Switching from a standard backpacking tent to an ultralight tent can shave pounds from your total pack weight—which for many backpackers will be the biggest step they can take toward a lighter pack. But it can be confusing to sort through the various ultralight tents out there, and the specs on them can look like a big pot of numeral soup, leaving you wondering: How are they different? And ultimately, which one is best for you?

I’ve tested and reviewed scores of tents of all types over a quarter-century of testing and reviewing gear—formerly as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine for about 10 years and even longer running this blog. I love the best ultralight tents, but I’ve also used some that had flaws or shortcomings not immediately obvious.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

This article will explain all you need to know to find the three-season, ultralight tent that’s best for you. See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent.”

Please tell me what you think of my tips or share your questions, suggestions, or favorite ultralight tent model in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

Size Matters

Consumers of backcountry gear have grown accustomed to focusing on the weight of a product—which is smart—but not always paying adequate attention to other performance metrics. Think of your tent’s weight like it’s a prospective spouse’s feelings about starting a family: It’s a critical and potentially make-or-break factor, but it’s not the only question to ask when evaluating compatibility.

An ultralight tent is a two-sided coin: Before getting one, be certain that low weight ranks as a higher priority to you than other metrics like living space, or you might be disappointed.

Fans of them typically include ultralight backpackers, thru-hikers, climbers, and others who focus on the experience outside rather than inside the tent, who often spend much of each day on the move, and who don’t mind dealing with the inconveniences or quirkiness of a non-traditional tent design. Big people looking to trim pack weight may be smart to get a tent that’s not the absolute lightest, but still reasonably light while providing a bit more space (more on square footage below).

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That said, there are ultralight tents and shelters that do have adequate or even abundant living space, especially those employing non-traditional designs. Floorless tents and tarps that pitch using trekking poles weigh mere ounces while offering much more sheltered living area per ounce (or gram) than traditional tents. While not freestanding, when pitched and staked out properly they often stand up to strong wind as well as—and sometimes better than—any heavier, three-season, freestanding tent. Some have a single-wall or hybrid single- and double-wall design (see below) and optional mesh inserts for buggy conditions. Ventilation, of course, is almost never a problem under a tarp.

You may want a light ground cloth, and site selection and an adequately warm bag both become more important when you’re not in an enclosed tent. But if you really want to reduce shelter weight, when bugs aren’t an issue and you don’t anticipate relentlessly wet, windy conditions, a tarp or similar minimalist shelter is unquestionably the best choice. Plus, if you also want to move to a lighter, smaller-volume pack, you have to first reduce the bulk of your two largest pieces of gear: your tent and sleeping bag.

All of which leads to the conclusion: Yes, size matters. There are tradeoffs to reducing weight. For many backcountry travelers, though, the benefits of a lighter pack far outweigh any disadvantages of an ultralight shelter. Once someone switches to one, they don’t tend to go back to carrying heavier tents.

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How Light Should You Go?

What is an ultralight tent? There’s no hard definition, but I would include any kind of backcountry shelter that’s under about three pounds (1.4 kg). While somewhat arbitrary, that cutoff lumps in a wide range of products, from freestanding, double-wall tents that are significantly lighter than traditional models to shelters weighing a pound or less.

I’m not suggesting you ignore all tents over three pounds; there are two-person, three-season tents weighing mere ounces over three pounds that have their merits. What matters more are your personal needs and preferences in a shelter. That will dictate the design features you want, which (along with your budget) will largely dictate the weight of the shelter you choose.

See my picks for “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents.”

The weight of any kind of shelter (or any gear) basically depends on the type and amount of materials that go into it—a seemingly obvious fact, but one which affects everything from interior space to price. The visible differences include:

• Interior and vestibule space.
• One or two doors.
• Freestanding or requires staking (which includes semi-freestanding).
• Double- or single-wall.
• Whether it has dedicated tent poles or pitches using trekking poles.
• Whether it has a floor and/or bug-proof mesh walls.

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Freestanding or Not?

Tarps and some tents employ your trekking poles, eliminating the substantial weight and bulk of tent poles from your pack. These models can require a little more time and possibly some practice to pitch correctly—you’ll be wise to pitch it for the first time in your yard rather than during a rainstorm in the backcountry. But you’ll quickly familiarize yourself with the idiosyncrasies of one. And tent poles represent one of the single biggest chunks of weight you can remove from your pack, which is why these non-traditional shelters are the choice for serious ultralighters as well as any backpackers who simply want to pack as light as possible.

Besides, “freestanding” is a somewhat misleading term: While such tents do stand independent of stakes, they virtually always must be staked out, anyway, including their rainfly, to ensure that they stay put in wind and ventilate well.

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See my stories “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,”
and “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear.”

What’s Best for You?

As I’ve basically laid out above, choosing any kind of backcountry shelter, and particularly an ultralight one, requires asking yourself a few questions:

• How high a priority is low weight to you?
• How much space do you need?
• Do you usually backpack in buggy seasons and/or wet and windy conditions?
• Will this be your only tent or an alternative shelter to use in circumstances appropriate for it?

In the final analysis, if your goal is as light a backpack as possible, nothing gets you closer to that goal than your choice of a shelter. Find the lightest one that still serves your essential needs.

See all reviews of ultralight backpacking tents and ultralight backpacking gear, my “5 Expert Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent,” and my picks for the best ultralight backpacks at The Big Outside.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

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A good backpacking tent not only makes your trips more comfortable by keeping you warm and dry in foul weather—it’s critical safety gear and one of the heaviest and most expensive items you’ll carry. Those facts alone are motivation enough to find the right tent for your style of backpacking. But how do you choose from the many models out there, which come in a huge range of designs, weights, and prices? Whether you’re shopping for your first backpacking shelter or looking to replace an old one, this review will help make that choice easy for you.

I’ve tested scores of backpacking tents over more than a quarter-century of testing and reviewing gear—including the 10 years I spent as Backpacker magazine’s lead gear reviewer and even longer running this blog. This article covers my picks for the 10 top-performing, three-season backpacking tents available today—eight two-person models and two ultralight solo tents—with links to my complete review of each one. I think you’ll find at least one tent here that’s perfect for you.

Each of these tents is different enough from the others to give you clear choices, and they range from midweight to ultralight—because I believe every ounce should be justified in the gear I carry. The tents are listed from lightest to heaviest. The comparison chart below offers a quick look at specs and features that distinguish these tents from one another and offers an overall rating based on specific criteria that are detailed in a ratings chart at the bottom of each tent’s complete review.

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Spend your money smartly when picking out the right tent for your adventures: Start with my “5 Expert Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “Ultralight Backpacking Tents: How to Choose One.” (Like many stories at this blog, both of those are partially free for anyone to read but require a paid subscription to read in full.) And see all reviews of backpacking tents at The Big Outside.

Grab one of these tents and your days on the trail—with a lighter pack—will improve as much as your nights in camp.

Please share your thoughts and questions about these tents or others you like in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

The 10 Best Backpacking Tents

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1
$675, 16.8 oz./476.3g
hyperlitemountaingear.com

For three nights in the Wind River Range, this non-freestanding, ultralight, solo pyramid tent stood up to gusts exceeding 40 mph, plus hard, wind-driven rain for hours on our last night in the Winds and rain on a weeklong hike through Glacier National Park. Made with highly durable and waterproof Dyneema Composite fabrics and weighing under 17 ounces, it pitches using one trekking pole and six stakes. With 21 square feet of interior space and a 54-inch peak height, it feels palatial. And the hybrid single-wall design with one mesh wall, two peak vents, and perimeter mesh around the floor creates good high-low venting. The Mid-1 is arguably the best ultralight solo backpacking tent available today.

Read my complete review of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1 solo backpacking tent at hyperlitemountaingear.com, or the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid 1 Tarp at hyperlitemountaingear.com.

See also my review of a modular ultralight tent that can accommodate one or two people, the SlingFin SplitWing Shelter Bundle.

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Gossamer Gear The One
$255, 1 lb. 2 oz./510g
gossamergear.com

Strong nighttime gusts on a six-day, 94-mile traverse of Glacier National Park on the Continental Divide Trail never rattled The One—affirming my impression that it is quite possibly the best value in a solo ultralight tent on the market today. A single-wall, non-freestanding A-frame that pitches using two adjustable trekking poles, with an interior tent featuring mesh bug netting and a bathtub floor, The One’s stability compares with many of the best freestanding, three-season tents. With a tall profile, nearly 20 square feet of floor space, and a 46-inch peak, living space is quite comfortable for a solo shelter. Cross-ventilation minimizes condensation and the vestibule shelters a pack and boots.

Read my complete review of the Gossamer Gear The One.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a Gossamer Gear The One at gossamergear.com.

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Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2
$730, 1 lb. 2 oz./510g
hyperlitemountaingear.com

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 Insert with DCF11 Floor
$420, 1 lb. 4.5 oz./581g
hyperlitemountaingear.com

Through nights of steady, cold rain and wind backpacking in the Wind River Range, my 20-year-old son and I enjoyed the cavernous interior of HMG’s Ultamid 2 pyramid-style tarp-tent and Ultamid 2 Insert. Pitching with two trekking poles and weighing two ounces over a pound, this two-person, single-door, well-ventilated, waterproof and highly durable, single-wall shelter sports 63 square feet of floor space and a peak height over five feet—that’s approximately twice the space and half or less the weight of every heavier tent in this review. The separate Ultamid 2 Insert adds a tough bathtub floor and mesh walls while keeping total weight under 2.5 pounds. Although not without shortcomings, it has virtually no competitors for space-to-weight ratio, stability in almost any weather, and durability.

Read my complete review of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 and Ultamid 2 Insert with DCF11 Floor.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 at hyperlitemountaingear.com, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 Insert at hyperlitemountaingear.com, any of the various insert or floor options for the Ultamid 2 at hyperlitemountaingear.com, the Ultamid 4 at hyperlitemountaingear.com, and the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid Voile Straps at hyperlitemountaingear.com.

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MSR Freelite 2
$500, 2 lbs./907g
cascadedesigns.com

Key fact about MSR’s updated Freelite 2: This double-wall, two-door, three-season, semi-freestanding tent weighs roughly three to nine ounces less than very similar tents in this category that have basically the same design… and has more interior space. Backpacking Arizona’s Aravaipa Canyon in April and on two backpacking trips in the Canadian Rockies in August, the Freelite 2’s 29 square feet of floor space and 39-inch peak height proved adequately livable for two of us. It withstood winds of 20 to 30 mph with no trouble and the almost entirely micro-mesh interior walls and the natural cross-ventilation of opposing doors prevented any trace of condensation even on a calm night just above freezing. If you prioritize those qualities in a tent, it stands above the most comparable competitors.

Read my complete review of the MSR Freelite 2.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase an MSR Freelite 2 at cascadedesigns.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com, or any Freelite tent model at cascadedesigns.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com.

Planning your next big adventure? See “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips”
and “Tent Flap With a View: 25 Favorite Backcountry Campsites.”

Nemo Hornet Osmo 2p
$480, 2 lbs. 1 oz./948g
backcountry.com

From a section of the Arizona Trail in April to camping in Idaho’s City of Rocks in June and backpacking in the Canadian Rockies in August, the Hornet Osmo 2p illustrated how it carves a narrow niche within a limited weight class of semi-freestanding, two-person, two-door, double-wall tents weighing precisely or barely over two pounds. For starters, Nemo’s proprietary Osmo fabric uses 100 percent recycled nylon and polyester yarns that boost strength and resistance to water and stretching without using chemicals. Set-up is a snap and its space-to-weight ratio compares with the best ultralight, double-wall tents. Features like the Flybar bridge pole and guy-outs on the exterior walls that clip to the rainfly to pull the walls outward create more space inside. Lastly, with poles that dissemble to just 12 inches long, the Hornet Osmo is more packable than competitors.

Read my complete review of the Nemo Hornet Osmo 2p.

Want a solo version of this tent? See my reviews of the Nemo Hornet Osmo 1p and the even lighter Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo 1p tents.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Nemo Hornet Osmo 2p at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com, or any Hornet Osmo tent model at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com, or any Hornet Elite Osmo tent model at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com.

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Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2
$500, 2 lbs. 3 oz./992g
rei.com

At barely over two pounds, the semi-freestanding Tiger Wall UL2 stands out in a small class of two-door, ultralight tents for its relatively comfortable living space, as I discovered sharing it with my wife for four nights backpacking in the Wind River Range. I also found the tent pitches very quickly and intuitively using a hubbed and color-coded DAC Featherlite pole. While its biggest tradeoff is space, the 28 square feet and 39-inch peak height compare with two-door tents that weigh several ounces more. Excellent ventilation, design features like dual zippers on the doors and spacious interior pockets make it a leader in this tiny category. The latest version of the tent features the high waterproofness of the brand’s proprietary HyperBead fabric.

Read my complete review of the nearly identical previous version of the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 at rei.com or backcountry.com.

You deserve a better backpack. See “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs”
and the best ultralight backpacks.

Sea to Summit Alto TR2
$449, 2 lbs. 9 oz./1162g
rei.com

The semi-freestanding, two-door, double-wall Alto TR2 weighs barely more than two-and-a-half pounds, but on a five-day hike in Washington’s Pasayten Wilderness it proved far more livable than its 27 square feet of floor space suggests. The recipe is vertical walls, a generous 42.5-inch peak height—and most uniquely, a bridge pole with arms that swing upward, boosting headroom. It kept two of us dry in rain, ventilates very well, stood up to moderate wind, and has smart design details like high-low ventilation and two-way zippers on both the interior and vestibule doors. Pitching it requires a little practice and time, but that’s a minor tradeoff for this nice balance of low weight with stability and comfort.

Read my complete review of the Sea to Summit Alto TR2.

BUY IT NOW  You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase the Sea to Summit Alto TR2 at rei.com, or another version of the Sea to Summit Alto tent at rei.com.

Looking for a three-person tent? Take a look at the Sea to Summit Telos TR3 ($524, 4 lbs. 4 oz., fly and footprint pitch 3 lbs. 6 oz., at rei.com), which has a floor area of 39.5 square feet and a cavernous peak height of over 52 inches.

Lighten up with my expert tips in “Ultralight Backpacking Tents: How to Choose One.”

Nemo Dragonfly Osmo 2P
$550, 2 lbs. 10 oz./1191g
nemoequipment.com

There are exactly two fully freestanding, two-person tents on this list with two doors and vestibules that weigh under three pounds, so if that’s what you’re shopping for, you already have a short list. With 29 square feet of floor space, a 41-inch peak height and beaucoup headroom, and spacious vestibules, the Dragonfly’s space-to-weight ratio puts this shelter in an elite class with the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 (below). But more importantly, it’s very appealing to backpackers who want to reduce their pack weight without reducing their living and sleeping space. Besides some nice details, the Dragonfly Osmo 2P is also an ounce lighter and 50 bucks cheaper than its main competitor.

Nemo has updated the Dragonfly for 2023 with the Dragonfly Osmo in one-, two-, and three-person models. It’s virtually identical to the model reviewed here but now made with 100 percent recycled Osmo fabric.

Read my complete review of the nearly identical previous version, the Nemo Dragonfly 2P.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog , at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Nemo Dragonfly Osmo 2P at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com, or another version of the Dragonfly Osmo at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com.

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Slingfin 2Lite
$505, 2 lbs. 10 oz./1191g
slingfin.com

Among the various small companies manufacturing ultralight tents with unique designs, few offer the appealing balance of livability, strength, and two doors found in the 2Lite from Slingfin. Pitching with standard DAC tent poles or trekking poles (trimming the weight to 2 lbs. 6 oz.)—with unique guylines that, when installed internally or externally, reinforce the tent’s strength—it stood up to winds of 30 to 40 mph on a hike of nearly 130 miles through the High Sierra, mostly on the John Muir Trail. With a 28.5-square-foot interior, a 41-inch peak height, 89-inch length, and dual 10.5-square-foot vestibules, the 2Lite Trek offers more space and features than found in other tents around 2.5 pounds.

Read my complete review of the Slingfin 2Lite.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking these affiliate links to buy a Slingfin 2Lite at slingfin.com and the 2Lite Trek Conversion Kit at slingfin.com.

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Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2
$600, 2 lbs. 11 oz./1219g
backcountry.com

Sporting features—including two awning-style doors that can be rolled up for maximum ventilation and stargazing, better buckles, and abundant interior pockets—the Copper Spur HV UL2 remains one of the leading choices for backpackers seeking an ultralight tent that doesn’t compromise on sturdiness or livability. DAC Featherlite hubbed poles create steep walls that make the tent feel roomier than its 29 square feet, 40-inch peak height, and 88-inch length. It pitches easily, the vestibules are spacious, ventilation excellent, and the Copper Spur keeps the weather on the outside. If you’re looking for a freestanding, two-door, ultralight tent that doesn’t feel like a two-person coffin, you have very few options, and this tent remains one of the best.

Read my complete review of the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 at backcountry.com or rei.com or another version of the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL series at backcountry.com or rei.com.

See all reviews of backpacking tents, backpacking gear and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

Don’t miss my picks for “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year. And make sure you’re packing everything that’s important with “An Essentials-Only Backpacking Gear Checklist.”

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my stories “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free. If you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

The choices in tents for backpacking seem to get better every year, with lightweight models continually getting lighter and other advances that make tents sturdier and more livable without adding weight. But with all the options out there, how do you choose? The answer is simpler than you might think: It comes down to understanding the key differences that distinguish tents from one another—which will help you understand what you need.

Like tents, backpackers come in different sizes and their needs in a tent vary depending on their style of backpacking and where they go. In testing scores of backpacking tents over a quarter-century of testing and reviewing gear—formerly as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine for about 10 years and even longer running this blog—I’ve acquired a sense of what to look for in a tent and how to help people pick out one they like.

The five simple tips in this article will help you find the tent that’s best for your needs. Please share any tips of your own or your questions in the comments section at the bottom of this story; I try to respond to all comments.

See also my story “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Backpacking Tent for You,” which explains specific details and design differences that apply to all tents.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents”
and all backpacking tent reviews at The Big Outside.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

#1 What Kind of Backpacker Are You?

Is tent weight your top priority, or weather resistance, or interior space and livability? You’ll spend countless hours and nights, as well as plenty of waking hours inside that shelter; make sure it’s going to be enjoyable, and it all comes down to your personal style of backpacking.

Consider these three backpacker profiles:

If you’re the kind of backpacker who’s not interested in rising early and rushing out of camp, and who prefers to hike for not much more than half the day and reach your next camp with time to relax in the warm afternoon sun and perhaps take a swim in a lake or creek, you may prefer a tent with good interior space. That becomes doubly true if your usual destinations present the prospect of rain keeping you inside that tent for hours. Weight may not be your top priority. Still, consider weight as you compare tents, because you do have to carry that shelter.

On the other hand, if you are the kind of backpacker who loves to hit the trail early and bang out big mileage every day—like many ultralighters and thru-hikers—then weight probably is your top priority, and you’re willing to tolerate some compromises in your tent to minimize pack weight because you have a higher ratio of hours spent hiking to hours spent in the tent..

Do you fall somewhere between those two descriptions—not an early-rising, big-mileage backpacker, but nonetheless keen to keep your pack weight comfortable? There are tent models that strike a balance between livability and moderate weight.

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#2 Read the Reviews Closely

Yes, there are a lot of gear reviews in the ether and in print. Find sources you consider authoritative and experienced, whose perspective is shaped by having slept in many tents: With tents especially, the average backpacker doesn’t buy or use very many models, and people have a natural bias to want to affirm that a purchase they made was a good one, so they’ll tend to comment positively—but vaguely.

Read reviews for details you can’t glean by simply checking out a tent in a store, like how well it stands up to wind and rain, the ease of pitching it and breaking it down, and whether it has a problem with condensation buildup, especially on chilly, calm nights.

Use reviews in conjunction with your preferences in a tent to narrow your list to a few finalists—or perhaps easily winnow it to one obvious good choice for you. And lastly, look for brands known for making good tents or that you’ve read good reviews about. You may ultimately settle on a tent from a brand after hearing or reading about another model from that same brand.

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#3 The Little Details Matter

But some little things matter more than others. Here are some key details to examine in a backpacking tent:

A tent will typically last for many years. Make sure you’re satisfied with it.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

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The Wind River Range, Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, and the Grand Canyon (all numerous times now). Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness, Montana’s Beartooths, and Colorado’s Weminuche. Glacier National Park and the Tetons. The Canadian Rockies. Southern Utah’s Owl and Fish canyons, Buckskin Gulch, and Paria Canyon. The John Muir Trail and Wonderland Trail. Iceland’s Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls trails. New Hampshire’s Presidential Range and New Zealand’s Milford Track, Routeburn Track, and Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

These are just some of the places where I’ve recently tested the backpacking gear and apparel that I’ve reviewed at The Big Outside—so that I can give you honest and thorough, field-tested opinions that help you find the best gear for your adventures.

And that’s exactly how I came up with the following picks for today’s best backpacking gear.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

Three decades of testing outdoor gear and apparel—including formerly as the lead gear reviewer and Northwest Editor of Backpacker magazine for 10 years and even longer running this blog—have refined my ability to identify gear that’s truly outstanding, at the cutting edge technologically, and a good value.

In this freshly updated review, I share my top picks for a basic backpacking gear kit, from several of the best packs, tents, boots, and sleeping bags, including suggestions for backpackers on a budget—because everyone has different needs and preferences—to a favorite rain shell, the best trekking poles, down jackets, and air mattresses, the camp kitchen, and water treatment.

Much of the gear in this story links to my complete review of it, where you can get more details and find links to online retailers for purchasing it. Purchasing through the “Buy it now” affiliate links below or affiliate links in each complete review supports my work on The Big Outside, at no cost to you—in fact, you’ll usually find the best prices at those links. Thank you for doing that.

Please share your questions or thoughts on my gear picks in the comments section at the bottom of this story; I try to respond to all comments. And please forward this story to other backpackers you think might find it useful.

Want to read about the many places I’ve backpacked while testing gear? See my All Trips List or use the search box (main menu, above), and check out my e-books to America’s best backpacking trips, including the Teton Crest Trail and The Best First Backpacking Trip in Yosemite, and my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can help you plan your next great backpacking trip.

Click on any product name to read its review. Click any “Buy it now” link to purchase it.

Backpacks

Best Overall: Osprey Atmos AG 65 (buy it now) and Aura AG 65 (buy it now), both $370, 4 lbs. 11 oz./2.13kg.
Best Weight-to-Performance Ratio: Granite Gear Blaze 60, $300, 3 lbs. 4 oz./1.47kg. Buy it now.
Best Price-to-Performance Ratio: Gregory Paragon 60 (buy it now) and Maven 58 (buy it now), $270, 3 lbs. 12 oz./1.7 kg.
Best-Fitting Ultralight: Osprey Exos 58 (buy it now) and Eja 58 (buy it now), both $280, 2 lbs. 14 oz./1.3kg.
Best For Heavy Loads: Gregory Baltoro 65 (buy it now) and Deva 60 (buy it now), both $350, 4 lbs. 14 oz./2.21kg.

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Best Ultralight Pack

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider
$379, 1 lb. 15 oz./878.8g

Many ultralight packs lack the support for carrying more than about 25 pounds comfortably. HMG’s Windrider handles up to 35 pounds, its 55 liters deliver the capacity for a week between resupplies, and it weighs much less than some best-selling competitors. Its tough Dyneema Composite Fabrics is fully waterproof and built to survive the apocalypse. The fixed suspension comes in four sizes and the simple harness system works. Its minimalist design, durability, capacity, comfort, and low weight will appeal to many backpackers who prefer hiking over simply hauling.

Read my full review of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider and see all of my picks for the best ultralight backpacks.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider at hyperlitemountaingear.com.

I’ve helped many readers plan unforgettable backpacking and hiking trips.
Want my help with yours? Click here now.

Tents

Best Two-Door Tent That Pitches with Trekking Poles: Slingfin 2Lite, $505, 2 lbs. 10 oz./1.19kg. Buy it now.
Best 2-Person Ultralight: MSR Freelite 2, $465, 2 lbs./907.2g. Buy it now.
Sturdiest and Roomiest 2-Person Ultralight: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2, $699, 1 lb. 2 oz./510.3g. Buy it now.
Best Solo Ultralight: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1, $599, 16.8 oz./476.3g. Buy it now.
Best Value Solo Ultralight: Gossamer Gear The One, $255, 1 lb. 2 oz./510g. Buy it now.

Great Balance of Space, Features, and Weight

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2
$550, 2 lbs. 11 oz./1.22kg

For years, the Copper Spur HV UL2 has remained a leading choice for backpackers seeking an ultralight tent that doesn’t compromise on sturdiness or livability. While some would call it merely “lightweight,” semantics aside, it sports an abundance of features and space for a freestanding, two-door shelter well under three pounds, starting with the most conspicuous: two awning-style doors that can be set up in rain to allow cooling ventilation without getting wet inside or rolled up for maximum ventilation and stargazing. The DAC Featherlite hubbed poles create steep walls that make the tent feel roomier than its 29 square feet, 40-inch peak height, and 88-inch length. It pitches easily, the two vestibules are spacious and ventilation excellent, and the Copper Spur has abundant interior pockets. Very few freestanding, two-door tents strike such a space-to-weight balance.

Read my full review of the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 at backcountry.com or another version of the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL series at backcountry.com.

Get the right gear for your trips. See “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs”
and “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents.”

Shoes and Boots

Best Lightweight Shoes: Danner Trail 2650, $190, 1 lb. 7.5 oz./666.2g Buy them now.
Best Lightweight Backpacking Boots: Scarpa Rush Mid GTX, $199, 2 lbs./907.2g Buy them now.
Best Midweight Backpacking Boots: Salewa Alp Trainer 2 Mid GTX, $250, 2 lbs. 5 oz./1.05 kg Buy them now.
Most Breathable and Sticky: La Sportiva TX3, $159, 1 lb. 9 oz./708.7g Buy them now.
Best Trail Running/Ultralight Hiking Shoes: Hoka One One Speedgoat 6, $155, 1 lb. 3 oz./538.6g Buy them now.
Killer Value: Oboz Katabatic Mid Waterproof, $180, 1 lb. 13 oz./822g Buy them now.

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Sleeping Bags

Best Down Bags: Feathered Friends Hummingbird and Egret UL, $549-$629, 1 lb. 5 oz.-1 lb. 9 oz./595.3g.-708.7g. Buy a Hummingbird UL 30 or 20 now or an Egret UL 30 or 20 now.
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 30, $510-$540, 1 lb. 6 oz./623.7g-669g. Buy a Mountain Hardwear Phantom 30 now.
Marmot Hydrogen 30, $399-$419, 1 lb. 9.4 oz.-1 lb. 11 oz./720g-770g. Buy a Marmot Hydrogen 30 now.
Sea to Summit Spark Pro -9C/15F, $649-$689, 1 lb. 11 oz.-1 lb. 14 oz./765.4g-861g, and Spark Pro -1C/30F, $549-$579, 1 lb. 6 oz.-1 lb. 8 oz./619g-672g. Buy a Sea to Summit Spark Pro now.
Best Ultralight: Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32 or Hyperion 20, $430-$580, 15 oz.-1 lb. 6 oz./425.2g.-623.7g. Buy it now.
Best Winter Bag: Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0, $700-$740, 2 lbs. 7 oz.-2 lbs. 11 oz./1.11kg.-1.22kg. Buy it now.
Best Budget Sleeping Bag: Kelty Cosmic Synthetic 20, $110-$120, 3 lbs./1.36kg. Buy it now. Or Kelty Cosmic Down 20, $170-$200, 2 lbs. 7 oz./1.11kg. Buy it now.

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Click here now to learn more.

Best Value Down Bag

Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 30F/-1C
$265-$285, 1 lb. 12 oz./793.8g

When shopping for sleeping bags, it’s helpful to compare certain key specs: temperature rating, type and amount of insulation (or fill), total weight, and, of course, the price. Using those metrics, the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 30F/-1C looks really good, with RDS-certified, flourine-free, 650-fill-power down, enough warmth for many backpackers on typical overnight temps of summer in most mid-latitude mountain ranges (except for people who tend to get cold more easily), and a cut that delivers more generous space than many bags—all at a weight south of two pounds and it packs down to 7×13.5 inches. Among down bags, this is a good price for a bag of this quality. It also comes in 15-degree and 0-degree versions.

Read my full review of the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 30. 

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s or a women’s Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 30F at backcountry.com, or other versions of the men’s and women’s Bishop Pass bags at backcountry.com.

Click on any product name to read its review. Click any “Buy it now” link to purchase it.

Best Rain Shells

Black Diamond Fineline Stretch Shell
$189, 10 oz./283.5g
Black Diamond Fineline Stretch Full-Zip Pants
$179, 9 oz./255.1g

Few places test rain gear as brutally as New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, where rain is almost as prevalent as oxygen. In some of the heaviest and most relentless wind-driven rain I’ve encountered over four decades of hiking and backpacking, on two classic hut treks and one long dayhike—the Routeburn Track and Milford Track and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing—Black Diamond’s Fineline Stretch Shell and Full-Zip Pants performed impressively.

