Sierra Designs Hyperlight AST Tent

Owner Review
July 19, 2006

Tester Information

Name: Raymond Estrella
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 3" (193 cm)
Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Email address: rayestrella@hotmail.com
City: Huntington Beach
State: California
Country: USA 

Backpacking Background: I have been hiking for over 30 years, all over the state of California. I have also hiked in Washington, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona, and Idaho. I hike year-round, mostly in the Sierra Nevada, and have put 166 miles (267 km) with a pack on my back so far this year. As I start my 4th decade of backpacking I am making the move to lightweight gear, and smaller packs.

The Product

Manufacturer: Sierra Designs
Web site: www.sierradesigns.com
Product: Hyperlight
Year manufactured: 2004
MSRP: $269.95 (US)
Size: 2 person
Packaged weight (complete) listed: 5 lb 1 oz (2.3 kg) Actual weight: 5 lb (2.27 kg)
Optional foot print price: $40.95 (US)
Footprint weight listed: 12.5 oz (340 g) Verified accurate

Interior height (peak) listed: 40 in (102 cm) Verified accurate
Length at longest point listed: 115.5 in (293 cm) Actual size 114.5 in (291 cm)
Width (at widest point) listed: 87.5 in (222 cm) Actual size 88 in (224 cm)
Packed size listed: 19 x 6 in (51 x 15 cm) Actual size 18 x 7 in (46 x 18 cm)
Color: Khaki/Yellow
Warranty: (quoted from company web site) “Sierra Designs guarantees that the materials and workmanship in every product we make will stand up to the use for which it was designed.”

Product Description

The Sierra Designs Hyperlight (hereafter called the Hyperlight or the tent) is a two person tent aimed at the light-weight crowd. It is traditional construction that has a main breathable body and a water-proof fly that can be installed over it.

The main tent walls are made of “Optic White” 40-denier rip-stop nylon. The Khaki colored floor is made of 70-denier taffeta nylon, with an 1800 mm polyurethane coating. It is what the manufacturer calls a “SuperSeal Floor”. Here is their pitch about it. “Combines benefits of catenary and bathtub floors. Raised, taped, perimeter seam provides guaranteed waterproofness. Maintains a tighter pitch with a better wind line to prevent flapping.” It does seem to pitch tighter than a couple of my bathtub floored tents. About 25 - 30 % of the tent body is made of mesh netting to assist in ventilation. Here is a picture of it with the fly off on an early December morning in the eastern Sierra Nevada.


The tent is entered by way of a fairly large round door. The zipper has two sliders that meet at the top of the door in the center. Because of the way it is made I can open the door to any position. Enter from the left, the right, or even the bottom. Or I can drop just the top down like a window. Here is a picture of the door completely open attached only by an inch (2.5 cm) of zipper at the lower left. Inside the tent on the left side is a two-compartment storage pocket.


It comes with two DAC Featherlight aluminum poles, and another pole for the Jake’s Corner. The poles lock into grommets at the ends and sides of the tent. They then clip to the 11 Swift Clips spread along the length and width of the tent. The clip that attaches where the poles cross has a length of elastic cordage that wraps around the poles and locks into a slot on the clip. This makes this junction stronger by a claimed 60%.

The third pole is a small double-pole that is attached together with shock-cord. The poles go into a small V-bracket that attaches to the center tent pole near the back, as can be seen in the picture above. The bottoms lock into grommets to either side of the tent. A tension strap adjusts how tight it pulls against the center pole. The company claims that it adds a 40% increase in strength to the set-up.

The predominately yellow fly is made of 40-denier high tenacity nylon rip-stop. It is silicone coated on one side, and has a 1500 mm waterproof polyurethane under coating on the other to allow seam taping. The company claims that it is 100% waterproof to 80 PSI. It goes over the poles and clips to Fastex buckles at the pole ends. Each buckle has a length of tensioning strap to get the fly nice and snug. A single stake is used to pull the fly away from the tent at the front to create a vestibule. It has an arched zipper that when opened allows half the vestibule to be flopped to the side for entry and ventilation.

Field Conditions

The Hyperlight has been used as far north as Lundy Lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada and as far south as San Jacinto State Park (where it has been a lot). It has seen a low temperature of 14 F (-10 C) above Little Round Valley, also its all time high location at an altitude of 10,500’ (3,200 m). Coincidentally the highest temp and lowest elevation it was used occurred at a single location also. A lovely spot (if your name is Beelzebub) near Furnace Creek in Death Valley was still about 100 F (38 C) in the early evening when I set it up. The elevation was 196’ (60 m) below sea level.

