Review by Since my backpacking epic last fall I have been keenly researching and acquiring high quality backpacking gear. One of the toughest products to choose thus far has been a tent.
While hiking in British Columbia I had to stay in what could possibly be the worst tent in the world. No floor, single walled, no vetalation, and it had a single pole design (single pole holding up a tarp = much like a circus tent) that rendered a large amount of floor space inside the tent useless. Due to this bad experience, and the fact that a tent is a product one uses for a long time, I wanted to make sure that I chose the tent carefully and considerately.
Here is the checklist of requirements that I used to pair down the huge list of available tents:
So after months of online research, crawling in and out of tents in numerous sporting goods stores across Canada, and extensive measuring of me in my sleeping bag, I decided to purchase the Sierra Designs Meteor Light (2-person tent).
At this point I’ve only slept in the tent a handful of nights (and only in the backyard to try it out), so further comments may be added as I use the tent more. Update: I've slept in the tent dozens of nights in a range of settings and weather.
Right off the bat, it’s a great tent. The interior wall of the tent has huge panels of no-see-um mesh for ventilation. This tent had much more mesh than the average tent seemed to have through my research. It also has the entire top panel as mesh so that on good weather nights you can stargaze. A nice feature. The interior wall (the tent wall) also has large lower mesh vents on the ends to allow for vertical ventilation.
The length (98 inches) is more than enough for me, my sleeping bag, and a pillow. I couldn’t touch the two end walls if I tried. This will ensure that my down sleeping bag will not get that nasty wall condensation on it during the night. The height (43 inches) is also ample to sit up, change clothing, move around, and avoids the “I’m in a sleeping tube” feeling.
The tent isn’t the lightest of the tents I looked at. It weighs in (packed weight) around 6.5 lbs. This is still quite manageable for an average backpacker. If you’re a minimalist, it does have the nice feature of leaving the tent behind and just using the tent footprint and the rain fly (with the poles) to create a single walled shelter. The tent poles, featherlites, are remarkably light for their size and strength.
With the tent set up fully (rain fly on and pegged out) this tent is VERY weather proof. Unlike some tents I saw, the rain fly covers the entire tent from top to bottom. The three pole design is also extremely stable and I would imagine would stand up to quite strong winds. With the option of installing internal lines to increase its stability I don’t imagine that an average backpacker could find a storm to knock it down. The tent also has a waterproof bucket floor.
The rain fly pegs out on the front of the tent to create a nice, very adequate vestibule for gear, a dog (as shown), or perhaps a garden gnome. A nice touch is that the rain fly does have a window in it that allows some light into the tent and also allows a tentgoer to check on the weather before committing to opening the zipper.
Sierra Designs has a very good tent reputation. This model in particular, the Meteor Light, has been in production for years. It has the benefit of being a very mature design. It has undergone numerous improvements over the past decade but has not suffered from the plight of a massive redesign.
A tent-footprint (although a little pricey) was available.
An unexpected nicety were the amazing doors. The oval doors (both sides) have two zippers each. The zippers zip all the way around and allows the doors to stuff into a small pocket on the inside of the tent. This takes the doors and puts them completely out of the way. This is very nice when you’re putting gear in or taking gear out. The two large opposing doors also allow two people to unload gear into the tent at the same time.
Overall this is a fantastic tent, especially for those over six feet tall. Highly recommended.
Update: After having spent many a night in this tent in raging rain storms in the backcountry to calm cloudless nights in campgrounds I really can't say it better than above. I've been very happy with the tent.
Get the Meteor Light from Amazon.com
Buy the tent footprint from Amazon.com
Copyright © 2004-2008 silverorange. All rights reserved.
The more stuff you own, the less happy you will be - so be sure and own good stuff!
Comments
Jim Ewing - May 1, 2004 6:04 am
Hmmm . . . looks to me like a portable oval office . . .
David Colbert - March 4, 2005 3:34 pm
Having used a Sierra Design Meteor Light tent for at least 6 years, I would agree with just about everything Dan said about this tent.
It's strongest points are its spaciousness and awesome ventilation. This is one backpacking tent that you won't feel cramped up in. And, If you hate it when your sleeping bag and other gear get wet from moisture inside your tent, those huge mesh panels in the ceiling will ensure it never happens again.
The extra space is really beneficial in winter treks where gear is bulkier. I wouldn't suggest using this above treeline in winter, but I've used it many times under tree cover and it copes well with wind and snow loads. For winter use, it really should be yellow, but I've never had any trouble finding it in the dark or snow. Using reflective guy lines or flags might be a good idea though.
The only negative that I can think of is that the Meteor Light is not really all that light.... that's the trade-off for all that spaciousness. However, if you can split the weight with a hiking partner, and hate damp, tiny tents, the Meteor Light is the tent for you.
Kerstin - October 11, 2005 12:33 am
I've had a Meteor Light tent since 1991. I originally rented one for a trip to Tuolumne Meadows the same year. We experienced one of the most torrential rain/hail/lightning storms I've ever experienced. The Tuolumne Meadows campground was actually evacuated. We had a site on a high spot and chose to stay put. Even thought there was so much water flowing around and under the tent that it felt like a waterbed, there was no leakage anywhere: no rain splattering under the fly sheet and no water coming in through the floor. It stayed put in the high winds too.
Because of this experience, I bought one of these tents.
My old-model tent looks a lot different than the one available today. The only improvement I could think of, a door on each side of the tent, has been taken care of. I don't know if this makes the newer models heavier or not.
In the late-nineties I had the door zipper fail during a trip to Mt. Langley. Thankfully it was a late season trip with good weather and no mosquitos. Sierra Designs replaced the door zipper with a heavier-duty one for free.
I stake the tent down carefully with Black Diamond aluminum stakes (I've also had those for over a decade). I've never had a problem with the tent blowing away even in the heaviest winds.
I really love the spaciousness of this tent and it's durability--I've had it for 14 years. It ventilates well, too. Perhaps it's a bit heavy when compared to more recent designs, but it's reliability is most important to me.
Barry - July 27, 2008 7:58 pm
I have had a meteor light since 1998 and continue to love it. I agree with everything that Dan wrote above. I have been through days of heavy rain and high winds along the Lake Superior shoreline and it has never leaked nor blown away. Since it is the older, single door model, I do wish that I had the newer design with two doors. Great tent!