Sierra Designs High Route 1FL Tent Review

[Adam VanZee]

Companion forum thread to: Sierra Designs High Route 1FL Tent Review

The Sierra Designs High Route 1P Tent is a three-season tent designed for withstanding variable conditions while remaining (sort of) light.

[Jeff McWilliams]

https://andrewskurka.com/2018/preview-sierra-designs-high-route-tent-updated/

Being redesigned for 2019 so if you like the “Revision 1” model get it while it’s still available .

 

[tom c]

looks very similar, but much heavier to the “Dan Durkin 1P” tent, which i believe is only sold on Massdrop: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-dan-durston-x-mid-1p-tent#specs

– 28oz

– 17 sqft floor area (46.5 sqft total under the rainfly)

[Jeff McWilliams]

The Dan Durston tent is an awesome looking tent.  But it’s not going to be for everyone, particularly since you HAVE to purchase it during a few limited time windows when Massdrop makes it available, and you have to be willing to wait MONTHS for Massdrop to finish production and deliver it.

 

[Scott Shorter]

I recently picked up the FL1 on discount at Backcountryedge.com. I guess we’ll start seeing that more as retailers try to move the old model in preparation for the 2019 version. For $225 at discount I think it’s a great deal. I’ve camped a couple of nights in it so far and found the sturdy build plus roominess are hard to beat at that price. It seems roomier than BA freestanding 1-man tents but lighter. I’m not really a gram counter, so I chose the room over some of the other lighter trekking pole tents. I’m also kind of cheap, so the price was right!

[Vince G]

I like everything about this tent except the weight. SD must have tried really hard to get a tent without poles to weigh 48 ounces!

[Vince G]

You’ll be able to buy when they become available. Massdrop is going to bring in a s**tload of these from China, just like they did with the Revelation and GG backpacks. I’m waiting until people have been able to review it before pulling the trigger.

[Jeff McWilliams]

That would be great.  I’m just not financially ready to pull the trigger on one right now, but I really like the design.

 

[Scott Shorter]

I agree it would be better if it could be the same size but 10 oz lighter. But on my scale it’s 37 oz with everything – 34 oz when you drop a few extraneous items (2 stakes and some extra guylines). Exactly 32 oz without stakes and stuffsacks if you wanted to add your own lighter versions, although the burrito stuffsack is pretty cool. I also added an oz by using msr groundhog stakes for the 2 pole guylines – those things are under a lot of stress! It’s pretty much the same weight as the TT Stratosphire 1 and both have 30d floors which let’s me go without a groundcloth fairly confidently. The stratosphere has those nice big vestibules and a little more floor space I think,  but I didn’t really want the extra overall footprint. The fussy pitch on the strato as reported by some was also a turn off. The FL1 is super easy to pitch without too much fiddling. I do wish it were green, but SD does like the bright colors.

[Ken Thompson]

“but SD does like the bright colors.“

Say it loud.

Timing on the reviews lately seem a bit late. Three year old tents and flashlights.

 

[Mole J]

Stratospire is really not fussy to pitch.

If you understand the variables, it is easy on all sorts of ground.

Usually all up in around 3 minutes.

And no more problems with sag than any other tent I’ve ever owned (backpacking regularly since 1983).

We’ve been using a Strat 2 for 3 seasons now.

6 X 2 week trips ( Scotland and Pyrenees) as well as weekends more locally.

Like anything, there are a couple minor niggles, but ease of pitch is not one of them.

[Franco Darioli]

“The fussy pitch on the strato as reported by some was also a turn off”.
When I want to learn how to do something, I copy those who can.

note that there are no cuts or tricks, just me setting it up from start to finish.

[W I S N E R !]

They lost me instantly with the colors.  SD and MSR need to get off this Red/White kick.

[Nick Gatel]

Timing on the reviews lately seem a bit late. Three year old tents and flashlights.

Isn’t this a good thing? Can we assume the review was for a product that has been through three years of frequent use?

I didn’t read the review because I don’t need a new shelter.

[Jeff McWilliams]

Isn’t this a good thing? Can we assume the review was for a product that has been through three years of frequent use?

Well, not when this particular model is being replaced for an updated design for 2019.  For an article that was published on October 31, the information contained in it will quickly become obsolete.

[Ken Thompson]

Nick,

”The field testing consisted of a multiple-day trip in the Belt range of Montana during the last week of September. We set up our camp at six thousand feet and day hiked from there. The weather was typical for the area and season: nights in the twenties and a few snow flurries. We were camped down in a sheltered ravine and so did not encounter a large amount of wind.”

 

[Nick Gatel]

Ah…. I see.

10 years ago we would have gotten an “initial impression” article when the product was new to the market. Then maybe a year of two later, a long term product review with pros and cons, comparisons to similiar poducts, and a recommendation rating that would be somewhere along the scale of “not recommend” up to “highly recommended.” Then if a “new and improved” model was released, a product comparison between old and new. However, these kinds of articles take a lot of time and effort to create. How BPL has changed. Lots of articles that can be put together quickly seem to be the norm.

Maybe I should renew my Backpacker Magazine subscription that I cancelled almost 40 years ago due to a lack of thoroughness and objectivity in product reviews, among other things.

So I just finished reading the article. The two product links (Sierra Designs and Moose Jaw) are affiliate links and BPL will receive a commission if you purchase via the link, unlike those comprehensive and valuable reviews 10 years ago.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

“You’ll be able to buy [the X-Mid] when they become available. Massdrop is going to bring in a s**tload of these from China”
Unfortunately this is unlikely to be the case any time soon – and the tents are built in Vietnam (same factory as MSR), not China.

I thought there would be some available in stock in the spring (April/May) because Massdrop ordered 1000 tents which I thought was a lot. But almost 700 of these are now pre-sold through two “drops” and I expect Massdrop will do a third “drop” soon that sells out the remainder. Massdrop may expand the production run to 1300 if material availability allows, but regardless these tents are likely to be sold out long before they arrive, and any possible second batch will have another long wait unfortunately.

Eventually I’d like to take over the X-Mid production myself and offer them in stock, but that’s years away.

[Nick Gatel]

Dan,

That’s an impressive number of shelters, especially given the wait time in our want-it-now society. Good for you!

[Author]

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