For two straight days and most of a third day on the Milford, the jacket and pants never left my body. While water did penetrate both layers in spots—and in fairness, I believe those conditions would overwhelm any high-quality waterproof-breathable shells (and companions with Gore-Tex shells suffered the same fate)—they prevented me from getting soaked and cold. Credit goes to BD’s 2.5-layer BD.dry waterproof/breathable/windproof technology, which also has adequate breathability for all but very warm three-season trips.

With a one-hand-adjustable, climbing-helmet-compatible hood, the DWR-sealed pit zip vents, a waterproof front zipper, tough 50-denier fabric, and two zippered hand pockets—all at just $180 and 10 ounces/283.5 grams (men’s medium)—the Fineline Stretch Shell is a full-on technical, three-season rain shell.

Read my complete review of the Black Diamond Fineline Stretch Shell and Fineline Full-Zip Pants.

See all of the latest gear reviews at The Big Outside.

Down Jackets

Best Down Jacket: Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket, $409, 11 oz./311.8g Buy it now.
Best Synthetic Jacket: Black Diamond First Light Stretch Hoody, $349, 14 oz./397g Buy it now.
Best Ultralight Down Jacket: Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer/2 Down Hoody, $360, 8.8 oz./249.5g Buy it now.
Best Ultralight Synthetic Jacket: Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody, $329, 9 oz./255.1g Buy it now.
Versatile Down Jacket: Rab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket, $295, 15 oz./425.2g Buy it now.

Which puffy should you buy? See “The 12 Best Down Jackets” and
“How You Can Tell How Warm a Down Jacket Is.”

Trekking Poles

Best Overall: MSR Dynalock Ascent, $190, 1 lb. 1 oz./481.9g Buy it now.
Best Ultralight: Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ, $210, 12.7 oz./360g Buy it now.
Most Versatile: Leki Makalu FX Carbon, $230, 1 lb. 1.9 oz./508g Buy it now.

Need a good headlamp? See “The Best Headlamps.”

Air Mattresses

Best All-Around Air Mat: Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated and XT Extreme, $219-$249, 1 lb. 1 oz.-1 lb. 9 oz./482-709g. Buy it now.
Best Comfort-to-Weight Balance: Nemo Tensor Insulated Air Mattress, $200-$230, 13 oz.-1 lb. 5 oz./369-595g. Buy it now.
Best Ultralight: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT, $200-$240, 11.5 oz.-1 lb. 1 oz./326-482g. Buy it now.
Best Inflatable Pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow Ultra Light, $50-$55, 2.5 oz./71g. Buy it now.

What do you really need for backpacking?
See my “Essentials-Only Backpacking Gear Checklist.”

Camp Kitchen

Best Ultralight Pot: MSR Titan Kettle 1400ml, $70, 5.4 oz./153g, or Titan Kettle 900ml, $65, 4.4 oz./126g. Buy it now.
Best Cook Set: Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible One-Pot Cook Set, $146, 19 oz./527g. Buy it now.
Best Solo Stove: Jetboil Flash, $145, 13 oz./369g. Buy it now.
Best Family/Group Stove: MSR Windburner Group Stove System, $260, 1 lb. 4 oz./567g. Buy it now.
Best Bear Canister: Bear Vault BV500, $95, 2 lbs. 8 oz./1.1kg. Buy it now.

Buy smart with my pro tips on buying a backpack, backpacking tent,
hiking shoes or boots, a rain jacket, and a sleeping bag.

Best Ultralight Stove

MSR PocketRocket 2
$50, 3 oz./85g (4 oz./113.4g with plastic case, included)

Backcountry stoves come in a variety of designs these days. But in many respects, the simplest design remains the most versatile and reliable, and the PocketRocket 2 continues to embody everything a backpacking stove should be. It fires up easily every time, boils water fast, has good flame control for wilderness gourmands, weighs next to nothing, and costs less than many of its best competitors.

Whereas some types of stoves have limitations on what you can cook with them, you can use the PocketRocket 2 for cooking almost anything, almost anywhere, for any size party (or more than one stove for a large group). That may explain why it’s so popular.

Read my full review. The PocketRocket Deluxe ($85) adds a piezo push-button igniter, but as with that feature on other stoves, its performance can be erratic.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase an MSR PocketRocket 2 at backcountry.com or cascadedesigns.com.

I can help you plan the best backpacking, hiking, or family adventure of your life.
Find out more here.

Water Treatment

Best Pump Filter: MSR Hyperflow, $150, 9 oz./255g. Buy it now.
Best Gravity Filter: Katadyn BeFree Gravity 6L or 10L Filter, $115-$145, 9-10 oz./255-284g. Buy it now.
Best Filter Bottle: Lifestraw Go, $35-$50, 650ml to 1L, 7.8-8.6 oz./221-244g. Buy it now.
Best Ultralight Personal Filter: Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration System 0.6L, 1L, or 3L bottle, $45-$80, 2.5-3.5 oz./71-99g. Buy it now.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

Was this review helpful? Get full access to ALL stories at The Big Outside.
Join now and a get free e-book! ]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/the-best-backpacking-gear-of-2018/feed/ 23 27582 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/why-and-when-to-spend-more-on-outdoor-gear/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/why-and-when-to-spend-more-on-outdoor-gear/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=16677 Read on

]]> By Michael Lanza

You need a new backpack, backpacking tent, rain jacket, boots, or a sleeping bag. You’ve read reviews. You’ve winnowed your short list to a handful of possible choices—with a significant difference in prices. That’s when you struggle with the question that pushes the frugality button in all of us: Why should I spend more?

This story will explain why some gear is more expensive and give you specific advice on buying five big-ticket items: packs, tents, rain jackets, shoes and boots, and sleeping bags.

Over the past three decades of reviewing gear, including the 10 years I spent as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog, I’ve learned what separates the expensive from the moderately priced from the cheap.

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

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Should you always spend more? Certainly not, and this story will explain why and when it’s worth spending more and when it’s not. The insights below will help you make smarter buying choices, stretch your gear budget farther, and feel better about it when you do spend more. And my “10 Tips for Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear” shares specific strategies for saving money—even sometimes without compromising on quality.

Before you spend another dollar, read on.

Like many stories at The Big Outside, this one is partially free for anyone to read, but reading all of the tips below is an exclusive benefit of a paid subscription to The Big Outside.

Please share your thoughts on my tips or your own, best gear-buying advice in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

I’ve helped many readers plan unforgettable backpacking and hiking trips.
Want my help with yours? Click here now.

What Makes Some Gear Expensive?

•    Lightweight: Lighter gear is often more expensive because of the materials used, like wafer-thin but strong fabrics in jackets, tents, and (sometimes) packs, and carbon fiber or high-grade aluminum tent poles.
•    Construction: Superior workmanship, materials, and technologies raise the price tag. Expect to pay more for, say, cutting-edge waterproof-breathable membranes in jackets and footwear, boots with one-piece or full-grain leather uppers, a super comfortable backpack suspension available in multiple sizes to achieve an optimal fit, or lamination used instead of stitching in jackets and footwear. But that also translates to high-level performance and, often, improved durability—which can save you money in the long run.

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•    Special Features: You want a rain jacket hood that stays in place in strong wind and when you turn your head? A pack with multiple backpacker- or climber-friendly features? Shoes with sticky outsoles? Or a sleeping bag or down jacket with the lightest and warmest insulation? Open your wallet.
•    Durability: Sometimes a higher price tag equates with materials and construction that translate to greater durability, but not always. Some lightweight materials are very strong and some are not. Especially with big-ticket items that receive heavy wear and tear—your pack, tent, shoes, and rain shell—low weight is sometimes achieved through, for example, the use of thinner fabrics that will tear more easily, or zippers that are less burly and will break sooner. Find out why one product is lighter than another and choose based on whether you’re willing to swap durability for lower weight.

Plan your next great backpacking trip in Yosemite, Grand Teton,
and other parks using my expert e-books.

Packs

Why They’re Pricey The top pack makers—whose backpacks and daypacks generally cost the most—compete with one another primarily to make the most comfortable packs to carry. Beyond that objective, they try to distinguish their products through specialization (packs for specific purposes like climbing, ultralight backpacking, distance trail running or ultra-hiking, etc.), and through features, weight, and certainly superior construction that results in greater durability.

When They’re Worth the Price How important is comfort on the trail to you? How important is weight? How about specific features? Yes, you can make do with a pack whose fit is imperfect or that lacks a supportive hipbelt, a zipper offering quick access to the main compartment, or convenient, external pockets on the hipbelt and elsewhere.

But if you hike a lot of miles, the hours spent wearing and using a pack add up.

As anyone who’s upgraded knows, once you have a backpack that’s comfortable and designed for the way you use it, you’ll never go back to an inferior pack.

Get the right pack for you. See “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” and “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks.”

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Gear up smartly for your trips.
See the best-in-category reviews and expert buying tips at The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page.

 

Why Spend More?

If you can’t afford more-expensive gear, just get cheap stuff and get outside. You’ll be fine. If you can afford better gear later, you’ll appreciate it that much more.

But if you’re an avid outdoorsperson and you can afford good gear, why settle for less?

No, price does not always correlate directly with quality—but it often does. Whenever a friend who can afford good gear asks for my advice, I always say that he or she would be foolish to buy cheap, because they don’t need to put up with inferior comfort or performance.

And ultimately, if you’re out regularly and buy good gear, the cost per day of use over the life of that gear will be low, more than justifying the enjoyment you gained from it.

See all reviews of backpacks, daypacks, backpacking tents, outdoor apparel, rain jackets, hiking shoes, backpacking boots, sleeping bags, down jackets and insulated jackets, and backpacking gear and hiking gear at The Big Outside, plus “5 Smart Steps to Lighten Your Backpacking Gear.”

And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/why-and-when-to-spend-more-on-outdoor-gear/feed/ 4 16677 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/the-best-backpacking-gear-for-the-john-muir-trail/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/the-best-backpacking-gear-for-the-john-muir-trail/#comments Wed, 28 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=14007 Read on

]]> By Michael Lanza

So you’re planning to thru-hike the John Muir Trail and making all of the necessary preparations, and now you’re wondering: What’s the best gear for a JMT hike? Having thru-hiked the JMT as well as taken numerous other backpacking trips all over the High Sierra—mostly between late August and late September, which I consider that the best time to walk the Sierra, to avoid snow and the voracious mosquitoes and blazing hot afternoons of mid-summer—I offer the following picks for the best ultralight and lightweight backpacking gear and apparel for a JMT thru-hike.

Indisputably one of the best backpacking trips in America—and among the very best I’ve taken over three decades of backpacking, including the 10 years I spent as Northwest Editor and lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog—the JMT meanders for 211 miles through the magnificent High Sierra, from Yosemite Valley to the summit of the highest peak in the Lower 48, 14,505-foot Mount Whitney (where backpackers must then descend another 11 miles to finish the trip at Whitney Portal trailhead). See my story about thru-hiking the JMT in seven days.

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

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With few opportunities to resupply along the trail—and given the generally dry weather in the Sierra in summer—you can easily and should hike the JMT with the lightest gear that works for you (or that you can afford). Maximum pack weight will depend on how many days you spend on the trail and your food weight, but it’s quite feasible to keep your base pack weight (everything but food and water) within 15 pounds or less—and certainly no more than 20 pounds—without compromising safety or comfort in camp.

See my stories “Thru-Hiking the John Muir Trail: What You Need to Know,” “Thru-Hiking the John Muir Trail: The Ultimate, 10-Day, Ultralight Plan,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can help you plan your JMT thru-hike and any trip you read about at The Big Outside, and my expert e-books to backpacking trips in Yosemite and other parks.

The following suggestions for major gear items would also be solid picks for almost any backpacker who wants to go lighter and hike more comfortably in many mid-latitude mountain ranges in summer—although items like your tent and footwear would depend on the typical weather and bugs (and time of year).

Most recommendations below have a link to my full review of each. Click on the name of any product to buy it; those are affiliate links, meaning you can support my work on this blog by purchasing through them, at no cost to you.

Please share your thoughts on these gear suggestions for the JMT, or your own suggested gear, in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

Planning to hike the John Muir Trail?
Click here for expert, detailed advice you won’t get elsewhere.

Backpack

For a backpack, I like a few models that weigh under three pounds: two top-loaders with traditional features like lots of external pockets, the Osprey men’s Exos 58 or 48 ($260, 2 lbs. 11 oz. for the Exos 58) and women’s Osprey Eja 58 or 48 (read my review) and the Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5 and Aircontact Ultra 45+5 SL ($250, 2 lbs. 11 oz. for the 50+5, read my review); and two mimimalist, utralight packs, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Windrider ($349, 55L, 1 lb. 15 oz., read my review) and Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 ($315, 60L/3,661 c.i., 1 lb. 14 oz., read my review).

See my picks for the best ultralight backpacks.

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Tent

In late summer, outside the buggy season in the High Sierra, I prefer using a backpacking tarp shelter like the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 ($699, 1 lb. 2 oz., read my review), Sea to Summit Escapist Tarp ($229-$249, 10.5-15.5 oz., two sizes), and Slingfin SplitWing Shelter Bundle ($355, 1 lb. 5 oz., read my review). I often sleep under the stars on a clear night, but a tarp, besides protecting you from rain and some wind, can trap a surprising amount of warmth underneath it on a calm night.

If you want a two-person tent, get one that weighs under three pounds, like the MSR Freelite 2 ($465, 2 lbs., read my review), the Nemo Hornet Osmo 2p ($430, 2 lbs. 1 oz., read my review), the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 ($480, 2 lbs. 3 oz., read my review), the Slingfin 2Lite, which can pitch with trekking poles ($505, 2 lbs. 10 oz. or 2 lbs. 6 oz, read my review), or if you’ll accept higher weight for more space, the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 ($550, 2 lbs. 11 oz., read my review).

My top picks for a solo ultralight are two that pitch with trekking poles, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1 ($599, 16.8 oz., read my review) and the Gossamer Gear The One ($255, 1 lb. 2 oz., read my review). For a solo ultralight tent that’s semi-freestanding, check out the Nemo Hornet Osmo 1p ($400, 1 lb. 13 oz., read my review).

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents,” all backpacking tent reviews at The Big Outside, plus “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Backpacking Tent For You.”

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Sleeping Bag

For backpacking the JMT in late summer, I carry a down sleeping bag rated around 30 degrees F, with a high down fill rating (800 or above), because it’s warmer, lighter, and more packable than a synthetic bag or down bag with lower fill quality (if also more expensive), and well suited to the dry Sierra summers, where there’s little risk of getting a bag wet.

People who get cold more easily may want a bag rated 20 to 25 degrees, although you can wear layers to supplement the bag’s warmth.

My favorites are the Feathered Friends men’s Hummingbird and women’s Egret UL (30-degree, $609, 1 lb. 6 oz., read my review), the Therm-a-Rest Hyperion (32-degree, $490, 1 lb. 1 oz., read my review), the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 30 ($480, 1 lb. 6 oz. , read my review); and the Marmot Hydrogen 30 ($399, 1 lb. 9.4 oz., read my review).

Looking for an affordable down bag? I recommend the men’s or women’s Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 30 ($245, 1 lb. 12 oz., read my review).

See “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags,” “10 Pro Tips For Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag” and all sleeping bag reviews at The Big Outside.

Want to tackle the JMT?
See “Thru-Hiking the John Muir Trail: What You Need to Know.”

Insulation

When nighttime lows will generally remain above freezing, as is usually the case on the JMT at least into mid-September, take an ultralight puffy jacket like the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer  2 Down Hoody ($360, 8.8 oz., read my review), the Black Diamond Approach Down Hoody ($360, 10 oz., read my review), the Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody ($329, 9 oz., read my review), or the warmer Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket ($389, 11 oz. , read my review) or Himali Accelerator Down Jacket ($330, 12.5 oz., read my review).

See “The 12 Best Down Jackets,” “How You Can Tell How Warm a Down Jacket Is” and all puffy jacket reviews at The Big Outside.

Plan your next great backpacking adventure in Yosemite and other flagship parks
using my expert e-books.

Rain Shell

On the John Muir Trail—or anywhere in the High Sierra—in summer, where rain occurs only rarely and most often as a passing (although possibly quite intense) thunderstorm, you don’t need the kind of super-technical (and heavier) rain shell you might use in, say, in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest or the Northeast. In fact, if you generally head out in warm, dry weather—common in many Western mountain ranges in summer—you may only need a less-expensive and ideally lightweight shell, like the Black Diamond Fineline Rain Shell ($189, 10 oz./283.5g, read my review), an impressive value in part because it has an adjustable, full-coverage hood, a feature sometimes lacking in moderately priced rain jackets, and solid rain protection even for wet environments.

Another option for backpackers who rarely see rain is an ultralight, waterproof-breathable rain jacket, like the Rab Downpour Light Waterproof Jacket ($165, 7.7 oz., read my review) or the Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket ($170-$180, 6 oz., read my review).

See all reviews of rain jackets and outdoor apparel at The Big Outside, “The Best Ultralight Hiking and Running Jackets,” and my “5 Expert Tips For Buying a Rain Jacket for Hiking.”

See “10 Great John Muir Trail Section Hikes.”

Shoes and Boots

If all of your gear is light, on a well-constructed trail like the JMT that’s often dry in summer, get lightweight, highly breathable, non-waterproof boots or low-cut shoes like the PCT-inspired Danner Trail 2650 ($170, 1 lb. 7.5 oz., read my review), the La Sportiva TX3 ($159, 1 lb. 9 oz., read my review), or trail runners like the Hoka One One Speedgoat 6 ($155, 1 lb. 3 oz.), also available in a very light mid-cut, the Hoka One One Speedgoat 6 Mid GTX ($180, 1 lb. 9 oz., read my review).

If you prefer more supportive footwear that’s still relatively light, I recommend two shoes that are a super value and come in waterproof-breathable and non-waterproof, mid-cut and low-cut models: the Hoka One One Anacapa series shoes ($155-$185, 1 lb. 10.5 oz.-2 lbs., read my review), and the Oboz Katabatic series ($145-$190, 1 lb. 9 oz. to 2 lbs., read my review).

See all reviews of hiking shoes at The Big Outside.

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Trekking Poles

Trekking poles should be essential gear on any backpacking trip, but for the JMT—if you’re going lightweight or ultralight, as you should be—get very light poles that are ideally adjustable and very packable. Among the best are the folding and adjustable Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ ($220, 12 oz./pair, 105-125cm, read my review), the collapsible and adjustable Gossamer Gear LT5 ($195, 10 oz./pair, read my review), and the folding, adjustable MSR Dynalock Ascent Poles ($190, 1 lb. 1  oz./pair, read my review).

If you want to use a tent that pitches with trekking poles—eliminating the significant weight of tent poles from your pack—make sure your poles are sufficiently sturdy and telescope out to the needed length for pitching your tent; those poles are also usually collapsible (rather than folding or fixed).

See “The Best Trekking Poles” and my stories “How to Choose Trekking Poles” and “10 Best Expert Tips for Hiking With Trekking Poles.”

Get the gear that’s right for you. See my specific tips on buying a pack, tent, boots, and sleeping bag and all reviews of backpacking gear, ultralight backpacking gear, and hiking gear and all stories about backpacking the John Muir Trail at The Big Outside.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my stories “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/the-best-backpacking-gear-for-the-john-muir-trail/feed/ 16 14007 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/5-things-to-know-before-buying-backpacking-gear/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/5-things-to-know-before-buying-backpacking-gear/#comments Wed, 14 May 2025 09:00:00 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=23564 Read on

]]> By Michael Lanza

Are you in the market for a new backpack, boots, tent, sleeping bag or other backpacking gear or apparel? How do you find something that’s just right for you? What should you be looking for? How much should you spend? These are questions I’ve heard from many friends and readers over the years as they’ve waded through the myriad choices out there. This article lays out five simple but helpful tips to keep in mind when buying gear.

I’ve learned these steps over three decades of testing and reviewing gear—including the 10 years I spent as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog—and helping people find gear they love. No matter what you’re shopping for—boots, pack, tent, sleeping bag, other backpacking gear, or some major piece of apparel like a rain shell or insulated jacket—you face a daunting array of choices, and everyone’s needs are different.

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

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But finding the gear that performs well and that you’ll be happy with really comes down to following a simple thought process described in the five easy steps below, which you can follow when buying almost any gear. Below them, you’ll find links to my stories offering specific tips on buying a new pack, boots, tent, sleeping bag, rain shell, and insulated jacket, plus reviews covering my top picks in several categories.

Please share your thoughts on my tips or your own, best gear-buying advice in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

Gear up smartly for your trips.
See the best-in-category reviews and expert buying tips at my Gear Reviews page.

No. 1 Decide Exactly What It’s For

A friend once asked me to recommend boots he could buy for backpacking that would also work well for climbing glaciated peaks (in the Pacific Northwest); I told him that was a little like shopping for a dump truck that would also give him good mileage as a commuting vehicle. If you set out in search of a pack or boots for every hike you ever take, then you will probably wind up with just that—which may serve your needs in an overly general way, but not be quite right for anything.

Focus on how you intend to use that item most of the time and buy something that’s good for that purpose. When you actually need or can afford more specialized gear that you will only use occasionally, get it then.

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No. 2 Decide Exactly What You Need

Do you need solid ankle support, or do you prefer really lightweight, nimble footwear? Are you a big guy who needs a roomy tent, or a lightweight or ultralight backpacker or parent backpacking with a young child with a top priority of minimizing gear weight? Do you want the lightest bag you can afford, or do you get cold easily and need a bag that’s a little fatter and warmer than the average person uses?

The reason for the almost infinite number of choices in gear is the infinite variability in the wants and needs of consumers. That can seem confusing but it’s ultimately good for you. Your first step in buying may simply be writing down your customized answers to numbers one and two in this list of tips and using that as a guide as you begin winnowing your short list.

Trips go better with the right gear.
See “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” and “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents.”

No. 3 Get the Fit Right

Especially with footwear, packs, and performance apparel, fit and personal satisfaction go together like chips and salsa. You can be happy with a sleeping bag or tent that are not quite what you wanted (but are what you could afford); but no matter how much you spend, you’ll never be happy with a pack or boots that don’t fit you well. A poorly fitting pack can make you miserable, and poorly fitting boots can end a trip.

With those gear items for which fit becomes critical—boots and a pack—narrow your list to perhaps three or more options, based on steps one and two (above). Then go try them on and you will find the model you like.

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No. 4 Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute

The best way to spend more than you want or need to spend—and be forced to settle for something that’s not quite what you wanted—is to wait until the last day or two before a trip and rush out to buy something.

You wouldn’t buy a car or a house that way, because you want to take the time to find something that feels just right for you.

Treat buying boots, a pack, tent, bag, or other major gear or apparel item the same way—those aren’t like batteries or stove fuel that you dash out to pick up at the last minute.

Plus, shopping around weeks or even months in advance gives you time to wait for sale prices—and that’s truly the best way to get the most value out of every dollar you spend.

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and other flagship parks using my expert e-books.

No. 5 Spend What You Can Afford

This last nugget of advice goes both ways: If you can only afford an entry-level pack or other piece of gear, look for the best-quality item that’s within your budget (and fits you) and just buy it. Some brands that sell directly to consumer offer high-quality gear at very competitive prices. (Tip: Pick a brand name known for high quality, because they usually bring similar attention to quality to their affordable gear as they do to their pricier gear.)

Maybe it won’t be as comfortable or last as long as the high-end gear you coveted, but it will enable you to get out there and have fun and may last until you can afford something better.

See my “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear.”

By the same token, I always tell friends or readers seeking advice: If you can afford the best, why settle for something that will be less comfortable, or heavier, or not fit or perform as well as pricier pieces of gear or apparel that are within your budget? Measure the value in terms of your enjoyment and comfort as well as the cost per mile or day of use, because higher-quality gear, while pricier, often proves much more durable than cheaper stuff. That’s money well spent.

See my story “Why and When to Spend More on Hiking and Backpacking Gear.”

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See these articles at The Big Outside for my pro tips on buying gear (most of them require a subscription to my blog):

“5 Expert Tips For Buying the Right Backpacking Pack”
“5 Expert Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent”
“How to Choose the Best Ultralight Backpacking Tent for You”
“Expert Tips For Buying the Right Boots”
“Pro Tips for Buying a Backpacking Sleeping Bag”
“5 Expert Tips For Buying a Rain Jacket for Hiking”
“The 12 Best Down Jackets” (includes buying tips for down and synthetic jackets)

Planning your next big adventure? See “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips”
and “Tent Flap With a View: 25 Favorite Backcountry Campsites.”

See also these reviews of top picks:

“The 10 Best Backpacking Packs”
“The 10 Best Backpacking Tents”
“The Best Ultralight Backpacks”
“The Best Rain Jackets for Hiking and Backpacking”

“25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories”
“The Best Trekking Poles”
“The Best Headlamps”
“The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/5-things-to-know-before-buying-backpacking-gear/feed/ 6 23564 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-hornet-elite-osmo-1p-ultralight-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-hornet-elite-osmo-1p-ultralight-tent/#respond Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:02:46 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=64482 Read on

]]> Ultralight Solo Backpacking Tent
Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo 1p
$580, 1 lb. 7 oz./657g
nemoeequipment.com

From the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route to Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, Nemo’s top-of-the-line Hornet Elite Osmo 1p solo ultralight tent withstood winds gusting to around 30 mph/48 kph and shrugged off light rain, while providing comfortable living space, excellent ventilation, and a tiny footprint that enables pitching it on the most improbably small patches of flat ground—all in a surprisingly compact package that weighs less than the low-cut hiking shoes I wore in the Beartooths.

Two partners and I took turns sleeping in this solo tent (we also had a two-person tent on the trip) over five nights backpacking in Montana’s Beartooths in August, where we had strong winds and light rain at times, which the tent handled very well—although the strongest gusts caused the rainfly to flap loudly if we weren’t careful about getting a taut pitch. I also slept in it on two of five nights backpacking the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route in mid-April, where we saw winds gusting to around 30 mph/48 kph at times and about 90 minutes of rain early one morning.

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

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It’s worth noting that Nemo’s very similar, but somewhat heavier (and less expensive) Hornet Osmo 1p—with the same poles as the Elite model—withstood gusts around 40 mph/64 kph and driving rain for several hours in the Wind River Range, although I occasionally had to brace the walls with my hands to avoid damage during the strongest gusts, which caused the windward wall of the tent to bow deeply inward. (As I wrote in my review of the Hornet Osmo 1p, in fairness, most of today’s best three-season backpacking tents are not designed for wind that strong, and our camp in a lake basin at well over 10,000 feet was completely exposed.)

For starters, Nemo sets the Osmo tent series apart with its proprietary Osmo ripstop fabric, used in the rainfly and floor of the Hornet Osmo tents. That fabric combines 100 percent recycled nylon and polyester yarns to provide greater strength and four times better water repellency and reduce fabric stretch when wet by a factor of three, according to Nemo. Plus, Osmo fabric achieves that water repellency with a finish that’s free of PFC/PFAS chemicals and meets flammability requirements without chemical additives. I’ve seen no durability issues so far after using three of the Hornet Osmo tents.

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With the Hornet Elite tents, Nemo has pared down the design to create shelters even lighter than the standard Hornet Osmo models. While still a reasonably lightweight tent, the Hornet Osmo 1p ($400) weighs six ounces/165 grams more than the Hornet Elite Osmo 1p. That’s more than your ultralight headlamp and stove combined. The difference in weights between the Elite and standard Hornet Osmo 1p is entirely in tent fabric: The Elite uses a lighter version of Osmo and less of it because the floor measures three inches narrower at the head end.

As far as I’ve seen, the Hornet Elite Osmo 1p exists in its own category of three-season, semi-freestanding, double-wall, solo tents weighing under 1.5 pounds/680 grams (including only the inner tent, rainfly, and poles). While it’s not as light as non-freestanding solo shelters that pitch using trekking poles, it’s pretty darn close and significantly faster and more intuitive to pitch than that type of tent.

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At a minimum weight of 1 lb. 7 ounces/657 grams (again, just the tent, poles, and rainfly), the Hornet Elite Osmo 1p compares favorably against two top solo tents that share this semi-freestanding design and similar materials, both of which have slightly less interior space but a slightly larger vestibule: the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1 Solution Dye weighs seven ounces more (see my review of the Tiger Wall UL2 Solution Dye), and the MSR Freelite 1 comes in three ounces heavier while having the same floor length and peak ceiling height but less width at the head end (see my review of the Freelite 2).

With 21.8 square feet/two square meters of interior space, a 39-inch/98cm peak height, and a floor measuring 87×40 inches//221×102 centimeters at the head(it tapers to 32 inches/31 centimeters wide at the foot), the Hornet Elite Osmo 1p offers a relatively spacious interior and good headroom for an ultralight solo tent. It’s twice the width of a standard 20-inch-wide air mattress at the head and 12 inches wider at the foot, creating extra space for your stuff, and long enough for tall people: A friend who’s nearly six feet and broad-shouldered found it comfortably roomy.

The interior door is reasonably large for a tent in this weight class, for easy entry and egress—made even easier by having the door on the side rather than at the head end, which also improves ventilation. The vestibule has 6.9 square feet/0.6 square meter of storage, enough to keep shoes and a midsize backpack under one side of it.

