REVIEW
SEA TO SUMMIT ALTO TR2
Words: Alex Foxfield
Thanks to its innovative Tension Ridge Architecture, the Alto TR2 is relatively unrivalled in backpacking circles for its spacious interior, while its superb design, setup options and quality components add up to a first-class, lightweight, 3-season wild camping shelter. It's not a fan of heavy winds but as long as you choose relatively sheltered places to pitch, it's a great option.
The Alto TR2 is a 2-person, 3-season backpacking shelter that’s part of the Sea to Summit’s inaugural tent series, along with their freestanding Telos tents. It’s not often a debutant comes along and raises the bar beyond the well-established players – think Citizen Kane or Led Zeppelin. Yet Sea to Summit have pulled the rabbit right out of the hat with this ambitious debut.
Image credit: Sea to Summit
Also consider
Is keeping the weight down is a priority on your backpacking and bikepacking adventures, you should also consier these:
Boasting premium and environmentally friendly Osmo fabrics, Nemo's featherweight Hornet is a premium semi-freestanding tent that's ideal for summer camping, if a bit breezy for the summits.
Who's this for?: Fair weather campers
The Aeronaut is an ingenius and affordable lightweight shelter that uses a central air beam, which can be inflated using a standard bike pump, as opposed to a pole.
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Who's this for?: Keen bikepackers
Specs
Weight: 1340g
Dimensions: 111 x 244 x 223cm
Packed size: 12 x 12 x 52cm
Materials: 15D Sil-PeU Coated Nylon Ripstop
Best for: Fastpacking
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Design
We’re not surprised that Sea to Summit has pulled the rabbit out of the hat. The brand has been crafting high-quality, innovative outdoor gear for years. At first glance, the Alto TR2 has a lot in common with other premium backpacking tents. It’s ultralight and features a semi-freestanding pole hub configuration. However – and this is the game changing USP – it features patent pending Tension Ridge Architecture that cantilevers the cross bar upwards, pulling the inner tent’s walls up with it.
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The effect is marvelous, creating a spacious and livable inner, with near vertical walls and a luxuriously high ceiling, especially for a backpacking tent. The enlarged sides make for tall doors for comfortable entry and exit too.
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Once the flysheet is attached, you also get two roomy vestibules, with more than enough space for your boots, drenched clothing and anything else you don’t want cramping your inner tent’s style. There’s also plenty of room for firing up the camping stove if it’s blowing a hoolie out.
With the Tension Ridge at the heart of its debut tent range, Sea to Summit have raised the bar, both literally and figuratively.
Portability
As well as the benefits reaped by its Tension Ridge Architecture, the Alto TR2 has a range of other great features. It weighs in with a minimum trail weight of just 1.15kg, making it seriously light to carry. Featuring Featherlite alloy DAC poles, a 15D polyester mesh inner and a 1,200 mm rated flysheet with fully taped seams, its component parts are on a par with other leading backpacking shelters, such as Nemo’s Hornet Osmo and Big Agnes’ Tiger Wall.
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The Alto TR2 boasts what Sea to Summit call a FairShare Storage System. The tent packs down into three separate compartments: two stuff sacks for the inner, fly and pegs and a longer unit for the pole hub. This allows you to split the weight with your camping buddy or spread its weight across your backpack.
Interior
As well as providing a relatively spacious "living" space, there are a few handy innovations that elevate the functionality of the interior. The pole hub compartment also doubles up as a Lightbar, which can be secured to the inner tent’s ceiling and combined with a head torch to give you a reading light. Meanwhile, the two spare stuff sacks can also be attached in the tent as additional storage for items like your power bank or multitool. A compatible gear loft is available as a separate purchase.
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The inner’s mesh is highly breathable and keeps midges at bay, while ventilation is achieved thanks to oversized Apex Vents and Baseline Vents.
Assembly
Assembly was a doddle thanks to its intuitive design and handy visual instructions on one of the stuff sacks. The only moment that stopped and made me think was when attaching the Tension Ridge into the designated pockets on the fly, as at first it all seemed too much of a stretch to be possible. However, tension is the key word here and after a flexing the poles a bit, they were in and the outer began to take shape.
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Adapting the tent to the weather and transitioning from Classic Mode to Partial Fly Mode was straightforward too. When the sun broke through the clouds, I unpegged one end of the fly, rolled it up to the Tension Ridge and secured it with the V-toggles. Voilà! A brighter, more breathable and gloriously panoramic setup achieved.
Performance
I’ve been using the TR2 for years now and the thing that really makes it stand out above much of the competition is its living space. It’s much less claustrophobic than the usual ‘the walls are closing in’ feeling afforded by a standard 2-person backpacking tent. The high ceilings felt luxurious, while the tall, zippered doors made for comfortable entry and exit. There was ample space for all my trail-muddied kit in the one of the porch areas and I still had the other spare had I needed to fire up the camping stove.
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I’ve camped in pretty much all conditions bar winter (this is a 3-season tent, after all) both in valley campsites and up in the hills. 99.9% of the time, the TR2 dealt with whatever the British weather gods threw at it. The only time I found it wanting was during a particularly windy night in the Peak District, when gale force winds swept through our unsheltered campsite in Hadfield and were playing havoc with the tension ridge system.
In truth, it had been a hasty setup in the dark, wind and rain and the back of the tent was facing straight into the howling gale. Had I pitched it side on to the gusts, I might have had more luck. Anyway, both the tent and I survived the night, so it can’t have been that bad.
The reviewer
Alex Foxfield
Mountain Leader Alex Foxfield has vast experience of wild camping in the British hills and mountains, while as a father he enjoys sharing his love of campsite life with his wife and daughters. An expert of camping gear, he has reviewed his fair share of tents down the years.
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