Through more than 35 years of creating the lightest, fastest, strongest tents we've learned that the difference is in the details. Here are some the features and proprietary innovations that you'll find in our tents. To learn more, choose a category of innovations:
Since you're probably going to carry it on your back, you want the lightest tent you can find. Today's materials and technology allow our tent designers to minimize weight without compromising strength, durability, or set-up time.
Easton
7075-T9 Aluminum Poles
Some of our tents feature poles constructed of Easton aircraft-grade
7075-T9 aluminum. T9 is the highest temper an aluminum alloy can
receive. Through a rigorous process of heat treatment, artificial aging
and cold-working, the poles achieve a tensile strength of 96,000 PSI. So
you get an extremely strong pole for very light weight.
Easton
UltraLite™ AC Poles
Our Ultra Light Year CD tent utilizes poles made with Easton UltraLite™
AC (Aluminum Carbon), exclusive to Sierra Designs. We worked with Easton
to create these poles, which bond an aerospace carbon to an Easton 7075
aluminum core tube, giving them a greater strength-to-weight ratio than
traditional aluminum alloy poles. These poles are 30% lighter than
standard Easton tubing and are fitted with lightweight natural rubber
shockcord and abrasion-resistant Delrin® tips. With UltraLite™ AC
poles we use patent-pending Kevlar® pole connectors that are engineered
with continuously variable stiffness to optimize joint strength.
DAC
Featherlite™ 7001 Aluminum Poles
Many of our tents feature these poles, an innovation in aluminum pole
design that improves a tent's strength-to-weight ratio. Uniquely
designed, structurally sound connecting pole sections dramatically
reduce pole weight by eliminating the need for a pole insert. For
example, on our 3-season tents, 8.84 mm diameter DAC Featherlite poles
shave up to 15% off the weight of standard 0.340 inch diameter poles.
Actual weight savings vary, depending upon the number of pole sections
used.
Light
Year CD
Asteroid
CD
Clip
Flashlight CD
Clip
3 CD
Meteor
Light CD
Comet
CD
Orion
AST
Orion
3 AST
Night
Watch 2.0 CD
Lookout
2.0 CD
Tiros
AST
Stretch
Dome AST
Stretch
Dome Exp. AST
Stretch
Prelude Exp. AST
DAC
Press-fit 7001 Aluminum Poles
New for 2002, these poles are found on our Hercules tent. Made of the
same alloy as DAC Featherlite 7001 poles, they have a 0.512 diameter.
They provide the backbone that gives the Hercules its incredible
strength in high winds.
DAC
Press-fit 17 Aluminum Poles
New for 2002, these pre-bent poles are made of super-strong aluminum
alloy and are featured in our new Base Camp tents. They provide a
well-tuned balance of strength, durability and weight.
ShoK-Certs™
Featured on many of our Convertible tents, ShoK-Certs allow you to
remove certain pole sections and leave unnecessary weight behind in mild
weather conditions, without losing the convenience of a fully
shock-corded pole.
Zipper
Pulls
Our noiseless zipper pulls are lighter weight than standard zipper pulls
and allow quiet, uninterrupted nights. In addition, reflective zipper
pulls are used on all flysheets so you can find them easily in
low-visibility conditions.
All tents
Computer
Aided Design
We are the only company that uses Computer Aided Design (CAD), from
concept to finished product, to design our tents. Our CAD system allows
us to mathematically calculate the most efficient tent patterns
possible, using minimal fabric to create perfect seam allowances and a
very taut pitch. The result is the strongest tent for the lightest
weight.
All tents
At the end of a long day or in bad weather we know how important it is to be able to quickly erect a tent and get inside. Our tents are intuitively easy to set up and many feature proprietary innovations that simplify set up in difficult conditions.
Swift
Clips™
All of our tents utilize Swift Clips, a Sierra Designs invention that
clips the tent body to the poles. They're lighter and easier to use than
pole sleeves, so you can pitch your tent faster. They also allow you to
stake the tent down first, and then erect it, making for faster set-up
in high winds. Swift Clips also provide more separation between tent and
fly, allowing better ventilation and less condensation. Swift Clips are
sturdy and secure. Through all of our years of field testing, we've
never had a clip pull out or break.