While the Hornet Elite Osmo 1p has a good space-to-weight ratio for any double-wall tent, any tent in this weight class is targeted more to minimalists who prioritize low weight over living space—who will likely occupy the tent primarily during sleeping hours and often spend most of each day on the trail. And its small footprint comes in handy when the best spot you have for your tent is a tiny patch of flat ground.

The smart and easy-to-use door tiebacks are a nice detail. Inside, there’s just one storage pocket—typical of minimalist, ultralight shelters—located just inside the door, convenient for grabbing your headlamp or other small item from outside.

As with all tents using this basic semi-freestanding design, set-up is simple and fast. Y-shaped, color-coded DAC Featherlite NSL poles that join at a single hubbed intersection feature a center ridgeline that forks to two corners—a common pole structure that trims weight but requires staking (thus, it’s “semi-freestanding”).

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The short Flybar snaps into place across the main ridge pole’s high center point to pull the side walls outward, creating nice headroom. While that’s a common feature in backpacking tents, the Flybar’s flexible design makes it easier during setup than some others and distributes tension evenly. Triangulated corner guy-outs pull the lower tent walls outward to minimize contact between any condensation on the walls and your sleeping bag. Just four clips and three grommets attach the interior tent to the poles and the Hornet requires just six stakes. Cords on the interior tent’s two sides clip to the rainfly, pulling the walls outward, a smart feature in a tent where the walls are unavoidably close.

The 15-denier nylon ripstop with no-see-um mesh interior walls and the double-wall design of the Hornet Osmo series enable excellent ventilation—despite lacking the cross-ventilation of two opposing doors in the one-person models—aided by the bottom edge of therainfly being elevated off the ground to promote low-high air flow. In the Beartooths and Grand Canyon, we saw overnight lows in the 40s and 50s F/about 4 to 13 C, with never a trace of condensation under the rainfly, which tends to plague many ultralight, single-wall tents. Those are not conditions that normally cause condensation, of course; but my experience with the Hornet Osmo tents has demonstrated their ventilation: Sleeping in the Hornet Osmo 1p on the kind of calm, cool nights that do cause condensation buildup, I saw only minimal dampness on the underside of the rainfly—not nearly enough to drip or even rub off on a sleeping bag brushing against a wall.

Planning your next big adventure? See “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips”
and “Tent Flap With a View: 25 Favorite Backcountry Campsites.”

 

The Hornet Elite Osmo 1p does not have Nemo’s signature, unique large cutout in the rainfly at the head end of the tent, overlapping a solid panel on the lower part of that interior tent wall, to aid ventilation. Counterintuitively, the purpose is to reduce fabric weight because more of mesh—which is lighter—is used in the tent.

With all Hornet tents, the rainfly door zips open beyond the high point of the interior door, giving them a drip line that permits rain to fall inside. With a little care, though, you can enter and leave the tent letting virtually no rain inside, possibly by not unzipping the rainfly door entirely.

The packed size of 19x4x2 ins./48x10x5 cm makes it more packable than comparable tents. All new Nemo tents come with a 100% recycled fabric pole bag (instead of wasteful, single-use poly bags).

See my review of Nemo’s Hornet Osmo 1p and Hornet Osmo 2p and all models in Nemo’s Hornet Osmo series and the brand’s other ultralight tents at nemoequipment.com/collections/ultralight-tents.

Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo 1p

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

For lightweight and ultralight backpackers and thru-hikers looking for one of, if not the lightest double-wall, semi-freestanding, solo tent, one that’s easy and quick to pitch and take down, holds up in strong wind, and feels very livable, the Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo 1p belongs on a short list that’s very short.

4.5

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo 1p at nemoequipment.com or rei.com, or any Hornet Osmo tent model at backcountry.com, nemoequipment.com, or rei.com.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “Ultralight Backpacking Tents: How to Choose One.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read in full, which costs as little as $7, or under $5 per month for an entire year.)

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Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-hornet-elite-osmo-1p-ultralight-tent/feed/ 0 64482 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-hyperlite-mountain-gear-mid-1-ultralight-solo-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-hyperlite-mountain-gear-mid-1-ultralight-solo-tent/#comments Wed, 01 Nov 2023 17:28:32 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=60711 Read on

]]> Ultralight Solo Backpacking Tent
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1
$675, 16.8 oz./476.3g
hyperlitemountaingear.com

After crossing Texas Pass, at around 11,460 feet, a friend and I descended into the incomparable Cirque of the Towers in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, reaching the shore of Lonesome Lake—where the sky suddenly darkened, soon followed by thunder and lightning. We hustled to pitch the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1 as a temporary shelter and both dove inside just as the full force of that thunderstorm walloped us with pounding wind and rain, even spawning a new, little stream that flowed under one end of the tent. But we stayed warm and dry inside it while waiting 30 minutes or more for the storm to pass. And that’s just one tale of the weather the Mid-1 endured, demonstrating its value as one of the very best ultralight solo backpacking tents available today.

I swapped this with another solo tent with two different friends for three nights in the Wind River Range in mid-August and six nights in Glacier National Park in September, with lows from the upper 30s to around 50° F (3-8° C) and strong wind every night in the Winds, with gusts exceeding 40 mph/64 kph and perhaps 50 mph/80 kph, plus hard, wind-driven rain for hours on our last night in the Winds and light rain one morning in Glacier. And the Mid-1 stood up solidly in all of those conditions.

I also slept in it for two nights while backpacking the 22-mile/35.4-kilometer Boulder Mail Trail-Death Hollow Loop in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in early October, with clear nights in the high 40s. And on a subsequent September backpacking trip in the Winds, the Mid- stood up to wind gusts around 40 mph; and after that night grew dead calm and the temp dropped to around 40° F—conditions that often result in condensation inside a tent—I woke in the morning to find just slight condensation on the inside wall, only above my head.

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First of all, at 16.8 ounces/476.3 grams (for the tent only, not including stakes, guylines, stuff sack, etc., and certainly not the trekking pole weight), the Mid-1 certainly ranks among the very lightest ultralight solo backpacking tents—as well as one of the roomiest. And when pitched properly, as evidenced by its performance in severe conditions in the Winds, it is about as sturdy a shelter as you’ll find, suitable for virtually any three-season backpacking trip.

Made with highly durable and waterproof Dyneema Composite fabrics (DCF5 in the rainfly and DCF10 in the floor), this non-freestanding, pyramid shelter pitches using one adjustable trekking pole that ideally extends to 135 centimeters, although it pitches tautly and to an adequate height with a pole extended to 130 centimeters. It barely even shook through hours of wind gusts to 40 and possibly 50 mph in the Winds—and that was without staking out any guylines using the 11 tie-outs around the tent’s exterior. (Use trekking poles that are relatively sturdy and extend long enough; many do not.)  

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Pitching is simple and relatively quick for a non-freestanding tent: First, stake out the four corners, leaving some slack in the stake lines to fine-tune the tension later. Insert the trekking pole, handle upward into the tent’s peak and inserting its tip through the exterior floor loop in the center of the door-side mesh wall. Then extend the pole to 130 to 135 centimeters; its height will determine the steepness of the walls and slightly alter how close the ceiling is to your face when lying down. Then stake out the vestibule and rear wall; the tent requires six stakes for optimum stability and ventilation.

I found it easiest to achieve balanced tension on all stake points and an elevated bathtub floor (to keep water out) and still maximize venting through the perimeter mesh by tightening tension on all the stake lines only after all six stakes are in the ground and the trekking pole is extended to full height. And small adjustment straps inside the tent enable you to raise and lower the sidewalls of the bathtub floor to create a higher splash guard in heavy rain, which does reduce venting through the perimeter mesh.

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While it requires more time to pitch than a typical ultralight, freestanding tent, I could pitch it within a few minutes by myself after just a few times (including, of course, a practice session in my back yard before its inaugural trip).

One drawback of any pyramid tent is that the walls slope downward from the single center pole. But with 21 square feet of interior space and a bathtub floor measuring 96×32 inches/244x81cm, plus a peak height at the center of 54 inches/137cm, the Mid-1 provides abundant living space for one person.

At five feet, eight inches/1.73 meters tall, I had more than enough length and width to sleep without the sloping wall anywhere near my face or my head brushing it when I rose to sit up, with plenty of floor space remaining for my puffy and rain jackets, extra clothes, plus items like my camera gear, electronics, and various stuff sacks. I slept with my head at the door end of the tent—often with that side of the vestibule rolled up and tied back, for better ventilation and to see the night sky—and never felt like the sloping wall was too close to my head. The crescent-shaped door zips smoothly—most smoothly when the tent is pitched properly—and is reasonably large for easy in and out.

Mediocre to poor ventilation dogs many single-wall tents, especially smaller two-person and solo models, but the hybrid single-wall Mid-1 performs closer to a double-wall tent in this respect, thanks to No-See-Um Mesh comprising the lone interior wall (where the inside door is located), plus two peak vents and perimeter mesh around three sides of the bathtub floor, enabling good high-low venting, even with the vestibule door zipped up in heavy, wind-driven rain.

While there’s no doubt that windy nights helped ventilate the tent, it also developed very little condensation inside even on calm, cool nights in the upper 30s F (about 3° C). But on another trip in the Winds, a six-day, 64-mile traverse, much of it on the Continental Divide Trail, I had two nights near and below freezing when condensation and ice formed on the sloping wall over my head; fortunately, I could brush the ice off easily onto my air mattress and quickly dump it on the ground outside before it melted inside the tent, and use a shirt to wipe condensation off the walls when the temp was above freezing (drying the shirt quickly in the sun afterward).

Still, freezing and calm nights are still the bane of this tent, especially with the vestibule closed up. But the spacious interior also means your bag and clothes will rarely brush against the walls if they do develop condensation.

The vestibule, with a waterproof zipper and a cool little detail in the magnetized tieback for rolling up one side on dry nights, has enough space to store a midsize pack and boots under one side of the vestibule, leaving the other side (where the interior tent door is positioned) unimpeded for entering and exiting.

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Another common drawback of pyramid tents is a drip line that enables rain to fall directly into the interior because of the sloping walls. But the Mid-1’s design creates a drip line that keeps light rain out because the vertical mesh wall does not slope into the vestibule area (see photos). In heavier, windblown rain, though, I unavoidably had to close the vestibule nearly to the ground to keep rain out; but I did leave it open several inches above ground level for better ventilation without allowing any rain inside.

The tent’s packed dimensions of 8.5×5.5×5.5 inches/cm make it slightly bulkier than some of the most packable solo tents, which is the nature of Dyneema fabric and probably its only drawback. Still, at slightly larger than a football, it’s not a very big package to slip inside a backpack.

HMG also offers the Mid 1 Tarp ($450, 8.8 oz./250g), which, of course, lacks a floor or bug protection.

Planning your next big adventure? See “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips”
and “Tent Flap With a View: 25 Favorite Backcountry Campsites.”

 

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

Extremely light at just over a pound, waterproof, highly durable, and impressively stable in strong wind, with good ventilation, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1 represents arguably the very best solo tent available today for backpackers, bikepackers, and other backcountry travelers who prioritize low weight and high performance.

4.4

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1 solo backpacking tent at hyperlitemountaingear.com, or the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid 1 Tarp at hyperlitemountaingear.com.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “Ultralight Backpacking Tents: How to Choose One.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read in full, which costs as little as $7, or under $5 per month for an entire year.)

Let The Big Outside help you find the best adventures.
Join now for full access to ALL stories and get a free e-book!

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-hyperlite-mountain-gear-mid-1-ultralight-solo-tent/feed/ 2 60711 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-hornet-osmo-1p-ultralight-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-hornet-osmo-1p-ultralight-tent/#comments Tue, 03 Oct 2023 12:49:40 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=60364 Read on

]]> Ultralight Solo Backpacking Tent
Nemo Hornet Osmo 1p
$460, 1 lb. 13 oz./822g
backcountry.com

The wind never cut us a break while backpacking in the Wind River Range in August. For hours a day on the trail, it literally knocked us off-balance at times. And then it pounded us every night. Finally, on our last evening, it blew in with a violent thunderstorm that generated gusts probably exceeding 40 mph/64 kph and perhaps reaching 50 mph/80 kph, accompanied by driving rain for several hours. Although a friend (in another tent) and I didn’t sleep a wink until that storm abated well after midnight, the Nemo Hornet Osmo 1p kept me dry and survived those tempests while demonstrating its strengths and nice design features.

I slept in this tent for two of our three nights in the Winds and three of six nights backpacking in Glacier National Park in mid-September; on both trips, a friend and I swapped out using the Hornet Osmo 1p and another solo tent I was testing out, so both tents received nine nights of hard testing (as of this writing, with more use to come). Across those nights, low temperatures ranged from around 50 Fahrenheit to the upper 30s (about 3 to 10 Celsius). In addition to nightly, strong gusts in the Wind River Range, plus hard rain one night, we saw rain one night in Glacier.

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

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And the Hornet Osmo 1p stood up solidly to most of those severe conditions. The strongest gusts caused the windward wall of the tent to bow deeply inward, bending the pole so much that I occasionally had to hold the walls up with both hands to avoid damage. But in fairness, few backpacking tents—not only in this weight class, but most of today’s best three-season backpacking tents—are designed for those conditions. We also could have camped at a more protected spot at a somewhat lower elevation instead of in a lake basin at well over 10,000 feet with no wind breaks of any kind. (An earlier thunderstorm had already passed and we had bluebird skies when we set up camp.) On another night in the Winds, in a camp partly protected by trees near Washakie Lake, the Hornet Osmo 1p tent held up fine in gusts well over 30 mph.

As I wrote in my review of Nemo’s Hornet Osmo 2p, I think what most distinguishes the Hornet Osmo tents from competitors in this category is less about weather—tents with this structural design in this weight class will deliver enough protection for most backpackers—and more about details that are easily overlooked but affect the user experience in almost every aspect from setup to interior and vestibule space and ventilation.

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Most distinctively, Nemo’s proprietary Osmo fabric, used in the rainfly and floor of the Hornet Osmo tents, combines 100 percent recycled nylon and polyester yarns to rise above traditional nylon in its performance in rain. Nemo says the nylon fibers provide 20 percent more strength than standard nylon (of similar weight) while the hydrophobic polyester fibers increase the fabric’s water resistance by a factor of four and reduce the amount it stretches when wet by a factor of three.

Plus, Osmo achieves water repellency with a finish that’s free of PFC/PFAS chemicals and meets flammability requirements without chemical additives. I’ve seen no concerns about durability so far.

The Hornet Osmo 1p exists in a small category of semi-freestanding, double-wall, solo tents weighing under two pounds/907 grams. These tents are not as crazy-light as non-freestanding solo shelters that pitch using trekking poles, but they are significantly faster and more intuitive to pitch and their double-wall design avoids the condensation that tends to plague many single-wall tents.

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At a minimum weight of 1 lb. 13 ounces/822 grams (just the tent, poles, and rainfly), the Hornet Osmo 1p offers ease of use and good living space at a minimal weight penalty versus competitors. To compare it with two solo tents that share this semi-freestanding design and similar materials and both have slightly less interior space but a slightly larger vestibule: the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1 Solution Dye weighs an ounce more (see my review of the Tiger Wall UL2 Solution Dye) and the MSR Freelite 1 comes in three ounces lighter (see my review of the Freelite 2).

With 22.3 square feet/2.1 square meters of interior space, a 39-inch/98cm peak height, and a floor measuring 87×43/31 inches/222×108/79 (it tapers from head to foot), the Hornet Osmo 1p offers a relatively spacious interior and good headroom for an ultralight solo tent. It’s a bit more than twice the width of a standard 20-inch-wide air mattress at the head end and 11 inches wider at the foot end, creating extra space for your stuff, and long enough for tall people.

The interior door is reasonably large for a tent in this weight class, for easy entry and egress—made even easier by having the door on the side rather than at the head end, which also improves ventilation. The vestibule has 7.3 square feet/0.7 square meter of storage, enough to squeeze shoes and a midsize backpack under one side of it; and you can roll up one or both sides of the vestibule for maximum venting and a view of the night sky (and we had some amazing Milky Way skies in both the Winds and Glacier).

While the Hornet Osmo 1p has a good space-to-weight ratio for any double-wall tent, any tent in this weight class is targeted more to minimalists who prioritize low weight over living space—who will likely occupy the tent primarily during sleeping hours and often spend most of each day on the trail.

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The smart and easy-to-use door tiebacks are a nice detail. Inside, there’s just one storage pocket on the wall at the head end, where you wouldn’t want to place much weight or bulk. But again, the point of this tent is to offer no more than what’s necessary, minimizing weight. Besides, many backpackers seeking an ultralight solo tent likely have their system and organization down and may not prioritize pockets.

As with all tents using this basic semi-freestanding design, set-up is simple and fast. Y-shaped, color-coded DAC Featherlite NSL poles that join at a single hubbed intersection feature a center ridgeline that forks to two corners—a common pole structure that trims weight but requires staking (thus, it’s “semi-freestanding”).

The short Flybar snaps into place across the main ridge pole’s high center point to pull the side walls outward, creating nice headroom. While that’s a common feature in backpacking tents, the Flybar’s flexible design makes it easier during setup than some others and distributes tension evenly. Triangulated corner guy-outs pull the lower tent walls outward to minimize contact between any condensation on the walls and sleeping bags. Just six clips and three grommets attach the interior tent canopy to the poles and the Hornet requires just six stakes.

A friend who backpacked with me and had never seen this tent before proclaimed it “very easy to pitch.”

The 15-denier nylon ripstop with no-see-um mesh interior walls enable excellent ventilation, aided by the bottom edge of the rainfly being elevated off the ground to promote low-high air flow. On calm, cool nights, I saw only minimal dampness on the underside of the rainfly—not nearly enough to drip or even rub off on a sleeping bag brushing against a wall. Ventilation improves greatly when the rainfly door is kept at least partly open.

Much credit for that ventilation goes to another unique Nemo tent feature: a large cutout in the rainfly at the head end of the tent, overlapping a solid panel on the lower part of that interior tent wall. During that violent thunderstorm in the Winds, the swirling wind occasionally caused spritzes of mist to blow under that cutout and spray me very lightly, but not enough to get anything even slightly damp. In a typical rainstorm, no rain blows inside even as that cutout creates exceptional air flow.

Planning your next big adventure? See “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips”
and “Tent Flap With a View: 25 Favorite Backcountry Campsites.”

 

With all Hornet tents, the rainfly door zips open beyond the high point of the interior door, giving them a drip line that permits rain to fall inside. With a little care, though, you can enter and leave the tent letting virtually no rain inside, possibly by not unzipping the rainfly door entirely.

The packed size of 12.5×7.5×3 inches/32x19x7 centimeters makes it more packable than comparable tents. But its packed length is most unique: While I normally load tent poles separately into my pack—standing them up in one corner to accommodate their length—the Hornet’s tent poles are so compact when folded that I could leave them inside the divvy cube stuff sack with all the tent components and easily lay it horizontally into my pack. All new Nemo tents come with a 100% recycled fabric pole bag (instead of wasteful, single-use poly bags).

Other models in this series are the Hornet Osmo 2p ($480, 2 lbs. 1 oz./948g) and Hornet Osmo 3p ($580, 2 lbs. 13 oz./1.28kg), plus two lighter models, the Hornet Elite Osmo 1p ($600, 1 lb. 7 oz./657g) and Hornet Elite Osmo 2p ($700, 1 lb. 11 oz./779g).

See my review of Nemo’s Hornet Osmo 2p.

Nemo Hornet Osmo 1p

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

For lightweight and ultralight backpackers and thru-hikers seeking a solo tent that doesn’t compromise on performance details like ease of use, strength, living space, and ventilation, the Nemo Hornet Osmo 1p and the entire Hornet Osmo series deserve a serious look.

4.5

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Nemo Hornet Osmo 1p at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com, or any Hornet Elite Osmo tent at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “Ultralight Backpacking Tents: How to Choose One.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read in full, which costs as little as $7, or under $5 per month for an entire year.)

Let The Big Outside help you find the best adventures.
Join now for full access to ALL stories and get a free e-book!

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-hornet-osmo-1p-ultralight-tent/feed/ 6 60364 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-hornet-osmo-2p-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-hornet-osmo-2p-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#respond Tue, 23 May 2023 18:28:52 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=58771 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Nemo Hornet Osmo 2p
$480, 2 lbs. 1 oz./948g
backcountry.com

Sleeping in this ultralight tent while backpacking a section of the Arizona Trail along the Gila River in the first days of April and backpacking southern Utah’s Owl and Fish canyons loop in early May, camping in Idaho’s City of Rocks in June, and backpacking the Nigel, Cataract, and Cline Passes Route in the Canadian Rockies in August, I had a chance to not only test its performance, but also to consider the unique little niche it fills. If you’re seeking the lightest and most packable shelter that possesses all the ease of use, protection, and convenience of traditional double-wall tents as well as a degree of livability that will suit many backpackers, the Hornet Osmo 2p offers much to like.

While camping two nights in the Hornet Osmo 2p at Idaho’s City of Rocks in June, thunderstorm cells unleashed lightning, thunder, and hard, wind-driven rain on both afternoons and evenings. Throughout that hard pounding, everything inside remained dry (including me). In Owl and Fish canyons, the tent held up well through a few hours of winds gusting over 40 mph one night. In the Canadian Rockies, we had calm nights with overnight lows in the low 40s Fahrenheit and a very heavy dew that soaked all three tents in our party both nights. On the Arizona Trail hike, we had moderate wind at times, lows in the 30s and 40s, and no precipitation. My daughter also shared this tent with a friend when we backpacked three days on the Skyline Trail in Canada’s Jasper National Park, where we had rain showers one night.

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I think what most distinguishes the Hornet Osmo from its closest competitors is less about weather—tents with this structural design in this weight class will deliver enough protection for most backpackers—and more about details that are easily overlooked but play a noticeable role in how much you’ll like a tent.

Nemo’s Hornet Osmo 2p belongs to a small club of semi-freestanding, two-person, two-door, double-wall tents weighing precisely or barely over two pounds/907 grams. These tents share similar designs on a macro scale but differ mostly at the micro level, in details that impact the user experience in almost every aspect from setup to interior and vestibule space.

Plan your next great backpacking trip on the Teton Crest Trail, Wonderland Trail, in Yosemite or other parks using my expert e-books.

One major difference arises in materials. The Hornet Osmo tents employ Nemo’s proprietary Osmo fabric, which uses a combination of 100 percent recycled nylon and polyester yarns. Nemo says the nylon fibers provide 20 percent more strength than standard nylon (presumably nylon of similar weight) while the polyester fibers resist stretching when wet by a factor of three and the fabric’s water resistance has increased by a factor of four. Plus, Osmo achieves water repellency with a finish that’s free of PFC/PFAS chemicals and meets flammability requirements without chemical additives. I’ve seen no concerns about durability so far.

As with all tents using this basic design, set-up is a snap. Color-coded DAC Featherlite NSL poles that join at a single hubbed intersection feature a center ridgeline that forks to two corners—a common pole structure that trims weight but requires staking, which makes it “semi-freestanding.” The short Flybar bridge pole crosses over the main ridge pole to pull the walls outward, creating nice headroom—a feature common in backpacking tents but the Flybar’s flexible design makes it easier during setup than some others and distributes tension evenly. The Flybar also enables pitching the tent with just three clips. Clips and grommets attach the interior tent body to the poles and the Hornet requires just six stakes.

In the City of Rocks, gusts up to 30 mph merely rippled the tent fabric, not bending the poles or affecting structural integrity a bit.

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Unique guy-outs on the canopy exterior walls clip to the rainfly to pull the walls outward, keeping them from sagging inward to brush your head or against your bag. Triangulated corner guy-outs pull the lower tent walls outward to minimize contact between any condensation on the walls and sleeping bags.

I found the excellent ventilation enabled by the mesh walls and ceiling panels and the two opposing doors prevented condensation even on calm nights just above freezing. Much credit for that ventilation goes to another unique Nemo tent feature: The head end of the tent has a large cutout in the rainfly overlapping a solid panel on the lower part of that interior tent wall, such that no rain blows inside even as it creates exceptional air flow. Also, the bottom edge of the rainfly is elevated five or six inches off the ground to promote low-high ventilation.

On our two calm nights in the low 40s in the White Goat Wilderness, that heavy dew thoroughly soaked all three tents outside and inside with condensation, including a more spacious, double-wall tent used in our group, which might presumably be less susceptible to condensation inside just for the fact of greater space. With a cold creek not far from our camp combined with dead air holding a lot of moisture plus cool temps, our little test pool of three different tents demonstrated that virtually any tent would have seen condensation inside.

The tent walls sagged inward on those nights of heavy dew—but I could minimize that problem with more careful staking and balancing the tension on the rainfly’s corner and vestibule stake points. Overall, the Hornet Osmo 2p ventilates as well as other tents of similar dimensions and design and better than most, thanks to that rainfly wall design.

Comparing the Hornet Osmo 2p’s dimensions with two similar competitors in its weight class that I’ve reviewed, the MSR Freelite 2 and the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 Solution Dye: The Hornet’s 27.5 square feet/2.6 square meters of floor area offer slightly less space than those other two; the peak height of 39 inches/98cm is identical; and the floor dimensions of 85×51 inches/215x130cm, with the floor tapering to 43 inches/108cm wide at the foot end, compares with the Tiger Wall but the Freelite does not taper.

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From a user perspective, that’s a snug backcountry abode best suited to people who don’t mind occasionally bumping one another. This is a typical tradeoff for a double-wall tent with such a low weight and high space-to-weight ratio. With this or any tent of similar dimensions, some people might want to consider whether they will occupy it primarily just during sleeping hours or often spend considerable waking hours inside, due to temperatures and weather.

The only pockets are two overhead—not much for keeping track of small items like headlamps when inside—and those overhead pockets aren’t good for anything solid or weighing more than you’d want to bump your head against.

The two vestibules, each 7.1 sq. ft./0.7 sq. meters, are slightly smaller than the other two tents but provide adequate storage space for a mid-size backpack and boots. The rainfly doors zip open beyond the high point of the interior tent doors, meaning the Hornet Osmo has a drip line that permits rain to fall inside. With a little care, you can enter and leave the tent letting virtually no rain inside and possibly not having to unzip the rainfly entirely. But the shallow vestibule also occasionally meant an unzipped, wet rainfly door stuck to my back when crawling inside, splashing some water droplets (not much) onto gear inside—like my sleeping bag.

The packed size of 12.5×7.5×3.5 inches/32x19x8.5cm makes it more packable than comparable tents that have only slightly more living space. But its packed length is most unique: While I normally load tent poles separately into my pack—standing them up in one back corner to accommodate their length—the Hornet’s tent poles are so compact that I could leave them inside the divvy cube stuff sack with all the tent components and easily lay it horizontally into the bottom of my pack.

All new Nemo tents come with a 100% recycled fabric pole bag (instead of wasteful, single-use poly bags).

Other models in this series are the Hornet Osmo 1p ($460, 1 lb. 13 oz./822g) and Hornet Osmo 3p ($580, 2 lbs. 13 oz./1.28kg)—both also among the lightest in their categories—and the even-lighter Hornet Elite Osmo 2p ($700, 1 lb. 11 oz./779g) and Hornet Elite Osmo 1p ($600, 1 lb. 7 oz./657g).

See my review of the Nemo Hornet Elite Osmo 1p tent, in which I encountered very strong wind and heavy rain.

Nemo Hornet Osmo 2p

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

While it may not be the right tent for two bigger people, the Nemo Hornet Osmo 2p represents one of the lightest and most packable two-person, double-wall, semi-freestanding tents, with ease of use, protection, and livability that will appeal to many lightweight and ultralight backpackers.

4.4

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Nemo Hornet Osmo 2p at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com, or any Hornet Osmo tent model at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com, or any Hornet Elite Osmo tent model at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “Ultralight Backpacking Tents: How to Choose One.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read in full, which costs as little as $7, or under $5 per month for an entire year.)

Let The Big Outside help you find the best adventures.
Join now for full access to ALL stories and get a free e-book!

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-hornet-osmo-2p-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 0 58771 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-msr-freelite-2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-msr-freelite-2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#comments Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:46:15 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=58231 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
MSR FreeLite 2
$500, 2 lbs./907g
cascadedesigns.com

MSR’s newest version of the Freelite 2 immediately baffled me. I wondered: How can this double-wall, two-door, three-season, semi-freestanding tent weigh anywhere from three to nine ounces less than very similar tents in this category that have basically the same design… and still have more interior space? Searching for some explanation other than some implausible, sudden, radical shift in the laws of physics, I took the Freelite 2 for a spin in Arizona’s Aravaipa Canyon and on two backpacking trips in the Canadian Rockies—and found many ways in which MSR’s latest versions of its Freelite series distinguish themselves from a pack of doppelgangers.

To give a bit of back story, you might have noticed something about today’s three-season backpacking tents: A lot of them look very much alike. That’s no coincidence. Companies have found designs that resonate with backpackers—which says something about how far tents have evolved. But it also means you have to look more closely at the little details when choosing a tent because that’s where the competition happens.

