Don't like camping in a coffin? Well, this tent is a little bigger.
Written: Mar 25 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Light, easy setup, good amount of headroom, price
Cons: Seams are sealed poorly, weird floor shape, vestibule, price
The Bottom Line: I hate bivy sacks, tarps, and single-wall tents. If you feel the same way and want some headroom this tent will work for you.
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| wvabackpacker's Full Review: Sierra Designs Ultra Light Year CD Tent |
-Sierra Designs Ultra Lightyear CD Solo Tent-
~Introduction-
Are you trying to lighten up your pack weight a bit? Do you want to be protected from bugs? Don't want a single wall tent? Do you think bivouacs are too confining and tarps too open? Well then you might want to consider the Sierra Designs Ultra Lightyear CD Tent.
I purchased this tent in 2003 from REI.com for $189.
~Specifications-
Fly, Body, Pole Weight: 2lbs 9oz
+guylines, stakes, stuff sack 3lbs 1oz
Floor Space: 20 square feet
Vestibule Area: 3 square feet
1 Door
Interior Peak Height: 38"
Packed Size: 4"x18"
8.84mm DAC Featherlite 7001 Poles
Floor Size: ~113"x44" *see review for more info on this.
~Materials-
Floor: 70D 2.6oz Polyurethane Coated Nylon Taffeta
Canopy: 40D 1.4oz Ripstop Nylon
Mesh: 20D 1.6oz Woven Nylon
Fly 30D, 1.94oz High-Tenacity Nylon 66, 246 Thread Count, Polyurethane and Silicone coating
~Notable Features-
Fastpack setup. Lightweight, easy to setup, packs small
~Setup-
Setting up this tent is really easy. There are two poles that are U shaped. Before staking down the tent insert these poles. First put the pole ends into the grommets on the floor. The poles are not interchangeable—the small one goes at the foot of the tent and the big one at the head. It is a tight fit, so they can be hard to connect via the swift clips. Make sure you snap them in at the right spot so you don't tear the fabric.
Next stake out the front or back stake point. Then pull the opposite stake point on the main body tightly and stake it down. Voila! Your tent is now standing. For security there are four stake points beside where the tent poles connect to the body on the floor. These four points are optional—I would only use them in adverse conditions.
To attach the fly simply throw it over the tent, logo out. It will fit on only one way. There are four buckles on the fly that snap to female buckles on the tent body near the floor where the pole grommets are. You will also have to stake out the top-right of the fly (it will be leaning against the tent entrance and flap around if you don't). So if you use the fly you will have to insert only 3 stakes.
In addition to the optional stake out points there are two guy out points on the fly. I usually stake these out for ventilation instead of using the stakes for holding the tent in place. In bad weather I would tie these out and stake out every point on the tent.
~Field Test-
First impression: Small. But what do you expect? This is a solo, lightweight tent. My first concern was that my Cascade Designs Therm-a-Rest Luxury LE Self-inflating Mattress would not fit inside. However, after a quick test I found out that it did—although it fits at an angle due to the oddly shaped floor design. Rather than have the tent come to a point making an isosceles (symmetrical) triangle, it makes an obtuse triangle. This greatly affects space negatively. Sierra Designs obviously did this to make room for the vestibule—which is a joke to me. The vestibule isn't large enough for anything more than your boots and maybe a small stuff sack. Your backpack will have to remain outside of this tent completely.
Inside you'll find two pockets…a big one for things like your GPS, pocket change, etc. And a small pocket which is designed as a flashlight/glasses pocket. If you have an old handheld flashlight, turn it on and stick it in this pocket and it will light up the tent by reflecting off the ceiling. But who these days carries a handheld flashlight instead of a headlamp? So I mainly use this pocket for my glasses—here they won't get scratched or crushed.
Next thing you might want to know is can I sit up in this tent? Yes, I can…but it doesn't have the headroom of a Suburban. I'm about 5'11" and I can sit up with my head against the ceiling. I am forced to slightly lean down to avoid being crowned by a nylon-mesh roof. Changing clothes in this tent is equally challenging. There isn't much room and if you change you must change while lying down.
