free standing tent, it requires all elements in order to be set up.
Unfortunately there's not a huge amount you can do here to reduce weight, with the exception of upgrading to lighter pegs, and potentially leaving the fly at home if you are not expecting wet weather.
There's no option to change to different tent poles as far as we're aware.
Realistically, changing to lighter guy ropes and pegs, etc will shave minimal weight off. The bulk of the weight in this tent is the materials used.

G'day Rickey,

No, there hasn't been a wind resistance rating or test done on this tent.
Given that it is a tunnel tent, it will fair better in wind than dome-style options, as long as you have the tent oriented correctly to the prevailing winds.

G'day Dan,

Comparing the two tents purely on materials, stitching and seam sealing, they're pretty similar. The Howqua uses a slightly higher denier floor fabric, however the overall waterhead rating on the floor is the same for both tents. The Spartan 3 has a slightly higher waterhead rating on the fly, although the denier isn't specified by EPE. Overall both tents are good quality, and use similar materials, with the main difference coming down to shape and size.

G'day Rob,

The Howqua 3 Person tent should give an adult and two kids enough space to sleep on narrow hike mats, but it'll be a tight squeeze. They taper toward the foot end, so it won't be the most comfortable option, but it is definitely do-able if you're all wanting to be in the one tent. Generally, groups of two looking for a little more space will opt for a 3 person hike tent, but if there are 3 of you, and you like your personal space, it might be worth getting an extra single tent for the older of the kids.

G'day Steve,

You'll probably find you don't need to spray the fly, as the material has a high waterproof rating plus has heat taped seams. We're not able to comment if a silicon spray would be good or not.

G'day Steve,

The Howqua 3 is a 3 person tent, however, this will be the size you are looking at if you are wanting to use an Exped Megamat 10LXW.  Hiking tents are designed to be used with hiking specific sleep gear, so you'd need a minimum 2 person hiking tent to fit a standard single camp mat in.
The Exped 10LXW will fit in the Howqua 3 no issues.

Hi Corey,

I'm really sorry it's taken a little while to get back to you, I've just heard back from Outdoor Connection, and unfortunately, they incorrectly described this tent based on a previous model. We've updated our listing now, as have Outdoor Connection. Please let me know if this tent isn't going to work for you, and we can help you out.