It's just barely big enough for me (6' even, 200 lbs) and a few extra things in the head of the tent. The vesitbule is just big enough for your shoes -- not for a pack. I left my pack outside by a granite rock, covered with my poncho. Rat Control

none so far

Hello all, I wrote one of the first orginal reviews on this tent. I just want to say I still have it and used it a huge amount mainly car camping. The reason I am writing is that I would like to see basically the same type of tent but with modifications. The velcro tabs on the fly door are a pain they get hung up while zipping up and down. This needs fixed. The min amount of tent pegs for this tent is 5, four for the front and one in the back. I wish the four on the front could be consolidated to two tent pegs. What I want is this tent in the lightest mode possible to be around 2 pounds. That is tent, fly, and poles. This would be really good for alpine bivy useage. I would like to see this tent made from the start to have a third center pole. This could be a add on feature for 4 season usage. To make the tent lighter, make it with no extras, with the lightest materials. Weight can be saved by doing away with certain features, I cut away both inside pockets. I have read where a guy cut off the connection snap ties and used cord instead. In any case light is right. Overall it is a great tent just needs to be more compact and closer to the two pound range in the lightest mode, the option of the third center pole will enable this tent to withstand a snow load much better and put it into a light four season capacity. What I want is a tent that is about the same weight as a bivy sack and this basic tent if designed right should be able to do it. I am sorry this if this is more of a plug for the tent I want rather than a review. This tent is really good out of the box. And if a person wanted it lighter you can get rid of some weight. Cut off the velcro, cut the inside pockets out. get rid of the window tabs etc. I am trying to think how to reduce the 4 tent pegs for the front down to 2. Thanks Dan

Customer Service

So far very good, got my replacement poles with no hassel.

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I have two other walrus tents, top of the line for the money spent.

I love my Walrus Microswift! It is very lightweight yet very sturdy. Last year I had 48 inches of snow on it in one night, the tent itself is only 28 inches high. It held its shape fairly well and no broken poles.

Bought this tent on sale from campmor. Hard to beat at this price. A whole lot better to camp/sleep in than a bivy sack and much cheeper than most bivy''s. It is a little tough to get in and out of, once your in, it is confortable to read and wiggle around. I have to go face first to get my pad and sleeping bag inside and set up, then go out, To get yourself in you must back up-to craw in backwards while working on the sleeping bag. The vestible is too small to be much use, it can hold boots and a very little more. If you carry a very light load you could put the back pack under your feet. Other wise you need other shelter for it. I slept in many rain storms and stayed dry. In winter there is some condensation, not very much though. I once slept in it and had 6 inchs of snow fall on it. I was able to shake it every now and then during the night and morning and it keep standing. It did sag a good amount, but not bad for this type of tent. I have not been in a huge wind. I think it would do Ok for a 3 season tent, if while seting it up you can get the foot end toward the wind it should do very well in high wind. One negative is I broke a tent pole, it seems that depending on weather or conditions the fabric of the tent can shrink (winter camping for me, which is outside the specs of a 3 season tent). If your weak, or injured you may have trouble getting the poles in the holes. Sometimes I have to put HUGE pressure to get the poles in. I thought I was going to break the front pole one night, and I did break the rear pole. There is a back up pole section that comes with the tent and it worked well for the night. Walrus has been bought out by MSR? I called them about replacement poles. I told them about my problems and they are supposed to send slighty shorter pole sections for FREE. I am waiting for them. If you want a shelter you can just go inside and go asleep a pure bivy may be lighter, faster and better. A double wall micro tent like the micro swift is almost as light, fairly fast to set up and you can with some comfort read and ride out a strom. For most conditions such a small tent is better and cheaper, and most likly dryer than a bivy. Dan

Customer Service

I called them about my tent pole, still waiting this has been a couple of weeks ago. They was very nice and willing to send me shorter pole sections, all for free. Shall see, If I don''t get them I

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Mostly family camping tents. OR, dryloft sack.

not a bad tent VERY CRAMPED, you have to be a contortionist to get in and out, save the weight and go w/ a bivy sack instead. good quality, good size stuff sack, make sure to stake it out, it's not freestanding so not so good for trips on rocky terrain.

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sierra design light year cd

I bought a '99 model very inexpensively at REI, and used it for the first time on a four-day trip to the Goat Rocks Wilderness in Washington. It's definitely small and light, and seems pretty well made. I'm not sure I'll use it again, though. Entry/exit with the fly on is awkward in fair conditions and miserable in wet conditions. I'm 5'7" and fairly skinny and found it quite a struggle to dress or undress inside. With the fly on and the fly door about halfway open, I got quite a bit of condensation when a heavy fog rolled in. Though I pitched it tight, it sagged a bit during the night, and the fly touched the canopy. If paying full price, I think there are better options.

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REI Sololite (a little heavier, but more comfortable)
North Face Tuolumne (A-frame). Wish they still made it.

I think the Walrus micro swift is a great tent.It does exactly what it was designed to do. That is have the luxurys of a tent at the wait of a bivy.
Pros: I am 6'1" and 200lbs and I fit in the tent with a couple inches to spare.
Some reviewers have stated that it was to hard to get into, and that the vestibule flap has design flaws. I disagree. The trick is to open the fly from the top with both zippers, leave the last two inches of zipper attached. roll the vestibule flap up. then all you have to do is stand in the vestibule facing out, kneel down in the tent, and crawl in backwards. when you get your shoulders in, zip up the vestibule.
once you are in there is more then enough room to sleep, and if you are limber, you can even get dressed inside.
I also like the eyelid vent. it adds a lot to the ventalation of the tent, and if you sit up on your elbows it doubles as a window.