My first backcountry encounter with rain with this tent was pleasant. Of course, it was only a light rain. I stayed completely dry. My next encounter wasn't so pleasant. I encountered a hard rain and I got wet. The floor is very thin and water soaked up through it in certain parts. I would suggest treating the tent floor with a silicon water proofing spray before using the tent. The fly kept water out for the most part, but a little seeped in at the seals. Use McNett's Seam Sealer to correct this. I would also use the seam sealer on the tent floor seams.
Sleeping in the tent can be challenging, especially if you use Therm-a-Rest. You have to sleep as close to the head of the tent as you can or your body will touch the sides or bottom of the tent—and in rainy and wet conditions water will soak through the tent at the point of contact (use a waterproofing spray on the outside to solve this). If you have big feet and don't sleep at the head of the tent, the tops of your feet will touch the top of the tent in the foot area.
After you set your tent up to sleep in it you can squeeze some of you gear inside. I find the top of the tent (triangle) area is great to store a few small items as your body or your sleeping pad will not fit there. You can also fit a few items and small stuff sacks in front of the door and on the internal sides. Your backpack will not fit inside.
I was curious about how this tent performed in snowy/winter conditions. My advice to you is to not try it. The tent doesn't stand up to snow very well even when staked out very well. Also condensation, which isn't a problem in warm conditions, will freeze inside the tent. I found that it mostly gathers in the mesh vents and freezes there.
~Accessories-
Footprint – Don't waste your money on this unless you plan on using the Fastpack Option (rainfly, poles, footprint). For $32 you can buy a bunch of Tyvek which is lighter than the 7oz footprint, and it will perform just as well.
~Warranty-
Limited Lifetime Warranty on construction and materials.
~Customer Service-
I've only contacted Sierra Designs customer service one time after I accidentally damaged the tent myself. They answered my call quickly and were friendly and informative. I believe they would handle any warranty problems quickly and in a friendly, helpful manner.
~Conclusion-
I have a love hate relationship with this tent. It was a little smaller inside than what I expected, but I learned to live with it and wrote it off as a trade off for having a 2lbs 9oz tent. I love it that it is lightweight, easy to setup, and great for its intended three season use. It also has a high (if not the highest) interior peak height when compared to other solo double wall tents. I hate it that water will soak through the tent if you don’t sleep at the correct angle and keep away from the walls (it should be designed to better fit a full length sleeping pad). I am also disappointed with the seam sealing and the fact I had to seal and waterproof the tent myself to stay dry. However, for those lightweight solo excursions the tent works well. All in all I'd recommend it for someone who counts ounces but doesn't want to sleep under a tarp or in a single wall tent. In the future I'd like to try the MSR Microzoid or Zoid 1 for comparison.
© 2004 WVaBackpacker (Jeremy W. Hays)
Written for http://jeremy.qn.net/ 24 March 2004
~Outdoor Reviews by WVaBackpacker-
--Backpacks-
Gregory Shasta Backpack | Dana Design Glacier | Osprey Aether 60 – NEW
--Tents-
REI Half Dome Plus 2 | Mountain Hardware Trinity | Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD
--Sleeping Gear-
The North Face Thunderhead 3D | The North Face Kilo Down 32F | Cascade Designs Therm-a-Rest Luxury LE Self-inflating Mattress | Down Sleeping Bag Buying Guide
--Hydration-
MSR Dromedary Bag | Platypus Big Zip | SweetWater Walkabout Microfilter | SweetWater Walkabout Replacement Filter | SweetWater SiltStopper
--Misc Gear-
Black Diamond LED Hybrid Headlamp
--Destinations-
Heart Lake, Yellowstone National Park | Keyhole State Park, Wyoming
--Books-
The Backpackers Handbook
Recommended:
Yes
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wvabackpacker
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Member: Jeremy Hays
Location: Columbus, OH, USA
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 46 members
About Me:
Maybe I'll write another review someday...lots of new gear...
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