stargazer

years ago i saw a wonderful tent called stargazer from sierra design. i don't think it exists any more. does anybody know a similar tent that is for 2-3 persons, easy to put up, indestructible and would allow looking at the stars at night? the important bit is a gizmo that allows it closing the top quickly without getting out when it starts to rain in the middle of the night.

Hey myles,
Only one I know of is the one I have, a Mountain Hardware Skyview 2. But I don't think they make it anymore. Well built 3-4 season convertible tent, with large panel you can zip out for star gazing and extra ventilation. Big vestibule, double entry, with an internal guy system. I love mine and I am picky, but everyone has their favorites.

I have both a SD Meteor Light and a SD Clip Flashlite that have all mesh top sections. much the same as the Stargazer and the MH Skyview (and a number of other similar mesh-top tents from several other manufacturers). However, I would caution that the mesh does not allow a clear view of the sky. You will see diffraction patterns around the stars, caused by the mesh. No way around it - look through mesh, see the diffraction patterns. Of course, if your vision is much less than 20/20, it all fuzzes out and doesn't matter anyway. One other problem with mesh tops is that in a dusty area when there is lots of wind, the dust comes right in through the mesh (sometimes even the ones with the "3-4 season" zipout panels), and if you have a blizzard, the blowing snow will also come right into the tent (blizzards happen in the Rockies, Presidentials, Cascades, and Sierra in all months of the year).

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