Sea to Summit Tents
Sea to Summit tents: Tension Ridge space, Australian design
Sea to Summit is an Australian brand, born in Perth, and it spent thirty years making the gear that goes inside a tent before it made the tent itself. When it finally did, it did not build another dome. Tension Ridge architecture takes the crossbar that sits across the top of a conventional tent and inverts it, lifting the ridge instead of rounding it off. The result is more usable internal volume, taller doors you can actually get through without folding yourself in half, and better airflow where condensation normally forms.
That is the thread running through every tent here. Three families, each solving the same problem for a different kind of trip.
Telos or Ikos?
-
Telos — freestanding, more internal space, more features. The weekend and week-long option for people who want the tent to be somewhere they can comfortably sit out weather, not just sleep. There is also a Bikepack version with shorter pole segments that fit a frame bag, and twin stuff sacks so the inner and fly pack separately.
-
Ikos — the roomiest and most rugged, with heavier fabrics and a lower price. Two and three-person. Best for vehicle-based camping, or hikers who would rather spend the money elsewhere and carry a bit more.
If you camp in genuinely cold conditions, look at the Plus versions. They swap the mesh inner for solid nylon to hold warmth in, and step the floor up to a higher hydrostatic head.
What you get across the range
-
Multi-mode pitching. Fly-first keeps the inner dry when you are setting up in rain. Fly-only drops the weight right down for fast trips. Hangout Mode rolls half the fly back so the tent opens to the view.
-
DAC poles. Green anodised, which uses considerably less water than conventional anodising. Featherlight on Alto and Telos, the more robust MX poleset on Ikos.
-
Colour-coded, symmetrical setup. Harder to get wrong in the dark, in wind, on your own.
-
Apex Vent. Ventilation designed to work while the fly is closed, which is when condensation actually happens.
Match the tent to your mat. Telos and Alto are shaped for tapered or contoured sleeping mats rather than rectangular ones. Pairing a rectangular mat with a tapered floor wastes space and pushes you into the wall. See our sleeping mats if you are buying both together.
A footprint is optional, not essential. The floors are waterproof enough to use without one, but a footprint takes the wear on rough ground and adds years to the tent.
Not sure which size or which family suits how you actually camp? Come into the store in Helensburgh and we will pitch one for you, or read our guide to choosing a tent.
