Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight Tent Review

While my Clip Flashlight Tent from Sierra Designs is showing its age (I've had it for 13 years), it's still going strong and I heartily recommend it as a lightweight 2-person tent for three season camping.

Seriously, this is the tent that just keeps on ticking.  I've used it so many times I can't count and besides some leaky seams and a bit of fraying here and there, it's just as good as the day I got it.  As for the leaky seams, that's nothing that some seam sealer hasn't fixed.

The Tent

The best thing about this tent is the fact that it weighs just 4 pounds and 8 ounces.  That's including the vestibule/rainfly!  If offers 32 square feet of indoor floor space and an extra six square feet of area if you are using the vestibule/rainfly.  That translates into a roomy tent for one person and a slightly more cramped tent for two people.

My biggest complaint about the Clip Flashlight is the fact that it's only 43 inches in height.  That means when I sit up, my head is close to the ceiling.  In addition that's its maximum height, most of the rest of the tent is significantly shorter than that.

Not only is it lightweight, but it easily packs away when you're finished with it.  The entire tent, along with the vestibule/rainfly rolls up and fits into an included storage bag that is about 5 inches in diameter and about 20 inches long.

The tent is made from mesh and lightweight synthetic materials and without the vestibule/rainfly on, the tent is quite airy with good airflow through the tent.  When you put the vestibule/rainfly on, that airflow is cut down significantly and does tend to make the tent stuffy, especially in warmer weather.

On the inside of the Clip Flashlight there are several different pockets you can use to store small items.

Setting Up The Tent

The Clip Flashlight is one of the easiest tents to set up that I've had or used.  The base of the tent is staked down, then the two support poles are clipped into the tent structure (hence the clip in the name).  Once you have the poles in and the tent clipped to them, you can add the vestibule/rainfly to the tent should you be expecting bad weather.  The vestibule/rainfly fits over the tent, clipping onto the staked loops and completely covers the tent and provides an extra, covered work area in front of the tent.

Sleeping In The Clip Flashlight

The Clip Flashlight Tent is advertised as a 2-person tent and it is, but it can be pretty tight, especially when you have two bigger people.  For me, I really consider this a one-person tent and a 2-person tent if I have to use it that way.  By using it as a one-person tent I have room for my backpack and everything else inside the tent and don't need to worry about storing it elsewhere.  With 2-people, there's no room for anything but the people in the tent.  You'll have to rely on the vestibule area and that's unlikely to have enough room for a backpack.

With one person in the tent, it tends to be a lot less stuffy, even with the vestibule/rainfly on.  With two people, you are quite close to one another and the heat can build up quickly.  

What About Wet Weather?

In order to be stormproof, the Clip Flashlight needs the vestibule/rainfly.  When you have it on, the tent is quite weatherproof.  I've had it in many different rainstorms and until I developed the leaky seam, it was watertight in all but the heaviest of rainstorms for many years.  Now that I've sealed those seams, I haven't had any problems. 

Just make sure you can dry the tent out after it gets wet as the material it is made up of tends to get damp after a rain storm.  If you don't, you chance getting some mildew growth on the tent (take it from experience).  If that happens, you'll have to scrub the tent to get it off.

My Take

I'm glad I invested in the Clip Flashlight years ago.  It's been a great tent that I still use today, even though I have other tents in my camping gear collection to choose from.  It's well made, lasts a long time and is quite weatherproof.  Not only that, it's light, it's easy to pack and its easy to set up, which are all things that I'm looking for in a tent.

I personally use it mainly as a 1-person tent, but it can hold two people.  I'd just rather be more comfortable alone or if I was in need of a 2-person tent, I generally go with the slightly larger tent that I have.