Sierra Designs Lightning HT 3 Person Tent

   Retailer Reviews

light, spacious, and certainly strong enough

This is my most recent go-to for UL backpacking. I had a two-man Big Agnes for years, and after adding a second dog to my family it was time to go a little bigger. I'm very impressed by the livability of this tent despite how light weight it is, and I find no fault with the hoop tent design. As many out there may know, tunnel tents have long been a go-to choice for four-season conditions, and while I've never had this tent out in the snow (and wouldn't recommend it), I haven't had any issues in the wind. Of course, in windy places it is vital to use as many guylines as possible. The way you pitch a tent always has as much to do with it's performance in the wind as its design or structural integrity. I have seen very strong tents blown down as a result of poor pitch or inadequate guyouts.All that said, I do have one small complaint. I have grown accustomed to having interior pockets on either side of my doors. The pockets in the HT3 are along the sides of the tent, and thus are more difficult to access from your vestibule. Because I use this tent primarily for backpacking, though, I don't have many accessories to keep in those pockets, and at this point I've gotten used to their locations. For such a minor thing, I didn't feel it warranted the loss of a star. SD has always been know for solid tent designs, and I'm happy to see these guys continuing the tradition.