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By SD loyalist from Seattle, WA on 08/06/2008 Pros: Comfortable, Easy To Set Up, Fly Works Well, Lightweight, Sturdy, Waterproof Best Uses: Backpacking, Beach, Car Camping Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Comments: Too busy with other life commitments to be an "Avid Adventurer" right now but that time is coming back to me and so this tent seemed the right balance between minimalist but still adding more room for another person and gear. The only gripe, which is probably more about me getting used to it, is the zippers on the door panels. For each door and screen there are two zippers so 4 per door. One side is a normal, 2 sided zipper and the other (right side zipper) only has a zipper pull on the inside. Makes it a bit awkward fully unzipping the door from the outside of the tent.
By Bluewater179 from Chicagoland, IL on 07/24/2008 Pros: Comfortable, Fly Works Well, Sturdy, Waterproof Best Uses: Backpacking, Canoe Camping Describe Yourself: Avid Adventurer I have owned this tent for 7 years and it has been on over 15 canoe trips of a week or longer to northern MN and Canada. It is a great two person tent and a passable three person tent--although a little snug if all three are over 6' tall. It has kept me dry in storms with winds gusting to 55mph and the ventilation is superb with front and rear doors & a large roof vent.
I especially like the length of the tent, plenty of room between my head and the door for storage and my feet & head don't touch the tent.
It is not the easiest or fastest tent to set up the first few times, but it is not complicated and far from being the worst; with practice it quickly becomes routine. It is well worth the effort and will reward you.
Sierra Designs customer service was very friendly and helpful when a pole broke (I do like the Eaton poles better than the DAC poles, in my experience they have better end split resistance).
SD created a great design to start and has tweaked it over the years trying to improve it and maybe some are marginal: yes, the door zips are a little awkward, but they are better than what it replaced. The Alpha has stood the test of time; it continues to sell for good reason year after year. Look at all the models that get introduced and dropped in 2 or 3 years (or less) by the various manufacturers. It says a lot to me that the Alpha is still there. I look forward to replacing it with another when I wear mine out. Really.
Nice when you need the space. By The falconer from Denver, CO on 07/24/2008 Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational What Is Your Gear Style: Comfort Driven Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Comments: This is the 2nd SD I've had and I will say it is nicer than my last which I had for 10 years. In their effort to make the tent as "convertible" as possible some basic ergonomics are lost. Being able to take the doors off may save weight, but the zipper configuration suffers. Overall I like it, slept me and my buddy w/ 2 large dogs comfortably and wasn't too bad weight-wise once we split it up.
This is one great product. By Runt from Westville, Florida on 07/23/2008 Pros: Comfortable, Easy To Set Up, Fly Works Well, Sturdy, Waterproof Best Uses: Backpacking, Beach, Car Camping, Hiking Describe Yourself: Avid Adventurer What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Comments: I also found the zipper to be a little difficult to operate from inside and the vestible a little small but a great product. Was perfect size for wife and I, and the zip in overhead liner was perfect for extra storage of light gear.
By Burleydave from Highlands Ranch, Colorado on 07/17/2008 Pros: Comfortable, Easy to set up, Fly Works Well, Sturdy, Waterproof Best Uses: Beach, Car Camping, Hiking Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational What Is Your Gear Style: Comfort Driven Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Comments: Very easy set-up, lots of room, quality material and design, very sturdy. Haven't used it in a downpour yet but have no doubt it will be watertight. I bought this tent after returning a Eureka three person tent. Both door zippers on the Eureka tent failed after about a months use. This is easily the best tent I've ever owned. Don't have a negative thing to say about it.
By Mountainman from LaVergne, TN on 07/14/2008 Pros: Comfortable, Easy to set up, Fly Works Well, Lightweight, Sturdy, Waterproof Best Uses: Backpacking, Hiking, Mountaineering Describe Yourself: Avid Adventurer What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Comments: I spent 9 days on Mt. Rainier with two other good sized men in this tent. We even set it up with the head sloping downhill and so all three of us slept in it the wrong direction, but still had enough room. We spent 4 of those days actually on the glacier and stayed plenty warm. Only drawback was poor zipper design. You can't easily operate from inside the tent. I especially liked the double door feature though. It was also very light for the size. Great product!
By Nature Doc from Salt Lake City on 07/14/2008 Pros: Comfortable, Easy to set up, Sturdy, Very roomy, Waterproof Cons: Guylines not optimal Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Comments: The tent is roomy, well-constructed, and pretty easy to set up -- as long as you practice once or twice first. Our very first night we were just pounded with rain and stayed completely comfy and dry. A couple (fairly minor) drawbacks: the guy-line attachaments don't allow the fly to be effectively pulled away from the tent along the bottom edges, which minimizes air flow; the zipper-pull for the main entrance isn't dual, it's set up to be used from the inside only, which is annoying. Also, the fantastic size of the vestibule can make it kind of a pain to zip up fully (e.g., when it's raining), but that's pretty nitpicky. Overall, this is a quality tent that is totally functional. We're very happy with it.
Stop shopping and Just buy. This is it! By James from Annapolis, MD on 07/12/2008 Pros: Comfortable, Easy to set up, Sturdy, Waterproof Best Uses: Backpacking, Car Camping, Hiking Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational What Is Your Gear Style: Comfort Driven Bottom Line: Comments: I shopped a LOT for the right 3 person 3 season tent. I'm the kind of person who will use this for two seasons: spring and fall, and probably only ever have 2 people in it. Super easy to set up. Plenty of head room. Great construction. Love the setup on this one... one great door for all persons to enter and exit without crawling over people.
By cello rocks! from Wheaton, IL on 07/07/2008 Pros: Comfortable, Easy to set up, Fly Works Well, Sturdy, Waterproof Cons: Awkward door zippers Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Comments: We got this tent for car-camping with 2 adults and 2 dogs. Would also work well for 2 adults and a child and 2 dogs. Love the general roominess and head room. Nice-sized vestibule. Great ventilation (haven't used the 4-season option yet). Might be a little heavy for backpacking. Love the way the fly has hook-and-loop attachments and little buckle fasteners to secure easily to the tent and poles. Have always had great success with Sierra Designs products, so bought this with confidence.
good enough for scotland? By hitchin' peggy from Montpelier ,VT on 07/02/2008 Pros: Easy to set up, Large interior, Seems rugged Best Uses: Backpacking, Car Camping, Hiking Describe Yourself: Avid Adventurer What Is Your Gear Style: Minimalist Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend Comments: So I haven't used the tent yet BUT... time will tell on the munros and in the heather of Scotland. let's hope it keeps us Dry! Tent seems great for 2 people to share the weight and super roomy...heavy and too big for 1 backpack- car camping it'd be a palace. looks like it really may mean 3 person when it says it. but looks perfect for 2 people and gear for 2 weeks.
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