User Review: Exped Sirius Extreme

Exped Sirius Extreme
Above: The current Sirius Extreme, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed April 28, 2004 by J. Keith

Rating:
Design: four seasons mountaineering
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: Easy
Weight: 6lbs
Price Paid: $348

The exped sirius is a well thought out design. I bought it because it reminded me of my old sierra designs tunnel tent I had in the early '80s. The hoop or tunnel design just seems more roomy to me. This tent could fit two adults or one adult and two children very comfortably.

I just got back from a 3 day campout. The first night it was warm and in the mid 70s. However the tent ventillated nicely and I stayed quite cool. The second night it rained all night. Again the tent vented fine, there was a little condensation on the inside top of the tent but my down bag which touched the wall all night was bone dry. The third night the temperature really dropped and it got so chilly I had to zip up all the mesh doors in the tent. Although I thought for sure there would be condensation on the interior walls there was absolutely none.

It takes a couple of times to really learn how to set this tent up without wrinkles and because it's swiss made it's a little quirky yet cool. I bought the footprint and like it because the footprint comes out into the vestibule yet not out to the edges of the tent. The fly goes all the way to the ground and really keeps rain away from the inner cabin. Even though it was windy on night two I never used the security loops (extra guy lines) and felt I wouldn't really need to unless I were in 30mph or higher sustained winds with gusts. These stay out of the way in little net bags when not used.

The only thing I think I will modify is the tent stakes. It comes with a lot of 6" durapegs but I would prefer longer hook pegs. Overall I think this is a very good tent and I think it will work fine for reverse 3 season camping. I doubt I would want to use it for hot summer camping however.