For the past forty years and counting, Sierra Designs has mastered the art of crafting attainable, functional and striking outdoor gear and apparel. When it comes to Sierra Designs, there’s more to love than just their ultra-high performance gear. In reality, they offer some of the best cost effective equipment out there.
Take for instance their ultra-lightweight and packable tents, which feature some of the best cost-to-weight value in the outdoor industry — all without sacrificing any premium technical performance or brilliant utility.
Their latest Nitro 800 20-degree bag and Sweet Suite 3 tent are testaments to just how far the company is willing to push the boundaries of outdoor innovation. Not surprisingly, both pieces of gear belong to their “pushing the limits” product family.
Below, you’ll find my review of Sierra Design’s top-notch pieces of gear, alongside my impressions of how each performed during field testing.
Quick Highlights:
Sierra Designs Nitro 800 20 Degree Sleeping Bag
- Ultra-lightweight and compressible construction
- PFC-Free 800 fill power DriDown
- 15-denier nylon liner and shell fabrics
- Hands-free patented self-sealing foot vent for effortless ventilation (Raise knee and stick toes out of bag)
- 5-inch wide, side seam to side seam, draft-dodge collar to cinch out drafts (On 0 and 20 degree bags)
- Warmer, 5-inch baffle spacing and side wall baffles to prevent down from shifting
- Anti-snag zipper tracks with 2-inch bonded interface
- Available in 35, 20 and 0 degree temperature ranges
- Traditional mummy shape with generously roomy cut
- Track My Down Allied Feather & Down
- Long 40-inch zipper for ease of entry and exit
- Functional cord tension hood adjustment
- Available in regular and long varations
- EN Limit Temp Rating: 17F / -9C
- EN Comfort Temp Rating: 28F / -2C
- Fill Weight: 14.7 oz / 418 g
- Minimum Weight: 1 lb 12 oz / 0.80 kg
- Fits Up To: 6′ 0″ / 183 cm
- Length: 78in / 198 cm
- Shoulder Circumference: 62″ / 157 cm
- Hip Circumference: 56″ / 142 cm
- Footbox Circumference: 40″ / 102 cm
- Mesh Stoarge Bag Size (LxW): 20 x 12″ / 51 x 31 cm
- Stuff Sack Size (L x W): 15 x 7.5″ / 38 x 19cm
Sierra Designs Sweet Suite 3 Tent
- Largest, most livable tent in the “pushing the limits” category
- Generous interior space with minimal weight thanks to unique tripod, prebent pole geometry
- Two-door and (fully covered) two-vestibule design for ample storage space
- Compact construction for minimal pack space requirements
- Simple and rapid tent setup
- 2 poles (3 hubbed together plus 1 rigid pole)
- DAC Featherlite aluminum pole construction
- 20D Nylon Ripstop, Silicone/1200mm PeU, FR CPAI84 fly fabric
- 30D Nylon Ripstop, Silicone/1200mm PeU, FR CPAI84 floor fabric
- 15D Nylon No-See-Um Mesh body fabric
- Minimum Weight: 3 lbs 12 oz / 1.70 kg
- Packaged Weight: 4 lbs 4 oz / 1.93 kg
- Number of Doors: 2
- Number of Vestibules: 2
- Vestibule Area: 8.9 sq ft + 8.9 sq ft / 0.83 sq m + 0.83 sq m
- Floor Area: 40.4 ft2 / 3.75 m2
- Peak Height: 43″ / 109.2 cm
- Dimensions (L x W): 85 x 70 (head) x 67″ (foot) / 216 x 178(head) x 170cm (foot)
- Packed Size: (L x W): 17″ x 6.75″ / 43.2 cm x 17.2 cm
- Design Type: Semi Freestanding
- Number of Guylines: 4
- Stake Quantity: 10
- Available in two sizes Sweet Suite 2 and Sweet Suite 3 (2-person and 3-person)
- Burrito bag storage with side opening, adjustable SR buckles and cinch style opening (with cord lock)
Optional: Sierra Designs Sweet Suite 3 Tent Footprint
- 68D Polyester Taffeta, WR/PU1800mm, FR construction
- Weight: 9.3 oz / 264 g
- Dimensions: 81″ x 66″ (head) x 62″ (foot) / 205.7 cm x 167.6 cm (head) x 157.4 cm (foot)
- Storage Bag Dimentions: 10 x 7 x 0.8″ / 25.4 x 17.8 x 2.0 cm
- Storage Bag Weight: 0.4 oz / 12 g
Sierra Designs Nitro 800 20 Degree Sleeping Bag Review
For three-season backpacking, the Sierra Designs Nitro 800 20 degree sleeping bag makes the perfect addition to my outdoor equipment arsenal. It excels when it comes to being: Lightweight, compressible, and weather-resistant.
