From Ebac To Twin Peaks

The Sierra Designs Twin Peaks is a good moderately-priced tent. At 4lb 12oz, it is small, but the clip design and the rain fly make it a solid 3-season tent for two people. It costs $225. The Slumber jack Omni Mummy Q3 is a handy 3-in-one sleeping bag system that provides versatility in all seasons for only $289. Ebac water coolers weigh only 7oz and costs $29.95, but it filters out most bacteria and chemicals in drinking water.

When it comes to backcountry shelter, you have a few options. You can fall in with the not-so-picky, budget-conscious crowd who settle for a sheet of plastic draped over a rope strung between two trees—the backcountry version of the No-tell Motel.

Or you can be one of the more discriminating campers and demand a fabric version of the uptown Hilton. The most practical and popular shelters fall somewhere in between, like Sierra Designs' new two-person, three-season Twin Peaks. Consider it the Econo Lodge of tents.

When you spread it out for that first look, the first thing you notice is Twin Peaks' pole configuration. Rather than a typical crisscross skeleton, the two U-shaped poles overlap like opposing horseshoes. To set it up, just snap together the pre-bent aluminum poles, plug them into grommets at each of the tent's four corners, clip the canopy to the poles via Sierra Designs' famed "Swift Clips" (J-shaped plastic hooks), and stake it down. The design takes some getting used to, but once mastered the tent goes up in a snap. Swift Clips offer a number of advantages over full pole sleeves. Besides making the tent quick and easy to erect, they strategically pull the walls away from the living area, creating plenty of head and elbow room. They also enhance ventilation by allowing more airflow between the tent and rain fly.

The Twin Peaks also features a large, mesh sky panel that harnesses cool summer breezes and provides unsurpassed star-gazing. It lacks a rear window, which I didn't mind because of the sky panel and mesh door. The door doesn't have a zippered nylon "privacy" panel, but since I'm not very modest around trees and small forest creatures, that didn't bother me either.

The lightweight rip stop nylon walls are white, which makes for good light filtration and a cheery ambiance. The bathtub style floor, made of densely woven 70 denier 3-ounce nylon, wraps up high around the sides of the tent to prevent leakage.

On numerous fall outings, while camped in the rain at 10,000 feet, the Twin Peaks kept me dry and comfortable, thanks to a well-designed rain fly. Aside from having plenty of stake-out points and quick-release attachments at the comers, the fly has two opposing pockets on the underside, where the "twin peaks" of the poles fit to keep it taut and stable. This pulls the fly away from the inner walls, and helps keep condensation outside, away from you and your sleeping bag.

I wasn't expecting tons of space from a paltry 4-pound, 12-ounce tent, so it was hardly a surprise when there was room for only two sleeping pads but no packs. The vestibule has a large doorway that opens with a smooth-running zipper, but like the tent, it's a little on the small side, able to accommodate the ebac water cooler and a few small stuff sacks. The Twin Peaks also sports two interior side pockets for knickknacks and ceiling rings for candle lanterns.