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[at-l] new tent

Hi, all--

I got a surprise $300 back from a supplier (turns out I paid them _last_
month), so we went tent shopping. For the family (me, wife, 7-year old
daughter), we've been using a Eureka 4-person dome. Lots of room, even I can
almost stand up in it, and it's extremely weather-tight, as proven on many
occasions. Still, the thing weighs 12 pounds with stakes and some guy-line,
so it's been killing me. (I use a 20-oz tarp for solo hiking, so there is an
amazing difference.)

We wanted a 3-person tent with a decent vestibule that came in under 8
pounds all tricked out. We looked at the LL Bean Ultralight 3 (7 pounds, 42
sq ft, great vestibule), the Quest Cornice III Aluminum w/Vestible (huge
tent, two doors, killer vestibule, 7-8), and the Sierra Designs Lookout
(4-season, 42 sq ft, tiny tent with a tiny vestibule, very strong). We
wanted to look at a SD Comet (50 sq feet at 7-8), but couldn't find one
locally.

We ended up with a Sierra Designs Jupiter CD. This is a 3 person (well, 2.5
person) 2-pole rectangular dome, 96x66 inches, with a small arch pole above
the door for rigidity and to hold out the decent 12-sq-ft vestibule. It is
very easy to pitch, seems to be well-made, and weighs in (with extra stakes,
seam sealer, stuff sacks, etc. ) at a huge 6 pounds 2 ounces. I just can't
believe how tiny it is when I roll it up, it just looks soooooo cute! This
should also be an awesome 2-person tent, with plenty of room for gear, and
still a decent weight.

We're headed out this weekend for a 3-day 2-nighter in the Mt Rogers area,
so if anybody's interested in how it works, let me know.

Cheers,

Ken
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