All tents
Locking
Pole Tips
Another Sierra Designs' innovation, locking poles tips help you set up
your tent quickly by keeping your tent poles locked in position in their
grommets.
All tents
Color-Coded
Webbing
Color-coded webbing with high contrast colors increases the speed of
tent set up even in low visibility.
All tents
Reflective
Guy-Outs
These help you find your tent and its guy lines at night.
All tents
Sol-Air™
Ceiling
Our patented Sol-Air™ Ceiling lets you stand up inside your tent,
gives you unobstructed views of the stars, and provides fast and
efficient ventilation, all while the rain flysheet is still on.
We choose the best design, materials and construction so you can trust your tent to provide weatherproof shelter for years. We test our tent designs on Mount Washington, home to the highest recorded wind speed on earth—231 miles per hour—to ensure that they will withstand the most extreme conditions you'll encounter. In addition, we test in wind tunnels used to test the wind's effect on airplane performance.
Arch Support Technology (AST), a is revolutionary new way to increase a tent's ability to withstand high winds without adding heavy structural support. High winds cause the poles to pivot on their tips forcing them to the ground and collapsing the tent. AST braces the tent poles low to the ground, making pole rotation just about impossible. Wind tunnel measured, AST increases a tent's strength by at least 40%.
Orion
AST
Orion
3 AST
Hercules
AST
Tiros
AST
Stretch
Dome AST
Stretch
Dome Exp. AST
Stretch
Prelude Exp. AST
Jake's
Corner
Four-season tents employ Jake's Corner, a fully-removable structural
element that strengthens and supports the long pole arches, eliminating
rotation of these poles at their tips. Jake's Corner is a patented
innovation, available only from Sierra Designs, that increases tent
strength by at least 40%.
Our Hercules AST tent employs a beefed-up version of our patented Jake's Corner. It lightens the tent by eliminating the need for the main poles to extend to the ground and helps to maintain ample headroom at super-strong wind speeds that often flatten other tents. In Wind Tunnel tests reaching 100 miles per hour, the Hercules AST showed no pole deformation, making it over 66 percent stronger than any other tent in its class.
Tiros
AST
Stretch
Dome AST
Stretch
Dome Exp. AST
Stretch
Prelude Exp. AST
Hercules
AST
Rear
Arch-Support Pole
The Orion AST and the Orion 3 AST tents are strengthened by employing a
unique arch-supporting rear pole that braces the tent low to the ground.
This configuration of our Arch Support Technology (AST) is integrated as
natural part of the tent pole structure and is wind tunnel tested and
proven.
Cam-Loc™*
Patent-pending Cam-Locs lock several points of suspension to the poles,
creating the strongest two-pole tents in the world. In wind tunnel
testing this added 12% more strength to the existing architecture. The
Cam-Loc is designed to work as a Swift Clip when it's not engaged, but
with a simple turn of the key you add extra strength to your tent. Made
with Acetal, it can withstand extreme temperatures and pressures and
weighs only 0.15 oz. more than a Swift Clip.
* The patent-pending Cam-Loc is manufactured under a license agreement with Bob Gillis.
Tent
Floors
Our tent floors are constructed of 165 PSI material, which is both
extremely waterproof and 10% lighter than other tent floor fabrics with
similar specs. For comparison, the military standard for waterproof
fabric is only 25 PSI. So our tent floors are extremely waterproof.
All tents
Clip
Locs™
Our patented Clip Locs dynamically lock the point of intersection
between poles, increasing tent rigidity 60% without adding weight.
Clip Loc patent No. 5,651,633.
Orion
AST
Orion
3 AST
Omega
CD
Night
Watch 2.0 CD
Alpha
CD
Lookout
2.0 CD
Hercules
AST
Tiros
AST
Stretch
Dome AST
Stretch
Dome Exp. AST
Stretch
Prelude Exp. AST
Mothership
CD
ShoK-Cord
Sierra Designs is one of the few tent manufacturers that uses patented,
cold weather ShoK-Cord in all of our poles. Tested to - 40 degrees F
(-40 degrees C), this cord's core is 100% natural rubber and double
wrapped to ensure the core does not slip inside the casing. It is much
more durable than many synthetic rubber cords.
