Reviews & Ratings for Sierra Designs Lightning 2 Tent - 2 Person, 3 Season — 2 reviews — Page 1

I bought this originally for Kauai to hike the Kalalau Trail. It's spacious for a 2 person tent. My gf (5'4") and I (5'8") fit in it, with room to spare against the sidewalls, and we even fit our backpacking backpacks at our heads/entrance. It held up in 40mph winds in Kauai and I used it at Lassen National Park on a snow backpacking trip. It held up well in the snow, but we covered the foot vent with a shirt to prevent cold wind getting in. The only knock on it is that the rainfly is connected to the tent itself for an easier setup (takes less than 5 minutes), so you can't remove it during warmer camping seasons to reduce weight, and you can't remove it to stargaze directly above you when you're laying down (but you can peak through the entrance window)

Other notes:
-Vestibule area is spacious enough for your backpack and boots and it's nice that each side has that.
-You can open the window to quickly see outside vs other tents with full rainflys will cover everything and block visibilty to outside, so you have to step out to open the rainfly in order to see outside
-Each side has a gear storage pocket and multiple ceiling loops for lamp/flashlights, etc.
-Door is in front of you instead of 1 side so you don't have to climb over the other person to exit..

I recently returned from camping on Cayo Costa Island off of Florida gulf coast and I think the bugs were so bad, I felt like I was on Naked & Afraid. If it wasn't for this tent I would have been absolutely miserable. The only thing I wanted was to be bug-free bc itching is horrible. I felt very comfortable at night. The netting was very small weave- perfect for keeping out tiny evil little noseeums. The door flap allowed in plenty of air at night when there was a breeze. The vestibule doors were great in the middle of the night when I needed to use the Go Girl w/ a urinal container and stash it outside but w/in reach. It did not rain and it was hot during the day and some condensation on the roof but nothing dripping.

(Negative part): It was intolerable to nap in or hang out in during the day bc there's no fly- no breeze and light could penetrate the tent. The side vestibule netting made a slight breeze but overall if you don't place tent in very shaded area you will feel like you're in a sauna. (I couldn't bc I was on an island decimated by Hurricane Charley so trees were gone near the beach). Also, no big deal but the opening has an awning so it's difficult to get in and out. I would unzip my tent and literally dive in, most times falling on my pad so that's ok. It slipped once and nice bruised knee afterwards, but I was camping and things are not supposed to be perfect. I'm camping (at same place again) and will buy a cheap tarp to lay down in front of tent so that I c...
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