Sierra Designs Zolo 3 Tent Review

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Tis the season for camping!  The Sierra Designs Zolo 3 tent is a great option for those of you that are looking for a 3-person tent for car camping and backpacking.  The tent’s travel weight is 6 lbs 5 oz, which puts it in the middle of the road for weight as far as high end tents go.  The interior of this tent boast 48 square feet, making it plenty roomy for 3 people, two people and a dog or two, or two people and lots of gear.  We tested the tent with two people, one 6’0 and one 5’9. Along with the humans, there were two 60lbs dogs that can somehow take up a queen size bed each.  There was also plenty of room for a few medium sized bags, not having to put your gear outside your tent.  Although we prefer to keep our gear inside our tent, there are two large vestibules that allow for a covered space in case you have some muddy shoes, wet towels, or a bike that you want to be covered from the elements.

This tent sits lower to the ground and gains its’ square footage with its’ width versus a narrow and taller tent, which came in handy while we camped in the Colorado National Monument, where the winds picked up neighboring tents. We found the Sierra Designs Zolo 3 fairly easy to set up with only one person.  The tent poles are connected by a rotating piece of plastic that gives it added stability during set up, while also making it easier and quicker to set up with only one person (no fumbling with three separate poles).  There are clips along the body of the tent that quickly snap onto the tent poles. The first set up took about 5 minutes, meaning with repeated set ups, not in the dark, are bound to be a cinch with a little practice. The fly has two peak through windows and attaches to the body of the tent via plastic clips; which make the system lighter weight, but may break with continuous wear and tear. For some reason our dogs love to get outside the tent and look for animals, so it’s nice to be able to check the window before letting them loose. We liked the two-way zipper design on not only the fly, but also the body of the tent, which makes entering and exiting, while keeping the dogs in the tent, a tad more convenient. With two openings in the tent, you don’t have to worry about your camp mate climbing over you while taking care of business in the middle of the night.  Since it seems that sleep is rare to come by while camping, the less you get woken up the better. Although we didn’t puncher the floor of the tent, it seemed as if it would be good to splurge and get the footprint to prevent rips and tears.

With Sierra Designs dedication to outdoor adventure and quality products, it will give you some reassurance when in the checkout line with your Zolo 3. For more information on the Zolo 3 and other Sierra Designs gear. visit www.sierradesigns.com or www.amazon.com/sierradesgins.

Specs

• Trail Weight 6 lb. 5 oz
• Fast Pack Weight n/a
• Packed Weight 6 lb. 14 oz
• Number of Doors 2
• Interior Area 48 ft²
• Vestibule Area 11 + 11 ft2
• Peak Height 45″
• Floor Material 70D Nylon, 3000mm
• Body Material 68D Polyester, Dye-Free White
• Fly Material 75D Polyester, 1500mm
• Poles DAC Featherlite NSL

Sierra Designs Zolo 3 in action