All tents
Taped
Seams
We tape the seams of our flysheets, floors and windows for extra
protection against moisture - so you don't have to worry about seam
sealing.
All tents
Stake
Loops & Fly Attachments
We construct our stake loops and fly attachments with a special
non-wicking material, eliminating the possibility of wicking water into
your tent.
All tents
We design our tents for liveability - for real people, who want to enjoy the outdoors. For example, all of our tents feature
Stash
Door™
Our patented Stash Door is mounted on a circular zipper track allowing
you to easily open the door and stash it in an internal mesh pocket.
It's off the ground, out of the way, and right where you need it. No
rolling and fumbling, nothing to trip over, just simple, fast, and easy.
Asteroid
CD
Clip
Flashlight CD
Clip
3 CD
Meteor
Light CD
Comet
CD
Orion
AST
Orion
3 AST
Omega
CD
Alpha
CD
Night
Watch 2.0 CD
Lookout
2.0 CD
Hercules
AST
Tiros
AST
Stretch
Dome AST
Stretch
Dome Exp. AST
Stretch
Prelude Exp. AST
Vertical
Sidewall Construction
We use vertical sidewall construction to ensure maximum internal space.
We design tents with steeper walls to create more living area inside.
All tents
Tent
Canopies
Optic white tent canopies for better light transmission and a more
pleasant feeling should you be trapped in a tent for long period of
time.
All tents
Floors
Navy blue floors which dry quickly and won't show dirt.
All tents
Interior
Pockets
Pockets on the interior of our tents feature waterproof fabric on the
back (towards the sidewall), with mesh on the front, so your maps and
personal items are visible and stay dry.
All tents
Some of our tents have special features specifically designed to make them more functional in specific situations.
Mesh Sky
Panels
We feature Mesh Sky Panels on many of our tents to provide ventilation
and greater visibility. They are constructed of 20 denier 1.6 oz woven
nylon No-See-Um netting.
Asteroid
CD
Meteor
Light CD
Comet
CD
Orion
AST
Orion
3 AST
Omega
CD
Alpha
CD
Night
Watch 2.0 CD
Lookout
2.0 CD
Mothership
CD
Nomad
4 CD
Nomad
5 CD
Nomad
6 CD
Rainfly
Windows
Many of our tents have a Rainfly Window to allow visibility out of your
tent and bring additional light into it - should you be trapped inside
for long periods of time. They're constructed of non-yellowing 10 mil
polyurethane that won't crack in freezing temperatures with taped seams
to ensure waterproofness.
Asteroid
CD
Meteor
Light CD
Orion
AST
Orion
3 AST
Omega
CD
Alpha
CD
Night
Watch 2.0 CD
Lookout
2.0 CD
Hercules
AST
Tiros
AST
Stretch
Dome AST
Stretch
Dome Exp. AST
Stretch
Prelude Exp. AST
Mothership
CD
Nomad
4 CD
Nomad
5 CD
Nomad
6 CD
Internal
Guys
Internal guys dramatically increase the tensile and load-bearing
strength of a tent in harsh weather. Internal guy attachment points are
provided on all of our Convertible and Four-Season Tents. Our Internal
Guy Kit, available as an accessory, provides everything you need to
secure your tent in harsh conditions.
Omega
CD
Alpha
CD
Night
Watch 2.0 CD
Lookout
2.0 CD
Hercules
AST
Tiros
AST
Stretch
Dome AST
Stretch
Dome Exp. AST
Stretch
Prelude Exp. AST
Mothership
CD
Shortsheet
Rainfly
Our Shortsheet Rainfly, featured on our BaseCamp tents, has buckle
attachments that make it easy to partially roll up the tent flysheet to
expose the tent mesh. This allows increased ventilation while still
providing some protection from the elements.