I took the Freelite 2 on a pair of two-night backpacking trips in the Canadian Rockies in early August, sharing it with a my wife on the 27.3-mile/44k Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park, where we had rain showers one night; and my daughter and a friend slept in it on the Nigel, Cataract, and Cline Passes Route, where a very heavy dew soaked all three tents in our party both nights. Both of those hikes saw overnight lows in the low 40s Fahrenheit. I also shared it with another friend for two nights while backpacking Aravaipa Canyon in the first week of April. While we had very dry weather in Aravaipa, strong winds buffeted our camp at times and overnight lows ranged from just over freezing to the low 40s Fahrenheit. And my wife and I shared it for three nights on an August backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, with clear skies, mild temperatures, and relatively calm winds.

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

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Perhaps the most significant changes to the updated Freelite tent series are that they’re lighter—by a whopping half-pound, or the equivalent of four days of trail food, a big deal in the world of backpacking tents—and have three more inches of peak height.

At a mere two pounds/1.1 kilogram, with 29 square feet/2.7 square meters of floor area and a peak height of 39 inches/one meter, MSR appears to be taking on a specific sub-category of ultralight, two-door, double-wall, three-season backpacking tents. Compare some of the bestselling tents that meet that description and not only does the Freelite 2 weigh anywhere from three to nine ounces less than very similar tents while offering more interior space—but some similar freestanding tents that have a little more space are upwards of 10 ounces or more heavier.

Those metrics may appeal to people who want a light tent but have a limit to how much they want to bump into each other or how much time they want to dedicate to practicing pitching it the first time. (From my viewpoint, that’s a lot of backpackers.) That’s even more appealing on mostly fair-weather trips like Aravaipa, where we’re in the tent only to sleep and maybe read a bit before sleeping.

Plan your next great backpacking trip on the Teton Crest Trail, Wonderland Trail, in Yosemite or other parks using my expert e-guides.

My tallest tentmate, who’s about five feet 10 inches, and I—both of us well acquainted with larger and smaller tents—found the Freelite 2 predictably snug for two people but perfectly livable. In short: more comfortable than I’d expect from a two-pound, double-wall tent with all these features.

It goes up quickly and easily. The Y-shaped, hubbed, DAC NFL 8.7mm aluminum poles feature one center ridgeline that forks to two corners—an increasingly common pole shape in this tent class, which trims weight but also requires staking, spawning the term “semi-freestanding.” A second, short, eyebrow pole crosses the main ridge pole to elevate the ceiling above the doors, creating more headroom—another common design element in lightweight tents. Clips and grommets attach the interior tent body to the poles and the Freelite requires just six stakes.

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This structurally sturdy shelter withstood gusts of 20 to 30 mph without any suggestion that such winds even tested the tent, and the rainfly drip line keeps rain outside the interior when vestibule doors are open.

The almost entirely micro-mesh interior walls, aided by the natural cross-ventilation of opposing doors, facilitate excellent air flow that prevented any trace of condensation inside even on a calm night just above freezing in Aravaipa and on nights in the low 40s on the Skyline Trail.

On our two calm nights in the low 40s in the White Goat Wilderness, that heavy dew thoroughly soaked all three tents outside and inside with condensation, including a more spacious, double-wall tent used in our group, which might presumably be less susceptible to condensation inside just for the fact of greater space. With a cold creek not far from our camp and that combination of dead air holding a lot of moisture plus cool temps, I think any tent would have seen condensation inside. The Freelite 2 basically ventilates as well as other tents of similar dimensions and design.

The two doors are reasonably large for a tent in this weight class, for easy entry and egress. And the smart, no-curve door zippers, with two zippers closing to the same point at one corner, enables one-hand operation because they never get stuck around a corner and eliminates fumbling around for the zipper pull in the dark.

Eschewing the tapered floor of many lightweight tents, the Freelite floor’s rectangular shape, measuring 84×50 inches/213×127 centimeters, creates a bit more storage space at the foot end while also slightly increasing the tent’s footprint negligibly—most backpackers will appreciate the extra living space but won’t find the bigger footprint problematic. (This isn’t a mountaineering tent.) The Freelite features abundant interior pockets, including a ceiling mesh pocket convenient for using a headlamp as an overhead light.

The combined 15 square feet/1.4 square meters in two vestibules, slightly less than found in comparable tents, provides space for boots and a mid-sized backpack; and each door can be kept half-open or rolled completely back for maximum cooling, air flow, and stargazing.

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The tradeoffs for such a low weight and high space-to-weight ratio are typical of tents in this weight class. The ultralight, 15-denier ripstop nylon fabric in the rainfly and tent floor, both treated to repel water, reduces weight but is not as durable as heavier fabric; and the 10-denier micro-mesh is obviously more vulnerable but no different than most three-season tent interior walls. The packed size of 18.×4.5 inches/45.7×11.4 centimeters is typical of tents around this weight.

The Freelite tents’ Fast and Light Body, sold separately ($130 for the Freelite 2)—used instead of the interior tent when bugs are not an issue—have a bathtub floor and low walls at each end, to provide more protection from the elements and help prevent your stuff from rolling or slipping outside overnight. The Freelite 2 Fast and Light setup trims the shelter’s weight by six ounces.

Other models in this series are the Freelite 1 ($440, 1 lb. 10 oz./0.74kg) and the Freelite 3 ($570, 2 lbs. 6 oz./1.1kg).

MSR Freelite 2

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

If you’re a fan of the high space-to-weight ratio, ease of use, and good ventilation of double-wall, two-door, three-season, semi-freestanding backpacking tents, imagine one that’s even lighter and more spacious. That’s the MSR Freelite 2.

4.5

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See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “Ultralight Backpacking Tents: How to Choose One.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read in full, which costs as little as $7, or under $5 per month for an entire year.)

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Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-msr-freelite-2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 4 58231 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-slingfin-hotbox-four-season-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-slingfin-hotbox-four-season-tent/#respond Sun, 19 Feb 2023 14:58:21 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=57304 Read on

]]> Ultralight Alpine/Four-Season Tent
SlingFin Hotbox
$650, 3 lbs. 9 oz.
slingfin.com

Through three cold December nights camped at over 8,000 feet in Idaho’s Boulder Mountains, snow fell hard enough that I had to dig this tent out a few times. All that cold, white smoke was great for two reasons: the backcountry skiing my kids and I did—and testing the Hotbox, SlingFin’s answer to the challenge of creating a lightweight tent built for alpine climbing and other four-season adventures.

The HotBox represents SlingFin’s modern take on the classic wedge tent for alpine climbing—with some stylizing of a design that’s seen little change in recent years, designing it in ways that will appeal to other four-season backcountry travelers and backpackers who push the limits of many three-season tents.

Not surprisingly, from a brand that has been reimagining what backcountry shelters do and how they do it (see other SlingFin tent reviews at this blog), the freestanding, single-door, double-wall Hotbox is not your father’s backpacking or mountaineering/four-season tent. Three features most distinguish the Hotbox from similar tents:

1. The WebTruss, a pair of detachable, crossing sleeves that the two poles slide into, adding little weight while substantially boosting the tent’s stability in strong wind.
2. Gear storage on both sides of the tent, accessed from inside, rather than a vestibule outside the door.
3. Its double-wall design, with an inner tent and a rainfly, common in three-season tents but rarely seen in lightweight, mountaineering/four-season tents designed for very small campsites high up mountains.

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The HotBox’s WebTruss conveys the benefits of both the structural strength of pole sleeves plus the ease of pitching a tent with clips. The WebTruss creates a high strength-to-weight ratio by distributing wind force along the length of the tent’s two DAC NFL 9.3mm poles, to eliminate poles flexing at clip points in wind; adjustable black webbings at the four WebTruss pole openings can be tensioned for added strength (and must be loosened to pitch the tent). This design improves on traditional pole sleeves by eliminating the problem of sleeves being sewn on a diagonal to the fabric’s weave, which allows fabric to stretch and poles to flex more in wind—and potentially break.

The shortcoming of poles sleeves has always been sliding the poles through them—particularly complicated when wind keeps treating the tent like a kite. But because the WebTruss is detachable via side release buckles, you can insert the poles into it and tension the ends before attaching it to the tent, while it lacks much surface area for the wind to lift—meaning you won’t snap a pole that’s partway through a sleeve and flapping in wind. Yes, this is time-consuming, but so is pitching any tent in wind. And the last thing you need is a broken pole. The WebTruss also has O-rings on top that can be attached to toggles on the underside of the rainfly, creating an integrated setup that keeps the two attached while packed up for faster pitching in camp.

Characteristic of SlingFin tents, one set of pre-installed internal guylines and the capability of adding more also help boost structural strength.

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The gear storage consists of protected space under full-length snow flaps on both sides of the tent, accessed via round, drawstring vents inside that open wide enough to pass a backpack through; they resemble smaller versions of vestibules on two-door tents, but with greater versatility. The flaps can be toggled up to the inside of the rainfly when not in use, pulled out and staked using the adjustable stake loop, folded under the tent, or toggled to the O-ring at the top of the tub floor sidewall (requiring no stakes) to provide a dry platform for gear.

These door-less storage areas never expose the boots, packs, and other gear inside them to the weather whenever you enter or exit the tent; and that gear isn’t an obstacle in your doorway. Those side vents can close up completely to keep insects outside in warm temps, but that’s not the use this tent is primarily made for. Most critically for climbers, this gear storage provides storage that’s generally missing from that category of shelters—and can be reeled in when a ledge or small tent site lacks space for them.

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You might even cook in them—though space is limited, and with the caveat that, as when cooking in a standard vestibule in stormy weather, you must ensure there’s good ventilation to prevent the slow, undetectable killer of carbon monoxide buildup. That’s easier to do when there’s an exterior/rainfly door with a two-way zipper that can be opened slightly from the bottom. With the Hotbox, you might have to repeatedly clear fresh snowfall that could pile up around the tent’s perimeter and impede ground-level air flow.

The double-wall design unquestionably provides significantly better ventilation than single-wall tents, which chronically suffer from condensation buildup on the inside walls due to inadequate ventilation—especially in sub-freezing temperatures, the very conditions for which the Hotbox and similar tents are intended. Live in a single-wall shelter for multiple nights below freezing and it’s very hard—almost impossible—to prevent so much condensation freezing to your ceiling and walls that it begins snowing on you, your bag, and everything inside each time someone brushes a wall. With just one door on the Hotbox and other alpine wedge tents—eliminating the cross-ventilation you get in a two-door tent—the double-wall setup becomes even more critical.

Besides the benefit of double walls and the air movement enabled when the side vents accessing the gear storage are open, a drawstring ceiling vent at the foot end, which can be used with or without mesh depending on bugs, and a zippered solid panel over a mesh window (for buggy conditions) in the upper portion of the door create end-to-end air flow—thus, interior can get air flow from four directions, lending the Hotbox unusually good ventilation for a single-door tent. On three consecutive, calm nights in the single digits to teens Fahrenheit—conditions notorious for frosting a tent’s interior—negligible amounts of condensation accumulated on the Hotbox’s interior walls, not enough to start snowing on my bag or get anything inside the tent wet.

While I camped in forest rather than on a narrow ledge on a mountain ledge, it’s clear with the Hotbox pitched that it covers a relatively small footprint, with 26.8 square feet of floor space, the interior 82 inches long and a generous 52 inches wide at the head, tapering to 42 inches at the foot. While that’s snug living for two people, two standard air mattresses (20×72 inches) fit side by side with space to spare and the 41-inch peak height is good for a tent in this category and weight class. Plus, eight pockets provide abundant organization, helping to keep stuff off the limited floor and easier to find.

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Pitching the Hotbox isn’t very intuitive, but I found that one practice session in my back yard, using this helpful video from SlingFin, enabled me to erect it—by myself, atop deep snow in the backcountry—about as quickly as I pitch many freestanding tents. The Hotbox can be pitched in four different configurations.

1. The standard setup of clipping the tent canopy directly to the poles, adequate in most conditions.
2. A high-wind setup that entails running the poles through the WebTruss to boost stability and wind resistance and reduce the chance of breaking a pole while pitching the tent.
3. An integrated setup that leaves the tent body attached to the rainfly when packing the tent away, for faster setup that also keeps the tent interior dry when pitching in inclement weather.
4. Using the 12 DAC twist clips that come with the Hotbox instead of the WebTruss, for reducing tent weight a bit when using the Hotbox in mild weather—making it a legitimate all-season tent.

A major drawback of any alpine tent that lacks a vestibule protecting the door is that snow and rain can inevitably enter the tent when you come and go. That’s one price of a shelter that’s lightweight and fits on a very small site.

The breathable, 15-denier nylon ripstop fabric used in the tent walls blocks wind, spindrift, dust, and sand. The 20-denier, sil/sil nylon rainfly will not sag as much as sil/PU nylon, never hydrolyze, and is extremely resistant to mold and mildew while striking a balance between weight and durability. The rainfly’s 14 external guypoints—yes, 14—seem to prepare the Hotbox for a category 1 hurricane. I used fewer than half of those guypoints through the snowstorm and had no trouble with wind or snow affecting the tent. As it dumped outside, the weather was hardly noticeable in the dry interior.

Like many mountaineering/four-season tents, the Hotbox comes with DAC J-stakes (14 of them), which are strong but intended for pounding into earth, not into snow, for which they’re much too narrow; I used a few as deadmen for staking but that’s tricky and it’s easy to lose skinny little stakes in snow. For camping on snow, you’ll need true snow stakes or other things you can use as deadmen (like stuff sacks filled with snow or skis, provided you’re not basecamping and using your skis during the day).

The packed size of 6×19 inches compares with many three-season tents of similar weight but built for milder weather conditions.

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SlingFin Hotbox

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

For climbers and other four-season adventurers looking for a lightweight, strong, and compact shelter versatile enough for all seasons, the SlingFin Hotbox offers a new take on a classic wedge tent, with good ventilation, gear storage, and multiple pitching configurations.

3.9

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to buy a SlingFin Hotbox at slingfin.com.

See all reviews of SlingFin shelters, “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You” (both of which require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read in full).

And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-slingfin-hotbox-four-season-tent/feed/ 0 57304 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-slingfin-2lite-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-slingfin-2lite-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#respond Wed, 19 Oct 2022 11:53:11 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=54988 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
SlingFin 2Lite
$505 (includes seam sealing; $30 less to order without seam sealing and do that yourself)
2 lbs. 10 oz. for the 2Lite, 2 lbs. 6 oz./1191g for the 2Lite Trek
SlingFin.com

Backpackers seeking an ultralight, two-person tent with decent space and solid performance in a range of backcountry circumstances actually have several good choices these days—including six of my 10 picks for the best backpacking tents. And yet, there are many reasons they should consider the 2Lite from SlingFin, as I concluded by the first night of a long hike through the High Sierra in August, when strong gusts pounded our camp at nearly 10,000 feet all night.

A partner and I slept in the 2Lite for eight nights on a hike of nearly 130 miles through the Ansel Adams and John Muir Wildernesses and Kings Canyon National Park, mostly on the John Muir Trail with some on- and off-trail variations—where this tent stood up well in strong winds.

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SlingFin previously sold the 2Lite and the 2Lite Trek (which I reviewed) as separate models, with the Trek version designed for pitching with trekking poles instead of the head pole included with the 2Lite. Now SlingFin offers the optional 2Lite Trek Conversion Kit ($45) for pitching the 2Lite with trekking poles, shaving four ounces from the total weight while likely creating a structurally stronger tent. I don’t see any reason to carry superfluous pole weight—and the only downside to getting the conversion kit is added cost. (Note: I tested a pre-production sample of the 2Lite provided to me by Slingfin in August because they did not yet have a production tent available.)

The two-person, two-door, double-wall, non-freestanding 2Lite pitches quickly and intuitively in just a few minutes, although I’d recommend that anyone not familiar with this two-pole design practice setting it up in their yard the first time. Two DAC Featherlite poles (8.5mm and 9mm), a longer one for the head end and a shorter one for the foot end, with reinforcements at critical bends, arc over the head and foot ends. The all-mesh interior canopy attaches with several clips—and as with any double-wall tent with two doors and an all-mesh interior canopy, ventilation is excellent.

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Six stakes for the tent body and vestibules create a taut, stable structure that withstood winds over 30 mph in the High Sierra, thanks in part to smart details like back-tacked stitching on stress points and reinforced guyouts. The 2Lite also comes with extra guylines that can be installed internally or externally to boost the structural stability in strong wind—although it already has adequate stability for typical conditions backpackers will encounter (and I didn’t need to install those extra guylines during eight nights at elevation in the Sierra).

While no ultralight tent with this design can be described as palatial, the 2Lite provides good living space for a two-door tent weighing two pounds, 10 ounces—or two pounds, six ounces without the front pole, which isn’t needed when pitching with trekking poles.

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The 2Lite’s 28.5 square feet of internal floor area matches that of many ultralight, two-person, two-door backpacking tents; but the pole structure lifts the side walls at the tent’s head end and the floor width tapers from 50 inches at the shoulders to 40 inches at the foot, making this shelter livable for two people who prioritize low weight over capacious accommodations. It fits two standard, 20-inch-wide air mattresses side by side, though with little room to spare.

The 41-inch peak height and 89-inch length represent some of the highest measures for those metrics among competitors of similar weight. And the two large tent doors enhance livability: You don’t have to compress your body into a ball to enter and exit this tent. Those doors roll up completely for more convenience when unpacking or packing sleeping gear in bug-free camps. Spacious interior pockets provided plenty of storage for headlamps and other items.

Plus, in its stuff sack, thanks in part to short pole sections, the packed tent measures a compact 13×5 inches, smaller than many competitors.

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The two vestibules measure 10.5 square feet each—larger than found on many tents in this weight class—creating abundant space for boots, wet layers, packs, and even cooking without impeding the entry. The vestibule doors roll up completely, letting you open up the tent in dry weather to create a nice, airy feeling, ventilate well, cool the inside, and afford you a view of the night sky. The nearly vertical side walls and doors and rainfly coverage create a good drip line, meaning that no rain falls inside when doors are open. We saw only light rain in the Sierra but this design will protect well even in hard rain.

From the sil/sil 10-denier nylon 66 ripstop rainfly—the same rainfly fabric used in SlingFin’s SplitWing and Portal tents, which have held up well in my use—to the walls and mesh of the interior tent and the PE-coated, 20-denier nylon ripstop floor, the fabrics are all ultralight and more susceptible to tearing than heavier tent fabrics, so exercise reasonable care in using them. SlingFin says they no longer use any PU fabrics in tents because they hydrolyze (get sticky and lose waterproofness) over time. They’ve switched to PE on tent floors because it’s less slippery than sil/sil and can be seam taped, and transitioned to only sil/sil flysheets because of its tear strength, durability, and excellent durable hydrophobic properties.

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SlingFin 2Lite

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

For an ultralight, two-door, double-wall tent, the SlingFin 2Lite offers good living space and strength in strong wind, making it an excellent choice for ultralight backpacking, thru-hiking, bikepacking or touring, and multi-day sea kayaking.

4.5

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking these affiliate links to buy a SlingFin 2Lite at slingfin.com and the 2Lite Trek Conversion Kit at slingfin.com.

See “The 10 (Very) Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “Ultralight Backpacking Tents: How to Choose One” (both of which require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read in full).

And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

Tell me what you think.

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-slingfin-2lite-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 0 54988 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-big-agnes-tiger-wall-ul2-solution-dye-ultralight-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-big-agnes-tiger-wall-ul2-solution-dye-ultralight-tent/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2022 22:08:39 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=54621 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 Solution Dye
$500, 2 lbs. 3 oz./992g
rei.com

If you’re shopping for an ultralight tent with two doors that doesn’t require an engineering degree to pitch, the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 has long had much to recommend it—including a weight of 18 ounces per occupant. Now, B.A. has made the latest update of this laudable shelter even more appealing to weight-conscious backpackers, with fabric that’s highly resistant to UV degradation and comes with substantial green cred, thanks to a production process that uses radically less water, energy, and chemicals.

I shared this tent with my wife for four nights backpacking in the Wind River Range, when we had no rain but some wind. I’ve also tested and reviewed the previous generation of this tent, the Tiger Wall UL2—which, except for the fabric, is basically identical to the current model—backpacking in the Grand Canyon, on nights that lived up to the canyon’s reputation for wind that can push an ultralight shelter to its structural limits. But the Tiger Wall UL2 withstood afternoon and evening gusts of 30 to 40 mph as well as steady rain on a separate camping trip in Idaho’s (also notoriously windy) City of Rocks National Reserve.

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Big Agnes redesigned the Tiger Wall UL2—one of the very lightest two-person, two-door, semi-freestanding tents on the market—with solution-dyed fabric, which besides being extremely light, uses 80 percent less energy and chemicals and 50 percent less water in production, according to Big Agnes. That makes it better for the planet, including the places where we like to pitch tents.

At barely over two pounds, the Tiger Wall UL2 Solution Dye is almost in a class all its own—and beyond weight, it outclasses competitors of similar weight by many measures. The Tiger Wall UL2’s fast-fly setup—just the rainfly, poles, and a ground footprint ($80, 6 oz., sold separately here), weighs 1 lb. 11 oz. And yet it’s sturdy enough for most three-season circumstances that backpackers face, standing up to moderate winds and with a rainfly and drip line that keep rain outside the tent’s interior. While you should avoid very exposed camps with this tent and many others in its weight class, its radically low weight and bulk plus an easy setup make it ideal for backcountry travelers who prioritize weight and don’t need a shelter for extreme conditions.

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The semi-freestanding, hubbed, and color-coded DAC Featherlite pole assembles in seconds and, with just three grommets to insert pole ends into and several clips to erect the interior canopy, the tent pitches quickly and intuitively. The two corners at the foot end must be staked to make the tent taut but staking a tent is essential in the backcountry, anyway. An adequate distribution of staking points around the perimeter keep the tent stable and quiet in moderate wind—even in the exposed camps above 10,000 feet that we had in the Wind River Range.

The short, bridge section of the pole lifts the side walls of the mesh canopy outward, improving headroom and making the interior feel spacious and livable. Plus, the ends of that pole sit in tiny pockets on the rainfly, improving the tent’s structural integrity.

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As usual with ultralight backcountry shelters, living space represents the biggest tradeoff. The interior’s 28 square feet of floor space and 39-inch peak height (enough for six-footers to sit up, although some will find their head rubbing the ceiling), comparable to some two-door tents that weigh a few to several ounces more, make the Tiger Wall reasonably comfortable for two average-size people. No, it’s not spacious—two big people might find it cramped—but my wife and I (five feet 10 inches and five feet eight inches) had enough sleeping space and length. We fit two standard, 20-inch-wide air mats in there with little room to spare.

The tent features abundant interior pockets, including capacious mesh pockets overhead and at the foot end that can be used for drying damp layers.

The two vestibules, eight square feet each, have space for a midsize pack and boots and the two flaps roll and tie back, creating the options of a completely close vestibule, having it partly open, or fully tied back for maximum cooling, air flow, and stargazing. The ventilation created by having two opposing doors, two-way vestibule zippers, and an all-mesh canopy eliminates condensation as an issue in the great majority of three-season weather conditions.

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And seemingly minor design features, like the TipLok buckles, elevate the Tiger Wall’s performance and ease of use, as do the dual zippers on the two large doors that open separately and join at a bottom corner of the doorway; this allows opening just one side slightly to pass something through or to put on shoes without letting bugs inside.

The rainfly and tent floor are made of water-repellent, silicone-treated, solution-dyed nylon ripstop with a 1200mm PU coating, while the tent body is comprised of lighter solution-dyed nylon and mesh. The nine stakes that come with the tent are light and durable and hold well in ground—among the better stakes I’ve used. The packed size of 5.5×18 inches occupies proportionately less space in a pack than heavier tents; that goes far in enabling you to use a smaller, lighter backpack.

The Tiger Wall UL3 ($500, 2 lbs. 10 oz.) weighs just seven ounces more, but adds 10 square feet of interior space, making it lighter but more spacious than many two-person, two-door, double-wall tents—so it legitimately pulls double duty as a two- or three-person shelter.

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Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 Solution Dye

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

While compromising somewhat on living space, the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 Solution Dye balances reasonable livability and comfort with solid three-season stability and performance as one of the lightest, two-door, double-wall tents on the market. And with the new fabric, not only will you sleep well inside it—you won’t lose any sleep over its carbon footprint.

4.4

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 at rei.com or backcountry.com.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read in full.)

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Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-big-agnes-tiger-wall-ul2-solution-dye-ultralight-tent/feed/ 2 54621 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-slingfin-splitwing-ultralight-backpacking-shelter/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-slingfin-splitwing-ultralight-backpacking-shelter/#respond Fri, 24 Jun 2022 18:10:07 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=53749 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Shelter
SlingFin SplitWing Shelter Bundle
$400, 1 lb. 5 oz./595g (entire bundle, including six DAC stakes weighing 2.4 oz.)
slingfin.com

Over nearly three decades of testing and reviewing backpacking gear, I’d say the category that has seen the most technological advances is backpacking tents. Still, a radically different tent comes along only rarely—and the latest is Slingfin’s SplitWing Shelter Bundle, a package of three modular ultralight shelter components that constitutes one of the lightest and most versatile, three-season backpacking shelters available today.

The SplitWing Shelter Bundle is comprised of three components that can all be purchased separately (purchasing the bundle saves $25): the floorless SplitWing UL Tarp ($180 purchased alone, 7.9 oz. not including the six included DAC stakes, which add 2.4 oz.), the SplitWing Mesh Body ($135 purchased alone, 11.2 oz.), and the SplitWing Vestibule ($55 purchased alone, 2 oz., 6.8 square feet).

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I slept alone in the SplitWing UL Tarp and Mesh Body on a four-day, roughly 50-mile, late-September backpacking trip in Yosemite, when nights dipped into the 40s but we got no rain or bad weather. I also slept solo under the tarp only, sometimes with the vestibule installed, on a five-day, 46-mile, early March hike in The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, where we had some wind—including one night with gusts of 25 to 30 mph and rain showers. Although I worried about that weather while in this shelter—especially about the loose dirt holding the stakes in the ground (they never popped out)—the tarp and vestibule held up in that wind and kept me dry.

For starters, the defining fact about the SplitWing Bundle is this: You’d be hard pressed to find a lighter shelter for one to two people that includes a rainfly, mesh interior body for bug protection with a floor, and a vestibule. And when using only the SplitWing Tarp, you have a shelter with adequate space for two people and their gear at an almost absurd weight of four ounces per person. With all three components, the shelter ranks among the lightest solo backcountry shelters.

In addition, few backcountry shelters pack down smaller than the SplitWing, with all three components fitting inside one stuff sack measuring 10x5x5 inches, or slightly larger than a bread loaf. They each also come with individual sacks.

Plan your next great backpacking trip on the Teton Crest Trail, Wonderland Trail, in Yosemite or other parks using my expert e-guides.

 

Pitching with two adjustable, collapsible trekking poles for significant weight savings over a traditional tent with dedicated poles, the SplitWing Tarp accommodates one or two people, with a copious 37.8 square feet of sheltered area when combining the tarp and the removable SplitWing Vestibule (without the Mesh Body).

Using the tarp sans vestibule, sheltered area ranges from a snug (for two people) 27 square feet to a fairly roomy 32 square feet, depending on the height at which you set the tarp’s front trekking pole, which ranges from 100cm/39 inches to 130cm/51 inches, a peak height greater than many backcountry tents.

That spotlights another aspect of the SplitWing: Like some tarp shelters—but unlike many ultralight tents that pitch with trekking poles set at a specific length—the SplitWing Tarp can be pitched in various configurations, a versatility enhanced by two “wings” at the front end, allowing you to increase floor area with a low pitch or maximize headroom with a taller pitch.

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The wings can be guyed out at varying positions to customize the weather protection, headroom, and wind profile. Plus, the adjustable guylines permit elevating the bottom edge of the tarp off the ground for more ventilation and headroom without, up to a point, compromising protection from precipitation. The tarp has a panel at the foot end to close it off, increasing protection from wind and rain.

With any floorless tarp, of course, one drawback is the lack of a floor—an inconvenience I find most undesirable in desert environments, where you’re often camping on very fine sand, which can infiltrate your sleeping bag (especially in wind) and cling annoyingly to the exterior fabric of an air mattress. A light but durable ground cloth comes in handy in those situations.

The vestibule lacks a zipper, closing with a buckle and hook-and-loop tab. That’s arguably less convenient than a zipper but simple, quiet, and easy to grow accustomed to using—and helps create a lighter structure. The vestibule can be rolled back to leave one side open for ventilating and easier coming and going. A pole pocket eases setup integrated with the tarp.

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With no interior pole structure, the SplitWing Mesh Body attaches to the tarp via five toggle rings: three along its peak and one on each side wall. Those can be left attached when packing up the shelter for quick setup later, which also keeps the interior tent dry when pitching in rain. Its floor area of 24.8 square feet (the vestibule adds 6.8 square feet of storage space) makes for a quite cramped shelter for two people. While it’s possible to share the Mesh Body, I’d recommend that only for two (or at least one) relatively small people and trips where you can count on mostly dry weather, using the SplitWing primarily just for sleeping. Otherwise, the Mesh Body creates a spacious solo shelter.

