SIERRA DESIGNS HIGH SIDE 3000 1
Just by reading the intro to the Meet The Team section on Sierra Designs’ website, you can tell that the US brand is unlike your typical outdoor manufacturer. It reads, “We are serious about making badass outdoor products so you have a happier experience.” Now, I wouldn’t class myself as ‘badass’ in any way (more fat ass, if I’m honest) but I like that attitude and I very much like this tent.
With its quirky design and shape and tiny pack size, the High Side 3000 is definitely a little different. This one-man tent is the European version of the existing High Side, and is designed to be more suited to our harsher climate and conditions. That means retaining the same successful basic design, but with less mesh and more durable and weatherproof fabrics – including a higher hydrostatic head rating. The combination works a treat.
The High Side gets its name from the prebent, slightly skew-whiff poles, which create a “high side” over the door. This unusual design helps maximise the liveable space inside the tent, without adding to the weight or affecting the low profile, which is great for windy conditions.
The side door can be set up in various different ways: fully closed to keep the weather at bay, rolled up to let you to take in the view, or extended out with a hiking pole to create a larger sheltered space.
The aluminium poles are colour-coded to make it easier to erect; although, because it’s an inner-first design, there is the problem of pitching in rain.
The pole sections are deliberately short.
So, not only is the tent light at just over
1kg, it also has an extremely compact pack size of around 30cm long, small enough to fit comfortably inside your backpack or on bicycle panniers.
With its higher internal walls, an increased 3,000mm hydrostatic head flysheet to keep out the rain and the compact pack size, overall this is a pretty badass tent.