Sierra Designs Lightning XT 3

I, like other people who have reviewed this tent had a very hard time setting it up for the first time. All I can say is, whoever engineered the pole setup had to have been smoking something. It is very awkward to put together. The system that they have used to attach the rainfly doesn't really work. We're lucky it wasn't windy, because when we woke up in the morning, none of the straps holding the rainfly were attached to the tent anymore. The fly doesn't have enough places to stake it out so that it will pull any rain water away from the tent. Two of the sides, the fly is just resting on the tent wall, so any moisture would transfer to the inside of the tent. The only positive thing about this tent was the weight. To anyone interested in this tent, spend alittle more and get a big agnes copperspur 3. They are way better. Definately worth the money.

One of the things I look for in a good tent is the ability to set it up in the dark without the instructions for the first time. Just wasn't so with this tent. Got to my destination at night and had a fairly difficult time putting this tent together. One side of the tent is a green color instead of a grey color, but was really hard to tell in the dark with the only light coming from my headlamp. Once we got it up, the tent was roomy enough for two of us. Would probably be a little snug with three people but that's how these tents are designed. I really like the all mesh design and would have been nice to just leave it like that, but it was suppose to rain, so had to put the fly on. The fly also has to go on a certain way and we originally put it on backwards (because it was dark out). The clasp design to secure the fly to the tent was hard to connect and even harder to take off. I wonder if it would get easier the more you did it. Well it was cold out, so trying to disconnect the fly from the tent with numb fingers was a little frustrating. I'm also a big fan of having two doors on a tent like this which this one does. However, one of the doors was pretty small and neither of us wanted to get out of the tent that way. Also the vestibules aren't that roomy. Not sure if we would have been able to fit three packs under it without one of them getting wet. Now for the good stuff. The tent is very light especially for a three person tent. At only 5 pounds 10 ounces, it would make a very good backpacking tent if you separate the poles and fly from the tent so everyone can help carry it. The fly worked very well. It rained on us all night and everything inside stayed dry. It was also very sturdy. It got very windy where we were and we saw other tents flying away and even ripped open, but this tent stayed put and intact. Overall, this is a good tent.

The Sierra Designs Lightning XT 3 is a good tent. It is quite large and is one of the few 3 Person Fairly Lightweight Tents I have come across that can comfortably sleep 3 people. The rainfly goes on easy and works very well. Definitely a sturdy tent. The dual entry on either side is great and the rain fly offers a generous vestibule.

So now the negatives. First, make sure to set this tent up prior to taking it out. The set up is not that easy or intuitive. If you know you are going to set this up in the dark, make sure to set it up before you reach your first destination with this. Once you have done it thought, it's fairly easy. Second, as far as backpacking goes, this tent seems to large and bulky. It's not overly heavy but will definitely eat up space in a pack.

All in all this is a good tent. I think if you are mainly using this for car type camping or can split up the pieces among three people, you will be happy with this tent. For long distances and true backoountry trips this tent is too big.

I thought this tent was pretty good. definetly airy for those warm nights and looks pretty good I thought, not that that matters. We just car camped with it but it had plenty of room for 3. I did like the more vertical walls, made it feel roomier. The set up however is kinda tricky. Do not try to set this tent up for the first time in the dark when your tired or it's rainy. It will only frustrate you more. Once you have it set up though it's pretty nice. Thought the doors were kinda small. Especially the back door. The rain fly gives nice full coverage and was pretty easy to put on although we had it backwards first. All in all it's a nice tent that takes some practice first but should do nicely for most occassions.