Sierra Designs Hyperlight AST Review

"I'm told this tent is made of a new light material to help the backpacker have more tent for the weight. I can't say how it performs in the field because it never got out of the backyard. After one hour of light sprinkler testing, water dripped from the rainfly through the tent mesh and onto the floor in two places. After drying and seam sealing, the same occurred so I returned the tent."

"I have had great experiences with this tent...pouring rain stays out and it ventilates very well. I have had it out 5 times and it performed great each time.
It is huge for one person and there is plenty of room for 2 people, however, setting it up in the outback of NH was slightly difficult due to finding a large enough spot...no big deal though."

"Well, I've just set the tent up on the deck so far, but it performed pretty well in the rain. It's not a good idea to set it up while it's raining because water comes thru the mesh top. I'm a little worried that some water might have been coming thru the seams just above the floor, but that might have been water from the rainy setup. The tent is pretty light and stable, but the interior shape is a little awkward for two people. It works, but it's a strange shape to put two people into. The gear loft doesn't fit right either, but again, it works out fine. Bright colors help when you're stuck inside the tent on the rain!"

"I love this tent. I have two large dogs and a partner and we all fit in this tent. I bought last years version on sale and I see now they are advertising a smaller two person and a 3 person that is a few square feet larger. So if you can get last years model, I would do that. Tent is light and held up well under very windy and cold conditions in the mountains."

"I've had one out for about 8 overnighters in different areas - I travel with the girlfriend and we love it - hugely spacious for the weight and it's odd shape works well to store gear in the tent with plenty of room to spare. You feel a lot less claustrophobic in this design versus rectangular tents. The light colors allow plenty of light in. The fact it only has 1 door isn't that big of a deal because I've camped in 2 door tents and no matter what, when 1 person gets up and leaves the tent...the other person wakes up - regardless of the # of doors. I haven't tested it in high winds or rain, so can't help there. To further reduce a little weight u can leave the jakes corner behind if it's not going to be too windy. Tent sets up extremely easy."

"Sturdy, lightweight, easy to set up. Those are where this tent excels. I noticed some reviews stating problems with waterproofing - I have never had a problem in this tent in the past two years (~50 nights) However, I have never been happy about the shape. Lots of space in the corners but either my feet or my head (or both) are touching the sides (Alas the perils of being 6' - 4"). Airflow could be better in the summer and would also help with condensation. Overall a great tent especially if your you and other person is 6' or less."

"I've had the tent for about 3-4 years now. Love it! Lightweight with plenty of room for two. One person is in heaven with space for pack and other gear spread around. No problems with wind, rain and snow. (I sealed all seams on tent and fly just to be safe.) A funky floor plan, but it works."

"I absolutely love this tent. I brought my Hyperlight AST 2 person on a week long backpacking trip. It served well and was well ventilated as long as I staked out the rain fly properly. There was a small amount of rainfall during the trip and the tent stayed waterproof. I enjoyed the fact that this tent was light weight and very easy to set up and take down. My friend and I had plenty of room in this tent for both us and our gear. I think the only negative aspects of this tent are the odd shape and the fact that the tarp made for this model does not fit exactly to the tent, though pretty close. If I had to remake the decision of which tent I should buy, I would definitely choose this tent without a second thought."