For an airy, bugproof shelter on dry nights, the Mesh Body can be pitched alone with two trekking poles rigged in basically the same fashion as the tarp. When using the Mesh Body and/or SplitWing Vestibule, the front pole length must be set at 110 centimeters.

Shelters that pitch using trekking poles typically require a bit more setup time compared to a freestanding, double-wall tent and involve specific steps—and the SplitWing is no different. After first staking out the tarp’s two foot-end corners, you use one trekking pole fully collapsed to guy out the foot end, followed by the other pole extended with its grip secured in the tarp’s pole pocket. Stake the two front wing guylines and corners and you have a sturdy shelter. After practicing the setup in my back yard before my maiden voyage with the SplitWing, I found it simpler and faster to erect than some ultralight shelters that pitch with trekking poles.

Slingfin recommends staking the two front guy lines to the same stake in the middle at most pitch heights (including at 110cm height for the accessories). This provides a little more tension in the wings and slightly better rain coverage. Similarly, when using the vestibule, it and the guylines should go to the same stake.

For backpackers not using trekking poles, Slingfin sells Carbon Poles for the SplitWing ($71, 3.9 oz., fixed length, or $86, 4.6 oz., adjustable).

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I must point out two complaints about the SplitWing, both of which will affect users differently. First, a key design features that enable much of its versatility—the wings—tend to partly obstruct the shelter’s entrance. At five feet eight inches and about 150 pounds, I found myself having to duck low when entering and exiting and occasionally catching a shoulder or foot on the wings’ guylines. A bigger person may find that more annoying than I did. Even when offsetting the front pole slightly, as Slingfin recommends, that pole only further hinders easy access and egress.

Slingfin does suggest a way to alleviate some of the contortions of coming and going: With the guylines attached to wire gate clips on the wings, rather than tied in directly, you can unclip the guylines from the wings can when coming and going, allowing the guyline to remain staked. It’s easiest to do this by “back-clipping” the guyline (like you’re not supposed to do when lead climbing, for the climbers reading this) by grabbing and using the guyline itself to press against the wire gate to open it. I suppose that’s no less convenient than opening a vestibule zipper (if there was one) but it doesn’t entirely eliminate that critique.

Also, while the peak height is adjustable and can be set to provide good headroom around the front trekking pole (as well as a taller doorway), as with virtually any shelter that pitches using trekking poles fore and aft, the walls slope off that center peak, greatly limiting the area where headroom is good. You simply won’t sit up in this shelter as comfortably as in some freestanding, two-person tents that feature a “bridge” or “eyebrow” pole to elevate more of the ceiling above opposing doors—especially when sharing the SplitWing with another person.

While it goes without saying that any tarp provides excellent ventilation, it’s also quite good with the Mesh Body in place and obviously gets limited with the vestibule fully closed up, although air flow under the perimeter helps a lot. The SplitWing Mesh Body has a good drip line, though blowing rain can get inside without the vestibule in place.

Lastly, with any ultralight fabric, durability can be a concern. The 10-denier nylon ripstop sil/sil used in the SplitWing tarp, vestibule, and Mesh Body is very thin and light but has 20-denier, PE-coated nylon ripstop reinforcements at high-stress points—the same fabric used in the Mesh Body floor.

In addition, with tents, the usual first points of failure are the tent body floor and zippers. The entire SplitWing Bundle sports just one zipper—on the Mesh Body (none on the tarp or vestibule). That zipper is straight to ensure longer life and has pre-installed spare zipper sliders, so when the first set wears out, you don’t have to ship the mesh body to Slingfin for a zipper repaired. (Slingfin tells me it’s usually the slider that wears out, rather than the zipper chain itself, so this will dramatically increase the lifespan of the zipper.) Plus, I’ve found that reasonable care in using an ultralight shelter usually prolongs its useful life.

Planning your next big adventure? See “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips”
and “Tent Flap With a View: 25 Favorite Backcountry Campsites.”

 

SlingFin SplitWing Shelter Bundle

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

While it has some shortcomings—as do many tents, especially ultralight models—the modular SlingFin SplitWing Shelter Bundle has virtually no rivals for minimalist weight, packability, versatility, and affordability among ultralight backcountry shelters.

4.2

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase the SlingFin SplitWing Shelter Bundle at slingfin.com or any individual components of it: the SlingFin SplitWing UL Tarp at slingfin.com, the SlingFin SplitWing Mesh Body at slingfin.com, the SlingFin SplitWing Vestibule at slingfin.com, or the SlingFin SplitWing Carbon Poles at slingfin.com.

See all reviews of SlingFin shelters, “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” 

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

Was this review helpful?
If so, would you like to support my work by clicking here to leave a tip for The Big Outside?
Please also consider sharing it using one of the buttons at right and leaving a comment or question at the bottom. Thank you, I really appreciate it.

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-slingfin-splitwing-ultralight-backpacking-shelter/feed/ 0 53749 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-hyperlite-mountain-gear-ultamid-2-ultralight-pyramid-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-hyperlite-mountain-gear-ultamid-2-ultralight-pyramid-tent/#comments Sun, 14 Nov 2021 17:15:10 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=48938 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2
$730, 1 lb. 2 oz./510g
hyperlitemountaingear.com

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 Insert with DCF11 Floor
$420, 1 lb. 4.5 oz./581g
hyperlitemountaingear.com

I’ve encountered every form of mountain weather over more than three decades of backpacking, but rarely conditions like my son and I faced over three days in August in the Wind River Range: hours of daytime hiking through cold rain and wind and long nights of sheltering from that weather. Besides our invaluable time together in the wilderness—and even occasional glimpses of the mountains through a veil of air impersonating gumbo—the trip provided the redeeming benefit of seeing how impressively the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 performed, keeping us comfortable and dry.

A two-person, single-door, non-freestanding, single-wall, floor-less, pyramid-style shelter, the Ultamid 2 employs a design that has withstood the test of time, enduring because of the pyramid tent’s exceptional space-to-weight efficiency, stability in harsh weather, and reasonable ease of use.

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The Ultamid 2 pitches using two trekking poles lashed together with HMG’s sturdy Ultamid Pole Straps ($19, sold separately) and positioned at the tent’s center—which creates sloping walls—and staking the shelter’s eight stake guylines around its perimeter. It can also be suspended from a peak point, like a tree branch that’s at an appropriate height off the ground.

It can be pitched alone, as a floor-less pyramid-style tarp shelter, or with any of a variety of inserts or a ground cloth available from HMG. We used it with HMG’s Ultamid 2 Insert with DCF11 Floor—creating a bug-proof, waterproof, very stable and spacious ultralight shelter with mesh interior walls and a floor—and we tested it using two different models of adjustable, collapsible trekking poles.

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Pitching the Ultamid 2 takes several minutes, even after you’re practiced at it, partly because it requires adjusting and balancing the tension and length on the eight reinforced, three-foot, 2.8mm stake guylines around the tent perimeter—but one person can pitch it. How you position the stakes and set the length of their guylines determines how high the bottom edge of the rainfly/tarp rises off the ground—the higher it rises, the greater the air flow from the floor to the two vents at the tent’s peak, helping to minimize condensation.

Using only the eight stake guylines around the perimeter, we found the Ultamid 2 more than equal to the steady wind blowing throughout two nights camped in thinly forested terrain by lakes in the Winds: The walls hardly moved. But the Ultamid 2 also has four center panel tie-outs on the walls and one tie-out on the cone for suspending the shelter under a tree; it also comes with an additional 100 feet of 2.8mm guyline. The cone’s design prevents deformation when using oddly shaped poles, paddles, sticks, or skis.

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The Ultamid 2 area measures a cavernous 63 square feet (six feet, 11 inches by eight feet, 11 inches)—more than twice the floor area of many heavier, two-person, freestanding tents, abundant space for two people plus all gear with room to spare. Both the Ultamid 2 and the Insert reach a peak height of five feet four inches. Even with the sloping walls, that provides plenty of headroom to sit upright around the shelter’s center pole. In a pinch, you could sleep four people under the Ultamid 2 (or inside the Ultamid 2 Insert), although that would be tight, leave no space for gear, and require climbing over one another to go in and out.

Erected underneath the Ultamid 2, the optional Ultamid 2 Insert’s area measures slightly smaller than the Ultamid 2 at six feet, four inches by seven feet, 12 inches, maintaining space between the mesh and exterior walls while still creating a spacious shelter for two people and their gear.

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With fully taped, waterproof and durable, DCF8 Dyneema composite fabric walls, the Ultamid 2 is a legitimate four-season, ultralight shelter. The tough fabric is highly resistant to tearing—although I did puncture a small hole in the top due entirely to operator error (accidentally punching the tip of one trekking pole through the fabric while erecting it, after the tent’s corners were staked, putting tension on the fabric). The hole never expanded, a credit to the fabric, and post-trip, I easily patched it using Gear Aid Tenacious Tape; HMG also sells a Dyneema Repair Kit ($19). The Insert’s tough, waterproof DCF11 floor has a deep bathtub well that protected us from rain-splashed mud getting inside.

The Ultamid, like any pyramid-style tent, does not have a good drip line: Rain will directly enter the front side of the tent when the door is open. But there’s significant spacing between the outer, waterproof walls and the interior, mesh walls of the Ultamid 2 Insert, so we rarely brushed against damp ceiling and had only minor condensation buildup on a night of hard rain in the Winds, when we had to close the door to keep rain out.

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While condensation has classically proved the bane of single-wall, waterproof tents, the Ultamid design achieves good high-low ventilation thanks to dual peak vents with no-see-um mesh and ground-level air circulation under the elevated edges of the rainfly’s entire perimeter. The door’s two-way zipper also allows opening it slightly from the bottom to boost ventilation in rain.

Over three late-December nights of camping in Idaho’s Boise Mountains, with lows ranging from the single digits to the mid-teens Fahrenheit, my son and I slept inside only the Ultamid 2, using a standard tarp as a floor. We also threw snow around much of the tent’s perimeter, except the door area, limiting floor-level ventilation. Predictably, given that, the low temps, and snow falling each night, a thick layer of frost formed on the inside walls of the Ultamid 2; and although it flurried onto us when we brushed the walls, it was never warm enough to melt and drip, so it wasn’t much of a problem. When we packed up the Ultamid on our final morning, that frost fell off almost completely by simply shaking the shelter—the Dyneema fabric easily sheds frost.

There’s no vestibule, but we could tuck our boots under the lower edge of the tent outside the door to keep them dry; we could even lengthen the stake guylines to elevate the door side of the Ultamid higher off the ground and away from the tent interior enough to cook under it in the rain (leaving the bottom of the door partly unzipped to help ventilate and avoid carbon dioxide buildup inside from the stove).

Relative to its living space when pitched, the Ultamid 2 packs down to a very compact package measuring 8.5x6x5.5 inches.

There’s also the larger Ultamid 4 ($880, 1.4 lbs.).

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

While it’s quite expensive and has shortcomings, you’d be hard-pressed to find a backpacking shelter that compares with the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 for living space, space-to-weight ratio, stability, durability, and protection in almost any weather and any season.

4.3

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 at hyperlitemountaingear.com, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 Insert at hyperlitemountaingear.com, any of the various insert or floor options for the Ultamid 2 at hyperlitemountaingear.com, the Ultamid 4 at hyperlitemountaingear.com, and the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid Voile Straps at hyperlitemountaingear.com.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” 

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

Was this review helpful?
If so, would you like to support my work by clicking here to leave a tip for The Big Outside?
Please also consider sharing it using one of the buttons at right and leaving a comment or question at the bottom. Thank you, I really appreciate it.

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-hyperlite-mountain-gear-ultamid-2-ultralight-pyramid-tent/feed/ 6 48938 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-sea-to-summit-alto-tr2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-sea-to-summit-alto-tr2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#respond Thu, 16 Sep 2021 22:11:22 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=47962 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Sea to Summit Alto TR2
$449, 2 lbs. 9 oz./1162g (rainfly, tent, and poles)
rei.com

Backpacking five days in September through some of the northernmost mountains in the Lower 48 in Washington’s Pasayten Wilderness—sharing the trails with Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers finishing up their 2,650-mile walk as well as backpackers on shorter journeys—we wanted a shelter that could protect us from the wildest, late-season weather possible. It would also be nice if it wasn’t too heavy, given the rugged terrain there. Sea to Summit’s Alto TR2 fit the bill and demonstrated its cred as an outstanding ultralight tent.

A two-person, two-door, semi-freestanding, double-wall tent, the Alto TR2 kept my wife and me dry inside during a couple hours of early-morning rain, and it held up quite well in moderate winds on some nights, including at one campsite in a meadow just above Rock Pass on the PCT.

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“Semi-freestanding” may sound like an oxymoron, but it simply means that the tent’s pole structure gives it shape but pitching the tent properly nonetheless requires staking it out. In practice, even freestanding tents require staking for optimal performance, so semi-freestanding confers the advantage of reduced overall tent weight without compromising stability. Conveniently, you can also still flip the tent upside-down and shake dirt and debris out before removing the poles when packing it up—something that’s hard to do with a fully non-freestanding tent.

The Alto TR2 is fairly easy to pitch once you get the hang of the proper sequence—which I practiced in my yard pre-trip—but still took me several minutes in the backcountry. The hubbed pole system is shaped like a wishbone with one long ridgeline pole running the tent’s length, spliced into two short poles at the foot end, and a “tension ridge” bridge pole crossing over the high point to hold up both tent doors. Two adjustable guylines smartly connect very easily via toggles through loops at the tent ends to increase stability in wind.

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By staking out the center of the head end and the two corners at the foot end first, then erecting the poles and clipping up the tent’s mesh canopy before staking out the rest of the tent’s perimeter, and finally adjusting the tension on the seven stake points (including the two vestibules), it’s simple to achieve a balanced tension that keeps the floor and walls taunt. The pole and tent grommets are color-coded where the pole’s three endpoints are inserted into two grommets at the foot end and one at the head end. The two pockets on the underside of the rainfly are also color-coded to match the two ends of the tension ridge pole, allowing you to quickly align the rainfly.

But most uniquely, the upward tilt of the arms of the tension ridge that extends over both doors magnifies the living space—especially headroom—compared to many two-person tents in this weight class. It feels larger inside than the 27 square feet of floor space implies, while the 42.5-inch peak height exceeds what you’ll find even in many heavier backpacking tents. Overall interior space is modest but comfortable for two people—wide enough for two standard air mattresses (53 inches at its widest, 38 inches at the foot end) and 84 inches long, fitting even very tall people.

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The interior tent doors have two-way zippers and are tall and broad, making entry and egress very easy. The vertical walls create a drip line that keeps rain out of the tent interior in a light shower but wind can easily blow rain inside unless you close the vestibule doors at least partly.

The all-mesh interior provides excellent ventilation; we saw no condensation on cool, rainy mornings or cool, calm nights. Plus, the Alto TR2 creates very good high-low air movement from the multi-directional, covered apex vents at the rainfly’s very highest point—uniquely enabled by the tension ridge—and the baseline venting at the bottom enabled by two-way zippers on the vestibule doors that allow you to vent from the bottom without letting rain inside the interior shelter. A large, zippered panel directly below the apex vent, accessed from inside the tent, allows the free flow of air through that vent—and differs from high vents in other three-season tents in its position at the very top of the rainfly as well as in not having a mesh panel that inhibits air movement more significantly than you’d assume mesh would. (Want to learn more about the new S2S ultralight tents? Watch this lengthy but informative video.)

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The combined 18 square feet of storage area in the two vestibules compares with other tents in this weight class—adequate for storing boots and a midsize backpack. The tent doors can be rolled back completely on dry, mild nights for better air movement and stargazing.

The rainfly, tent floor, and mesh interior canopy are all made with 15-denier fabric—very lightweight but also more susceptible to tears than heavier fabric, so it warrants being careful in where you set it up and when packing it up. The deep bathtub floor keeps mud from splashing inside in a hard rain.

I like the little details like the upper pull tab on the two-way tent door zippers being shorter than the lower zipper tab, to differentiate between them in the dark; the horseshoe shape of the tiny rainfly clips that attach to the tent stake loops at three points, allowing you to easily connect and disconnect them with a quick 90-degree rotation; the adjustable lines that attach rainfly corners to the tent’s staked corners and the vestibule doors; and the separate stuff sacks for the rainfly and tent body (as well as the stakes and poles, as with most tents), more convenient for splitting up the tent’s components with a partner.

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The Alto TR2 Lightfoot footprint ($50, 8.4 oz., sold separately), allows you to leave the interior tent home and pitch the tent in bug-free weather with just poles, rainfly, and a waterproof floor made of more-durable, 68-denier polyester—a setup that shaves seven ounces from the shelter’s weight. The downside in a tent this small is that items you bring inside may more easily get pushed out from under the rainfly.

Other versions include the Alto TR1 solo tent ($499, 2 lbs. 1 oz.) and the Alto TR2 Plus ($449, 2 lbs. 13 oz.), constructed with fabric interior walls and a higher-specification waterproof floor for shoulder-season use in colder, wetter weather. And backpackers who prioritize space over low weight may prefer the Sea to Summit Telos TR2 ($599, 3 lbs. 4 oz.).

Sea to Summit Alto TR2

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

At just an ounce over two-and-a-half pounds, the Sea to Summit Alto TR2 delivers surprising livability for an ultralight tent, along with good stability and ventilation, making it a great choice for ultralighters, thru-hikers, or anyone who prefers a lighter backpack without compromising on their shelter.

4.5

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Looking for a three-person tent? Take a look at the Sea to Summit Telos TR3 ($599, 4 lbs. 4 oz., fly and footprint pitch 3 lbs. 6 oz., at backcountry.com), which has a floor area of 39.5 square feet and a cavernous peak height of over 52 inches; or the Sea to Summit Telos TR3 Plus ($649, 4 lbs. 9 oz., fly and footprint pitch 3 lbs. 6 oz., at backcountry.com or seatosummitusa.com), built for pushing your adventures into wintry conditions.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” 

And don’t miss my picks for “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

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Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-sea-to-summit-alto-tr2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 0 47962 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-six-moon-designs-lunar-solo-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-six-moon-designs-lunar-solo-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2021 17:10:40 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=47317 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo
$250 ($35 extra for seam sealing), 1 lb. 9 oz. (without the optional, 2-oz. carbon pole)
Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL
sixmoondesigns.com

At around 7,000 feet in Yellowstone in September, the season can turn on a dime—and the last 24 hours of an otherwise beautiful, five-day backpacking trip on Yellowstone’s Bechler River Trail demonstrated that, delivering steady rain and wind all night and on our last day of hiking (which featured a bone-chilling river ford). The trip’s range of weather put a spotlight on the strengths of the classic, ultralight Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo tent, as well as its one major weakness.

A single-wall, one-person, hexagonal tent with a floating floor, the Lunar Solo pitches using one trekking pole set to a 49-inch/124.5cm peak height and tilted slightly outward, requiring a pole that extends to at least 125cm. Six Moon Designs also sells a two-ounce carbon pole that can be used instead, but most backpackers buy a tent like this in order to drop the weight of a tent pole from their pack and a trekking pole is stronger than the optional carbon pole.

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Pitching it properly requires placing the six stakes in a specific sequence: the front (door side) corners first, followed by the vestibule and the middle rear corner, then the two other rear corners and finally the front center. I spent about 30 minutes pitching it the first time in my back yard, figuring out the correct tension between the guyline that extends from the tent’s apex under the vestibule door and the position of the tent corners to have it all look good. (Six Moon designs provides instructions on pitching the Lunar Solo here.)

Once you’ve dialed in the procedure, it goes up within maybe five minutes—not quite as easily as a freestanding tent, but that’s one of the tradeoffs for the weight savings. When staked out properly, the tent has a taut pitch that stands up well to moderate winds.

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The hexagonal, 26 square feet of interior space and 49-inch peak height exceed those measures in some solo shelters. But because it pitches using a single pole, the walls all slope downward from the peak, limiting headroom and living space inside. By comparison, the Gossamer Gear The One ultralight solo tent pitches with two trekking poles, creating more headroom and nice livability, even though its actual dimensions and peak height are less than the Lunar Solo’s.

The 20-denier, silicone-coated polyester fabric in the walls and 40-denier, six-inch-deep bathtub floor—which prevents rain splashing inside—provide durability comparable to many ultralight shelters and stretches little when wet. Six Moon Designs offers seam-sealing for a $35 fee.  

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The 8.5-square-foot vestibule has adequate space for storing a lightweight backpack and boots while allowing you to come and go, and the vestibule door rolls back to boost ventilation and give you a view of the night sky. I could tie back or close the vestibule door while lying flat in my bag—it was entirely within reach. The vestibule does not quite reach the ground when staked out, which improves air circulation in order to help control condensation inside (more on that below) without getting anything inside the vestibule wet, except possibly anything near the vestibule’s edge getting splashed in heavy rain.

The tent door’s drip line permitted me to keep the vestibule wide open for ventilation when the rain fell lightly, although I had to close it during spells of hard rain.

That points to my major complaint about the Lunar Solo: It suffers from the typical bane of single-wall tents: condensation created by warmer air and the moisture you exhale inside the tent and colder air outside the tent’s thin wall. To minimize that problem, the Lunar Solo features an all-mesh wall on the door side and a six-inch band of mesh around the perimeter just above the bathtub floor—protected from rain by a low, external awning extending over the mesh. But those design elements only help when there’s air movement.

On a dead-calm night that dropped to around 40° F at over 7,000 feet in Yellowstone, I slept in the Lunar Solo beside a cold creek—which undoubtedly exacerbated the condensation that collected inside by morning. Still, even when properly pitched, in those conditions, the tent doesn’t ventilate well enough to prevent the heavy condensation that dripped onto my bag whenever I brushed the tent walls. Condensation also built up inside the tent on our rainy last night in lower Bechler Canyon, when I had to close up the vestibule at times.

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The condensation and sloping walls meant that I, at five feet, eight inches, couldn’t sit up anywhere but directly below the tent’s peak without brushing my head against a wet ceiling, or move around much without brushing my bag’s foot against a wet wall. Frankly, it’s not easy living in the Lunar Solo in wet conditions.

Six Moon recommends keeping the door open whenever possible and trying to avoid conditions that promote condensation buildup, such as prolonged rain or camping by water or at the bottom of a valley. But that’s not always possible: In Yellowstone, our designated campsites where always near the Bechler River or a tributary creek.

Six Moon Designs also sells the Lunar Duo ($375, 2 lbs. 13 oz.), which pitches with two trekking poles and has two doors and vestibules, thus minimizing the headroom and ventilation issues of the Lunar Solo.

Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

At barely more than 1.5 pounds, pitching with a trekking pole, the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo provides impressively lightweight, sturdy shelter at a good price. But its condensation problem makes it best suited to drier climates.

3.7

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo at sixmoondesigns.com or the Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo at sixmoondesigns.com.

See “The 7 (Very) Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

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Please also consider sharing it using one of the buttons at right and leaving a comment or question at the bottom. Thank you, I really appreciate it.

 

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” 

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-six-moon-designs-lunar-solo-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 2 47317 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-msr-hubba-hubba-nx-2-person-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-msr-hubba-hubba-nx-2-person-backpacking-tent/#respond Wed, 28 Oct 2020 19:29:58 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=41677 Read on

]]> Backpacking Tent
MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person
$550, 3 lbs. 8 oz.
cascadedesigns.com

In exposed, windy campsites on backpacking trips in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness, Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, and Hells Canyon, the Hubba Hubba NX 2-person tent not only passed that test of its sturdiness, it displayed the subtle reasons why it’s so comfortably livable for a midweight, three-season, freestanding shelter.

My wife and I shared the Hubba Hubba NX 2-person on a six-day backpacking trip in the High Uintas Wilderness, and my teenage daughter and a friend shared it on a four-day family hike on the Ruby Crest Trail and a two-nighter in Hells Canyon. All three trips featured nights of strong winds hitting our tents in unprotected campsites. I did see the Hubba Hubba’s poles bend a bit in somewhat unusual winds that probably exceeded 30 mph—where the other tent we used on both trips, the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2, didn’t bend—but the Hubba Hubba never suffered damage or bent enough to make its occupants uncomfortable.

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While its interior living space of 29 square feet with a 39-inch peak height compares with tents (like the Copper Spur HV UL2) that weigh at least a half-pound less than the Hubba Hubba NX 2-person’s 3.5 pounds, the pole architecture creates symetrical, abundant head space throughout the tent and the 50-inch width extends throughout—not tapering from head to foot as with some models (like the Copper Spur HV UL2)—giving a sense of more elbow room. If desired, you and a partner can sleep at opposite ends of this tent. The 84-inch length comes in four inches shorter than some competitors, but few users would notice the difference in length as much as they‘d notice the greater width.

The tent’s steep walls and rainfly configuration also create a drip line that prevents rain entering the interior when entering and exiting—which is facilitated by the large, D-shaped doors.

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The 17 square feet of space in the identical vestibules compares with tents in this weight class and is adequate for storing packs, boots, and wet shells without blocking easy access to the tent. The rainfly doors can be rolled up, completely opening the tent’s sides for seeing the night sky and maximum ventilation on mild nights.

The hubbed Easton Syclone poles—made of strong composite materials—assemble quickly and intuitively, making the freestanding Hubba Hubba fast and easy to pitch, a nice feature when setting up camp in the rain. I’m not a fan of the grommets used to secure the rainfly to the pole ends at the tent corners; although some might argue those are more durable than buckles, the latter are far more convenient—especially in wet, cold, or muddy conditions—and I’ve rarely seen buckles fail in that use. Plus, MSR uses lightweight buckles to close up this tent’s stuff sack; it seems those same buckles woudl be ideal at the rainfly-tent corners.

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The two opposing doors and a retractable, high rainfly vent also permit excellent ventilation. Even on calm nights in the 30s, we saw no condensation.

The Hubba NX Series also employs MSR’s exclusive Xtreme Shield waterproof coating in the 20-denier rainfly and 30-denier, bathtub-style floor, which MSR claims lasts up to three times longer than standard coatings and prevents seam-tape failure. 

In other words, this tent’s Syclone poles and Xtreme Shield coating—convey a durability benefit for the price of an additional half-pound of weight compared to tents with similar living space.

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The entire tent packs down to 18×6 inches, common for a tent in this weight class, into a compression stuff sack that opens from the top rather than one end, which makes packing it away a little quicker.

A footprint (sold separately, $65) allows pitching it rainfly-only, without the interior tent, reducing the shelter’s weight to 3 lbs.

There’s also the MSR Hubba NX Solo Backpacking Tent ($470, 2 lbs. 7 oz.).

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MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

While there are lighter competitors, the MSR Hubba Hubba 2-person strikes a nice balance between livability and modest weight for three-season backpackers who prefer more elbow room in their shelter—and promises a longer life than some lighter tents.

4

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase an MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person tent at backcountry.com or cascadedesigns.com, or the MSR Hubba NX Solo tent at backcountry.com or cascadedesigns.com.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents and backpacking gear at The Big Outside, plus “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.”

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of both stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip” and the lightweight backpacking guide without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there.
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MSR HUBBA HUBBA NX 2-PERSON TENT

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

Summary

While there are lighter competitors, the MSR Hubba Hubba 2-person strikes a nice balance between livability and modest weight for three-season backpackers who prefer more elbow room in their shelter.

4.4

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-msr-hubba-hubba-nx-2-person-backpacking-tent/feed/ 0 41677 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-hyperlite-mountain-gear-dirigo-2-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-hyperlite-mountain-gear-dirigo-2-backpacking-tent/#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2020 13:36:28 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=40873 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Dirigo 2
$900, 1 lb. 12 oz.
hyperlitemountaingear.com

For six nights on a 96-mile traverse of the Wind River High Route—two-thirds of it off-trail and camping in the alpine zone between 10,000 and 12,000 feet—the Dirigo 2 endured rain and strong winds. But our last night had me worried. Camped in a completely exposed meadow at nearly 12,000 feet, the Dirigo was hammered all night by steady winds of 40 to 50 mph—but it never even bent under an onslaught that would have flattened many backpacking tents. That performance closed the deal for me on the value of this incredibly sturdy and durable, two-door, two-person ultralight shelter.

The wind we faced throughout that August night camped above Baker and Iceberg lakes (watch the video below) and other nights at exposed campsites in the Winds, and hours of steady overnight rain, proved the Dirigo’s hardiness in the most trying three-season weather: At well under two pounds (14 ounces per person), it offers better protection against the elements than some tents twice its weight, and withstands moderate winds without even making much noise.

 

“Dirigo”—Latin for “I direct” or “I lead,” and the state motto for Maine, where HMG makes its gear—seems an appropriate moniker for this sturdy shelter, which I also tested on a five-day, 78-mile backpacking trip on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier.

Like other ultralight tents, the non-freestanding Dirigo pitches with trekking poles and eight stakes—and, importantly, you need poles that extend to 125cm (not all poles do). To achieve an even and taut pitch, you first lay the tent out flat and stake the four corners, initially without pulling the corner guylines tight. Insert the trekking pole handles into the reinforced grommets at either end of the short, carbon fiber Ridge Bar at the tent’s peak—which lends stability to the setup—and extend the poles to 125cm. Then stake out the vestibules and end guylines, and lastly, use the ample adjustment range on each stake loop and guyline to get a taut, balanced pitch.

