I also bought the 2003 version of this tent. Great tent for backpackers, especially if you can split the weight between 2 people. Majestic floor space, large enough vestibule to store gear or cook in in awful days. I have taken the Comet on 3 weekend backpacking trips so far, and so far it has stood tall in 50 km/hr gusts in October, and literally shrugged off 15 cm of snow + 25 km/hr wind in December (-5C), which is very good performance for a 3-season tent. Some concerns I have had: 1) The 2003 model features new side-wall mesh panels that are about 1 ft off the ground. The first time I took this tent out I realized in the middle of the night that the wind was blowing under the fly, through the mesh and into my sleeping bag (not good!). I somewhat fixed this problem in future outings by cutting some ripstop nylon panels (cost me approx $10) and clipping them to cover those two mesh panels in cold weather. They also help to keep out some of the snow that may creep under the fly in windy conditions. 2) The fly zippers still stick. After reading about this problem so many times, it's hard to believe SD hasn't fixed this yet. Still, it's not a big deal as long as you're gentle with the zippers and keep them clean. 3) Setting up the tent in windy conditions: A bit tricky because the first two poles are set up at the same time, and the interm structure is very prone to blowing over in the wind. Best is to angle the tent temporarily so wind blows along its length, and move it in place once the 3rd pole is up. 4) Pitching/Striking the tent in rain. Best suggestion is don't. Rain goes through the mesh top quickly, and once wet, it will take a while to get the puddles out from inside (granted, the Comet's super ventilation will help, but still). With other SD tents that have the "fastpack" option (ie. set up fly + footprint as a frame), it's easy to set up a shelter and then "clip in" your tent from underneath. The Comet, however, has 2 pole sleeves and only 1 pole on clips. I'm still trying to figure out a way to set up / take down the whole tent with the fly resting on the tent (and your head) without soaking the tent. Not a big deal either way, just be fast! I had a very difficult time choosing between this tent and the SD Alpha tent (3-person convertible, $490). The convertible option was very tempting, although in the end I figured the temperature difference from having a convertible's zip-up panels wasn't that big a deal (probably 5C warmer with panels vs. mesh). In the end I decided that having zip-up panels wasn't worth the extra $140. Both have 3 poles, so I'm hoping they're similar in strength and can "snow-load" similarly. Besides, the Alpha has an orange/blue fly, which is far less appealing once you're stuck inside the tent. The Comet is also marginally larger, which is nice when you have more people in the tent. Some have complained the Comet's fly is a bit problematic to put on properly. I agree somewhat. A few tips I can pass on: 1) Each corner "clips" into the footprint/tent corner, and the easiest way to tighten the strap is to pull on the whole fly first and then take up the slack on the strap, not to tighten by pulling the strap itself. Make sure each corner is fully tight (ie. pull to max tension on each strap). 2) Always guy out your tent at each corner and the most important thing is to make sure there is **tension** on each guyline. 3) Peg down the sides. I haven't quite figured out how to do this best yet, but I suggest making sure your peg is 45 degrees to the ground. This prevents the loop from "riding up" the peg. Alternatively, you can try (I haven't yet) to tie a short piece of rope to the sides and peg that out instead. Overall, fantastic tent. I'd recommend it to anyone, even over the SD Alpha (considering the price difference!). Great look, very livable interior space, great wind and snow handling for a 3-season tent. Get the footprint!

Customer Service

Very nice phone service. You always get to speak to a real person from SD, although granted, they aren't helpful at coming up with "creative" solutions to some of the tent's "problems". Still, though, it shows Sierra Designs cares about keeping customers happy.

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Jack Wolfskin Yellowstone 2 Tent (nice tent also, but JW is no longer in North America anymore)

I recently bought the 2003 version of this tent. It has more ventilation than previous versions. It is very easy to set up, very sturdy, and has really big doors, which I like. I've just returned from my first camping trip using this tent. The tent performed fabulously in some very bad weather. High winds and thunderstorms had no effect on it. I did no seam sealing, using it just as it came from the manufacturer, and experienced no leakage at all in heavy rains. The colors and design make the interior of this tent much more pleasant than others I've used. It's especially nice at night when lit by moonlight. My only complaint is one that I've seen others mention about this tent. The fly zippers are nearly impossible to open from the inside. The fabric of the zipper flap catches in the zipper every time. By the end of my trip I had figured out a method of tying down the zipper flap and entering the vestibule from the side. This avoided the zipper problem but it was too late to save one of the zippers which was by then permanently damaged. The company that I bought the tent from, Campmor.com, happily replaced the tent. I highly recommend this tent, but practice using the fly zippers!

