I love this tent - it's not for the ultralight crew (I do a lot of car camping and walk in camping - no huge mileage stuff). It's a 3+ season convertible tent easily big enough for two people and a vestibule big enough for two packs and two pairs of boots. Advantages: - roominess - for a two person tent it's on the large side, with enough room to hole up in bad weather and read, sit up and chat, play cards and so on. - convertible - with the zip up panels closed and the fly guyed out I feel this tent would stand up to a lot of weather - slightly flat roof which may cause a problem for lots of heavy snow, but it would survive most anything else - mesh sleeve and clip combination, quick to set up but strong with plenty of ventilation too - versatility - as mentioned before, it'll handle winter weather, but you can also set it up with just the poles, fly and groundsheet to provide plenty of shelter from rain when bugs are not a problem. - 'niceties' - great vent in the fly improves ventilation, is formed such that it offers enough protection in all but the most horizontal rain storms; burrito stuff sack clips in to tent to form a very useful hanging pocket (is smaller but works better than gearloft as it doesn't reduce headroom); stake loops accept skis or large sticks for snow and are replaceable; reflective guy loops for finding tent; - good quality materials and nice workmanship - it looks great! Disadvantages: - it's pretty heavy for a two man, but if you can only afford one tent, this will take you year round; - expensive - there's a seam in the floor which I didn't expect on this quality level, but it's well seamed at the factory and hasn't caused any problems yet - does require a bit of seam sealing of the fly (only on velcro pieces though) to make it watertight All in all, it's a great tent - don't seem many around, I have the confidence to rely on this tent - it's a home away from home. If anyone else has experience of the tent (good or bad), drop me an email, CamperVan

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El Cheapo 50 dollar tent - didn't leak once! TNF Cirrus (lost the poles - oops)

This is a well made, high quality tent. It is the 3+ season version of the screech. I've only been able to use it once so far.

The tent sets up easily. You have to be careful sliding the poles into the mesh sleeves. There is some snagging.

Under extreme snow fall (1 1/2 feet in 4 hrs), the tent holds a good deal of the snow. Especially in the area above the door. Perhaps pulling the vestibule/fly tighter would help. However snow doesn't make the best anchoring material. Non sticky sierra cement snow would have helped too.

I had some ventilation problems during the night due to snow covering up the bottom part of the fly. Only after I tore the tent down did I realize that there is a little vent that can be propped open on the fly. This would have solved the near suffocation problem.

This is a 2+ person tent. I would not consider it a backpackers tent unless you have at least 1 other person to spread the weight around.

The vestibule fit my pack and my boots. I suppose you could get creative and fit another pack and boots in the vestibule. However you wouldn't be able to get out of the tent without moving the stuff in the vestibule around.

This tent does make an excellent car camping tent though (great alternative to a $$ hotel).

I paid $260 for mine (on sale).

Other tents I was looking at were:

Sierra Designs Omega CD. Pitched a little funny (big hump in the middle). Was lighter than the swallow, however less room. Very easy to set up except when you remove the ends of the cross pole. Trying to put the cross pole into the pole end pieces is very hard. Had me afraid of ripping the tent because the it was so taut.

Moutain Hardware SkyView 1.5. For some reason this didn't set up very tautly. The sides were very loose, and the tent was not very stable. Odd because the SkyView2/3 get good reviews.

Eureka Alpenlite 2XT. Didn't get a chance to set this up. Decided I wanted a general purpose tent with room for 2, and good ventilation.

Walrus Hurricane Hole. I wanted a free standing tent, this isn't. This tent is also a little heavy.

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Sierra Designs Comet CD. Eureka Timberline 2. Various other Sierra Designs tents (so easy to set up!).

This is one of the best all around tents I have seen. I have owned it for 3 years and it has been through everything from high desert winds to high alpine thunderstorms. It is a roomy 2 person tent that can hold 3 in a pinch. The convertible ceiling works well for regulating temperature inside, and the vestibule is large enough to keep all your gear dry.

Customer Service

In one of my not so bright moments, I touched the fly with 100% deet on my hands. This is not a good thing to do. I sent my tent back to Marmot and they retaped the seam on the fly and it works great.

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I have used Walrus, North Face, Sierra Designs and other Marmot tents. The Swallow is the most versatile of all of them.