It’s fairly easy and quick once you’ve tried it once or twice, but of course, not as simple or fast as with a freestanding tent.

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While quite stable when fully staked out, the trekking poles tilt slightly inward, which means you occasionally bump those poles when moving around inside the tent—and the drip line allows rain into the tent with either vestibule fully open (to maximize ventilation). To keep rain out and still allow some cross-ventilation, I left the bottom of each vestibule partly unzipped—the one-way zippers open from the bottom—and that kept everything inside dry.

Besides pitching with trekking poles, the Dirigo’s most conspicuous feature—which largely explains its price—is its fabric. A three-season, single-wall tent with an integrated, internal no-see-um bug mesh with zippered doors, its walls and floor are constructed of five different types of waterproof, ultralight, highly durable Dyneema Composite Fabrics, the same stuff used in HMG’s packs (like the 3400 Windrider) and its tough, waterproof stuff sacks and gear pods. The tent also comes fully seam-sealed.

Other tents will wear out, suffering tears or zipper failures, but you’ll be challenged to wear out the Dirigo.

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Livability is quite good for a shelter in this weight class: The 32.5 square feet of interior space (52×90 inches) and peak height of 45 inches outdo most double-wall tents that range from two to three pounds. With adequate sleeping space for two, ultralight backpackers who prioritize low weight over capacious living quarters will find it comfortable enough.

Impressively for a tent this light, the Dirigo has two doors and vestibules that, while smaller (6.25 square feet each) than found on some ultralight tents, are just large enough for storing boots and mid-size backpacks while allowing room to come and go. The vestibules can be opened partly or completely, with one or both flaps rolled up, leaving the tent open on one or both sides for stargazing or maximum ventilation.

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The bane of single-wall tents is condensation, and the Dirigo is no different—but performs better than some competitors. As with any tent, ventilation is best achieved by leaving vestibule doors at least partly open. But breathable fabric panels at both ends of the Dirigo help facilitate ventilation. On one calm night in the Winds, I awoke to find significant condensation on the inside of the tent walls, even though I’d left both vestibules partly open; but my companions using other single-wall tents had the same experience.

I otherwise had no condensation all week—even on that rainy night when I left the bottom of each vestibule partly unzipped—but I never completely closed the vestibules. After that rainy night, I was impressed to find no condensation in the morning—zero—but it had also been steadily windy all night. The Dirigo lacks anything like mesh panels at the bottom of each end of the tent, which might help it ventilate better and create a way for condensation running down the inside of the walls to drain outside.

With a packed size of 12x8x6 inches—it comes with what may be the beefiest tent stuff sack on the market, an HMG drawstring stuff sack made of DCF—the Dirigo 2’s bulk compares with other double-wall ultralight tents, most of which are heavier. DCF fabric is light but does have some bulk to it.

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Hyperlite Mountain Gear Dirigo 2

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

Yup—this is a really expensive tent. But for backpackers, climbers, and others seeking the ultimate, ultralight, sturdy, livable, two-door, waterproof, and extraordinarily durable two-person shelter, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Dirigo 2 will pay for itself many times over in backcountry nights.

4

BUY IT NOW

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Thank you.

See my review of “The 8 (Very) Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read, which costs as little as five bucks, or just pennies over $4 per month for an entire year.)

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of both stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip” and the lightweight backpacking guide without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

Let The Big Outside help you find the best adventures. 
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Tell me what you think.

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-hyperlite-mountain-gear-dirigo-2-backpacking-tent/feed/ 6 40873 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-big-agnes-copper-spur-hv-ul2-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-big-agnes-copper-spur-hv-ul2-backpacking-tent/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2020 13:55:55 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=39942 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2
$600, 2 lbs. 11 oz./1219g
backcountry.com

As the wind gusted over 30 mph and at times 40 mph at our unprotected campsite in a big meadow beside the Snake River, on the Idaho side of Hells Canyon while backpacking in early June, I kept throwing nervous glances at our tents. But while three of them whipped and bent under the onslaught of air, the Copper Spur HV UL2 barely trembled—not what you’d necessarily expect from an ultralight backpacking tent. But that’s just one way this shelter defies expectations.

Long a fan of Big Agnes’s Copper Spur series and the previous iteration of the Copper Spur HV UL2, I took this new version, updated for 2020, backpacking for two nights in Hells Canyon, five nights in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness, and three nights on Nevada’s Ruby Crest Trail to see how its design changes measure up. I found that this tent retains its strengths while gaining some nice features—keeping it among my picks for today’s best backpacking tents (and I’ve tested a lot of tents over the past two decades as a longtime lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and running this blog).

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

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For starters, there aren’t many freestanding, two-door tents that weigh under three pounds, so if that’s what you’re shopping for, you already have a short list. For backpackers who want a very light shelter that doesn’t compromise on performance or livability, the Copper Spur HV UL2 strikes a unique balance of attributes in a crowded field of mostly inferior competitors.

The DAC Featherlite NFL and NSL pole architecture creates a sturdy structure that performed well in winds stronger than most backpackers would encounter in more-protected campsites—and the tent withstood those winds without me guying it out or using the hook-and-loop tabs to attach the rainfly to the poles. The poles also steepen the walls and lift the canopy above the doors, making the tent feel roomier than its 29 square feet of floor area, 40-inch peak height,and 88-inch length (all common dimensions for tents in this category). My wife (five feet, 10 inches) and I (five feet, eight inches) found the interior—wide enough for two standard (20-inch-wide) air mattresses laid side-by-side—while not capacious, still more than adequate for comfortable living and sleeping.

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New to the 2020 Copper Spur HV UL2 are two awning-style doors on both sides of the rainfly, which can be rolled up completely for maximum ventilation and stargazing, or extended as awnings using trekking poles to provide shade or rain protection without compromising ventilation (as happens when rainfly doors are zipped shut). Trekking poles supporting the awnings can be stood either upright, with the poles’ carbide tips planted in soft earth, or inverted with the grips down for better purchase on hard or rocky ground.

The two opposing doors and a single high rainfly vent also facilitate excellent ventilation. In my long experience with the Copper Spur series, condensation is negligible.

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The tent is quick and intuitive to pitch the first time, and the proprietary Big Agnes TipLok buckles at the four corners combine three functions in one tiny part: attaching the rainfly, securing the pole ends so that they don’t pop out while pitching (even when erecting the tent alone), and staking the shelter.

The tent doors have dual zippers that move smoothly, and smartly open from a bottom corner, allowing you to crack the door slightly to slide boots on outside without letting a squadron of mosquitoes inside. The doors stash conveniently into small pockets when fully opened. Spacious interior mesh and media pockets provide abundant storage and are positioned so as not to intrude on your living space when they are filled.

With nine square feet of space, each vestibule stores a mid-size pack and boots to one side without impeding entry and egress. Even with its awning doors rolled up, the rainfly overhangs the interior tent doors, so no rain enters when coming and going. In fact, I left a rainfly door rolled up throughout a mild night of light rain (and no wind) and the mesh door on the interior tent never got damp.

The rainfly and floor are made of silicone-treated, double ripstop nylon fabric, and the interior canopy of nylon and polyester mesh. A footprint (sold separately, $70) allows pitching it rainfly-only, without the interior tent, reducing the shelter’s weight to 2 lbs. 2 oz.

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Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

Updated for 2020 with multiple new features—including two awning-style doors, better buckles, and abundant interior pockets—the Copper Spur HV UL2 remains one of the lightest and best choices for backpackers seeking a freestanding, ultralight tent that doesn’t compromise on sturdiness or livability. And with the new features, Big Agnes even knocked an ounce off its weight.

4.7

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Thank you.

See my review of “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read, which costs as little as five bucks, or just pennies over $4 per month for an entire year.)

Tell me what you think.

If you found this review helpful, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom. I’d really appreciate it.

 

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of both stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip” and the lightweight backpacking guide without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-big-agnes-copper-spur-hv-ul2-backpacking-tent/feed/ 7 39942 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-dragonfly-2p-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-dragonfly-2p-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#comments Wed, 16 Oct 2019 13:05:28 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=35801 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Nemo Dragonfly 2P
$550, 2 lbs. 10 oz./1191g
nemoequipment.com

From clear, cool, late-August nights on the Teton Crest Trail, to mixed weather that included rain and wind on a five-day hike in Yellowstone’s Bechler Canyon area in September, the Nemo Dragonfly 2P displayed the weather protection and exceptional livability that distinguishes it as one of the very best two-person, three-season ultralight backpacking tents on the market today—at a very good price for this level of quality. Here’s why.

Most unique about the freestanding, two-door, double-wall Dragonfly 2P is its outstanding balance of low weight and livability: It represents quite possibly the top competitor to a tent I’ve long considered arguably the best in this category, the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2. And it’s cheaper. The Dragonfly’s floor area of 29 square feet matches that of the Copper Spur HV UL2, as does the 88-inch length, while the width of 50 inches tapering to 45 inches from head to foot ends creates a near match. Many backpackers will find the living quarters close but comfortable for two people to share and sleep in. And it’s two ounces lighter, at just over two-and-a-half pounds.

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The Dragonfly employs a frame similar to the Copper Spur HV UL2, consisting of one pre-bent, DAC Featherlite NFL 8.7mm hubbed aluminum pole that arches high, creating a 41-inch peak height that’s impressive in this weight category, and a second, short bridge pole over the top that expands the area of generous headroom in the center of the tent—tall people can sit up in the Dragonfly with room to spare. The materials and geometry of the Dragonfly lend it a degree of sturdiness comparable to the Copper Spur HV UL2 and other tents of similar weight. In Yellowstone, it withstood moderate winds without so much as bending.

With mostly mesh ceiling and walls, plus the traditional double-wall design and two doors creating cross-ventilation, condensation was never a problem, and the tent interior stays cooler on warm nights. The tent uses two different types of mesh: white around the sides, which offers a bit more privacy, and black mesh overhead, which blends into the sky to offer undiluted stargazing with the rainfly off at night.

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The trapezoidal vestibules provide a generous combined storage area of 20 square feet, with two stakeout points instead of the usual one for each, expanding their useable area. When unzipped, each vestibule’s two door panels can both be rolled back, creating multiple possible configurations, including leaving one panel in place as a wind shield, or rolling back both (on one or both sides of the tent) for better ventilation and sky viewing, while maintaining rain protection overhead because the drip line prevents water rolling off the rainfly into the tent interior. Strut vents at the top of each two-way vestibule door zipper pop easily into place, creating a gap that maintains some cross-ventilation even when you need both vestibules closed up in windblown rain or cold temperatures.

At one end of the tent, the rainfly reaches about midway down the interior wall, rather than nearly to the ground—adequate for keeping out rain while enhancing ventilation, but also making it easier for dust to blow up inside.

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The Dragonfly includes excellent, small details that really make the user experience much better, like color-coded poles that simplify and speed up pitching; two large mesh interior pockets; and ceiling pockets for a light. As with any ultralight shelter, the fabric is reasonably durable, but certainly not compared to heavier tents: 15-denier sil-PeU nylon ripstop rated to 1200mm for waterproofing in the rainfly, and 20-denier sil-PU nylon ripstop also rated to 1200mm in the bathtub floor. The packed size of 19.5×4.5 inches is as expected for a tent of this size and weight.

Nemo has updated the Dragonfly for 2023 with the Dragonfly Osmo in one-, two-, and three-person models. It’s virtually identical to the model reviewed here but now made with 100 percent recycled Osmo fabric.

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Nemo Dragonfly 2p

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

Arguably one of the two best, most comfortable, two-person, freestanding, ultralight backpacking tents on the market—and the cheaper of the two—the Nemo Dragonfly 2P’s excellent weight-to-space ratio strikes an ideal balance between livability, low weight, and protection from the elements, with impressive attention to details.

4.7

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog , at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Nemo Dragonfly Osmo 2P at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com, or another version of the Dragonfly Osmo at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com.

See my “Review: The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.”

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-nemo-dragonfly-2p-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 10 35801 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-slingfin-portal-2-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-slingfin-portal-2-backpacking-tent/#comments Wed, 07 Aug 2019 09:00:10 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=34805 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
SlingFin Portal 2
$485, 2 lbs. 14 oz.
slingfin.com

Everyone wants a super lightweight tent—which makes sense: Give that your tent is one of the heaviest pieces of gear you carry, it offers great potential for weight savings. But not everyone wants the drawbacks of an ultralight tent, which can include tight living quarters and, in particular, so-so stability in strong wind. Enter the SlingFin Portal 2, one of the sturdiest sub-three-pound tents out there, as I discovered on a six-day, 74-mile backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon and stormy nights camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve.

In the Grand Canyon in mid-spring, the Portal 2 stood up to winds frequently gusting to 30 mph or more. And while camping at the City of Rocks in May, it also withstood similar winds—and survived a night of crazy wind events: The tent suffered no damage despite being lifted in the air by the wind—due entirely to the sandy soil not holding stakes well—and sent tumbling into sagebrush. But when the wind started blowing at least 50 mph one evening, I had to take the tent down because I was afraid poles would get snapped; I pitched it again later, after the windstorm passed.

Those were unusual conditions that would trash many three-season backpacking tents, but also a reminder that even the strongest ultralight tents have limits—don’t expect performance approaching the stoutest (and much heavier) three-season or mountaineering tents.

SlingFin carried some technologies from mountaineering tents over to the Portal, to improve stability and weather resistance while keeping it under three pounds. It pitches using two DAC Featherlite NFL 8.7mm poles and one NFL 9mm pole. A trekking pole can optionally be used to prop up the rainfly at the peak of each vestibule, bolstering the tent’s wind resistance and strength under snow loads. Pre-installed internal guylines (similar to Slingfin’s 2Lite Trek) can be tensioned from inside to increase lateral stability when the wind’s blowing—and they add virtually no weight to the tent. (See instructions on installing a second set of internal guylines at slingfin.com.)

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Ten external guy points are matched to toggles to attach the fly to the poles for added structural strength in multi-directional wind. The toggles also allow rolling the fly up halfway over the tent—opening up night sky views while facilitating a quick switch to full rain protection during the night, if necessary, a very nice feature.

In short, the design gives the sub-three-pound Portal 2 the wind resistance you’d find in tents weighing at least a pound more.

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The Portal 2’s livability compares favorably with leading competitors in this weight class (like the Big Agnes HV UL2), with two doors and vestibules, a snug but tolerable 27.5 square feet of floor area, good length (85 inches) and width at the head (51 inches) and foot (42 inches), and a generous peak height (44 inches). The pole architecture boosts headroom without the hubs found on tents from other brands; Slingfin told me they consider hubs a “weakness.” There are seven internal pockets: two each on the ceiling, at the head, and on the sides and one at the foot.

All of the above attributes are noteworthy in a tent that’s under three pounds, although the packed size of 14×5 inches is typical for a tent in this category.

The offset vestibules each have 8.4 square feet of storage area, similar to many lightweight two-person tents.

Ventilation is good, thanks to the mesh interior canopy, vents high on both vestibule doors that can be propped open with struts that still provide full rain protection even when open. Having two doors, of course, greatly improves any tent’s ventilation. Both vestibule doors roll back to create openings nearly the size of the tent’s side walls—which, combined with the ease of rolling back the rainfly, gives the tent a wonderful, open-air feeling on clear nights—and can be kept open in light rain because the drip line doesn’t allow rain inside the tent.

It’s not the fastest three-season tent to pitch; trekking poles aren’t required (and unnecessary in calm weather) but do improve stability, and add time to the job. But it’s easy and faster after you’ve done it once or twice. Matching reflective tabs on the rainfly and tent body make pitching easier.

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The Portal 2 is built with more durability than many ultralight tents. It uses 20-denier nylon ripstop in the floor, 15-denier nylon no-see-um mesh in the tent body, and an 1800mm, 10-denier nylon 66 ripstop silicone rainfly that, unlike PU coatings, doesn’t absorb water, meaning it won’t stretch and sag when wet. Slingfin employs fabrics with good UV and mildew resistance to extend their life, adds extra zipper sliders to double the lifespan of the zippers, and foregoes PU coatings that deteriorate over time. All stress-point seams are reinforced.

A footprint (sold separately, $67, 5 oz.) protects the tent floor and allows pitching the Portal 2 with only the rainfly, slashing the shelter’s total weight to two pounds two ounces. Alternatively, Slingfin also sells separately a Portal Tub Floor ($106, 7.5 oz.) that has sidewalls to keep water from splashing in when pitching it only with the rainfly, a setup that also weighs just two pounds two ounces.

The Verdict

While barely making the (arbitrary) weight limit for an ultralight tent, the Slingfin Portal 2 carves out a unique space in this category by striking a keen balance between solid stability and livability while weighing under three pounds, making it a good choice for any backpacker who wants to reduce pack weight while getting the wind resistance of a heavier tent.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a SlingFin Portal 2 at slingfin.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

 

See my “Review: The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.”

Want to make your pack lighter and all of your backpacking trips more enjoyable? See my story “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” If you don’t have a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read part of that story for free, or click here to download that full story without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

 

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SLINGFIN PORTAL 2

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

Summary

The Slingfin Portal 2 strikes a keen balance between solid stability and livability while weighing under three pounds, making it a good choice for any backpacker who wants to reduce pack weight while getting the wind resistance of a heavier tent.

4.5

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-slingfin-portal-2-backpacking-tent/feed/ 18 34805 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-tiger-wall-2-platinum-ultralight-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-tiger-wall-2-platinum-ultralight-tent/#comments Tue, 07 May 2019 09:00:58 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=33608 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Platinum
$600, 1 lb. 15 oz.
moosejaw.com

The sub-two-pound, double-wall, freestanding tent has become like the two-hour marathon of the backpacking gear world: the holy grail that many have come close to achieving, without quite nailing it. Now Big Agnes has set the pace with the Tiger Wall 2 Platinum, a redesign of its Tiger Wall UL2 from 2018 that seizes the grail and—most importantly—avoids shortcomings endemic to other ultralight tents. Taking it out on a six-day, 74-mile spring hike through the Grand Canyon that—not surprisingly—tested the wind resistance of our shelters, I found much to recommend about the Tiger Wall 2 Platinum, and decided it ranks among the very best backpacking tents available today. Here’s why.

The Tiger Wall 2 Platinum remains almost identical to its predecessor, B.A.’s Tiger Wall UL2. But the Platinum version achieves deeper weight savings by using Dominico Textile, a fabric used in parachutes and hang gliders and known for its strength, quality, and durability.

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Like the semi-frestanding Tiger Wall UL2, the Platinum version incorporates a hubbed, Y-shaped main pole with a short bridge pole that crosses the center pole. The pole architecture helps create a shelter that’s quite sturdy, especially for an ultralight tent: It stood up to gusts of 30 to around 40 mph on spring nights in the Grand Canyon, which would be a test for any tent weighing three pounds, nevermind under two pounds.

Despite its weight, the Tiger Wall 2 Platinum delivers livability perhaps unmatched among double-wall, freestanding or semi-freestanding tents in its weight class—an admittedly small category, a fact for which this shelter stands out, anyway. While many ultralight tents trade off headroom and living space, this tent feels impressively livable for its weight, largely due to headroom that allows two people to sit up side by side, because of how that bridge pole lifts the walls above each door.

The living space compares with many lightweight two-door, double-wall, two-person tents: 28 square feet of floor area, 86 inches of length, a 39-inch peak height (enough for six-footers to sit up, although some may find their head rubbing against the ceiling), and a floor width that ranges from 52 inches at the head end to 42 inches at the foot. Two standard, 20-inch-wide air mats fit inside with virtually no room to spare at the foot end, but some extra space at the head end. I shared it with a friend—he’s five feet 10 inches, I’m five feet eight inches—and we never bumped each other while sleeping; and with a little sensitivity to the comfined quarters, we moved around inside without invading another’s space much. But two big people might find it cramped.

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Also like the Tiger Wall UL2, the Tiger Wall 2 Platinum is almost freestanding: The two foot-end corners require staking. But with any freestanding model, staking it out fully is almost always required not only to keep it from blowing away or bending in wind, but to achieve a taut pitch and maximize living space and ventilation. The Tiger Wall 2 Platinum’s design still makes it easy to pick it up and move it after assembling it, or shake dirt out of it before packing it up. The color-coded DAC Featherlite NFL poles and just nine clips make pitching and dismantling the tent quick and intuitive.

The two large doors not only increase convenience, but their dimensions make coming and going a breeze. The doors have dual zippers—one each along the bottom and top edges—that open separately and join at a bottom corner of the doorway. This design is either convenient or a nuisance, depending on your perspective and what you’re trying to do. It allows opening the door slightly to pass something through or to put on shoes without letting bugs inside; on the other hand, it forces you to deal with two zippers every time you enter or exit, not always a welcome task in the rain. The oversized zipper pulls are easy to locate in the dark.

With a mostly mesh canopy, two doors, and a double-wall design, ventilation is excellent. The rainfly doorways overhang the interior doors, creating a drip line that keeps rain out of the tent.

The two vestibules each have eight square feet of storage space—enough for a mid-size pack and boots, plus a bit of cooking space, which compares to many lightweight tents. Two-way zippers on the doors allow you to ventilate from the top or bottom, or unzip partway from the bottom to prevent windblown rain from getting inside.

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The interior has two standard mesh pockets and one oversized wall pocket with media cord ports. The rainfly and tent floor are made of silicone-treated nylon ripstop fabric, making that fabric waterproof and stronger per weight.

At an ounce under two pounds, the Tiger Wall 2 Platinum may have no rival in its category when it comes to space-to-weight ratio. (For comparison purposes, tent makers generally provided a minimum or “trail” weight that includes only the tent, rainfly, and poles—not stakes and parts like guylines that vary between models—as well as a packed weight that represents the total poundage for everything in the package.)

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The packed size of 18×5.5 inches (46x14cm) makes it among the most compact two-person, double-wall tents on the market, too.

One caveat: While this tent uses cutting-edge ultralight materials that have good strength and durability for their weight, I always advocate using some care with any ultralight gear—it usually doesn’t last as long as heavier gear. After several trips, I have seen some small tears in the rainfly doors.

At this weight and bulk, the Tiger Wall 2 Platinum ranks among the lightest and most compact ultralight backpacking tents, making it also a legitimate solo shelter for someone desiring a little extra living space than found in many one-person tents. Like many Big Agnes tents, a footprint can be purchased separately ($70, 6 oz.) to replace the inner tent, creating a shelter (with no bug screen) weighing just 1 lb. 10 oz.

The Tiger Wall 3 Platinum ($600, 2 lbs. 6 oz.) weighs just seven ounces more, but adds 10 square feet of interior space, making it lighter but more spacious than many heavier two-person, two-door, double-wall tents—so it legitimately pulls double duty as a two- or three-person shelter.

Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Platinum

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

For its groundbreaking low weight, livability, sturdiness, and ventilation—all the boxes you’d want to check off when buying an ultralight backpacking tent—the Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Platinum stands out as one of the very best models for ultralight and long-distance backpackers, or anyone who simply wants to reduce pack weight.

4.4

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Please also consider sharing it using one of the buttons at right and leaving a comment or question at the bottom. Thank you, I really appreciate it.

 

See my review of “The 8 (Very) Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read, which costs as little as five bucks, or just pennies over $4 per month for an entire year.)

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures. Join now to read ALL stories and get a free e-guide!

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-tiger-wall-2-platinum-ultralight-tent/feed/ 11 33608 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-msr-zoic-2-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-msr-zoic-2-backpacking-tent/#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2019 10:00:27 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=30648 Read on

]]> Backpacking Tent
MSR Zoic 2
$350, 4 lbs. 6 oz.
Moosejaw.com

Everyone wants ultralight backpacking gear—but not everyone wants to live with the sacrifices inherent to ultralight gear. While few pieces of gear can produce as much reduction in the weight of your gear kit as switching from a standard to an ultralight tent, you’ll also notice the tradeoffs in a tent more than with almost any other ultralight gear. With MSR’s Zoic 2, backpackers get the comfort of a tent with good space, along with superior ventilation and good stability, weather performance, and durability.

I tested the Zoic 2 with a couple friends (alternating in it) on a 90-mile hike through Glacier National Park in September, and I shared it with my wife on a four-day family backpacking trip in August in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains.

A traditional freestanding, double-wall, two-door tent that pitches using crossing hubbed poles common in many backpacking tents, the Zoic goes up intuitively within a few minutes. A short “eyebrow” pole over the crown elevates the ceiling above both doors, creating more headroom and vertical side walls, overhung by the rainfly, that prevent rain from dripping inside when you enter and exit the tent. That pole geometry, with strong but lightweight 7000-series aluminum poles, creates a shelter that can withstand the kind of wind and weather most three-season backpackers encounter in the mountains: It demonstrated during windy evenings in Glacier and the Sawtooths that it holds up as well as most tents of comparable weight and design.

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The Zoic’s measurements speak to its livability: Its 33 square feet of interior space exceeds what you’ll find in many two-person backpacking tents (especially freestanding models) of comparable weight, while the 88-inch length and 39-inch peak height are both very good but not unusual in this weight category. But also unusual in this category, the tent’s width accommodates two 25-inch-wide air mattresses; many backcountry tents are only slightly wider than two standard, 20-inch-wide air mats. Two friends—one five feet, 10 inches, the other six feet tall—who alternated sharing it in Glacier both raved about its interior space.

Two opposing doors, common in backpacking tents, greatly enhance livability and ventilation—I wouldn’t recommend a backcountry tent without two doors except in ultralight models whose weight and other design advantages justify the inconvenience of a single door. The 18 square feet of total storage space in the two vestibules, also not uncommon in tents in this category, is definitely roomy enough for packs, boots, and wet stuff.

With 15-denier nylon micromesh throughout the interior canopy—except for solid nylon around the base of the walls, which helps keep out blowing sand or splashing water and mud during heavy rain—the Zoic 2 ventilates exceptionally well on mild nights and collected virtually no condensation under the rainfly after a calm night in the high 30s Fahrenheit with two of us inside (and both vestibule doors open) in Glacier.

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While that overhead mesh is susceptible to tears if you’re not careful, the 70-denier taffeta nylon floor is tough, and has a 3000mm Xtreme Shield polyurethane treatment—that’s a waterproof coating that lasts up to three times longer than standard coatings, according to MSR—and watertight seams with a DWR (durable, water-repellant treatment).

The 40-denier rainfly rolls up easily to expose half the tent ceiling to the night sky for stargazing and warm, dry nights, while having it in place lets you quickly unfurl it again if rain comes during the night. The packed size of 21×5 inches is certainly much bulkier than ultralight tents, but no more or less bulky than tents of comparable weight.

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There are many good reasons to buy an ultralight backpacking tent. (See my expert tips in “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.”) But none of those reasons compensates for the need or simple desire for more space—and none eliminates the tradeoffs inherent to ultralight tents (and other gear). Many backpackers are not pounding out the long miles every day that make pack weight their top priority.

The Zoic 1 ($300, 3 lbs. 5 oz., 21.5 sq. ft.) and Zoic 3 ($400, 5 lbs. 7 oz., 46 sq. ft.) offer a similar design, space-to-weight ratio, and value.

Plan your next great backpacking trip in Yosemite, Grand Teton, or other parks using my expert e-guides.

MSR Zoic 2

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

If you like the idea of a spacious tent that’s still only a few ounces over two pounds per person—light enough for backpacking and roomy enough for front country campgrounds—the Zoic 2 delivers solid performance at a price that’s also much lower than many ultralight shelters.

4.6

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to buy an MSR Zoic 2 at backcountry.com or Moosejaw.com, a Zoic 1 at backcountry.com or moosejaw.com, or a Zoic 3 at backcountry.com or moosejaw.com.

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Thank you.

 

See my review of “The 9 (Very) Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read, which costs as little as five bucks, or just pennies over $4 per month for an entire year.)

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

 

Want to make your pack lighter and all of your backpacking trips more enjoyable? See my story “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” If you don’t have a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read part of that story for free, or click here to download that full story without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-msr-zoic-2-backpacking-tent/feed/ 8 30648 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-gossamer-gear-the-one-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-gossamer-gear-the-one-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#comments Tue, 25 Sep 2018 09:00:28 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=29246 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Gossamer Gear The One
$255, 1 lb. 2 oz./510g
gossamergear.com

When the wind blew strong gusts on some nights during a six-day, north-south traverse of more than 90 miles on the Continental Divide Trail in Glacier National Park in September, I wondered out of self-interest how well Gossamer Gear’s The One would stand up to them—given its tall profile, lightweight materials, and design that utilizes trekking poles for pitching. As it turned out, I had no reason to worry. The One not only held up well, it demonstrated why it is quite possibly the best solo ultralight tent on the market today.

A single-wall, non-freestanding, A-frame tent that pitches using two adjustable trekking poles set to 125cm (or custom aluminum poles sold separately for $38), with an interior tent featuring mesh bug netting and a bathtub floor, The One tent takes several minutes to pitch, even once you’ve gotten the hang of it. Setup involves staking the four corners, followed by inserting trekking poles and staking the vestibule and rear guyline. It also requires a minimum of six stakes, or 10 if you want to secure the bathtub floor (rather than just having it hang in place, which works well enough)—and just pounding them in can take time when the ground is hard-packed dirt or rocky, as we encountered in designated campsites in Glacier.

