Sierra Designs Lightning Tent

Garry Waterman - 2005-09-17

great tent
used this tent in the wind, heat and rain this summer in MIchigan. it does not vent hot air out like i would like. but if i soe a loop on the long ends to pull it out with a stake i think that will fix it just fine and fix the rain problems i had too. nice size tent for two used it packing for total of 10 days and sea Kayaking in Lake Supoir for 10 more. still like new.

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John - 2004-06-05

Fabulous For Backpacking
Sierra Designs has outdone themselves again. This tent is so light it's unreal, and with a Granite Gear compression sack it condenses to the size of a cantaloupe--including the rainfly. Then I got an OR tent stake and pole bag and strap those pieces to the outside of my pack. Perfect. Extremely waterproof, and strong in the wind. Inside it's light and airy due to the colors--kind of cheerful. Setups fast and it's so compact I can have the luxury of also using this as a roomy solo tent, although 2 can fit in.

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Anonymous - 2004-05-31

Sierra thank you!
I have got this tent 4 weeks in the past. I live in Europe, Sierra Desings is not availeble in whole europe so I did get it from the US. My first impression was: -Very good materials, you can feel that when you toutch it. -Ultra light about 2.3KG (tent with footprint) -Outer tent PU coated on the inside Silicone coated on the outside, so UV will do less damage than PU-PU coated Nylon! Impression when I used it: -Great living space to wieght! (2 persons with 2 75L Bags is not a problem) -I used ut in summer conditions, in the evening the temperature dropt from 20 celcius to 6 celcius in 2 hours! And not much condens at all, the next day in the morning the tent had only a couple of water drops on the outer tent! (compare that to other tents in this price skill!) -Very easy to set up! The tent is up in 5 minutes! So as you readed, BUY this tent if you want a perfect and almost weigtless tent! Thank you Sierra Designs!

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> Read All 8 Reviews

Garry Waterman - 2005-09-17

great tent
used this tent in the wind, heat and rain this summer in MIchigan. it does not vent hot air out like i would like. but if i soe a loop on the long ends to pull it out with a stake i think that will fix it just fine and fix the rain problems i had too. nice size tent for two used it packing for total of 10 days and sea Kayaking in Lake Supoir for 10 more. still like new.

Was this Sierra Designs Lightning Tent Review Helpful? - Yes - No (1 of 1 liked this review)

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John - 2004-06-05

Fabulous For Backpacking
Sierra Designs has outdone themselves again. This tent is so light it's unreal, and with a Granite Gear compression sack it condenses to the size of a cantaloupe--including the rainfly. Then I got an OR tent stake and pole bag and strap those pieces to the outside of my pack. Perfect. Extremely waterproof, and strong in the wind. Inside it's light and airy due to the colors--kind of cheerful. Setups fast and it's so compact I can have the luxury of also using this as a roomy solo tent, although 2 can fit in.

Is this Handy? - Yes - No (1 of 1 liked this review)

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Anonymous - 2004-05-31

Sierra thank you!
I have got this tent 4 weeks in the past. I live in Europe, Sierra Desings is not availeble in whole europe so I did get it from the US. My first impression was: -Very good materials, you can feel that when you toutch it. -Ultra light about 2.3KG (tent with footprint) -Outer tent PU coated on the inside Silicone coated on the outside, so UV will do less damage than PU-PU coated Nylon! Impression when I used it: -Great living space to wieght! (2 persons with 2 75L Bags is not a problem) -I used ut in summer conditions, in the evening the temperature dropt from 20 celcius to 6 celcius in 2 hours! And not much condens at all, the next day in the morning the tent had only a couple of water drops on the outer tent! (compare that to other tents in this price skill!) -Very easy to set up! The tent is up in 5 minutes! So as you readed, BUY this tent if you want a perfect and almost weigtless tent! Thank you Sierra Designs!

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Anonymous - 2007-10-09

Nice, light 3 season tent.
I like this tent. Most of the weight savings seem to come from the lighter material in the tent body and fly, but it seems to be of good quality. I've seen reviews where people say it's comfy for someone 6'3", but i'm 6', and that seems to be about the comfort limit. I've also read that it's sturdy under snow/wind, but I don't believe that either - there just aren't enough guyout points for serious wind. also, there isn't much vestiblue space, but you know that going in. there are going to be some compromises in a sub-5 lb. tent. but i do love how light it is, how simple and easy it is to pitch, and also dig the one big door that makes getting in/out very easy. and contrary to some reviews, there is one little pocket inside the tent. in essence, it is what it claims to be: a very nice little 3 season, fair weather tent.

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Brett - 2006-06-06

Hey Sierra Designs, here's how to make this the best
Buy this tent if you can still find one. During REI's annual sale, this tent was only $169; of course I bought it. I own three 2 person, 3 season tents, including a quarter dome UL and a TNF Talus23; but this is my go-to tent. This tent has a fly-footprint option where the UL does not; and it is lighter than the Talus. Here are some suggested improvements: add a fly vent like the UL to solve the condensation issue, go full mesh to save another ounce(no tent fabric is necessary), and add a provision for securing the fly door open (I run a string over the top of the tent to an opposite stake. But this is the best balance of features and weight I have ever seen. Highly recommend.

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Charlotte - 2006-05-29

leaky bugport at joining zippers
I bought this tent and returned it reluctantly. It was a beautiful tent, but, it had a a lf by half inch bug port where the zippers came together. I miss it. But the no seeum mesh won't help if the door lets them in anyway. Going back to the old one zipper track design would make it workable.

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Anonymous - 2006-04-02

Great tent
I just bought this tent and finally got to test it out to find out how great it is. I set it up in the rain and in the dark. It was fairly easy and only took about 5 min with 2 people. The rain didn't bother us much, but the seals were a little damp. I also have not put any type of sealer on this tent, so considering that it did well. Two people will sleep comofortably in opposite head positions. With 2 people in it, there's not too much room left, except for a couple of stuff sacks. The vestibule is on the small side. It was a cramped with both of our packs in it. One problem was getting them in there. To put it in the vestibule, you almost have to be in the tent. Other than that, the tent performed excellent.

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Anonymous - 2004-06-22

Light
I was trying to find reviews before purchasing this as I'm always a cautious shopper. No luck however so I took the risk and bought it anyways. My advice to Canadians in purchasing this tent is to buy in the US. You will save big time even with paying the duties and taxes. SD messed up with their MSRP on this one, 450 CAD vs 250 US, this is a no brainer. As for the tent, good living space, easy setup, and light. The fly doesn't quite come all the way to the ground and the vestibule doesn't peg out that great, there's about a 3 to 4" gap above the ground when pegged out. You also need minimum of 3 pegs to use the vestibule, two on the vestibule side and one on the opposite side to counter balance it. I had this tent out in the Andirondacks on the Canadian long weekend (May 22nd/23rd) in torential rain, it survived however I was getting small droplets of water on the inside where the hooks meet the fly. Some tape would probably solve this. Not sure if this is typical in other tents in this price range but this did dissapoint me. I'm looking forward to testing it out in the rain again to see if this was the way I set it up or perhaps a flaw in the design. The tent was cozy for my girlfriend and I, two big guys may be pushing it though. My feet and head were just grazing the edges and I'm 5-10.

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