Contributions by Tom Zimmerman (2)

For those unwilling to use tarps, in my opinion, this is your best bet for a super-light shelter. For 4lb 2oz you get a fairly roomy tent with full weather protection. The ventilation on this tent is the best out of any I've used (MSR and Eureka). The vestibule could probably fit eight pairs of boots, but I don't think it's tall enough for most backpacks. Setup is pretty easy with the clip locks, but I would recommend at least one guy-out on the back to keep the fly off the tent body. My only problem is that the tent does not come with enough stakes for bad weather setup and the stuff sack is far too large for the tent, necessitating the purchase of a smaller one if you want to take full advantage of the small packed size of the tent.

For those unwilling to use tarps, in my opinion, this is your best bet for a super-light shelter. For 4lb 2oz you get a fairly roomy tent with full weather protection. The ventilation on this tent is the best out of any I've used (MSR and Eureka). The vestibule could probably fit eight pairs of boots, but I don't think it's tall enough for most backpacks. Setup is pretty easy with the clip locks, but I would recommend at least one guy-out on the back to keep the fly off the tent body. My only problem is that the tent does not come with enough stakes for bad weather setup and the stuff sack is far too large for the tent, necessitating the purchase of a smaller one if you want to take full advantage of the small packed size of the tent.

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.