I have pitched it on top of hard packed dirt in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, rocky dirt high in the southern Sierra, sandy dirt next to the Kern River in the Domeland Wilderness, plain ol’ sand in the desert, and many times on snow of all flavors. (Packed, fresh, crusty, rotten, corny, etc.) It has never been dumped on. A couple of inches (5 cm) of snow at the most.

Observations

I bought the Hyperlight in December of 2003 as part of the major change to light-weight gear I have mentioned in many of my reviews. It was a big difference compared to the old six+ pounder (2.7+ kg) I had been using as a solo tent for years. And it was even lighter than they claimed it was! (That is refreshing in this day of exaggerated marketing claims.)

For the record, because of my height I use a two-man tent as a solo. I have never been comfortable in one-man tents. As will be seen later I will occasionally use a two-man for its intended purpose but normally use three-man tents when bunking with another adult.

I did not expect to use it until the normal hiking season was upon us, but after setting it up in the office I realized that with the way it was constructed, its low profile, and the pole configuration with the Jake’s Corner, this tent could easily be a 3+ season shelter. I proceeded to prove that to myself with a couple of solo snow trips. It handled wind very well and proved to be pretty stable under the limited snow loads it has been used in.

I love the way it sets up. The Swift Clip system has been my favorite since I noticed it. (I have owned five SD tents with it.) I got my first tent with it around 1983 or ‘84 and now use it (and similar clip type set-ups) as a standard persuasion point when shopping for tents. To me it makes it so nice to not have to thread poles through a sleeve. And dealing with putting said poles into place at a windy location? I shudder at the memories.

I always stake the tent down at least by the up-wind corners then put the poles up. I then clip the center clip at the pole crossing point, and next clip the side towards the staked end. Last comes the other side and adjust and stake the free end. Wha-la! Home sweet dome. It sheds wind very well when positioned with the pointed (back) end to the direction of the wind.

I do not know enough about the physics of the tent and poles to verify that the Jake’s Corner adds as much strength to the setup as they say, but it is apparent that it does work just by pushing on the pole without it in place. Of course if it was twice as long and placed further up the pole it is supporting it would be even stronger. But at some point, following that reasoning, it would just end up with a third pole. I am satisfied with the results of it the way it is.

The footprint shape of the Hyperlight is kind of weird. (See illustration to the right.) It works fine for me solo as I can take all that glorious length right down the center. My pack can go on the side of me away from the door with plenty of room for little stuff on the other. There is no way that I would want another person my size in it with me though.

Unfortunately for the Hyperlight (and my wallet) Big Agnes introduced their Seedhouse 2 SL right as the regular hiking season was starting following its purchase. I bought one and loved it, and the rest should have been history for the Hyperlight. But that was not the case.

I hike with my nieces a time or two each year. One of them stays with me, the other with Dave, their dad. Since they are shorter than us, it works very well for one of them to be on the short side of the tent, and I have done that on trips to the Kern River and Domeland Wilderness.

I also kept using it as a winter tent if I did not expect horrible conditions. It has spent more of its life on snow than it has on the ground. As a result it has kept very clean. I have had a few problems with condensation with it in winter. In the photo above on snow I had the fly spread out off camera and my bag draped to dry them out because of the amount of moisture picked up during the night.

Its main 3-season function has become my pre-hike shelter. I try to get to my trailhead the night before a hike to acclimatize, as I live near sea-level. Rather than unpack my backpack I will bring the Hyperlight along with anything else extra I may need, (pad, bag, stove, etc.) and sleep in it, leaving it in the truck the next morning. As a result it has been used in a lot of places it might not have been otherwise.

I have never been in more than light rain with the Hyperlight, so can not comment about the high bathtub walls and sealed fly. I have never seen a drip get past.

And gentle reader if you ask why I keep referring to the Hyperlight in the past tense, well it has been retired at the tender young age of 2 ½ . I am going to sell or give it to a family member as I have others waiting to take its place. But it was/is a very good tent. As a single do-it-all tent to be able to use almost year ‘round the Hyperlight is hard to beat. I think that is why SD continues to carry this fine tent. Below is a picture setting it up in the dark in the winter.

Pros: Decent weight, strong, 3+ season
Cons: Weird shape, can have poor ventilation in certain conditions