Swissgear Elite Hiker Tent

I saw a tent on Ebay. It was Swissgear Elite 2-man hiker tent. (nice orange color) Its a backpacking tent. I was wondering if it is worth buying? Where can I find other reviews on it? I have looked all over the internet for reviews. I hate buying things without reading some type of review. Help if anyone can.

I'd pay something under $30 for this tent and consider it a fair deal. The tent looks servicable but unexceptional.

Apparently Swissgear is licensee of Swiss Army? In 1990s, there were two licensees of Swiss Army for knives. O.J. Simpson was board member of one of the licensees, prior to his aquittal.

I owned a Kamp King for thirty years until TSA confiscated in Newark Airport (sob-sob sob...) Never had a Swiss Army knife.

I found a couple different ads for this tent on E-Bay. One bid and one is a fixed price. Note some additional photos by one of the owners.

This tent looks like a new version the a tent that used to use a hiking pole as the one tent pole. The A-frame pole should give the main portion of the tent more usable space.

The taped seams, always a nice thing. For the price, I don’t think you can go wrong.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SWISS-GEAR-HIKING-BACKPACKING-TENT-SWISSGEAR-2-PERSON_W0QQitemZ320204970903QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item320204970903033

http://cgi.ebay.com/SWISSGEAR-2-Person-Backpacking-Hiker-Tent-3-2-lbs-NEW_W0QQitemZ280190477226QQihZ018QQcategoryZ87130QQcmdZViewItem

The price might be okay....On the other hand, nearly pushing four pounds for a 25 sq ft tent, you might do somewhat better for a weight-to-space ratio.

This is my complaint in general regarding most one-person tents, which I find nearly intolerable after a few nights.

Swissgear is most likely made under license from whomever owns the Swiss Army knife trademarks. This tent is probably made in China, but as already said, it is very cheap. I wouldn't expect much, but you never know. I saw one eBay tent sell for $25.

If you get it, test it thoroughly in your yard to see if it leaks-this is true of any tent. Set it up and spray it with water. Check to see if the floor or any of the seams leak. If a seam leaks, seal it up with seam sealer-available at REI and similar stores or online. If the floor leaks because the fabric isn't really waterproof, I am not sure if that is treatable or not. The alternative is never use it in bad weather.

Something else to consider-this tent is very small. 26 sq. ft. isn't much, especially for two people. Also, the design makes much of that usable only for some gear and your feet. For not much more, you could find a cheap dome tent with more usable space. The pole is fiberglass (from another ebay ad)which isn't as strong or light as aluminum. That ad also said the tent weighs 5 lbs. which differs from the weight given in the ad linked above.

The design isn't related to the price; there are many tents with a similar shape regardless of the price. I had a Sierra Designs Flashlight with a somewhat similar shape, but no vestibule. Cramped for two, okay for one in bad weather.

If you looking just for a tent for one and you can spend $90 (shipping included), then you might consider the Eureka Spifire 1. Plenty of positive reviews on this tent.
Note the extra photos.

http://www.moontrail.com/eureka-spitfire.php

Thread drift: The Spitfire's listed weight is 2.8 pounds and it's 18 lousy square feet. An SD Flashlight is listed at 3.7 pounds --32 percent heavier and nearly twice as big.

I know it's just a personal thing, but I quickly get tired of a tent that small, though I continue to use mine on an increasingly narrow range of selected trips, mainly when I'm too whimpy go forego bug netting.

As Tom notes, Swissgear is the entry-level brand made by Wenger, one of the Swiss Army licensees.

I haven't seen any reviews of this specific tent, but we do have a number of review of other Swissgear and Wenger gear here:

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/swissgear/
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/wenger/

I had a Sierra Designs Sleeve Flashlight (3.7 pounds according to Sierra Designs, actually just under 4 pounds carrying weight), and currently the Clip Flashlight (4p7oz according to Sierra Designs, actually 5p9oz carrying weight). The huge increase in weight was due to the larger fly, with a usable vestibule (the original "vestibule" was actually inside the tent, which got dirt from boots, etc on the floor), the clips (much heavier than the sleeves for the poles), and the need for many more guy lines to hold the tent in shape (the Sleeve version could be pitched with 4 floor stakes and 2 guy lines, where the Clip version requires 6 floor stakes and at least 6 guy lines to keep the fly from lying against the tent body). The Clip version also has far more mesh, which ought to make the tent lighter, but doesn't seem to make up for the many clips and guys. I have had a number of discussions with Sierra Designs people about this, and they always seem puzzled.

