While we can all hope travel is slowly getting back to normal, in the meantime, this spring and summer promises to be another outdoor-centric travel season. I love air travel and international adventure, but I plan to take advantage of camping, road tripping, and #vanlife this year, just as I did last year.
We needed a new tent, so I tried out the Sierra Designs Meteor Lite 2, which hits that perfect note of light enough for backpacking, yet comfy and roomy enough to toss in the car for campground camping, too. An update of Sierra Designs’ Meteor, the Meteor Lite is…you guessed it…lighter, with upgraded materials. It’s still a freestanding design with two doors and two vestibules, which gives you room to spread out if you’re solo, yet still enough cover to stash packs and other gear if you’re a duo.
There are only two poles, and it took me less than three minutes to set up on my first try. The full coverage fly has a rollback stargazer feature that allows for ventilation (to avoid pesky condensation) and night sky views on clear summer evenings. The packed weight is three pounds, nine ounces, which is very do-able
while backpacking. Yes, ultralight packers will want something in the 1-2 pound range, at most, but for most of us, the Meteor Lite fits the bill for a lightweight tent in a reasonable price range. In other words, you get a good value for your money with this one.
For a two-person tent, it’s quite roomy, and the fly material pattern is pret
ty, too. If you’re into that sort of thing, like I admit to being, you’ll be quite happy. Pick it up for $369 on the Sierra Designs site, or, if you need more room, look at the Meteor 3 or 4. Enjoy your hiking and camping season!
