User Review: Sierra Designs Hyperlight 3

Sierra Designs Hyperlight 3
Above: The current Hyperlight 3, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed June 19, 2006 by african

Rating:
Design: three-season freestanding
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: Quite easy - color coded clips, poles of different length. Can be done alone.
Weight: 2.8kg
Price Paid: USD 210

A very good quality, sturdy, and lightweight tent.

The tent's shape make it impossible for more than two people to fit in if you use full length sleeping mats. Two large males (both around 6 feet tall) fit comfortably. The floor area (44 sqf) is in-line for a three-person tent, but the awkward shape does not allow for three full-length mats -- I can imagine getting three people in if you use half-lenght mats. For two people there is lots of extra space in the corners to stash your goodies. The vestubles are not huge but sufficient to store 2 - 3 packs/cook underneath it.

The tent has to be guyed out properly since the four-pole design leaves a big portion of the flysheet without support from underneath. The flysheet will sag when wet and cling to the mesh, causing condensation problems, if not guyed properly.

Verdict: great three-season, two-person tent if you require some extra space, don't mind the weight, and prefer the stability that the Jake's corner provide. Not quite there as a three-person tent but will do if you don't mind sleeping on top of one anther.

Save & Share