The sea to summit Alto 1 person tent

I look forward to hearing some field reports. When it first came out REI had it on display. It looked roomy and I appreciated the vent system. There were some early reports of quality issues, but S2S typically is high quality so hope that is corrected.

You certain that’s not a Hubba 1P under there? Sure looks like mine from those photos!

🙂 yeah I’m pretty sure.
I haven’t slept in it yet. Just wanted to do a dry run.

seems real nice

I hope it is as good as it seems to be. It looks sturdy and well put together!

We shall see!

Thanks

Looks to be sturdy, flexible, and has good features, but I’m not understanding the value proposition of bringing a new 2 lbs 7 oz semi-freestanding 1-person tent to a crowded segment of the market. That’s certainly not “ultralight” as advertised by S2S and there are already an awful lot of good proven options in that weight range or lighter and for the same price or less (some even fully freestanding), including BA Copper Spur, REI Quarter Dome, MSR Hubba, etc. I think most people would see these as solid choices, but basically representative of a previous generation of tents. For example, the newest Nemo Hornet is substantially lighter, and there are obviously a lot of good high performance choices from cottage manufacturers. I realize that every tent is a little different and has its own pros and cons, but is there something obvious special or unique about it? 2-3 inches taller than other options, but also 2-3 inches less in length, which is more important for me.

It is S to S’ ultralight tent but yes  it is not the lightest test made.

You can get it down to 2.2 pounds. I also have a tarp and bivey that is very very light if I want that. It is just a tent that I really like. It’s probably not for everyone.

Understood, and I didn’t mean to sound critical. Maybe I should just have asked what it is about it that you really like. I am always looking for a light tent that will accommodate me plus 1-2 dogs, so I am generally intrigued by large 1P or small 2P tents and I look closely at them. Since dogs don’t require space for a full pad, a 1P tent with extra space here and there can work well. That’s one of the reasons I was originally drawn to the ZPacks Plexamid.

Hi

Hey, I apologize if I came across that way. I would love to give you my initial impression of the tent.
It is sturdy, but the floor is very lightweight. I keep Tyvek under it. When inside, it is pretty much wall to wall with just one person. There is lots of room in the vestibule for packs and things. I think dogs would be a no go. It’s large counting the vestibule. Not large at all if you don’t. They do make a two person Altos and there is a cousin line (Telos) that only comes in a 2 person.

Ive been away from backpacking  for some time. I am not really up on all options but my initial feeling is that there may be a better option if you are going to bring a dog inside. I wouldn’t, but then my dog is 70 pounds 😊.

I like it because the reviews seem better as far as durability when compared to the tents that are 4 or 5 ounces lighter. I did a lot of reading and kind of came down in favor of this one. It seems very light to me. But my last tent was four pounds.🙂

Also, some of the lighter tents are described as very bad as far as ventilation. That didn’t sound great to me. I wanted a double wall. Hope this helps!

Best wishes!

Rich

Thanks for that review, Rich. When I saw the triangular area indicated by the arrow below, I was thinking “dog.” Based on my experience with other tents, it might work for one medium size canine. Even the smallest 2P tent will fit a large person and two large dogs with room to spare. They really tend to curl up at night.

I have a confession to make… When I set it up I did it in a huge hurry and I didn’t stake out that little area by the arrow!  And yes, a dog could curl up there. I’m laughing at myself. I love my tent now! Lol

This tent might work for you. The floor of every light tent is going to be lighter weight and this one is no exception but hey, maybe!

Thank You.

Good, I’m glad you like it even better now.  :-)

I can’t find a good diagram, but my ZPacks Plexamid (and now the Plex Solo) is a DCF trekking pole tent with a similar nook for a dog to curl up in. I used it successfully for years with my 55 lb Boxer, and there was plenty of room. In fact, it was perfect. I used it once with my 80 lb Ridgeback, and he was much too restless. More recently, I have been backpacking with two dogs, so I don’t even attempt to use that tent. I am hopeful that it will work out if I just take my 85 lb “Siberian Pitbull” since he curls up into a ball and sleeps very soundly.