---
title: "Review: crossing the Beskids with the ultralight Sierra Designs High Route 1 tent"
description: "The alpha and omega of outdoor gear on multi-day crossings is a quality ultralight tent or tarp. How did the Sierra Designs High Route 1 hold up on a 100 km crossing?"
canonical_url: "https://gramino.com/blog/review-sierra-designs-high-route-1"
last_updated: "2021-12-13"
---

# Review: crossing the Beskids with the ultralight Sierra Designs High Route 1 tent

Authors: Patrik Zouhar

Date: 2021-12-13

The alpha and omega of outdoor gear on multi-day crossings is a quality ultralight tent or tarp. How did the Sierra Designs High Route 1 hold up on a 100 km crossing?

It's a cold, gray weekend and a light drizzle is falling outside. The bus pulls up in Oldřichovice near Třinec and four wanderers step off. There isn't a living soul for miles around; the locals are holed up in their warm homes. I don't blame them one bit – you wouldn't send a dog out in weather this miserable. But we have a bolder, more adventurous plan – we're about to walk across the entire Beskids. We're setting out on one of the toughest crossings in the Czech Republic, with an elevation profile as jagged as the saw of a dark-eyed Beskid shepherd. The planned route runs almost a hundred kilometers, and the elevation gain is the same as climbing from sea level all the way to the top of Mont Blanc. We aren't even put off by the fact that we have to cross more than thirty summits with a less-than-ideal forecast ahead. It'll soon become clear who packed reliable (and ultralight) gear and who underestimated it.

Spending five nights deep in the Beskid forests, with practically no chance to restock food and hardly any restaurants along the route, takes preparation. The alpha and omega of outdoor gear on multi-day crossings is a quality ultralight [tent](/c/sleep/tents)or [tarp](/c/sleep/tarps). It largely decides whether you enjoy the trip or suffer through it. There's no worse feeling than waking up in the morning unrested, chilled to the bone, or even wet. I'm a minimalist, so I consider trekking with classic tents that weigh more than a kilo a waste of energy I'll need elsewhere. That's why I went with an easily packable ultralight one-person tent – [Sierra Designs High Route 1](/p/sierra-designs-high-route-1-3000). For fans of subtle colors that blend more easily into nature, I have good news: since mid-2021, the tent has been available in green.

## Tents and accessories

- [Sierra Designs High Route 1 – 3000](/p/sierra-designs-high-route-1-3000.md)
- [3F UL Gear Lanshan 1 Pro (2026)](/p/3f-ul-gear-lanshan-1-pro.md)
- [Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1](/p/big-agnes-tiger-wall-ul1.md)
- [Liteway Pyraomm Duo Tarp](/p/liteway-pyraomm-duo-tarp.md)
- [TOAKS Titanium Hook Peg](/p/toaks-titanium-hook-peg.md)
- [Highlander Utility Cord 3 mm x 15 m](/p/highlander-utility-cord-3-mm-15-m.md)
- [Petzl Tikka Core 2025](/p/petzl-tikka-core.md)
- [Sea To Summit 70D Nylon Tarp Poncho](/p/sea-to-summit-70d-nylon-tarp-poncho.md)

## Three ways to pitch the Sierra Designs High Route 1

The first thing that caught my attention right after unpacking the tent was its versatility. It consists of an outer rainfly and an inner mosquito net, which can be used either on their own or together. There are three ways to pitch the High Route 1 in total: You can take just the rainfly and leave the mosquito net at home, saving a respectable 372 grams. The rainfly alone weighs just over half a kilo, and without the mosquito net it becomes a roomy tarp that two people can sleep under in a pinch. It'll be a tight squeeze, but who would turn down a roof over their head and a chance to get closer during cold, gloomy nights, right? You'll strengthen your bond and have lighter backpacks, too.

A second way to use the [High Route 1](/p/sierra-designs-high-route-1-3000) presents itself on clear, warmer nights. When you feel like watching the stars in the evening but don't want mosquitoes and other pesky insects to spoil the romance, you can pitch just the mosquito net with its floor and leave the rainfly packed. You'll enjoy a stunning 360-degree view of the landscape and be in direct contact with the nature around you. Just check the forecast on a weather radar so a thunderstorm doesn't surprise you in the night. To pitch the mosquito net as well as the rainfly, you'll need two trekking poles at least 119 cm long.

