Toughest Gear: Sierra Designs Tiros Tent & MSR Tough Gear
In high camps, the Sierra Designs Tiros is often the last tent standing.
In the early 90s, before either came to BACKPACKER, executive editor Dennis Lewon and editor-in-chief Jon Dorn each bought this mountaineering tent. Jon was winter camping in the Presidentials and climbing 14ers; Dennis was guiding in the Sierra and camping high above treeline. Neither has experienced a single failure.
Credit the Tiros’s aerodynamic, four-pole geometry, which sheds wind and snow like a boulder. There are strong contenders in this category—Mountain Hardwear’s Trango line and The North Face’s Mountain 25 earned votes—but we’re sticking with the shelter that earned an Editors’ Choice Award in 1993. (Tip: Look for close-out sales, SD just stopped making the Tiros.) sierradesigns.com