MSR Access 3 Tent

The new 2021 Access 3 is a four season tent with a robust yet lightweight configuration which makes it ideal for Four Season Lightweight Trekking or a base to launch your winter sport activities.

The 2021 version (latest & most recent), is updated with a new centre ‘hub’ pole set for increased stability and additional vents added to the latest Xtreme Shield™ flysheet.

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The MSR Access 3 tent is much lighter than a high altitude tent but warmer and more robust than a three season backpacking tent. The Access 3 person weighs in at only 2.2kg, but because of its unique frame design coupled with advanced ‘Easton Syclone’ poles, it stands up to high winds and heavy snow loads while providing a comfortable living space.

The cross frame increases internal volume on many MSR tent designs, but with the Access 3 tent the cross pole is extended to the floor, increasing stability in high winds and supporting the roof structure so it won’t collapse under heavy snow loading.

The poles themselves are completely new composite polymer design created by Easton Technologies exclusively for MSR. Tough, flexible and lightweight the Easton ‘Syclone’ poles are a leap forward in pole technology that help give the Access 3 tent it’s strength while maintaining a low weight.

The limited mesh on the inner tent offers greater protection from freezing crosswinds, while the light and packable design saves you precious energy on the climb and descent.

•    Ultralight Warmth: Limited mesh on the tent body keeps in all that hard-earned warmth on cold nights, while the light design keeps you nimble while skiing, riding or hiking.
•    Easton® Syclone™ Poles: Cutting-edge composite materials resist breaking in challenging winter conditions.
•    Robust Frame: Central-support frame optimizes interior space and resists snow loading.
•    Quick Setup: Unified hubbed poles make tent quick to pitch in cold environments.
•    Additional Features: Rainfly vents reduce condensation; Xtreme Shield™ waterproof coating for long-term durability; two doors; two internal pockets; multiple guy points.
•    Includes: Tent body, rainfly, poles, stakes, guy lines, easy-load, wide-mouth stuff sack, setup instructions.
Easton® and Syclone™ trademarks are owned by Easton® Technical Products

SKU Orange: 13118
SKU Green: 13133
Capacity:  Two Person
Weight:  2.30 kg
Length:  230 cm
Minimum Weight:  1.99 kg
Packaged Weight:  2.30 kg  (EMS Office Scales 2.187g)
Floor Dimensions:  213 x 178 cm
Floor Area:  3.80 sq. m
Vestibule Area:  1.62 sq. m
Number of Poles:  1 Easton® Syclone™
Tent Volume:  2756 litres
Interior Peak Height:  119 cm
Packed Size:  53 x 17 cm
Number of Doors:  2
Freestanding:  Yes
Rainfly Fabric:  
20D ripstop nylon 1200mm Xtreme Shield™ polyurethane & silicone
Canopy Fabric:
20D ripstop nylon & DWR
Mesh Type:
10D polyester micro-mesh
Floor Fabric:
30D ripstop nylon 3000mm Xtreme Shield™ polyurethane & DWR
Vestibule Volume:  481 litres

Editor’s Comments:
I bought one! It’s my Access 2 (version 1), in the secondary photos on this page, in the woods and with a night time cloud inversion as a back drop (2400m). In the photo with the pine trees and the blue skies, please note how taught the green fly sheet looks even with both doors open. It’s a pleasing and reassuring sign of quality when the fly sheet looks as tight as a drum. It becomes part of the strength of the structure, doesn’t flap in high winds and the smooth shape helps to shed snow build-up.
I’ll write a more in depth report later on when I’ve had some time with the Access 2 above the snowline, but first impressions are great. The rigidity of the structure is apparent straight away. You really feel confident as if you shut the elements out rather than nervously waiting to see what happens as the storm approaches. The taut shell makes the Access a lot quieter in windy conditions than my old Akto and it’s obviously going to shed snow much better.
I would have preferred more venting options with at least two adjustable vents, but at least the Access has double doors with two way zips which can be used to vent, so maybe it isn’t an issue.
The MSR Access is supplied with eight large ‘Ground Hog’ stakes. That’s enough pegs to anchor down the freestanding tent structure plus two Guy lines (6+2 pegs). That should be enough for most conditions, however the Access is supplied with four guy lines and another four guy anchor points on the upper fly sheet with two tertiary peg loops at ground level. The idea being that you won’t need all of those anchor options most of the time and you might choose a different type of peg for sand or snow, turf or bog. If you want to go the full ‘belt and braces’, you’ll need an additional four lines and eight pegs. I chose two MSR Groundhogs and six MSR Mini-Groundhog (plus the four extra lines), then used the larger pegs for the primary placements and the smaller pegs for the less stressed placements.
You can see from the photos with my friend that head height is ample and the almost vertical internal walls provide width even near the top of the tent. The vestibules are a useful size, no more or less than you’d expect. Overall the ‘liveability’ is superb and it’s far more spacious than you might expect from solid four season tent that weighs under 1.9Kg.
One small point though; the walls just at the corners slope in more than anywhere else in the tent, so if you are six foot, two or more you’ll still be able to lie down and have ten inches of spare space, but if there’s two people in the tent the small toe of your outside foot might be touching the tent inner if you sleep on your back.
Lightweight and robust with ample space, the Access is a ‘get out there – adventure’ tent under 1.9Kg. I’ve used my two person access for a few solo missions as 1.9Kg is still realistic for a solo trip. With some extra pegs and a footprint it weighs in at about 2.2Kg, so still only 1.1Kg per person when split between two, which is hugely impressive given the nature of the tent. The Access is perfectly suited for all year round use in the Welsh and Scottish mountains and altitudes of 4000+ meters in the Alpine summer.
Now I’m looking forward to testing it out this winter season and I’ll be sure to post some photos of it here.
Editor Adam.

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All our tents are shipped free of charge by courier to mainland UK addresses and dispatched the same day if ordered before 3.00pm Monday to Friday.
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Free Pole Section Replacement!
What if you trip over a guy line and squash your tent? Regardless of the reason, if you bought your MSR tent from Elite Mountain Supplies, then we will have replacement pole sections shipped to you free of charge for the lifetime of your tent. We’ll even organise replacement poles sections if you’re away from home on a trip or expedition. Just let us know via email.

Lifetime MSR Extended Warranty
MSR tents have a limited lifetime warranty which covers them for faults in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the tent, but doesn’t cover normal wear and tear.  If you ever have an issue with your MSR tent bought from EMS just let us know and we’ll fast track your warranty enquiry so it’s resolved quickly and without fuss, even if you are mid expedition on the other side of the world.