Customer Service

Very helpful over the phone, both presales and after.

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North Face VE-25, Kelty Typhoon

This is our car camping, light hiking tent, superb for 3 average size people, or two big and a dog, etc. Easy to set up, huge inside, vertical walls, light. It is NOT a hard core tent (flattish roof, and verical walls), but it takes everything a 3 season Rocky Mtn. tent sees.

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Northface mtn., Sierra small 3 seasons, Eureka 4's.

This is a very roomy and lightweight 3-man tent. I bought it from the Sierra Designs store and got a great deal of 250 bucks. My only complain is that the ventilation is really bad. During moderate weather, the tent heats up like a sauna even with the doors open.

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Got a '98 version of this for $199 at REI-Outlet. We used this tent for 3 nights at 10,000 feet in Colorado, with my 3 small kids, myself, and my smallish wife. It was an oven inside, and was really tight for that many people but we did it, we only needed 4 sleeping bags and saved weight that way! Condensation was very bad on the vestibule, requiring you to get pretty wet when you went out at night to answer the call of nature. Condensation on the rainfly was heavy enough to sink the fly down to the tentbody on parts of it, even though the fly was staked out tight at every guypoint. I'm a perfectionist with backpacking gear. Still, for Sierra Designs you expect pretty good stuff. Maybe the '99 version with 2 doors will improve the cross ventilation.

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Generally: I found the tent to be light,and go up quickly. Pole material is good and i found no real "trouble spots" with seems. The fly takes a little getting use to, due to the design of the tent rather than just a cumbersome fly. I found the tent to be a hot box with or WITHOUT the fly. The doors noseeum starts to high off the floor and found the tent offered scant ciculation even with the fly off during a breezy evening.

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I've had my Comet since 96. First,
here are the negatives (in no
particular order):
- as others have noted, the ventilation
is poor when the fly is in place.
The pole sleeves may prevent air from
circulating around the fly.
- in order to help ventilation, you
really need to stake out the fly.
this takes time.
- unfortunately, the fly material
stretches quite a bit when wet.
wet fly -> no circulation.
- there is only 1 door, and people
sleep parallel to the door. so
when nature calls, you have to crawl
over other people to use the door.
(newer models have 2 doors)
- when unzipped, the floor flops
down (instead of up or to the side).
so it's easy to trample the door
into the dirt.
- the zippers seem to jam quite often.
- it's a little too heavy for
backpacking.

There are lots of nice features:
- the tent's volume is HUGE and the
vestibule is extremely handy
for stashing equipment out of the
rain.
- all the poles are identical, making
set-up easy.
- there are plenty of pockets inside,
as well as loops near the roof for
attaching a gear loft (or the
budget version: a clothesline).
- the canopy is white, giving the
interior light a very soothing glow.
this may not sound like a big deal,
but if you've ever been stuck
in your tent all day during a storm...

Customer Service

one of the grommets came loose soon
after I bought the tent. Sierra
Designs repaired the tent and
returned it in less than a week,
and threw in an insulated coffee mug
as well.

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I got a 98 for $199 from REI. So far only used it one weekend. Set-up was easy and it felt solid. Venting could have been better, but was ok for me alone.

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I did a bit of looking before I bought this tent and am happy with my purchase. I have used it backpacking, car camping, wet weather, dry weather, etc. It has met or exceeded my expectations in every case. I purchased it at an REI sale at a great price. Although it weighs a couple pounds more than some quality tents in its class, it makes up for it in roominess, cost and features. With two doors access is easy and cross ventilation is good. The vestibules were adequately sized for storing gear, but use a ground cloth to prevent excessive condensation. Setup was easy; very intuitive. Being 6'-3" tall I wanted a tent with leg room. This tent has it. I'd definitely recommend this one if you're looking for a 3+ person tent.

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Kelty Vortex 4: Another good tent at a great price. Only two poles, different construction than Sierra Designs, but very roomy and easy to set up.

Our Scout troop has 12 of these. The ""3-man"" size is great for 2 Scouts or adults... and can be used for 3 in a pinch or when really conserving wt for backpacking. Set-up is extremely easy. Rain protection is great. Minimum number of parts - 1 tent, 1 fly, and 3 identical poles and 8 stakes... best tent we could find for keeping parts straight for a youth group. The vestibule design gives you a few options. Extremely satisfied.

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