Each features a thermally efficient and weight saving tapered mummy cut and comes in at an impressive 1 lb. 12 oz. minimum weight. Alongside the ultra-lightweight construction, Sierra Designs has managed to make this sleeping bag remarkably compressible. For incredible warmth, you’ll find PFC-Free 800 fill power DriDown which unlike traditional down, continues to perform even after getting wet. Best of all, any damp feathers will dry out significantly faster.
To inspire confidence through rainy, wet conditions spent outdoors, each sleeping bag comes with a 15-denier nylon liner and shell fabric.
To enhance warmth and cut down on the weight, you’ll find an easily accessible, anti-snag half-length zipper. For getting in and out of the Sierra Designs Nitro 800, I found this to be plenty spacious. Behind the zipper and along the collar you’ll also see additional insulation to stay toasty warm. Not to mention, 5-inch baffle spacing and side wall baffles also work wonders to prevent the down from shifting.
Unlike other traditional mummy bags, the patented self-sealing foot vent really makes this sleeping bag stand out! Just extend your feet on out freely to cool on down. To close the bottom, all you have to do is pull your feet back in, and the end will flip over to create the perfect seal. After trying it a handful of times, I have to say; the design is truly ingenious!
Included with the Sierra Designs Nitro 800 20 degree sleeping bag you’ll find a stuff sack, plus a mesh bag to help extend the life and loft.
Sierra Designs Sweet Suite 3 Tent Review
In comparison to other tents in its category, the Sierra designs Sweet Suite 3 tent offers brilliant durability, functionality, and design at a very practical price point. With high-end materials and a premium construction, the Sweet Suite 3 is part of their “pushing the limits” collection.
As their largest and most livable tent in the premium lineup, each features a generous interior space with a surprisingly lightweight design. For minimum weight, you can expect to see 3 lbs 12 oz, and for packed weight, 4 lbs 4 oz.
How did Sierra designs achieve this? It starts with their unique tripod, prebent pole geometry design with an offset hub. Of course, DAC Featherlite aluminum poles play a role too.
With a strong take layout featuring fast color coated clips, the Sweet Suite 3 takes on high winds like a champ. Add in the rainfly, and you’ve got full coverage with two roomy vestibules. Concerning vestibule sizing, I was able to comfortably fit my 110L hunting pack inside with lots of space to spare. With tall, vertical walls headroom was terrific to match!
For entry and exit, the giant zippered doors made getting in and out a breeze. And at just over 40 square feet of interior space, the significant other, dogs and I all fit inside comfortably. For fast access, organization and keeping my gear off the floor, the numerous storage pockets are golden.
Space aside, the rollable vestibule set up makes it super simple to get more air flowing through while enjoying the stars and sky at night.
For durability, a coated, seam sealed 30 denier nylon ripstop floor can be found alongside the optional 68D polyester Taffeta footprint construction. Without having to empty your entire pocketbook, you can really get a top-notch tent that’s built to last. Needless to say, when you factor in the lightweight construction, it comes as a rare surprise in comparison to what else is out there. Personally, I love it.
After unpacking and packing back up this tent, a small gem I’ve found to really enjoy is the unique burrito bag design. With SR buckles and a cinch style opening (alongside a cord lock), the Sweet Suite 3 is amazingly simple to pack up in a flash.
