For 15 years now, the Quechua 2 Second Tent (previously 2 Seconds or 2SECONDS Tent) has been one of the fastest, simplest ways to go from arriving at camp to snoring under the stars in fully enclosed comfort. In 2020, Quechua and parent company Decathlon updated the years-old design with the 2 Second Easy, an even smoother variant with faster-packing operation and more traditional tent design. The original Easy sleeps two, and now Decathlon grows the family with a three-person variant every bit as fast and easy to pitch and pack up.
Way back in 2003, Quechua tent manager Jean-Francois Ratel responded to the call for a tent so quick and simple a camper could throw it up in the air and watch it pitch itself. Such pop-up tents already existed at the time – I distinctly remember my college roommate using a disc-packaged version at Woodstock '99 – but as Decathlon recalls, they were single-walled designs that offered poor weather protection. The company set out to package quick pop-up pitching into a more robust tent.
Quechua launched the original 2 Seconds Tent two years later, offering a dual-wall design with a weatherproof exterior skin and separate interior bedroom. Integrated fiberglass hoop poles allowed the tent to spring into shape upon unpacking.
Quechua still offers the original 2 Second(s) Tent in various sizes today. It separately launched the 2 Second Easy two years ago as a fully redesigned model meant to break down more easily than the original. The Easy replaces the springy integrated poles with a collapsible frame that pitches at the pull of two ripcords, and breaks down at the push of two buttons. Instead of packing into a large disc like the original 2 Second Tent, the Easy packs into a more traditional roll-shaped case for convenient transport.
With room for just two, the 2 Second Easy was limited in scope upon launch. What we'd really like to see is a model built for four people or more, because families (especially designated family tent pitchers) could definitely benefit from such a quick-pitching design. Quechua steps closer with the new three-person Easy, which adds over 15 inches (38 cm) of width to create a near-square 80.7 x 82.7-in (205 x 210-cm) floor. The tent also grows by 7 inches (17.8 cm) to stand just over 50 inches (127 cm) tall. It breaks down into an 18.1-lb (8.2-kg) package that measures 28 x 8.7 x 8.7 inches (71 x 22 x 22 cm).
What the 2 Second Easy 3P does not change is the fast, simple ripcord/push-button setup and breakdown system or four-layer Fresh & Black fabric package designed to keep the interior up to 30 F cooler and 99 percent darker than it would be otherwise. That sounds like a more comfortable night (and morning) of sleep if ever we've heard one.
The 2 Second Easy 3P will officially launch in September at a retail price of US$249. The Easy 2P Fresh & Black is available now for $199.
Source: Decathlon