Sierra Designs Vapor Light 2 Tent Review

You are introducing bias into your measurements by "verifying" the manufacturer's claims. You should measure the dimensions yourself, list them, and let the chips fall where they may.

By the way, some of the peak heights on Sierra Design's website are not the interior heights! I called Sierra Design and spoke with them about it. The rep was very arrogant, saying that no where on the website did they claim that the heights were the interior height. He said that if you look at the measurement diagram, it indicates that it is the exterior height. The interior peak height of my tent was about 3 inches less than the peak height advertised on their website.

Sierra Designs will have produced a tent that pleases many unless, of course, they live in a wet and windy environment where condensation is often an issue. Sloping doors to inner tents are not good. They allow rain into the inner when getting into or out of the tent. Also problematic is the high cut of the fly. Some of us need proper wind proofing. The inner of my old TNF Tadpole used to get wet to 18 inches above ground level because of rain blowing under the fly. I used to wonder if vortexing was aggravating any wicking.

Many complain about inner first pitching and net inners. These are two design features which have not been particularly troublesome even though I have often pitched the old Tadpole and a Sierra Designs Mach 1 while it was raining.

Incidentally, I thought the Mach 1 would be a tough little tent, but it was easily flattened by a bit of Welsh breeze (slight exaggeration but the wind was probably less than 45 mph) so I wonder about the pole arrangement on the Vapor Light.

All in all, I would not import one but at the price, would definitely consider buying one if unexpectedly offered some hiking time in a warm, dry location.

Excuse my cynicism. Same old, same old. OK, a couple of tweaks. Nothing much new here. I guess that's not the point???? I also wonder if water drips through the mesh on this type of design??

Any (almost any) new tent will please a good number of people.

I would like to see a tent with a decent vestibule for a little storage, cooking in the rain and to leave open to relieve some of that coffin effect at night…. and the day.

This is a 1 person tent in my opinion. Only then could it provide adequate room.

My Tarptent Rainbow is a palace for one. Good vestibule in the rain. Lots of gear storage. Not bad in moderate wind if guyed adequately. Easy condensation management. Room to move around in. I can pack all of my gear in the pack, get out and pack the tent last. It can be free standing, but I need my poles for day hikes. It's not a 4 season tent and is somewhat breezy. Less weight.

If this tent only had a decent vestibule, it would get a much higher grade from me. If used within its limitations, it will serve some of the market.

Once again this type of tent, even with the hubbed spreader pole, has the basic design flaw of letting precipitation into the tent when the door is opened.

This tent's vestibule door may lessen that problem somewhat but very little according to the reviewer's comments regarding needing a re-shaped vestibule door.

My 1st wedge tent was THE 1st wedge tent, a Jansport, back in the late '70s. Never again will I buy that design. Seems not all tent designers test their prototypes in rain. They should be required to live in them for a few weeks before puting them up for sale.