I just got this tent and man must I say I am IMPRESSED! There are a great deal of neat little features that pleasantly surprise you as you set it up. The 8 pockets inside the tent to stow your gear are really nice to have, and they stay out of the way when you aren't using them. The venting on the side of the tent opposite the door, when the fly is up, is nice too and prevents a great deal of condensation from forming. The star gazing is nice when you have the fly off and the panels open, but beware of the midnight rain! Last thing you wanna do is get up in the middle of the night and pitch the fly! Heh Heh!! When it's in '3+' season mode, it really keeps you warm! I had an el cheapo tent (gift giving gone wrong) before this one, and man must I say it was worth every penny! The burrito sack is a nice touch and keeps some of your gear in easy reach. The vestibule could be a bit larger, but this tent is already heavy enough. Given the fact that it's basically a 4 season tent, the weight isn't too bad. The setup is easy and straight forward with equal length poles, making it really easy by flashlight. Could use a little more explaining in the literature about how to get it back in the sack though! This is by far one of the best affordable(

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El Cheapo K-Mart tent(again, not my purchase :) )

An excellent 2 man backpacking tent which should also be fine for winter use also in light snow . I had no trouble with leaks even when caught in a constant downpour- I did seam seal it though. Offers many ventilation options, and pleny of storage pockets in the inside. My only complaints are that the vestibule could be bigger (which would add more weight), and 2 doors would be nice. This is not the lightest tent available, but is very well made. Marmot makes an identical tent to this but with a mesh roof if you'd like to save a little weight and can do without the zip open roof panels.

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The Swallow was my first tent buying experience. The price was more than I had intended to pay, but I figured that it was better to pay more money than be disappointed. The tent seemed to offer everything I needed. The ventilation is good with large mesh windows. All of the windows can be covered with the zippered nylon, which is nice. This allows you total climate control. It also has a covered zippered slit in the fly to allow ventilation even when it's raining. Every time I've used this tent, it's rained! But I've never had a problem with it. Once, I was at a campground in Dolly Sods, WV and it poured all night. The gravel camp area was full of mini rivers and lakes. There was standing water everywhere! But I stayed dry. A couple of times, I had used it in (what I thought) was very strong winds. And the tent held with just the ground stakes. The tent is actually considered a 3-4 season tent. It has 3 poles, two of which cross. So you can use it in winter conditions...but not in a severe snow storm. The burrito bag is a nice feature. It can be in the way if you have 2 people in the tent. But it's worth it. The tent has 8 side pockets. And you can purchase the gear loft. Even though I spent lots of $ hoping to have the perfect tent, I do have some complaints after I now have experience. 1. I would prefer 2 doors. It's not necessary, but it is a luxery that is nice to have...especially if 2 are using the tent. 2. I wish the vestibule was a little larger. It can hold my backpack and boots. However, I wouldn't trust 2 large packs to stay completely out of the weather there. 3. It is a bit heavy for backpacking. I don't mind it since I'm used to it. But if weight is a concern, you can probably find a tent that is just as good for at a few pounds less.

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The swallow has performed well in a variety of situations from mountaineering trips to jungles of central America.
The fabric and workmanship has held together very well considering the abuse I have given it. The one drawback is the entrance,you must climb over the person sleeping next to the door.This is not a huge problem,but it can be inwet conditions

I bought this tent about two years ago, and have had it in a variety of warm and cold conditions (no snow yet). I find the vestibule very spacious, and the construction excellent. I think a tent should have to earn a groundsheet, and so far this one is performing like a champ without one. I have managed to produce impressive amounts of condensation inside the tent--though this was due more to operator error than poor design (tips: don't leave the tent body completely zipped up EVEN when you're NOT in it--if the temp drops condensation will form even if no one is inside. Also, be generous with the amount of ventillation you leave open at night. Finally, leave the fly in the half-way up position in light to moderate rain storms.). One of the main selling points for me was the fact that the vestibule door can be configured into an awning. If you're going to use this function, it's really only going to keep one person dry--if they've got something to cover their legs with.

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Mtn. Hdwe., Sierra Designs, & Kelty

Excellent tent--roomy, large vestibule, bullet proof construction, & tons of bells & whistles. My favorite feature is the vestibule: it can be made into an awning for cooking on those rainy evenings & mornings. If you can only have ONE 2 person tent and you want to be able to do pretty much anything, this is your jobby. Weight? Yeah, you're basically carrying around a 4 season tent whenever you take this baby out (which may be Summertime)--and that sucks. BUT, I sure can't afford a four season AND a three season tent--can you?

Customer Service

I e-mailed Marmot with a question about another product of theirs & they were very helpful.

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Sierra Designs Sphinx II, Mountain Hardware Room W/ a view. (both excellent)

The tent was sold to me as a four seasons tent (Globetrotter, Germany). It performs well also in cold and snow. Had it up in northern Norway in late February. The vestibule could be bigger and I have doubts about the construction in very high winds. Otherwise a very well designed tent. I especially like the venting.

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