Ferrino Pilar II review
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Review of the Ferrino Pilar 2 tent after two seasons of use
Spoiler: Ferrino Pilar tent is POS (piece of shit) for the price of a good mountaineering tent (price on the manufacturer’s website is 674 euros).
Before becoming the owner of this tent, I already had experience using tents from the Italian company Ferrino, and that was quite positive. Therefore, the purchase of several Ferrino tents for use on an expedition to Kamchatka (climbing the Klyuchevskaya and Kamen volcanoes) did not raise any deep doubts in me. I bought two Ferrino Pilar 2 tents and two Ferrino Snowbound II tents (separate review), both from the Ferrino High Lab series.
Literally at the first use out of the package, both models raised a number of doubts about the quality of the design. But I put everything in order.
The Ferrino Pilar II tent is stated as a professional mountaineering tent. In this category, it has a number of features that really make it convenient for use on the alpine climbs of varying difficulty.
I'll start with the positive aspects
The weight of the tent is 3.2 kg - if you throw away everything unnecessary - pegs, repair kit. Definitely that is not too light, but a full-fledged two-layer tent with a reinforced three-pole frame is unlikely to weigh less than 3 kg.
The outer frame helps to install the tent very quickly, there is no need to separately install the inner tent and then throw up the outer cover.
The tent does not require excess space for installation - it can be placed on the narrow shelves and in inconvenient places - a great advantage for use on technical climbing routes.
Relatively comfortable interior space - it is trapezoidal tent, narrower towards the legs - probably to save weight and space.
This is where the advantages end and the disadvantages begin, which turned out to be too many for a tent of this category and this price.
Disadvantages of the Ferrino Pilar II tent
I will separately clarify the reason for such a low rating. The tent is generally well made, but leaves the impression of being completely untested in real conditions. The manufacturer made serious mistakes in the design and selection of materials, and released a product with critical flaws.
If the declared category is technical mountaineering, such an approach is unacceptable, as it creates serious additional risks for the safety of users. My experience using Ferrino Pilar II tents completely changed my opinion not only about this specific model, but also about the entire Ferrino brand - I will not buy any more tents or other products from this company and do not advise you to.
So, what’s wrong with the Ferrino Pilar 2 tent (almost everything)
Frame. The frame design is three poles with three crosshairs. In theory, this construction should be durable and wind-resistant. But something went wrong with Ferrino Pilar II tent. The transverse pole (red) in the installed mode has an excessive bend that exceeds its strength.
After the first expedition, this pole got broken at two tents - this indicates the systemic nature of the problem. The pole is too thin and too curved; at the slightest additional load (wind), it breaks at the junction of the knees. Both tents were subsequently replaced under warranty, but I received exactly the same tents, with the same design defect.
Accessories. It looks like nobody was interested in perfecting the design and user convenience; this is noticeable in various small details of the fittings and the design as a whole.
The Ferrino Pilar 2 tent is equipped with cheap and week fixation ropes. The thickness and quality of these ropes (the laces on the shoes are usually of higher quality) do not correspond to the stated specifics of use. This is just a thin household rope that cannot withstand even the slightest friction against rocks.
When there is wind, the ropes attached to the rocks for fixation of the tent continually break. In addition to the fact that the ropes are very thin, they are dark in color, without reflective threads, as in the most models from other manufacturers.
The manufacturer apparently suggests its customers to stumble and fall when passing by the tent - it is almost impossible to notice a dark and thin rope in the twilight.
A transparent polyethylene window on the front door is definitely a useful thing. However, in the Ferrino Pilar II tent, this design detail does not withstand temperature changes and comes off literally after 1-2 weeks of use, leaving you with an obvious hole in the tent.
By the way, it is not so easy to fix it - the skotch tape does not stick to the fabric of the tent. All that remains is to sew up a new tent for 700 euros with threads.
There is a mosquito net, but it doesn’t really prevent mosquitoes from coming inside - the ventilation windows inside the tent with a mosquito net do not close hermetically, and large gaps remain in the corners, sufficient for insects to enter.
Attaching the tent floor to the awning is something genial. Some super clever guy decided to use large metal figured buckles that could be used to decorate musketeer hats in 16th century, but not a climbing tent.
I just can’t understand why it was necessary to install such heavy and massive fittings in such a strange place. In addition, these buckles detach independently each time, and (especially in the wind or cold conditions), there is a need for minor operations to fix the floor. This happens every time when assembling or disassembling the tent.
And the cherry on the cake. Tent fabric is susceptible to fungus!!! Despite all the previous faults, the last one is a disaster. I spent 25 years in the mountains and expeditions, using dozens of different tents, even including canvas ones. But never in my entire life I have seen such disgrace.
Literally a week after the first use in Kamchatka in rather damp conditions (but there is no other way in the mountains), black dots began to appear on the fabric of the tent (both on the outer and inner parts). At first we thought it was the effect of volcanic ash, although nothing like this had ever happened on other tents during expeditions in Kamchatka.
The process did not stop after drying the tents. As a result, after two seasons all the tents became completely unusable due to fungus progressing in the fabric. It looks monstrous. I repeat once again - the problem is systemic in nature specifically with the Ferrino High Lab series tents.
With similar use, not a single model of a tent from other manufacturers has the slightest trace of fungus in the fabric. I assume that the defect lies in the technological inadequacy of the fabric for use in the production of tents.
In general, the summary of the Ferrino Pilar II tent is this: if you don’t mind throwing away 700 euros for an almost disposable tent, then there will be no problems, you can enjoy it.
But if you plan to use the tent for a long time, this purchase will be a major disappointment for you. By the way, it is not possible to sell the tent in the condition in which it came due to the fungus; you can only throw into the garbage can.
The author of the review and photos - Alex Trubachev
Your professional technical mountain guide
MCS EDIT 2024