Sierra Designs Hyperlight AST Tent 2-Person 3-Season - 2006 BCS

I loved everything about the Hyperlight. Well, except for the shape of the floor. Just couldn't make it work for us, so I returned it. I must hand it to this site for the quick, no hassle crediting of my account.

I purchased the Hyperlight because of the weight. I found it to be extremely light, compared to other backpacking tents I've used. Since I think it is a good idea that could be refined, I'll begin with the negative comments, which are few.

I have returned the tent for the simple reason that, after a few days set up in one room of my house, I could not figure out how to get two long Thermarest pads in it at the same time without some indication that one of us would either have his head or his feet well into the side wall of the tent. In fact, I found that at least one corner of one pad was always jammed into the side of the tent.

I was impressed with the size and floor space initially, but it is such a strange configuration that, once the pads (indicating sleeping people) were in place, it was obvious that most of this generous space was not very useful. I could imagine packs being emptied outside the tent, and the gear being stowed in several piles in each corner of the tent.

Once the tent is up, it is indeed very strong. Cinching down the tarp straps that connect it to the body make it pretty bomber. I could imagine staying dry in a heavy storm. Setting up the tent with its rather unique pole system took me a little getting used to. I would NOT recommend this tent be set up for the first time at the first use in the dark late at night - it could be quite frustrating.

The door works easy, as advertised. The slope angle of the tent door is such that the vestibule area didn't seem that useful for the amount of space given. With only two pairs of boots outside the tent, I could imagine one pair jammed up against the underside of the vestibule.

The complete tent is light enough for one person, thus a generous solo tent, and a second person in a pinch. Of course, two short people with short pads would probably find it quite useful.

I also had some concern about the shape and size of the tent footprint (large), and how it would fit in certain situations (heavily wooded areas).

I did have great service from Backcountry.com, and they answered all my questions.

This is a great 2-person tent. It has been said that this tent has lots of "wasted space". I however found that the unusual layout allowed my brother and Ito sleep comfortably in the tent and actually bend our legs! This is unheard of in most tents. I am 6'2" and when lying in the tent by me can stretch out all I want without my head or toes even getting close to the tent walls. It served us well on a three night stay in Ozark National Forest.

Packed this tent into N. Ga. after hurricane went through. Remained dry, quiet in the breeze, roomy, and light enough to cross flood stage rivers without too much dancing!

I recently purchased and used this tent on two backpacking trips in the Northern Sierras. On both trips, heavy winds combined with hail and rain pelted the tent. I was impressed with design and strength of the tent and it barely moved or made a sound in 50 mph winds. No problems with water either despite not using a footprint. The interior space does take a little getting used to. With two people sleeping opposite each other, setting up on a flat space is imperative for a good nights sleep. I love the tent's lightness and the entry door is extremely easy and quiet to use. This is my third Sierra Designs tent and I continue to see a strong commitment by the company toward innovation and performance.

My new, much lighter tent.
First outing: Moab for a week. It was rainy and windy. Good things: lightweight, easy put up and take down, quite small when packed, roomy inside for one, doesn't leak or drip condensation on me which was surprising because the overhead part of the tent is mesh, very sturdy in the wind, ventilation is good even buttoned up tight in a storm. Not so good: very tight for two, vestibule is small but its wind, rain tight, door zips take some getting used to. Needs more pegs and guy lines, isn't shipped with all it should/could use.

This one is among my favorite tents (of 11). I'm 6'2 and use it with my 11-year-old son (yes the second person better be shorter due to tent shape). It’s light and I trust it in tough weather. I’ve used it for over 30 nights; it’s still in great shape.

Agree with other reviewers. Re one reviewer with problem of pads: use shorter pad to save weight. Long, heavy pads to be used only when weight is not an issue, as with a larger tent. Also, it does not do well in fastpack mode (fly only) in my opinion. Not stable.

I first ordered this tent and footprint at a killer price! My brother also ordered a North Face Tadpole 23. I will be comparing my tent to his throughout this review. I received the footprint first, and I was amazed at the size! Compared to his tent, it seemed huge, and it also had a lovely odd shape. Both tents feel about the same weight. The Tadpole packs down into a much smaller carrying size compared to the Hyperlight; the Hyperlight takes a little bit more room inside the pack. The Hyperlight uses clip only tent- to-pole setup. I personally like this setup more than Tadpole's, a sleeve and clip system. I find this tent extremely easy to set up! On a recent camping trip I had to set up in the dark, no flashlight; I had my tent set up sooner than my brother and he had help and a flashlight. The "Jake's Corner" is an optional component, but I highly recommend using it; it will assist greatly in setup and take down. Room. This tent has plenty of room for me. I bought this tent with the intention of solo back packing, camping with the ability to stow a second person when need be. For one person I find this tent to resemble a luxury home. The roomy design and angles help you feel "free." I have had a rooming buddy once. We both fit perfectly fine; he is about a 250 pound fellow at 6 and a half feet or so, and I am 160 pounds at 6 feet and some. There was plenty of room for both of us and enough for me to stow my pack too. I have only camped once in the rain, and this tent stays perfectly dry. I have yet to camp in a strong storm, but I am willing to bet this tent can handle anything nature throws at it. Overall this tent is amazing! The only complaint I have is: The vestibule is a bit on the small size, but the large interior makes up for it. I have been on five backpacking trips and this tent as performed excellent.

I ordered the Sierra Designs Lightning and they sent me this one accidentally. I tried setting it up before I sent it back. Setup was incredibly easy even though I fumbled through it without instructions. The tent is extremely well built: the door works beautifully and can be "hinged," the seams all look sturdy, and it is a huge tent. However, like everyone says, most of the space is not very useful. I tried the same experiment with the pads and found that, indeed, two would not fit. I almost kept it, but just couldn't justify the extra pound of weight it has over the Lightning, especially if it doesn't fit two people.

I bought the tent 1 year ago and I've used it 8 times. It's pretty sweet - very spacious and holds up well in winds (you can always leave behind the Jake’s Corner assembly to save a little more weight if the weather is going to be decent). I travel fairly light and this tent helps keep the weight down. If you're buying this tent it usually means that you're somewhat into lightweight backpacking - which means you'll probably have short versions of a sleeping pad - which means the diamond shaped layout of the tent works just fine. The vestibule could be a little bigger, but there is a lot of space inside to store things (assuming you have the 2004 or earlier version with the 44sq ft of space for 2). I've owned normal rectangular 2-person tents before and I always felt claustrophobic in those - this one feels very spacious - especially when you're stuck in it during bad weather.

Although a very sturdy tent, I found that the manner in which the tent was designed did not allow for much room when my friend and I, both around 6' tried to sleep comfortably in it for 5 nights. One of us was always crammed against one of the walls. Other than that, I found that it was well designed as far as its freestanding abilities were concerned, and where you weren't cramped there was plenty of room for you to store your gear. My other friend who is around 5'9'' loves the tent and says that if you are shorter, there is tons of room, however, I am not.