Good tent, only wish it was a little lighter. Over-all would buy another today. Have camped in everything from snow to sun and tent has performed well in all places. Did try just using rain cover only with poles. It works good as long as bugs are no problem.

Similar Products Used:

None

I got really lucky and found a deal of a lifetime- brand new SD tent for under $100! Supposively the netting in the door was ripped, but I have yet to see it. The only gripes I have is the doorway. It can get crowded and hard to get in and out once all of the gear is piled up in the vestibule. The vestibule can be a pain if it isn't taught because precipitation will accumulate from the low slope. Also, make sure you sleep head towards the door with the sky vent/door open slightly for cross ventilation (the way you are supposed to sleep in the tent). Otherwise you may wake up with a nice dewey morning inside. I highly recommend the gear loft. It is useful as a clothes dryer, lamp holder, and a convienant place to store bright shiny objects to look at all night long.

Similar Products Used:

Eureka tents, TNF tents, tarp (the best shelter ever)

Wow, what a great tent. Only problems I had was setting it up without instructions because I bought it used. But then I went to Sierra Designs website and they have them one there to download! I have the footprint too which is great because you use that and the rainfly in nice weather and shave off a pound. I am 6' 2" and plenty of room for me and another. Great tent and great compnay. Impressed!

Similar Products Used:

None

I was looking for a one-two person tent that was lightweight and durable, and originally considered the Flashlight CD, the Walrus Zoid series, or the Orion CD (after extensive research through other brands). I settled on the Omega for a couple of reasons: it's only about a pound heavier (at 6 lb 8 oz) than the other freestanding three-season tents I was looking at (versatility!), it's convertible to 4-season use (versatility!), it's considerably roomier (versatility!), it only cost me a little more than some other 3-season tents, and less than most (at $220).

The only iffy thing about it (at the time) was the fact that it weighed in at 6 pounds (as opposed to the almost 4 pound Flashlight or Zoids), and I was planning on using this shelter solo for the most part. However, after I got it and packed it around, the extra weight is negligible, and the luxury of the extra space is wonderful, especially during inclement weather! The convertible features are incredibly useful as well, accounting for a very secure shelter, and it's stupendously easy to set up, even in the dark, even in terrible conditions.

Anyway, it's a fantastically versatile tent that's extremely light for its size and flexibility, extremely tough and bombproof, and isn't exorbitantly expensive. One of my hiking partners scored a Zoid 2.0, and while it's an excellent tent as well (and very light and small) it definitely won't cover a broad spectrum of conditions as effectively as the Omega. Frankly, I'd hate to be caught on a really cold night inside a Zoid (it's got tons of mesh.)

I was looking for a tent that I could use regardless of where I went or what I was doing, and so far, this is really it. I'm very satisfied. If you're looking for a "tent to end all tents" I'm not sure it exists, but the Omega really seems to come close, especially for the price.

And as to the raised sides thing, read the other reviews; it's true about the whole "bathtub" floor... and it's very efficient for keeping the floor dry.

Good luck!

Jose

Customer Service

These guys are great! While their customer service isn't always 100% available at the time of the call, they ALWAYS call within a day of recieving a message, and they are extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and always willing to help. No hassles, no problems, very professional service.

Similar Products Used:

Cabela's Dome (really old)
Walrus Zoid 2.0
Sierra Designs' Orion AST

I researched extensively before settling on this tent as I required versatility over anything else. In this respect The Omega CD is awesome. Anything from moderate snow loads to a really heavy wind storm where the internal guy points were a godsend have proven this tent was a good choice. Sure, I would like to have a second door and vestibule as another reviewer mentioned but I'm not willing to pack the extra weight. Consider your needs when choosing.

It is not a spacious tent for two but it does offer lots of length for us tall folk. The sides that stay elevated off the ground has never had a performance penalty that I have observed. It just looks funny. I have found that the lack of a pole in the vestibule leads to snow and rain pooling as it is slightly concave, even when staked out tight. However, I knew this before hand and was again not willing to take the weight penalty of such a design.

Overall, a bombproof tent that will adapt to any conditions, but probably not roomy enough for some.

Similar Products Used:

None

I've only used this tent 4 times, but I am already impressed because of out of those four nights 3 of them were rainy. I backpack in the Adirondacks where it frequently gets very cold at night, so on those rainy nights I zipped up the flap. In the moring I was suprised to find water dropplets on the floor of my tent. It turned out that it was just condesation because of my warm night in the tent. I have timed the time it takes me to set the tent up and i can easily do it under a couple minutes in good condtitions which means that it is is very easy to set up. In the previous reviews people complained about how the four season mode poles are up from the ground. Sierra Designs knows what they are doing and their purpose was to keep the seams off the ground. It seems to have very durable features even though i have only hd it for a season.

Customer Service

The first tent i got by sierra designs was the explorer cd (orion). I went hiking in the adirondacks for 2 days and 1 night. On that night it rained non stop and i awoke to find myself in a puddle of water. After i made it back to my car i drove to ems and told them what happened. they did not even look at the tent but just said do you want to look at another one. I looked at the omega and compared it to the explorer it turend out the explore did not have a weatherproof coating. But i instantly like the omega and went out the door with it that same day. by the way they gave me 20% off the difference because of my troubles

Similar Products Used:

eureka, kelty

If you ever camped at the beach on the Washington Coast, then you'll understand what I mean by a few days of driving rain. They can get more rain in a week than alot of places get in a year. Also, when its raining, the wind doesn't let up. Seam sealing is a requiement for all tents. This tent kept us dry at night while others got wet. The Omega CD didn't buckle in the wind like other tents. The Coleman tent fell down. The Eureka tent buckled with the wind gusts and started leaking the first night, ever try to dry your sleeping bag when the tent continues to leak for days on end? We had a Rain tarp set up as a leanto so we could cook behind and under it and had to use it to keep most of the rain off the Eureka. properly set up and guyed down the Omega Cd didn't buckle or flap in the wind. Fairly bulletproof. Could it really be lighter and offer up the protection from the extreme elements? I think not. We have the optional gear loft - the attic space is nice, and internal guys - a life saver in strong winds. It's Ok in size and sets up easy enough, better than any sleeve tent I've used.

Similar Products Used:

Coleman, Eureka, Camp Trails, REI, TNF, Wentzel, Kelty