Sierra Designs Lightning HT 2

Summary

Great tent if bought on discount. Very utilitarian design and serves its purpose well. Tested in mild conditions during the spring in the San Gabriel Mountains. Easy setup. Roomy feel. Weight is definitely a concern.. but if you have the money, this tent would probably not be an option as you would be going towards much lighter options.

Bought this on steep and cheap for about $150.  I was debating between this and more expensive options (Tarptent Double Rainbow, Golite Imogene, Montbell Crescent). True, it's much heavier than the other options, but for the money, this tent served its purpose.  

I recently tested it out on the Big Santa Anita Canyon Loop in the San Gabriel mountains (May 16-17). Setup was easy, although I noticed that the instructions provided were for the wrong tent. I experienced some fog/mist/moisture in the morning, and my dog and I were nice and dry inside the tent.

The tent walls are near vertical with ample head room (I'm 6 feet 150 lbs) providing a roomy feel. The floor of the tent does feel quite thin and I am slightly concerned with the durability of the bathtub floor. There are two tent doors and two large vestibules which are definitely a plus. The stuff sack provided for the tent is WAY too big and the tent can be condensed much more with a separate stuff sack.  

Weight is somewhat of an issue (as aforementioned), as there are definitely more lightweight double-wall/hybrid tents out there. At nearly 4 pounds, for around a hundred bucks more, you can go with the Golite Imogene or Montbell Crescent that would be almost a pound to a pound and a half lighter.

However, for the closeout price (just sign up for a steep and cheap alert), the price cannot be beat for you bargain shoppers out there not just quite willing to spend $250 or more on a tent.