Swiss Gear 7 by 7-Foot Three-Person Sport Dome Cheval Tent

Manufacturer : SwissGear In Stock : 3 List Price: $56.99 Price: $48.45 You Save: $8.54 (15%) Quantity : 1 2 3

Features

• Dome-style tent sleeps up to three
• Rain shingle layer provides enhanced weather protection and superior water repellency
• Gear loft organizer with mesh utility pockets to stash your stuff out of the way
• E-port for electrical cord access, protective fly
• Flex style door and two windows with inside zippered storm flaps

Product Description

Swiss Gear, 7' x 7', Deluxe Dome Tent, Sleeps 3 People, Full Featured, Floor Size 7' x 7', Center Height 48", Lightweight, 9 LB Carry Weight.

Amazon.com Product Description

Enjoy the great outdoors with the affordable Swiss Gear Cheval three-person tent. It has a polyester taffeta with double pass polyurethane coating tent body. The tub style, polyethylene ripstop floor features a rain shingle layer for enhanced weather protection and superior water repellency. It has a Flex style door and two windows with inside zippered storm flaps.

For storage, use the gear loft organizer with mesh utility pockets to stash your stuff out of the way. Other features include an E-port for electrical cord access, protective fly, and shockcorded fiberglass frame. When packed up, the tent weighs 9 pounds, and can be easily toted around in the included carry duffel.

Specifications:

• Size: 7 feet by 7 feet by 48 inches
• Area: 49 square feet
• Weight: 9 pounds
• Fabric, exterior: Polyester taffeta with double pass polyurethane coating
• Fabric, bottom: Reinforced polyethylene

Amazon.com Tent Guide
Selecting a Tent
Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Expect the Worst
In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in! If you're a backpacker, alpine climber or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to take something designed to handle more adversity.

Three- and Four-Season Tents
For summer, early fall and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain-fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are more specifically designed for summer backpacking and other activities. Many premium tents will feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain-fly for enhanced waterproofness.

For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.

Domes, Tunnels and Sacks
Tents are broadly categorized into two types, freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and those that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floor-plan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being more lightweight. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.

Size Matters
Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.

Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is also available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 4.50 out of 33 reviews

Rating :
Zipper issues - Michael Ferraguti, Apr 11, 2008

Swiss Gear 7 by 7-Foot Three-Person Sport Dome Cheval TentThe price is right on Swiss Gear tents. The quality is not. I have used our tent twice, and already I can tell that the zipper is about to break. Once the zipper goes, you're in deep water, exposed to bugs, weather, rendering the tent useless.

The design of the door is awkward at best. Swiss Gear provided no means to get the door flap (once the door is unzipped) out of the way. It just hangs down in a bunch.

The zipper is also very hard to zip up due to tightness that puts added stress on the zipper. This zipper is about to go and I'm hesitant to use this tent anymore. Save yourself $40. Don't buy it. It will wreck your camping experience.

A positive...it does set up easily and looks good.


Rating :
Great tent - Joseph R. Horenkamp, Apr 07, 2008

Quick delivery. Used this in the Smokey Mountains the weekend after I purchased. It's a great looking tent, very sturdy. Held up to the wind well. Didn't get any rain though, so I don't know about moisture. Happy w/ my purchase, especially for the price though.


Rating :
Zippers Break Easily - Hooliator, Apr 06, 2008

This tent looks really nice on paper. In practice however...

1. Set Up: Set up was a breeze. It's really easy to set up.

2. Size: It is NOT a 7x7 on the inside. If you measure it only from the end of the tent poles it might make 7 feet. But inside it's quite a bit smaller. I'm 6'2" and laying in the parallel to the sides in the center the top of my head and the bottom of my bare feet push into the tent fabric. I would have to lay diagonally to fit into this tent.

3. Door: The door is really awkwardly made. There is only one zipper pull on it (on most tents there are two). The very first time I used the door, the zipper got stuck at a certain point, which rendered the door inoperable; and ergo it rendered the tent inoperable. Several of my friends who were with me were also unable to operate the zipper. My camping trip was over 30 minutes after I arrived at the camp site because of this crappy tent.

Personally, I won't be buying any more Swiss Gear products since I apparently can't rely on them to function as advertised, or at all.

And in case anyone is wondering: this tent is Made in China.


Rating :
Disappointed - Sirf, Mar 06, 2008

This is not a three person tent. It will be tight for two with equipment. We just joined scouting and I thought we needed a new tent. I read the reviews on this one and with all the positive feedback, I thought it was a no brainer. After setting it up as a practice run I am seeing it is not a three person, and barely a two person. The flooring is as thin as the tent side walls. Make sure you have a tarp under this one - and consider one inside too, which is what I will do. Funny enough I was trying to replace a small older tent we have, but it is the same size - and has flooring that is like a tarp. I am going to keep it, as it is light as advertised for back packing - but if you want a camp tent as I did, this isn't it.


Rating :
i like it quite a bit - Gunslinger, Mar 04, 2008

for the price you cant go wrong...

1. i never watersealed my tent, but have used it in a heavy rainstorm... as long as you dont touch the sides and create seeping it stays dry.

2. flimsy bottom, but if your carefull and add a footprint or tarp underneath, its good enough. mine hasnt torn after 7-10 uses.

3. great carry bag... the worst part of collapsing a tent is stuffing it into a crappy stuff sack with seams about to burst. this one is not only big enough to get the tent back in with all the pieces, it has enough room to add a tarp and a stong zipper to keep it closed. this bag will outlast the tent... a first for me.

4. for the price i could (concievably) buy a new one every year and still come out better than paying $300 for a kelty or north face that typically lasts me 3 seasons. my tent is still in good enough condition that it is going strong into its 2nd season.

5. seams around the D pannel door is starting to show some wear. i have to be carefull not to pull too hard and rip but not bad for the 2nd season in an inexpensive tent.

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