Sierra Designs Meteor Lite 3 Tent

The Meteor Lite 3 is an upgraded version of their existing Meteor 3 tent. This lite version has the same design and all the great features of the regular tent but is constructed with lighter materials in order to lessen the carried load. By going from heavier material in the original Meteor series to the lightweight materials used in the Lite series, the weight has been reduced by 550g (1 lb 4 oz) in the 3 person tent. The tent is bilaterally symmetrical and offers two large doors, each with its own vestibule.

The Meteor Lite 3 Tent uses DAC Featherlight NSL Aluminum poles that slide into each corner with custom eyelets. Colour-coded webbing and pole-ends ensure an intuitive set-up. A hubbed pole design combined with a floating ridge pole create vertical sidewalls in order to maximize interior volume. This creates more useable space at both the head and the foot.

The body of the tent is 15D No-See-Um nylon mesh to offer the best views when the fly comes off. This mesh body is pulled out to the pole structure by small hooks and the attachment point at the ridge pole is a specialized ball joint.

At the peak of the tent body, a small mesh pocket offers a place to put a headlamp to light up the space which is super convenient at night or if you are tent bound.

The tent floor is 30D Ripstop nylon and features taped seams and reinforced corners to ensure you stay dry no matter what the weather brings.

The full coverage fly is made from lightweight 20D Ripstop nylon and a velcro attachment points offer a way to secure the fly to the pole structure. A small vent can be propped open at the pinnacle of the fly to enhance ventilation and keep condensation build up to a minimum.

Small toggles and loops offer a variety of options for using the fly. The vestibule doors can be tucked up to the sides and the head or toe of the fly can be rolled up to optimize star gazing while still offering limited protection from the elements. In the photos below, the foot side of the fly has been rolled up, but the same effect is possible with the head end of the fly.

The fly features a number of guylines guy lines so you can batten down the hatches in anticipation of inclement weather.

Poles: DAC Featherlight NSL Aluminum
Fly: 20D Ripstop nylon
Body: 15D No-See-Um nylon mesh
Floor: 30D Ripstop nylon

• Fully freestanding
• Full coverage fly
• Rollback stargazer
• 2 doors with vestibules
• Hubbed pole structure
• Volumizing pole design

The Meteor Lite 3 is a great 3 person backpacking tent that takes all the amazing features of the Meteor tent and shaves off some weight by using lighter materials; what could be better than that?

I think the coolest feature of the Meteor series is the Rollback Stargazer feature. All those times spent pondering whether or not to put up the fly can be left in the past because this feature allows you to literally roll back the fly for stargazing as it does on Sierra Designs Sweet Suite 2 and Sweet Suite 3 Tents. Either end of the fly can be rolled up and, in the event that perhaps having the fly on was the better idea after all, rolling the fly back down for full coverage is quick and easy. 

The living space is definitely large and I like that the walls are all mesh. This makes for the best possible ventilation and uninterrupted views if going without the fly. I think the living area could benefit from having a couple more pockets, as there are only two medium-sized pockets on the walls and one pocket for a headlamp in the ceiling. The tent does offer interior loops along the ceiling so some storage can be made up for by setting up some cord inside for hanging and drying things.

While having two doors and vestibules is nothing new and exciting, it’s always a great addition. Easy entry and exit from a tent are not to be taken lightly, and having a dry space outside the main tent body is essential. I found that the vestibules are quite spacious for one person, but if you were to put two large backpacks in one vestibule it would become real tight real quick.

On the whole, this is an awesome tent. Quick, intuitive setup, large comfortable living space, and lightweight. Bravo Sierra Designs.