Cons: I have very few. I guess the biggest problem I had was that I could not sit up in it. I recently upgraded to A zoid 1.0 for that reason, and love it. the only other concern is that the poles need a lote of force to get them in the the grommets.

Customer Service

I lost the pole repair sleeve, they sent me a new one no questions asked.

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Marmot equinox, walrus zoid 1.0, eureka equinox 4

I bought this tent a couple days before heading back to the Pacific NW for a family backpacking trip. It was on sale at rei-outlet.com and looked like a good deal.

Some background...
I have a 3 person Spalding tent that I bought back in my poor college days for like $40 that works pretty well but is a little on the heavy side for serious backpacking. I wanted a lightweight tent for blitzkrieg summer backpacking trips so this one caught my eye. It's bigger than a bivvy, not much heavier, and it costs less than many bivvies I've seen.

It's really light and packs down almost as small as my summer sleeping bag (the REI NodPod), including the poles! This is definately a plus. Also, the poles go into the hoop loops really well and I like those a lot better than hooks/clips.

It's just barely big enough for me (6' even, 200 lbs) and a few extra things in the head of the tent. The vesitbule is just big enough for your shoes -- not for a pack. I left my pack outside by a granite rock, covered with my poncho.

Anyhoo, we were camping in an area with either soggy meadow/marshy ground or large flat granite slabs. I didn't have the footprint at this time so I opted for the granite. I used two granite rocks of substantial mass to anchor the guy lines, which worked pretty well. It would have been nice to have my freestanding tent but it worked with the rocks.

It's easy to set up and looks pretty slick once it's up. I never got to test it much in the rain because the last day we were there, we had a huge lightning and rainstorm blow in so suddenly after dinner and the lightning was striking so furiously close to us that we packed up quicksmart and hiked out down to safer ground. If it wasn't for all the crazy lightning, I would have been able to see how well it worked in the rain.

Having the door at the head of the tent does tend to make it hard to get into. You have to crawl into the entryway (the widest and tallest part of the tent), scruch up and take off your shoes, turn around, then strech out. I guess I should have realized when I bought it that it was after all, a very small and compact tent and that I shouldn't have expected a spacious front porch! But once inside it's not too bad.

The foot of the tent tapers into a point, and this kind of limits how far down you can push your ThermaRest. Like I said, it was fine for me but I don't think anyone taller than 6'1" would fit too well.

I noticed today at REI that the Zoids (similar to the MicroSwift) have more sit up room, the foot of the tent is squared off so you can put your pad all the way down and spread your feet out a bit, and the door is on the SIDE of the tent which makes it a heck of a lot easier to get in and out.

I think I'm going to get a Zoid 2 for my primary solo tent and keep this one for a friend to use or something. Don't get me wrong - it is a good tent and a great deal (especially considering how much more roomy and cheap it is compared to a bivvy) but the Zoid 2 is definitely a lot roomier and not that much heavier. Maybe the Moutain Hardwear ThruHiker...hmmm.

Overall I'll give this a 4 for features and a 5 for value for what I paid for it.

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None

I want to comment about the ZOID which seems to be the newest sister to Microswift. I wonder why isn't this item listed here to post on? Anyway, I recently ordered Zoid 1.0 after having concerns that Microswift would be a bit too tight. I just tried the Zoid in the yard at night before the trip and I am in love with it already. Setup is fairly swift (although requires quite a bit of strength to bend the poles into the gromets)and fly is a breeze to set over the tent. Good thing it's easy to figure it all out just by looking at it because the instructions are useless. 4 stakes (they provide 8) is all it takes to anchor the whole thing in place for a sturdy setup unless you're lying in the middle of a storm. Once lying inside I didn't want to leave! The mesh is fabulous and you lie there gazing at the sky feeling like there's nothing there between you and the surroundings. The side entry allowed easy, instant access inside. One storage pocket on each side and one above head make for great, handy compartments. You can sit up although if you're 5'9" or more and most of your height's in your bust(and not your legs) your head WILL hit the ceiling and force you to bend over. The inside struck me as so roomy I looked to my side for a long time and thought you could squeeze in another person there in the empty space (preferably a significant other; it IS tight for another person)but it's probably worth it to pay a little extra for the Zoid 2.0 if that's what you want. Overall materials and craftmaship seem rock solid. Weight is insignificant and once in its sack this thing is easily the smallest thing in the backpack.
Haven't been on the trip yet but I'd be suprised if I were to change my mind. I am a camper who hates to drag any kind equipment around and who can't stand to feel trapped in any kind of tent while spending the night (what's the point sleeping outdoors if you can't SEE where you are??) but who's skittish about creepy-crawlies. I didn't have much experience with tents and was awaiting delivery with anxiety, not sure if I'd made the right choice for what I had in mind. The ZOID is a dream come true for people like me and so far I am thrilled I decided to spend $30 more than I originally planned on for the Microswift. The extra room and side entry of the Zoid are so luxurious in comparison there's no argument there.
I'd love to see the folks of this site create a listing for the Zoid and hear what others think. I'd also like to confirm after the trip if the wonder I keep raving about indeed stood up to its early promises.

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None

I have spent about 6 nights in this "tent" so far and give it an overall positive rating. It takes some getting used to if you are used to a normal sized 1-2 man tent. The tent is made very well and kept me dry in rain in FL. and sleet and freezing rain in Ga. Condensation is a bit of a problem on the fly even if the vestibule is open but they were very cold nights and that may have made a difference. It is a pain in the ass to get into. I don't love it but it is light!

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