Sierra Designs Creates New, Lighter Tent Design

The Sierra Designs product development team is making life easier in the backcountry with several new innovations in tent design. The same company that created the first ultralight tent, the Clip Flashlight, has come up with a new, patent pending pole design for its Meteor Light three-season backpacking tent.

The Meteor Light has been around the world and back in its twenty-year history and has always been known as a comfortable and spacious tent that was easy to set up due to its three equal length poles. In fact, it is one of the only pieces of equipment to win a Backpacker Magazine Gold Award.

This year Sierra Designs has reconfigured the poles, essentially maintaining three-pole function without the third pole. This new design is called Eye Pole Configurationâ„¢, and it reduces the overall weight of the Meteor Light 2 by a full pound. In the world of backpacking, where weight reductions are measured in grams and ounces, this is a considerable improvement.

“The Meteor light has always been the tent of choice for the experienced backpacker,” said Phil Mesdag, hardgoods product manager for Sierra Designs. “The new Eye Pole Configuration™ offers more usable interior space in a package that is significantly lighter than the former design.”

The footprint remains generous, with enormous internal space. It’s still easy to set up… and did we mention it’s a pound lighter? This old-school favorite now has a thoroughly modern update. MSRP: $269 (Meteor Light 2) $349 (Meteor Light 3).

Committed to its Green Effectsâ„¢ program, Sierra Designs’ in-house green team is switching more tent materials to polyester for Spring 2009. Part of this program will include recycling tents, and since polyester recycles and nylon does not, it was a simple decision. Polyester also is unaffected by temperature swings —nylon tends to sag in the cold and tighten in the heat. Polyester was once thought to be far weaker than nylon, but newer types offer equivalent strengths over the life of the tent. Sierra Designs will continue to use dye-free, optic white canopies and PVC-free seam tape in all of their tents, eliminating harmful chemicals from the production process.


About Sierra Designs
Founded in 1965, at the beginning of the golden age of backpacking and climbing, Sierra Designs is one of the original brands for the eco-conscious outdoor enthusiast. We have always had a passion to protect where we play, and our tents, sleeping bags, and apparel have been to every corner of the world, from the highest peaks in Tibet to your local greenway around the corner. We model and design our products for high performance adventurers, but make it attainable for you. Sierra Designs’ gear and apparel fits in with your daily life, no matter where it takes you. Visit us online at SierraDesigns.com or see us on Facebook.