User Review: Eureka! Sunrise 9

Eureka! Sunrise 9
Above: The current Sunrise 9, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed September 7, 2006 by mario

Rating:
Design: Three-season free standing dome
Sleeps: 4
Ease of Setup: Very easy
Weight: 13lbs
Price Paid: $100

I find Eureka tents to be the best family tents in the market. Their backpacking tents are also great value for the price. I am very happy with this tent since I bought it in 2003. I use it in my family camping trips all around the Northeast, TN, GA, VT, and I did a couple of trips to CO (Gunnison River and Crested Butte area). I used during thunderstorm (coast of the Lake Ontario), soggy nights in Smokey Mountains area and late fall in VT. The tent worked great all through these.

Now, I hear people complain about tents, but I strongly believe that you need to know some basics to handle (pitching, putting guy lines etc.) a tent. It's true for any gear.

Pros:
- Great ventilation. no condensation whatsoever.
- Great rain protection. I know cause I spent a lot of time inside the tent while it was pouring down outside. couple of my friends came in to our tent cause some of their "better brand tent" did not work so well.
- very easy to set up
- holds up surprisingly well in sustained wind gusts
- colors. I like the low profile colors
- Space. it's great for a family of 4 or more. Not a lot of manufacturers make this spacious of a tent with such quality material and worksmanship. yes, you can buy a cheaper and bigger tent from say Coleman or Kelty, but they are not as good of a quality as Eureka. I tried them all.
- Customer service. Eureka customer service is truly exceptional. I did not need them so much. but they were really helpful when I needed information.

Cons:
- this tent could be lighter. But I have no complaint cause I use it for car camping, or as a base camp, or for short backpacking trips.
- there are a couple of seams that are not factory sealed. but, the tent came with some seam sealing liquied and I seam sealed it before I took it to my first camping trip. Never had to seam seal it again. it's working fine.
- could use two doors instead of one.
- I would love a vestibule in this tent.

Summary: a great 3-season tent at a great price. Ventilation and moisture management are the greatest strength of this tent. This could be the most ideal family tent if it had another door and a vestibule.