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But when pitched properly, the stability with two trekking poles is as good as many freestanding, three-season tents, in part because its tall walls are angled to deflect wind. Nonetheless, Gossamer Gear recommends pitching the tent with one of the ends pointing into the wind, rather than the large front or back sides, and ideally finding a sheltered campsite. In Glacier, our campsites were in forest every night but one, when our tents sat at the edge of a meadow, and The One withstood direct gusts of 20-30 mph that night without a problem. While we had no rain in Glacier, The One’s entrance has a drip line that keeps rain out of the tent interior when coming and going.

The front side features a tall, wide, zippered door on the mesh interior tent and a vestibule that sheltered my 58-liter ultralight pack and a pair of boots on one side, so that I easily entered and exited without having to climb over that stored gear. The two vestibule flaps can be individually rolled up on clear nights to give you lots of fresh air (plus maximum ventilation to prevent condensation) and a partial view of the stars. With both vestibule flaps rolled back, The One’s front side becomes a tall, flat, vertical wall, so you might not furl both flaps up if the wind is hitting that side of the tent.

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With no door on the back side (it being a solo tent), the SilNylon wall has a beaked awning (see lead photo at top of story) that overhangs a triangle of mesh on the upper part of the wall, providing cross-ventilation and high-low ventilation created by floor-level mesh at the tent ends. This ventilation significantly minimizes condensation, a problem that plagues some single-wall tents. While I would expect some condensation on calm, cold nights with the vestibule completely closed up—and Gossamer Gear acknowledges that possibility on its website—my group (taking turns using it) saw no moisture accumulate inside the tent, even on a calm night in the high 30s.

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The interior living space of 16 square feet is excellent and the headroom may be unmatched among one-person backcountry tents, especially ultralight models. The floor has abundant space for one person, with 33 inches of width at the head end and 21 inches at the foot, plus 84 inches of length; the middle of the tent has four or five inches of space on each side of a standard, 20-inch-wide air mattress. The peak height reaches a cavernous 45 inches in the center of the tent (where you would sit upright). I’m five feet, eight inches, and I easily fit extra clothes and gear inside.

The One’s 1200mm, PU-coated SilNylon fabric is ultralight—7-denier in the body and 10-denier in the bathtub floor—meaning that to ensure a longer life for the tent, you should use a ground cloth, which obviously adds weight. The tent comes with taped seams, 14 stakes, and guylines rigged.

At a mere 18 ounces (without the optional tent poles when using trekking poles to pitch it) and packing down to 6×9 inches in its stuff sack, The One ranks among the very lightest and most-compact backcountry shelters on the market—and may be unmatched for living space, which explains its popularity among dedicated ultralighters. Although you should choose fairly protected campsites for it, that’s not difficult on many U.S. long trails or public lands.

And Gossamer Gear has knocked the price down to $217, a great value in a high-quality, ultralight, solo tent.

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Gossamer Gear The One

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Livability

The Verdict

A single-wall A-frame shelter that pitches using trekking poles, with stability as good as many freestanding, three-season tents, very good living space, and good ventilation to minimize condensation, the Gossamer Gear The One ranks among the few very best solo ultralight tents on the market today at an outstanding value.

4.3

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog by clicking this affiliate link, at no cost to you, to purchase a Gossamer Gear The One at gossamergear.com.

See my review of “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read, which costs as little as five bucks, or just pennies over $4 per month for an entire year.)

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Was this review helpful? Get full access to ALL stories at The Big Outside.
Subscribe now and a get free e-book!

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-gossamer-gear-the-one-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 10 29246 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/are-you-still-wasting-money-on-outdoor-gear/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/are-you-still-wasting-money-on-outdoor-gear/#respond Thu, 28 Jun 2018 09:00:29 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=22860 Read on

]]> By Michael Lanza

What if every time you laid down money for hiking, backpacking, or other outdoors gear, you always knew exactly what you needed and were invariably satisfied with your purchase for years afterward? What if you knew every time whether it was smarter to spring for the pricier piece of gear or go for the cheaper model? What if you always knew when and where to find the best gear at rock-bottom sale prices?

Read on to learn how you can become that expert gear buyer—just in time for ongoing gear sales at many online retailers.

Like me, you love getting out dayhiking, backpacking, climbing, and/or trail running. We need the right gear and apparel for those activities. That stuff costs money. So we have to make choices over what we need, the best products among myriad models, which of them represent the best value, and ultimately, what we can afford.

More than two decades as a professional gear tester and reviewer have taught me a lot about making informed gear choices and when and where to shop for gear. Here are my tips for becoming a smarter gear consumer who understands how to get the best value for your buck. Please share your thoughts on my tips or your own best tips in the comments section at the bottom of this story.

 

Top 3 Tips For Buying Gear

For starters, my three top rules about buying outdoor gear would apply to buying almost any consumer product:

1. Do some research to understand what you need and the differences between choices available. (Start with the categorized menus and buying tips at my Gear Reviews page.)

2. Don’t buy at the last minute. Planning ahead usually gives you more choices and opportunities to find discounted prices. (Save money and support my work on this blog by making purchases through these links at moosejaw.com and rei.com, as well as links you find in the many gear reviews at The Big Outside.)

3. Assess price in terms of the gear’s value to you. If you use it infrequently, perhaps less-expensive gear (assuming it’s of adequate quality) will suit your needs just fine. But if you use it a lot and can afford it, high-quality gear pays for itself many times over in the currency of your quality of experience. And that matters.

 

Buy smartly. Read my “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear” and
“Why and When to Spend More on Hiking and Backpacking Gear.”

 

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Click here to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

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Use These Expert Gear-Buying Tips

Shop for any gear and you will quickly discover: There are a lot of choices out there. Sometimes it can be difficult or even overwhelming to sort through them all and discern which product is best for your needs—which is critical, because we all have individual needs and purposes for gear.

See my pro tips on finding the right backpack, backcountry tent, shoes or boots, sleeping bag, rain jacket, and sleeping bag in these articles:

5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack
5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent
How to Choose the Best Ultralight Backpacking Tent for You
Pro Tips For Buying the Right Boots
Pro Tips: How to Choose a Sleeping Bag
5 Pro Tips For Buying the Right Rain Jacket For the Backcountry

Those articles are premium content, which means that reading them requires a full paid subscription to The Big Outside, which costs as little as five bucks for a month, or pennies over four bucks a month for a full year. That’s a great value when you consider how much you will save as a more-informed gear consumer. Read more about subscribing here.

In the left sidebar, you’ll find a tag cloud with links to all reviews in categories like backpacking gear and backpacks.

 

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No Time? Cut to the Chase

If you simply want my recommendations on the best gear, you can find a long list of Best in Class reviews at my Gear Reviews page, including the 10 best backpacking packs and down jackets; the best ultralight backpacks; the five best backpacking tents, rain jackets, and headlamps; and the best daypacks for hiking. (All of those articles are free content, and you support my work on this blog anytime you make a purchase through a link to an online retailer in any of my reviews.)

 

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You’ll also find hundreds of reviews at The Big Outside, ranging from the best new stuff on the market to gear and apparel that’s a year or more old but still of high quality—and may be available now at a price steeply discounted from its original price, simply because it’s no longer new. As I point out in my “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear,” this is stuff that went on sale new at higher prices just months earlier—it’s current technology, not ancient crap.

Looking for great prices soon? Bookmark sites like moosejaw.com, REI Garage, Sierra Trading Post, and theclymb.com, and watch for seasonal sales going on now or coming up soon.

 

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

 

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/are-you-still-wasting-money-on-outdoor-gear/feed/ 0 22860 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-slingfin-2lite-trek-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-slingfin-2lite-trek-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#respond Wed, 27 Jun 2018 09:00:52 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=28441 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Slingfin 2Lite Trek
$329, 2 lbs. 6 oz.
slingfin.com

The world of ultralight backpacking tents can sometimes resemble a sort of Galapagos Islands of backcountry shelters, where odd-looking species evolve along a track (that probably defies some basic rules of evolution) toward competing goals of becoming stronger and incrementally larger while becoming lighter. Looked at from that perspective, the 2Lite Trek from Slingfin—a small company co-founded by a former Mountain Hardwear designer—doesn’t depart radically from traditional tents, other than pitching with trekking poles. But a unique design allowed it to stand up to winds of 30 to 40 mph in the Grand Canyon and Idaho’s City of Rocks. It’s also relatively roomy and featured for a two-person tent weighing under 2.5 pounds.

The 2Lite Trek rippled and snapped a bit but was largely unaffected by relentless winds of 30 to 40 mph during three June nights of camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve and four May nights backpacking the Grand Canyon’s Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop. Even tents that outweigh the 2Lite Trek by a pound or more can bend in 30 mph winds. I tested it in wind, pitched with and without its rainfly, in both of the tent’s configurations: with trekking poles, as well as substituting the optional bow pole for trekking poles (more on the pole options below). A friend who used it on a six-day bikepacking trip in Arizona reported similar conditions and results.

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Without the rainfly on, the interior canopy walls naturally got pushed around some in those winds, but the poles held up well—reinforced by me taking about five minutes to install the internal guy lines at the head of the tent, which help stabilize it. The rainfly presents a broad, flat wall at the head end of the tent that I thought would act as a sail; but it sustained hours of direct winds gusting over 30 mph without so much as bending under that assault.

The unusually good stability for an ultralight tent that pitches with trekking poles owes to the unique design of the pole sleeve over the tent’s peak, which can be tensioned using adjustable straps at each end of it. Plus, the 2Lite Trek employs two small poles, at the peak/head and at the foot, which contribute a lot of structural integrity for their minimal additional weight.

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Weighing just two pounds, six ounces (without the optional front pole, which isn’t needed when pitching with trekking poles), its interior measures 89 inches (2.25m) long and has 28.5 square feet (2.6 square meters) of floor space, with a 41-inch (1m) peak height—that’s more living space than typically found in two-person tents in this weight class (more, for instance, than the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2, which is two ounces lighter). It sits two standard, 20-inch-wide air mattresses side by side, though with little room to spare, so two average-size adults should expect to bump one another occasionally. After all, this is an ultralight tent, and none of them would be confused with a palace. In its stuff sack, the packed tent measures a compact 13×5 inches (33x13cm), comparable to its competitors.

The two vestibules extend the length of the tent, measuring 10.7 square feet each—larger than found on many tents in this weight class—creating space to store midsize packs out of the way, with space to spare. The vestibule doors roll almost completely back to really open up the tent in good weather. The 2Lite Trek has a good drip line: The vertical side walls and overlapping rainfly keep all but blowing rain out of the tent when entering and exiting.

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Pitching isn’t as complicated as with some ultralight shelters with unique designs, but worth going through a dry run in your yard the first time. A traditional double-wall tent, though not freestanding, it pitches using two trekking poles to reduce pack weight. (An optional front pole, weighing four ounces, can be purchased separately and used instead of trekking poles; that conversion kit costs $54. Slingfin’s 2Lite is identical except that it pitches using the front tent pole instead of trekking poles, and a different conversion kit, costing $45, can convert that model to the 2Lite Trek. My advice: Use trekking poles and get the 2Lite Trek.)

After staking out the four corners, you attach a fabric sleeve that toggles to the high points of the tent and anchors the two trekking poles. Slide a short, bow pole through that sleeve and into grommets at each end. Straps adjust the tension on the bow pole, increasing it for more stability in windy conditions. You only have to attach this fabric sleeve once, unless switching between the trekking-pole setup and the optional front-pole setup. An arched pole supports the lower, foot end of the tent.

Lastly, adjust your trekking poles to about 44 inches and insert them into pouches at each end of the fabric sleeve and ground-level side grommets; the trekking poles lift the front end of the tent. Cord loops at the corners of the rainfly secure it to the same stakes used on the tent body corners, and the two vestibules stake out independently. Tabs on the underside of the rainfly secure it to the arched pole to enhance structural integrity.

From the PU-coated, nylon ripstop rainfly to the walls and mesh of the interior tent, the fabrics are all 15-denier, while the floor is a PU-coated, 20-denier nylon ripstop—all very lightweight, as expected, but also more susceptible to tearing than heavier tent fabrics. When I had to use a couple of large rocks to “stake out” the vestibules in a campsite with ground too rocky to pound in stakes, the steady, strong wind caused the stake cord at the bottom of one vestibule door to rub back and forth over the rock (which had rounded sides, not sharp, but coarse granite), sawing it almost completely through.

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Yes, ultralight tents and other gear make the carrying part of backpacking trips more pleasant, and they’ll hold up fine as long as you exercise a reasonable amount of care when handling them and selecting campsites. But wear and tear happens faster.

I wouldn’t bother purchasing the optional footprint ($60, 5.5 oz.) for the 2Lite—you might as well just buy a tent with a more-durable floor.

Slingfin 2Lite Trek

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

Whether you’re a thru-hiker, dedicated ultralight backpacker or bikepacker, or simply want to prioritize minimizing pack weight and don’t mind a confined tent, the Slingfin 2Lite Trek offers good living space and strength in strong wind for this tent category, and two doors—rare qualities for a sub-2.5-pound tent—all at a competitive price.

4.6

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to buy a Slingfin 2Lite Trek at slingfin.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See my review of “The 8 (Very) Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read, which costs as little as five bucks, or just pennies over $4 per month for an entire year.)

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-slingfin-2lite-trek-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 0 28441 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-big-agnes-tiger-wall-ul2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-big-agnes-tiger-wall-ul2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#comments Wed, 16 May 2018 09:00:55 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=27926 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2
$400, 2 lbs. 4 oz.
backcountry.com

I got a little worried when the wind in the Grand Canyon started gusting to about 30 mph one evening—which I assumed would test the limits of the ultralight Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 tent’s structural strength. When the gusts continued to increase—at times exceeding 40 mph—I seriously thought we might lose one or more of our shelters roughly halfway through our May backpacking trip on the 25-mile Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. But the Tiger Wall stood up to those gusts, giving me yet another reason to like this supremely featherweight backpacking tent.

A friend and I used the Tiger Wall UL2 for four nights in the Grand Canyon—a place that will give shelters a hard test, especially ultralights, because it can be so relentlessly windy and rarely offer natural wind breaks like dense trees. But Big Agnes’s lightest two-door tent surprisingly rose to that challenge—and I say “surprisingly” because many backpacking tents, even heavier models, are typically built to withstand winds up to about 30 mph. The Tiger Wall also withstood afternoon and evening winds hitting around 30 mph, and a steady rain, on a weekend camping trip in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve.

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The hubbed and color-coded DAC Featherlite NFL pole structure not only makes pitching and dismantling the tent quick and intuitive, it’s quite strong for being so lightweight: The tent bowed a bit but never collapsed or suffered damage when winds in the Grand Canyon gusted to what I would conservatively estimate at 40 mph. The Tiger Wall falls just shy of freestanding; the two foot-end corners require staking. But that’s hardly a shortcoming, since any fully freestanding tent requires staking to create a taut pitch and stand up in strong winds.

As usual with many ultralight backcountry shelters, living space represents the most conspicuous tradeoff. Its 28 square feet compares with competitors in this exclusive and tiny club of two-person, two-door, double-wall tents that barely exceed two pounds. Other metrics are similar to what you’d find in this category: 86 inches of length, a 39-inch peak height (enough for six-footers to sit up, although many will find their head rubbing against the ceiling), and a floor width that ranges from 52 inches at the head end to 42 inches at the foot. You’ll fit two standard, 20-inch-wide air mats in there with little room to spare. Average-size people will bump into each other a bit, while two big people might find it too cramped.

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The two eight-square-foot vestibules each store a mid-size pack and boots, create some cooking space when needed, and exponentially increase the comfort, convenience, and ventilation of an ultralight tent compared to single-door models. The short, bridge section of the pole lifts the side walls of the mesh canopy outward, not only improving headroom—making the interior feel more spacious and livable than other tents in this category—but each end of that pole sits in tiny pockets on the rainfly, strengthening the tent’s structural integrity.

The interior is basic, with a mesh pocket on each side and a large, mesh ceiling pocket, which won’t hold much weight but facilitates drying out damp socks or T-shirts, and provides a spot to place a headlamp for diffused interior lighting. The two large doors have dual zippers—one each along the bottom and top edges—that open separately and join at a bottom corner of the doorway; this allows opening just one side slightly to pass something through or to put on shoes without letting bugs inside. The oversized zipper pulls makes locating them in the dark easier.

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With all-mesh walls and ceiling and a double-wall design, ventilation is excellent and condensation not a problem (with the possible exception of cold, calm nights with both rainfly doors completely zipped shut—not circumstances I encountered and not typical for an ultralight, three-season tent; but the taut pitch would help keep any dampness on the rainfly’s underside off the mesh walls). The rainfly’s vestibule doors have two-way zippers and hook-and-loop patches for multiple venting options, plus the rainfly doorways overhang the interior doors, creating a drip line that keeps rain out of the tent.

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As with many ultralight tents, this one employs very lightweight, 15-denier fabric, which demands a reasonable degree of caution handling it. The Tiger Wall UL2 measures just 5.5×18 inches (14x46cm) in its stuff sack, a compact package that stows away easily inside a mid-size backpack. Using the footprint (sold separately, $70, 6 oz.) instead of the interior tent canopy with the rainfly, the so-called “fast-fly” setup weighs just 1 lb. 11 oz. (including everything needed—footprint, rainfly, poles, and stakes).

Final analysis: Although snug for two people, the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 is livable, relatively strong, and certainly one of the very lightest, two-door, double-wall tents on the market—light enough even to use as a solo tent if you want abundant space (although two doors and vestibules become superfluous weight for one person).

The Tiger Wall UL3 ($450, 2 lbs. 10 oz.) weighs just seven ounces more, but adds 10 square feet of interior space, making it lighter but more spacious than many two-person, two-door, double-wall tents—so it legitimately pulls double duty as a two- or three-person shelter.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at not cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 or a Tiger Wall UL3 at backcountry.com or Moosejaw.com.

Was this review helpful?

If so, would you like to support my work by clicking here to leave a tip for The Big Outside?

Please also consider sharing it using one of the buttons at right and leaving a comment or question at the bottom. Thank you, I really appreciate it.

 

See my review of “The 7 (Very) Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.” (Both of those stories require a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read, which costs as little as five bucks, or just pennies over $4 per month for an entire year.)

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Let The Big Outside help you find the best adventures. 
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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/review-big-agnes-tiger-wall-ul2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 3 27926 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-marmot-tungsten-ul-2p-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-marmot-tungsten-ul-2p-backpacking-tent/#comments Thu, 21 Sep 2017 09:00:43 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=24919 Read on

]]> Three-Season Tent
Marmot Tungsten UL 2P
$379, 3 lbs. 4 oz./1474g
moosejaw.com

Is weight the most important consideration when buying a backpacking tent? If it’s one of the first specs you look at, I suggest you give equal consideration to its space—and especially its space-to-weight ratio. In the interest of finding a tent that offers comfortable living quarters for a friend who’s over six feet tall and I to share on a 39-mile backpacking trip in Wyoming’s Wind River Range—but still comes in at a reasonably low weight—I decided to try out Marmot’s well-priced Tungsten UL 2P. I found that it’s a solidly built and notably spacious shelter for its weight, at a price that’s hard to beat for this quality; but I found some nitpicks with it, too.

The interior footprint of 32 square feet provides measurably more space than many freestanding, three-season, two-person tents of comparable weight. Over and above that footprint area, though, the pre-bent poles and one short, eyebrow pole over the top create vertical walls and more headroom, which, along with the 42-inch peak height, enhances the sense of greater space.

I shared the tent with a friend over six feet for three nights in the Winds, and found that, besides the bountiful headroom, it has adequate width for two pads without us constantly bumping into each other, and good length (88 inches).

But here’s the most compelling point: In a random online survey of freestanding, backpacking tents of similar weight (from just under three pounds to about three-and-a-half pounds, including only the interior tent, rainfly, and poles), I found many with between 27 and 30 square feet of space—most of them with less headroom—and all of those tents cost more than the Tungsten UL 2P.

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This is a sturdy shelter for three-season backpacking. On our mid-September hike in the Wind River Range, we saw wind gusts over 25 mph one night and heavy rain for most of another night. The Tungsten UL 2P, with its seam-taped rainfly and bathtub floor, kept us dry inside and our gear dry in the vestibules. With DAC press-fit, hubbed poles, the tent pitches easily, thanks in part to color-coded clips to align the rainfly correctly. I’m not a fan of the plastic hooks securing the rainfly to the tent corners, because they can slip off before all are clipped; I think the plastic buckles used in many tents, while perhaps marginally heavier, just work better.

Ventilation was good on wet and windy nights with lows in the 40s Fahrenheit; we had no condensation inside in those conditions, and given the all-mesh walls and two opposing doors, plus one roof vent (which can be retracted), I expect condensation would not be a problem even in cooler temps.

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The combined 15 square feet of space in the two vestibules keeps boots and midsize packs out of the rain, and you could cook in one vestibule in a pinch. The two D-shaped doorways are huge, easing access and egress as well as the task of pulling gear out of the tent when packing up camp. Roll the doors back on a clear night and you get a broad view of the stars from each side, with just a strip of roof overhead.

Stick a headlamp or other compact light into the ceiling pocket made of translucent, white fabric for diffused, lantern-like interior lighting. Interior pockets provide storage space for small items like headlamps. Marmot achieves such a low weight for the tent’s size partly through lightweight fabrics—30-denier nylon in the floor, 20-denier in the rainfly—which aren’t uncommon, but also not as durable as some tents. We bent one of the six stakes too easily. The packed size of 18×7 inches is fairly compact and competitive with other tents in this category.

One demerit: The tent’s end walls lack guylines or loops for staking them out, both for better ventilation and to keep those walls from pressing against the inside, mesh walls in wind and raine. On our night of heavy rain, those walls, which are difficult to make taut, flapped a bit and made contact with the inner mesh walls, making them damp, and sleeping bags and other gear and clothing eventually brushed against those interior walls and picked up some dampness.

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Marmot Tungsten UL 2p

Space-to-Weight Ratio

Sturdiness

Ease of Use

Ventilation

Features

Value

The Verdict

You can find lighter tents. But for tall people who will accept a few more pounds for more living space, the Marmot Tungsten UL 2P delivers that while keeping the weight within a half-pound or less of some of the best ultralight, freestanding tents. And it comes at a price that’s hard to beat.

4.3

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog by either of these links to purchase a Marmot Tungsten UL 2P tent at backcountry.com or moosejaw.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See my review of “The 8 (Very) Best Backpacking Tents,” my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent,” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

 

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Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2
$200, 3 lbs. 6 oz.
sierradesigns.com

After it was first introduced in the early 1980s, the Clip Flashlight became an iconic tent among backpackers and bikepackers—you’d see them everywhere, and I used one for years. So when the updated version was introduced this spring, curiosity and a little bit of nostalgia prodded me to try it out—and see how this classic shelter holds up in comparison to modern tents. On high-desert trips from southern Utah to southern Idaho in May and June, the Clip Flashlight held up well through serious wind and rainstorms. While I found faults with some aspects of its design, its strengths—and a good price—make it a backcountry shelter worth considering.

For three nights of camping at over 7,000 feet in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, strong winds gusted to 30 mph and higher most of the time, and we got a thunderstorm with hard, wind-driven rain one evening. The Clip Flashlight kept my teenage daughter and her friend dry and held up through that weather.

Although not freestanding, the Clip Flashlight pitches very intuitively and quickly, with a longer pole arching over the head end of the tent and a shorter pole over the foot end; once staked out completely, the design stands up to wind as well as many tents in its weight class. The Clip Flashlight has always been more of a shelter for sleeping than for hanging out inside—it’s not capacious. Still, the 30-square-foot interior, with 52 inches of width and a length of 89 inches, compares well with many tents in this weight class, and is a little more spacious than some. The 42-inch peak height exists only at the head end of the tent—the ceiling slopes downward to the foot end. But there’s adequate space for two average-size people to sit up and move around, thanks partly to vertical walls, and the arch pole at the foot end is high enough that the ceiling doesn’t slope at a steep angle.

The big, D-shaped tent door makes entry and exiting easy, alleviating some of the inconvenience of having just one door. But when exiting with the rainfly door closed, you have to bend over and reach all the way to the far bottom end of that door to grab the zipper pulls. (Note to Sierra Designs: If the rainfly door had two-way zippers, it would be easier to get in and out by opening the zippers’ top ends down far enough to step over the bottom end of the door or over the vestibule side walls; that would also keep the door fabric from dragging on the ground as much.) This tent is better for backpacking and bike touring in relatively good weather; it would feel cramped if you’re holed up inside in an extended stretch of wet weather.

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While having just one door means it lacks the cross-ventilation created by two doors, ventilation is good enough to prevent any condensation building up on cool, damp nights with the rainfly door zipped shut, because of the all-mesh interior canopy and the way the rainfly stakes out away from the mesh, allowing air flow. The mesh canopy also granted me an unobstructed view of the stars when I slept in it with the rainfly off on a clear night at around 8,500 feet in Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument. The high bathtub floor keeps splashing rain and mud out in a downpour.

Interior features include spacious pockets on each side and a lantern pouch hanging above the doorway that you can place a headlamp inside to disperse soft light throughout the tent at night; but given the dimming capability of the best headlamps out there today, I’m dubious about the usefulness of the lantern pouch. At just under nine square feet, the one vestibule has the space that you often find in each of the two vestibules on many two-door tents in this category, so storage is limited, and restricted by the fact that it’s all within the tent’s sole entrance.

I give the Clip Flashlight a few demerits. I’m not a fan of the roll-up, awning-style rainfly door, even though there are some benefits: You can extend the awning horizontally, using two trekking poles and guylines to fashion a roof over the tent’s entrance, protecting it from straight-down rain, as long as winds aren’t strong enough to blow the awning around; and rolling up that rainfly door does allow a good view of the stars. But having two zippers creates more work opening and closing the door; the awning won’t keep anything under it very dry in wind-driven rain; erecting the awning forces you to bend over when entering and exiting; and the long, steeply angled door results in its fabric quickly getting dirty and degraded on its bottom edge from dragging on the ground.

The rainfly doesn’t extend out over the tent doorway to keep rain out of the tent interior when entering and exiting. I’ve also never liked using grommets to secure the rainfly to the ends of the poles around the tent’s perimeter, especially having to handle them in the cold, or in wet or muddy conditions; clips are simply easier and faster. I bent one of the low-quality stakes the first time I pitched the tent.

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Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, the creator of The Big Outside, recognized as a top outdoors blog by USA Today and others. I invite you to get email updates about new stories and gear giveaways by entering your email address in the box in the left sidebar, at the bottom of this post, or on my About page, and follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You can certainly get a single-door or two-door tent that’s lighter than the Clip Flashlight, but you’d pay a lot more for one of this quality. In fact, SD’s own Flash 2 FL (one of my favorite backpacking tents) has far more space and two doors while weighing only four ounces more—but it’s also twice as expensive.

Despite a few shortcomings, the Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 is a sturdy, lightweight, well-ventilated, reasonably roomy tent for most backpacking, bikepacking, or even car camping—as long as you’re not holing up in it through long periods of wet weather—and comes at a good price.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by this affiliate link to purchase a Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2 at sierradesigns.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See all of my reviews of backpacking tents and backpacking gear that I like, and my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “Gear Review: The 5 Best Backpacking Tents.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-clip-flashlight-2-tent/feed/ 0 24089 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-copper-spur-hv-ul2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-copper-spur-hv-ul2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/#comments Wed, 22 Mar 2017 09:00:50 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=22796 Read on

]]> Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2
$450, 2 lbs. 12 oz.
backcountry.com

I’ll tolerate reasonably close living quarters in a tent that’s lightweight and performs well in the backcountry, because I prioritize my comfort on the trail (read: light pack) and usually only crawl inside the tent to sleep. But not all of my backpacking companions share my tolerance for a snug shelter. The Big Agnes Copper Spur line of tents have long made me and my elbowroom-loving tentmates happy, by marrying low weight and a high ratio of interior space per ounce. So with a new design making the Copper Spur HV UL2 roomier while keeping its weight under three pounds, I took it out on a five-day, 80-mile backpacking trip through the North Cascades with a six-foot friend to see whether the tent would measure up to the hype.

NOTE: This review covers the previous version of the Copper Spur HV UL2. The 2020 model adds awning-style doors and other improvements. Get it here and watch for my upcoming review of it.

For starters, there aren’t many freestanding, two-person tents with two doors and vestibules that weigh under three pounds, so if that’s what you’re shopping for, you already have a short list. The first time I picked up the Copper Spur HV UL2’s poles, I couldn’t believe how light they are (and I’ve tested a lot of tents over the past two decades). The new DAC Featherlite NFL hubbed pole structure creates steeper walls (as well as boosting structural strength by 25 percent, according to Big Agnes) that make the tent feel roomier than its 29 square feet, a standard footprint area for tents in this category. Plus, tall people will be happy with its 40-inch peak height and 88-inch length. My six-foot friend and I bumped into each other occasionally while sitting or lying down—as much as we would in many tents that are about as wide as two standard sleeping pads—but not enough to be annoying or keep us awake. Big Agnes claims the Copper Spur’s latest iteration increases interior volume by 20 percent over its predecessor, and that’s the difference you notice when inside it.