I also have a Sierra Designs Meteor Light that I won in a tent setup contest (took me 38 seconds to set it up, just 2 seconds faster than the next person and 5 seconds faster than the 3rd place person). It is far more roomy, yet the carrying weight is 6 pounds 1 ounce, only a half pound more than the Clip Flashlight. "Carrying weight" for me includes tent body, fly, poles, and all necessary pegs and guy lines, in the supplied stuff bag. In these cases, that means more than the absolute minimum number of pegs, namely, the number necessary to have the tent taut and the fly separated from the body so no condensation will drip through the tent body.

I have used the Flashlights and the Meteor Light in snow (including blizzards). Which is the source of my frequent recommendation to never ever use a tent which has uncovered mesh in the tent body for camping in winter conditions - the snow blows up under the fly and through the mesh into the tent.

My Flashlight was the sleeve version from the mid 80's. I used it for a bicycle tour in NZ and a bit afterwards. The floor coating eventually deteriorated-probably from being stored so long in the stuff sack-a mistake on my part. My last trip with it was a short winter camp and that's when the floor problem became evident. Also-with no real vestibule, as Bill said, not a great choice for snowy conditions.

I own this tent. It is pretty well built, is not as heavy as it was reported (3lbs. 4 oz.), and can be great in cool to cold weather hiking. However, there are some drawbacks, but for the price they're not really worth bothering about.

I bought the thing for about $30 @ Sam's Club. Was looking for a tent at the time (but not in Sam's :)), and this one surprised me. And, at $30, I thought "Heck, that's not too much" and walked out the door with a new tent.

Then I messed up. The first place I took it to was a campground in 100 degree (F) weather, with two people in it. There was also a light rain. I had previously sealed the seams with some sort of seam sealant, (say that 3 times fast) so the waterproofing was perfect. But the ventilation was terrible. If you'll notice, there is only one vent in the whole thing (in the small end, and if you have bigger feet...), and unless you really enjoy mosquito bites, you don't want to open the only door.

I then took it backpacking. This time, much different conditions. It was about 20 degrees, I was the only person in it, and no rain. In my pack, I could hardly feel the weight of the tent. I got in it that night (it was a one nighter), and once again the tent added to the temperature warmth. It's breathable; it just adds heat, and that drives me crazy.

So, overall, for what you're paying, it's not bad. I would probably get it again, but you've got to get familiar with it.

Overall rating 3.5 out of 5

Ok. Try this one of for size. Im looking for a backpacking tent just to take on camping trips maybe 5 or 6 times a year. Would this be a good solo tent to buy for the use it will get? I saw a Texsport Knollwood Bivy that caught my eye. Does anyone know if they are worth buying? The only thing I read was the pole problem and seam sealing it. If any of you had to pick the Texsport or the Swissgear Elite, which would you pick? The two are both around the same price and weigh about the same. Let me know. If anyone has a better tent that is light, dome, or solo, please let me know. Im not looking to spend to much for as much time I have to plan camping trips.

Consider tarps-- plastic or otherwise.... Consider a large enough tarp that you can configure as pyramid...effectively shuts out the bugs and weather to a significant and maybe effectively complete extent.

These can be acquired from Wal-Mart at price comparable to models you cite, and at comparable weight or less. with significantly more space.

Go to the Gear Reviews and read the reviews on both of these tents. Both are very cheap and my guess is that for camping under moderate conditions, either would be fine for most people who aren't expecting perfection and are willing to put up with a few disadvantages-condensation and the occasional snapped pole.

Just remember that small tents are great in your pack. But when its raining, or you are doing anything other than sleeping, a little head room (or gear room) is a wonderful thing.