The third option is combining the mosquito net and the rainfly, which gives you a full-fledged, comfortable tent. In this case, expect a total weight of just under one kilo. The manufacturer has taped all the seams on the rainfly, so there's no need to coat them with silicone sealant. The High Route 1 has two entrances with two-way zippers – one standard and the other half-size for easy access to your gear or for ventilation. Both entrances can be tensioned to create a covered area (a roof) that keeps water from getting inside when it rains while maximizing airflow. That comes in handy when you want to cook a meal in the vestibule while staying snuggled up in a warm sleeping bag inside.

## Setting up the tent with trekking poles

Unlike most tents, which use [trekking poles](/c/gear/trekking-poles) for support, the High Route 1 has a rather unusual design. Even so, pitching it is intuitive, and there's no need to worry that you won't manage it. You spread the fly out on the ground, stake the four corners into a rectangle, then slide the tips of your trekking poles into the grommets on the inside, raise them, and secure them at the top with Velcro. Finally, all that's left is to fine-tune the anchoring from the outside with the stakes included in the package. The minimum number of stakes needed to pitch it is six, but for better stability in the wind you can easily use all ten. I'd have appreciated a sturdier material for the stakes; I managed to bend one while hammering it into the dirt. The mosquito net attaches to the rainfly easily with buckles. The corners are color-coded, so you can't mix them up. Even with the mosquito net in place, there's still plenty of room inside for your backpack and other essentials.

## How the tent handled five rainy days in the Beskids

Besides the extra space, another advantage of the diagonally placed trekking poles in the tent's design is that the side walls are vertical and rainwater runs nicely down them. In all five days in the Beskids, most of which were marked by rain or showers, I never once woke up to a wet tent interior. Unfortunately, my friends weren't as lucky, sleeping under a three-meter tarp tied to trees and more than once waking up with damp [sleeping bags](/c/sleep/sleeping-bags). I know that unpleasant feeling of heading out on a hike in the morning knowing I'll spend the next night in a soaked sleeping bag again. That doesn't do anyone's morale any good.

In the end, I reached our destination in Hostašovice, at the western end of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids, alone. The bad weather took its toll, and after struggling with soaked clothes, some members of the expedition decided to end the five-day crossing a day early. I think I speak for everyone when I say we're grateful for this "Beskid lesson." The rugged landscape, persistent rain, and creeping cold toughened our bodies, cleared our minds, and put our outdoor gear to the test. I'm coming away from the Beskids crossing with the good feeling that my backpack holds the kind of things that won't let me down even in tough situations. I can rely on them. And that means I can fully enjoy the next challenges that are slowly starting to take shape ahead of me.

## Verdict: is the High Route 1 worth it?

[Sierra Designs High Route 1](/p/sierra-designs-high-route-1-3000) is a well-designed tent, tarp, and mosquito net in one. I love multifunctional ultralight pieces that let you decide for yourself how to use them. And thanks to that, you can optimize the weight of your backpack. With the High Route 1, the manufacturer even thought through details like the size of the stuff sack. It's big enough for you to pack the tent into it comfortably and super quickly without having to force it. And you'll find a whole range of features like this that make using, pitching, and packing the tent more pleasant. I give it top marks, and I'm looking forward to the next trip. May the mountains be both teacher and ally on our further journeys through life.

## Gear for nights outdoors – even in the rain

- [Fizan Compact 4 TECH](/p/fizan-compact-4-tech.md)
- [DD Hammocks SuperLight Tarp](/p/dd-hammocks-superlight-tarp.md)
- [Liteway Simplex Max Tarp](/p/liteway-simplex-max-tarp.md)
- [TOAKS Titanium V-shaped Peg Large](/p/toaks-titanium-v-shaped-peg-large.md)
- [Cumulus Panyam 450](/p/cumulus-panyam-450.md)
- [Sea To Summit Ether Light XR Insulated](/p/sea-to-summit-ether-light-xr-insulated.md)
- [Warmpeace Cirrus](/p/warmpeace-cirrus.md)
- [Sea To Summit eVac Compression Dry Bag](/p/sea-to-summit-evac-compression-dry-bag.md)
- [Gear Aid Tenacious Tape Silnylon Patches](/p/gear-aid-tenacious-tape-silnylon-patches.md)
- [Gear Aid Tenacious Tape Mesh Patches](/p/gear-aid-tenacious-tape-mesh-patches.md)

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