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The tent was quick and intuitive to pitch the first time, thanks to clips that attach the inner canopy to the poles and color coding of the poles and tabs on the tent. The tent doors have dual zippers that move smoothly, and smartly open from a bottom corner, allowing you to crack the door slightly to slide boots on outside without letting a squadron of mosquitoes inside. The doors stash conveniently into small pockets when fully opened. A couple of interior mesh pockets provide adequate organization.

Besides making the Copper Spur HV UL2 more livable, the two doors and vestibules improve ventilation. And with nine square feet of space, each vestibule stores a mid-size pack and boots. One rainfly vent helps minimize condensation—which was negligible on dry, cool nights with two people in the tent, although we never had sustained, cold rain—and the fly overhangs the vestibules, so no rain enters when coming and going. We hardly noticed when light rain fell early one morning in the North Cascades, while we were still in the tent; all seams are taped with waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane tape (no PVC or VOCs).

Big Agnes says the lightweight, ripstop nylon fabric used in the rainfly and floor reduces weight and has 25 percent better tear strength than the tent’s previous generation. But as with any ultralight tent, it’s wise exercise some care with campsite selection and handling the tent when packing it up, to avoid tears. A footprint (sold separately, $70) allows pitching it rainfly-only, without the interior tent, reducing the shelter’s weight by 10 ounces.

The Verdict

The ultralight, freestanding tents with two doors and vestibules that weigh under three pounds comprise a very small club. The list grows by several models when the weight ceiling rises to three-and-a-half pounds—but those are a full half-pound heavier than the Copper Spur HV UL2, largely without improving on its space or performance. If, like me, you prefer minimizing pack weight, but don’t want to sleep in a breadbox and like the advantages of a freestanding, two-door design, the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 has little competition.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to buy a Copper Spur HV UL2 at backcountry.com, moosejaw.com, or ems.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

 

See my “Review: The 7 Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent” and “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Tent for You.”

Want to make your pack lighter and all of your backpacking trips more enjoyable? See my story “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” If you don’t have a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read part of that story for free, or click here to download that full story without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-copper-spur-hv-ul2-ultralight-backpacking-tent/feed/ 10 22796 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-battle-mountain-2-mountaineering-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-battle-mountain-2-mountaineering-tent/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2016 10:00:59 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=21879 Read on

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Mountaineering Tent
Big Agnes Battle Mountain 2
$700, 7 lbs.
moosejaw.com

On a four-day, April climb of the Mountaineers Route on California’s Mount Whitney, strong winds raked our campsites—especially for two nights at our high camp at 12,000 feet, below Whitney’s dramatic East Face. But my teenage son and I hardly noticed the wind, sleeping like babies. On a trip where we needed a sturdy tent, but didn’t want to haul something heavy and bulky, the Battle Mountain 2 gave us a very livable shelter that’s significantly lighter and more compact than many competitors.

Unlike some mountaineering tents, which strengthen the pole structure and increase vestibule space through the use of a pole in the rainfly—typically inserted through a sleeve in the fly, which can be a tedious process—the Battle Mountain 2 connects its lightweight but strong, DAC NSL hubbed pole plus two more poles to the tent canopy, an easier and faster procedure. The poles create a solid structure that stands up to strong winds in exposed campsites and snow loads. Nice details: The canopy attaches to the poles with hooks, and oversized, quick-release plastic buckles attach the rainfly to the tent, both easy and fast even when wearing warm gloves; and the rainfly webbing and poles are color-coded—both of which you really appreciate in cold wind and temperatures.

The pole structure creates excellent headroom and a 42-inch peak height, making the interior feel even roomier than its 31.5 square feet. Doors and vestibules at each end let you exit and enter on the lee side to keep snow out even when the wind shifts direction. And with 13.5 square feet of space, the vestibules easily store boots and provide cooking space, plus you can stack packs in one vestibule if you plan to enter and exit only through the other door (depending on prevailing winds). Six interior pockets keep small items like headlamps and hats from getting buried under bags and clothes.

Even on calm, cold nights, we got no condensation inside, thanks to rainfly vents that align with large wall vents that zip shut, plus doors with half-moon-shaped, solid nylon panels that unzip to mesh panels to increase air flow (as well as the enhanced air flow due to doors at both ends). Materials are lightweight but not flimsy: a Cordura ripstop nylon rainfly and floor, both with a 1200mm waterproof polyurethane (PU) coating and solvent-free, waterproof PU tape. The 13 Mega X stakes can be pounded into earth or firm snow or buried like deadmen, and stakeout loops are large enough to use skis and ice axes to secure your tent. A nine-ounce footprint sold separately lets you pare this shelter down to 4.5 pounds, leaving the interior tent at home.

Want a bigger mountaineering shelter? The Battle Mountain 3 ($850) adds almost 13 square feet of interior space at a weight cost of just six ounces.

The Battle Mountain 2 and 3 tents are good choices when you want a lightweight and compact mountaineering tent without compromising protection from wind and snow loads or sacrificing much in terms of livability.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking either of these links to purchase a Big Agnes Battle Mountain 2 tent at moosejaw.com, or a Big Agnes Battle Mountain 3 tent at moosejaw.com.

See all of my reviews of backpacking tents that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my article “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent.”

See also my stories:

“Review: Gear For Climbing Mount Whitney”
“12 Pro Tips For Staying Warm Outdoors in Winter”
“The Simple Equation of Ultralight Backpacking: Less Weight = More Fun”
“5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Do you like The Big Outside? I’m Michael Lanza, the creator of The Big Outside, recognized as a top outdoors blog by a USA Today Readers Choice poll and others. Get email updates about new stories and free gear giveaways by entering your email address in the box at the bottom of this story, at the top of the left sidebar, or on my About page, and follow my adventures on Facebook and Twitter.

This blog and website is my full-time job and I rely on the support of readers. If you like what you see here, please help me continue producing The Big Outside by making a donation using the Support button at the top of the left sidebar or below. Thank you for your support.

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-battle-mountain-2-mountaineering-tent/feed/ 2 21879 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-fly-creek-hv-ul2-mtnglo-and-fly-creek-hv-ul3-ultralight-tents/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-fly-creek-hv-ul2-mtnglo-and-fly-creek-hv-ul3-ultralight-tents/#comments Wed, 01 Jun 2016 12:33:30 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=19188 Read on

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Ultralight Backpacking Tents
Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 mtnGLO
$440, 2 lbs. 1 oz. (not including stuff sacks and stakes)
Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL3
$450, 2 lbs. 15 oz. (not including stuff sacks and stakes)
moosejaw.com

As we searched for a campsite while backpacking in the canyon of Utah’s Dirty Devil River in late March, the wind picked up. Then the rain started. My wife and daughter pitched the new Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 mtnGLO in minutes without having even looked at it before—a testament to its simplicity. Once darkness fell a little while later, they turned on the lights—the tent’s built-in LED lights, that is—and I think they promptly forgot there was a storm just outside their nylon walls.

I also used the Fly Creek HV UL2 mtnGLO on windy nights car-camping in southern Utah, and that tent as well as the three-person Fly Creek HV UL3 on a three-day backpacking trip high in the Panamint Range of California’s Death Valley National Park in May, where I had the opportunity to backpack and test gear with folks from Big Agnes, Osprey Packs, and Oboz Footwear. (Later, I’ll post reviews of gear from those other brands that we tested in Death Valley.)

 

Building on last year’s introduction of its mtnGLO LED lights in some tent models, Big Agnes has brought internal lights to its one- and two-person, ultralight Fly Creek tents. B.A. also redesigned the Fly Creek pole structure—calling it HV, or High Volume—to make the tents roomier. My trips with these two tents gave me a chance to assess these changes.

The Big Agnes mtnGlo tents have flexible strips of tiny LED lights in the ceiling seams. Controlled by an inside switch and powered by three AAA batteries, the lights have two brightness levels: The brighter setting provides enough light to play cards, though not enough for reading, and the half-power setting dimly illuminates the tent interior for locating items or getting in and out. The lights pack away with the tent, so they require no set up or dismantling. They weigh just a few ounces and run 90 hours or more on a set of batteries. I quickly came to appreciate their convenience and soft light more than the harsh light of some lanterns and headlamps, and my family loves the tent lights.

Do you like The Big Outside? I’m Michael Lanza, the creator of The Big Outside, recognized as a top outdoors blog by a USA Today Readers Choice poll and others. Subscribe for updates about new stories and free gear giveaways by entering your email address in the box at the bottom of this story, at the top of the left sidebar, or on my About page, and follow my adventures on Facebook and Twitter.

 

The DAC Angle Hub, exclusive in Fly Creek HV tents, creates steeper wall angles than in the first generation of Fly Creek shelters, resulting in a little more headroom and a vertical door that prevents rain from dripping inside when you come and go. While an improvement, the Fly Creek HV UL2 mtnGLO remains a small tent: At five feet, eight inches, I could only sit up straight in the center of the head end of the tent, where the peak height is a respectable 40 inches. The 28 square feet of floor space was fine for me sharing it with one of my young teenage kids (both are barely more than 100 pounds), but two average-size adults would be in very close quarters.

As my wife and daughter discovered, the Fly Creek tents go up very easily, thanks to a hubbed pole system and a mere eight clips (including the one hub connection) to attach the interior canopy to the poles, and quick clips attach the rainfly. The minimalist, ultralight poles make these tents best for fairly protected campsites, but both tents withstood gusts of 25 to 30 mph in the Dirty Devil River canyon and the Panamint Range. And the Fly Creek HV UL3 has an eyebrow pole not found in the two-person, which gives it a bit more stability and greatly improves the headroom.

 

With abundant mesh in the walls, the Fly Creek tents ventilate well, despite having just one door and no real cross-ventilation. On mild nights, everyone remained comfortable inside both models, and we saw virtually no condensation on cold, calm nights. All that mesh does have one drawback: Sand blew freely inside the Fly Creek HV UL2 mtnGLO during windstorms in Utah; but that would happen with any tent with predominantly mesh walls. The rainfly and floor are made of silicone-treated nylon ripstop with a 1200mm waterproof polyurethane coating, and all seams are taped with waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane tape.

Final analysis: The Fly Creek HV UL2 mtnGLO is one of the lightest, two-person, double-wall tents you’ll find—and the lights make it that much more appealing. But unless you’re sharing it with someone you like being very close to, I suggest getting the three-person Fly Creek HV UL3, which is light enough (less than a pound heavier than the two-person) to use as a two-person shelter and have beaucoup space (39 square feet), and tight but tolerable for three people. I like using the Fly Creek HV UL2 mtnGLO as a solo tent—it’s light enough and gives one person extra space. The UL3 does not come with LED lights, but you can add a mtnGLO Tent Light Accessory Kit to it ($40, purchased separately).

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links or the text ad below to purchase a Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 mtnGLO at moosejaw.com or rei.com, or a Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL3 at moosejaw.com or rei.com.

 

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

 

See all of my reviews of backpacking tents that I like, including the Big Agnes Rattlesnake SL2 mtnGLO, and all of my reviews of backpacking gear and ultralight backpacking gear, and my article “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

 

Do you like my blog? Get full access to all stories at The Big Outside. Become a subscriber now!

 

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, the creator of The Big Outside, recognized as a top outdoors blog by USA Today and others. I invite you to sign up for my FREE email newsletter by entering your email address in the box in the left sidebar, at the bottom of this post, or on my About page, and follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-fly-creek-hv-ul2-mtnglo-and-fly-creek-hv-ul3-ultralight-tents/feed/ 6 19188 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/buying-gear-read-this-first/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/buying-gear-read-this-first/#comments Sun, 01 May 2016 10:00:46 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=12289 Read on

]]> By Michael Lanza

Are you in the market for a new pack or boots for hiking or backpacking, or a new tent or sleeping bag? How do you find something that’s just right for you? What should you be looking for? How much should you spend? These are questions I’ve heard from many friends and readers over the years as they’ve waded through the myriad choices that are out there. Here are my five top tips for buying gear that’s right for you, gleaned from lessons I’ve learned from two decades of testing and reviewing gear and helping people find gear they love.

No matter what you’re shopping for—boots, pack, tent, bag, other gear or some major piece of apparel like a jacket—consumers grapple with largely the same, general questions that I wrote above. They’re trying to narrow the daunting array of choices out there, but they’re not quite sure how to do that.

I’ve listed below five steps to follow in the decision-making process for buying gear. At the bottom, I’ve provided links to my stories offering specific tips on buying a new pack, boots, tent, and bag.

 

No. 1 Decide What It’s For

A friend asked me once to recommend boots he could buy for backpacking that would also work well for climbing glaciated peaks (in the Pacific Northwest); I told him that was a little like shopping for a dump truck that would also give him good mileage as a commuting vehicle. If you set out in search of a pack or boots for every dayhike or backpacking trip you ever take, then you may wind up with just that—which may serve your needs in a general way, but not be quite right for anything. Focus on how you intend to use that item most of the time, and buy something that’s good for that purpose.

 

 

 

No. 2 Decide What You Need

Do you need solid ankle support, or do you prefer really lightweight, nimble footwear? Are you a big guy who needs a roomy tent, or a parent backpacking with a young child with a top priority of minimizing gear weight? Do you want the lightest bag you can afford, or do you get cold easily and need a bag that’s a little fatter and warmer than the average person uses?

The reason for the almost infinite number of choices in gear is the infinite variability in the wants and needs of consumers. That can seem confusing but it’s ultimately good for you. Your first step in the buying may simply be writing down your customized answers to numbers one and two in this list of tips and using that as a guide as you begin winnowing your short list.

 

 

No. 3 Get the Fit Right

Especially with footwear, packs, and performance apparel, fit and personal satisfaction go together like chips and salsa. You can be happy with boots or a pack that are not quite what you wanted, but are what you could afford; but you’ll never be happy with the top-of-the-line, expensive boots or pack that don’t fit you well. A poorly fitting pack can make you miserable, while poorly fitting boots can end a trip. With those gear items for which fit becomes critical, boots and packs, narrow your list to at least three options, and perhaps up to six or seven, based on steps one and two (above). Then go try them on and you will find the model you like.

 

 

No. 4 Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute

The best way to spend more than you want or need to spend, and be forced to settle for something that’s not quite what you wanted, is to wait until the last day or two before a trip and rush out to buy something.

You wouldn’t buy a car or a house that way, because you want to take the time to find something that feels just right for you. Treat buying boots, a pack, tent, bag, or other major gear or outdoor-apparel item the same way—those aren’t like batteries or stove fuel that you dash out to pick up at the last minute. Plus, shopping around weeks or even months in advance gives you time to wait for sale prices.

 

Do you like The Big Outside? I’m Michael Lanza, the creator of The Big Outside, recognized as a top outdoors blog by a USA Today Readers Choice poll and others. Subscribe for updates about new stories and free gear giveaways by entering your email address in the box at the bottom of this story, at the top of the left sidebar, or on my About page, and follow my adventures on Facebook and Twitter.

No. 5 Spend What You Can Afford

This last nugget of advice goes both ways: If you can only afford an entry-level pack or other piece of gear, look for the best-quality item that’s within your budget and get it. (Tip: Pick a brand name known for high quality, because they will usually bring the same dedication to quality to their affordable gear as they do to their pricier gear.) Maybe it won’t be as comfortable or last as long as the high-end gear you coveted, but it will enable you to get out there and have fun and may last you until you can afford something better. (See my “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear.”)

By the same token, I always tell friends or readers seeking advice: If you can afford the best, why settle for something that will be less comfortable, or heavier, or not fit or perform as well as pricier pieces of gear or apparel that are within your budget? Measure the value in terms of your enjoyment and comfort as well as the cost per mile or day of use, because higher-quality gear, while pricier, often proves much more durable than cheaper stuff. It’s money well spent.

 

 

See a categorized menu of all of my reviews of hiking gear, backpacking gear, daypacks, backpacks, hiking shoes, backpacking boots, backpacking tents, sleeping bags, and kids’ outdoor gear and these stories at The Big Outside:

“5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack”

“Pro Tips For Buying the Right Boots”

“5 Tips For How to Buy a Backpacking Tent”

“Pro Tips: How to Choose a Sleeping Bag”

See also my stories “The Simple Equation of Ultralight Backpacking: Less Weight = More Fun,” “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear,” “Why and When to Spend More on Outdoor Gear” and “Ask Me: How Do We Begin Lightening Up Our Backpacking Gear?”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews.

This blog and website is my full-time job and I rely on the support of readers. If you like what you see here, please help me continue producing The Big Outside by making a donation using the Support button at the top of the left sidebar or below. Thank you for your support.

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/buying-gear-read-this-first/feed/ 4 12289 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-flash-2-fl-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-flash-2-fl-tent/#respond Wed, 06 Apr 2016 10:00:56 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=18343 Read on

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Three-Season Tent
Sierra Designs Flash 2 FL
$400, 3 lbs. 10 oz. (not including stuff sacks and stakes)
ems.com

The rain started as we searched for a campsite by Utah’s Dirty Devil River. Then the wind kicked up. My son and I quickly pitched this tent and stashed our gear inside without anything getting wet. And as we lounged inside, the Flash 2 FL withstood gusts of 30 to 40 mph—even when the swirling winds hit the tent broadside. But its stability is just part of the strong story of the Flash 2 FL, whose features and performance will appeal to many backpackers who want a lighter shelter, but can’t abide the cramped quarters of many ultralight tents.

Having liked previous iterations of SD’s Flash tents, I took the new and lighter Flash 2 FL on a trip to southern Utah in late March, backpacking to Robbers Roost Canyon, a tributary of the Dirty Devil River, and car camping during a week that saw lots of wind and some rain. I also used it on three nights during a four-day, mid-July family rafting trip on the Green River through Lodore Canyon in Dinosaur National Monument.

For starters, this freestanding tent’s unique, hybrid design marries the benefits of single- and double-wall tents by integrating the interior tent canopy with the rainfly: A partial rainfly roof and weatherproof side walls block wind and precipitation, and the side doors have both mesh and solid, weatherproof, zippered panels. That integrated design eliminates a step when pitching—so it goes up fast—and keeps the interior dry when erecting the tent in the rain. The light but strong DAC NFL poles assemble and dissemble easily and didn’t even bend from strong gusts in unsheltered desert campsites, and stood up to winds blowing over 30 mph in Lodore Canyon.

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Barely north of three-and-a-half pounds, the tent has 30 square feet of living space—good for this weight class—plus an 86-inch length and 50-inch width. And the pole structure creates vertical walls that expand headroom throughout the interior, with a generous, 43-inch peak height. There’s plenty of sleeping and personal space, and my family of four could hang out inside and play games when it rained. On our Utah trip, I had this and a lighter, smaller tent for my family, and everyone wanted to sleep in this one. I like how SD has replaced traditional vestibules with awnings over tent doorways and gear closets—big enough for a pack and boots—at both ends of the tent, accessed via inside zippers. Combine that with the two big doorways, and you don’t have to crawl when getting in and out, and the awnings give you more of a view outside.

Ventilation is excellent and condensation virtually non-existent because of the combination of a mesh canopy, air circulation through the gear closets, and the awnings overhanging the doors, which lets you leave the side doors either open completely or with only the mesh panels zipped up except during wind-driven, sideways rain. Plus, the drop doors let you adjust the amount of ventilation. The tent took on sand during strong windstorms in Utah, but not as much as a four-person tent our friends used, perhaps because the rainfly reaches low to the ground.

Materials are lightweight: silicone-coated, 20-denier ripstop rainfly; 30-denier, coated, polyester ripstop floor; and 15-denier nylon mesh walls. It will be reasonably durable, but some caution in handling it is advised.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter, or enter your email address in the box in the left sidebar or at the bottom of this story. Click here to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

With terrific living space for its low weight, a smart design, and impressive stability in wind, SD’s Flash 2 FL is one of my top recommendations among tents for backpackers looking for a nice balance between minimizing weight while maintaining good livability. There’s also a Flash 3 FL ($500, 4 lbs. 2 oz.)—which, for just another half pound of weight, is a smart choice for people who want extra space or alternately take trips as a pair or a trio.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking this link to buy a Sierra Designs Flash 2 FL at ems.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See all of my reviews of backpacking tents that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my article “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there. Subscribe now and a get free e-guide!

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-flash-2-fl-tent/feed/ 0 18343 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/looking-for-reviews-of-the-best-gear-look-here/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/looking-for-reviews-of-the-best-gear-look-here/#respond Sat, 21 Nov 2015 11:00:24 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=14566 Read on

]]> By Michael Lanza

I take a bit of a different approach to testing and reviewing outdoor gear at The Big Outside. I don’t try to blanket my readers with reviews of every new piece of gear hitting the market—I can’t do it, but frankly, a lot of it is average and not worth recommending. Instead, I find the best backpacks and daypacks, backcountry tents, shoes and boots, bags, outdoor apparel, and other gear that I actually want to use and would recommend to friends. Then I take it on my backcountry trips and see if it works in real situations. After two decades of testing and reviewing gear, including many years as a field editor and lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine, I think I have a pretty good eye for what outdoor gear and apparel performs well and delivers value and what’s not worth your money.

That’s what you’ll find at my Gear Reviews page—only reviews of products I would recommend to my closest friends.

If you’re looking for gear for hiking, backpacking, climbing, skiing, or another outdoor activity, that page organizes all of my reviews by category, so that you can quickly find what you’re looking for among the hundreds of reviews at The Big Outside.

Besides listing the various categories of outdoor gear and apparel reviews you can find at The Big Outside, such as backpack reviews and backpacking tent reviews, that page has links to several of my most helpful stories about gear, including my expert tips on buying gear, my favorite new gear of the year, and my popular ultralight backpacking tips.

Tell me what you think of that page by commenting in this story or at my About page.

My blog can help you find the right gear for your style of adventure. Good luck and have fun out there.

The Big Outside is proud to partner with these sponsors. Please help support my blog by liking and following my sponsors on Facebook and other social media and telling them you appreciate their support for The Big Outside.

 

 

 

Do you like my blog? I’m Michael Lanza, the creator of The Big Outside, and I appreciate connecting with my readers. I invite you to subscribe to this blog by entering your email address in the box at the top of the left sidebar or below, and follow my adventures on Facebook and Twitter.

This blog and website is my full-time job and I rely on the support of readers. If you like what you see here, please help me continue producing The Big Outside by making a donation using the Support button at the top of the left sidebar or below. Thank you for your support.

 

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/looking-for-reviews-of-the-best-gear-look-here/feed/ 0 14566 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-exped-mira-ii-hyperlite-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-exped-mira-ii-hyperlite-tent/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2015 10:00:37 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=15121 Read on

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Ultralight Tent
Exped Mira II Hyperlite
$429, 2 lbs. 14 oz. (without the included stuff sack and eight sturdy stakes, at least six of which are needed to pitch the tent)
moosejaw.com

On the first of two nights backpacking with my 15-year-old son in Idaho’s White Cloud Mountains, I got an immediate sense of what I liked about Exped’s sub-three-pound Mira II HL (besides its low weight): With darkness and rain rapidly approaching, we pitched the tent easily in a couple of minutes. We lived and slept comfortably inside, thanks to a design that maximizes space while minimizing weight. And when it rained through the night, we stayed dry despite keeping one vestibule door wide open to help ventilate the interior.

In the White Clouds, we also we had a clear, cold night just above freezing. I also used the Mira II HL camping alone one clear and calm September night, with lows in the 30s, at Redfish Lake in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains; and my family used it as one of our two tents for three calm, clear nights, with lows in the 40s, backpacking the Rockwall Trail in Canada’s Kootenay National Park in August.

With a partly freestanding design—it needs staking for a taut pitch—space is good for the weight. A design that uses three DAC Featherlite NFL poles—one running the length of the tent, a ridge pole over the top, and an arched pole at the head end—plus a generous, 43-inch peak height, creates ample headroom (I could kneel in the middle of the tent) and a sense of the space being larger than its 29 square feet. Meanwhile, the 85-inch length accommodates tall people, and the 49-inch width is more than two sleeping pads. Three of us played cards inside one buggy evening in Kootenay, and my wife and I found the interior space perfectly adequate for two sleeping adults.

 

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter, or enter your email address in the box in the left sidebar or at the bottom of this story. Click here to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

 

It’s  quick to pitch and dismantle because the poles slide readily through their sleeves, and there are six points where the rainfly clips to the tent body. I found six stakes (including the two for the vestibules) enough for most situations, including winds up to about 20 mph, which did not cause the tent to bow inward or the rainfly to flap at all. The tent canopy, with a mix of mesh and solid fabric, and the two doors create good ventilation; still, we did get condensation (as we did in the other, double-wall tent we used in Kootenay) on some nights that were either rainy or clear with lows in the 30s to 40s Fahrenheit. But the taut pitch kept the rainfly off the canopy, so nothing inside got wet, except when wind blew a little rain in through one completely open vestibule doorway.

The two doors are large enough for easy entry and egress, and the rainfly overhangs the doors slightly, creating a drip line that prevents a straight-down rainfall from getting inside. We stored backpacks and boots in the two seven-square-foot vestibules and still had enough space to come and go without climbing over gear. This tent uses lightweight materials, like 15-denier ripstop nylon in the canopy and 20-denier in the floor and rainfly, requiring a little care to avoid tent sites with sharp rocks and sticks. The entire tent packs down to the size of the 20° down sleeping bag I used on some of the same trips.

 

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Overall, this tent provides a shelter sturdy enough for all but very exposed, windy campsites, with good space for under three pounds.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking this link to buy an Exped Mira II HL at moosejaw.com.

 

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

 

See all of my reviews of backpacking tents I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear.

NOTE: I’ve been testing gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See all of my reviews by clicking on the Gear Reviews category at left or in the main menu.

—Michael Lanza

 

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures. Subscribe now to read ALL stories and get a free e-guide!

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-exped-mira-ii-hyperlite-tent/feed/ 4 15121 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-tensegrity-2-fl-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-tensegrity-2-fl-tent/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2015 10:00:21 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=14059 Read on

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Ultralight Tent
Sierra Designs Tensegrity 2 FL
$390, 2 lbs. 10 oz. (without the included stuff sack and nine sturdy stakes, which are needed to pitch the tent)
sierradesigns.com

When I first saw this tent displayed at the Outdoor Retailer trade show a year ago, I wanted to test it in the backcountry. The whole concept behind SD’s new Tensegrity line intriguingly throws out the playbook on what backpacking tents are supposed to look like: Gone are the inward sloping walls, traditional vestibules, and poles, all with the goal of making a shelter that’s not just lighter but more functional. I took the Tensegrity 2 FL on a six-day rafting trip down Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River—and mostly liked what I saw in this unusual shelter.

The non-freestanding, single-wall Tensegrity tents pitch using two trekking poles, one included DAC NFL arch pole that supports the tent’s foot end, and seven stakes. Eliminating tent poles shaves significant weight and bulk, making the tent light and compact while offering capacious space: While the Tensegrity 2 FL’s interior floor space is 29 square feet (and 88 inches long, with a peak height of 41 inches)—somewhat average for a two-person tent—the one-of-a-kind design makes it wider at the ceiling (57 inches) than at the floor (50 inches). Sitting inside really feels much roomier than many tents, certainly more than any bug-proof tent under three pounds. At the tent’s head end, a large awning can be pitched in three different configurations—angled to the ground lean-to style, straight outward (using two more poles), or rolled up completely. I found the angled option the best for protecting gear from rain, but really liked rolling it up for stargazing on clear nights.

In lieu of vestibules at the two side doors, it has a spacious 10-square-foot “gear closet,” which is smartly positioned at the front end of the tent (and accessed via a third, zippered door that’s large enough for entry and egress), so you don’t have to climb over your gear going in and out. It also means there’s no vestibule to crawl through, which really makes the tent more pleasantly livable. Plus, the enormous mesh wall at the head end and equally large mesh doors without vestibules lets you see the stars instead of feeling enclosed in a nylon cocoon.

Pitching it takes a little practice and time; I could eventually do it by myself, although it’s tricky when trying to tension two trekking poles. The Tensegrity proved sturdy enough to ward off rain and wind in violent thunderstorms on the Middle Fork. Awnings that extend out 12 inches over the side doors prevent rain dripping inside the tent when you come and go. The lightweight, silicone-treated, 30D nylon ripstop fabric in the floor and 20D polyester ripstop in the body, seam taped throughout, suffered no damage, but won’t be as durable as heavier fabric used in some tents.

The biggest demerit is that this shelter suffers from the bane of single-wall tents: condensation. On calm, humid nights with lows in the 40s, the ceiling collected a lot of condensation even with the solid door panels half to fully unzipped on each side to maximize ventilation (in addition to the big mesh door on the head end). One foggy morning, the condensation dripped from the ceiling onto sleeping bags and everything inside. But on other nights—one rainy, another clear and breezy, with my wife or son sharing the tent with me and the solid side doors unzipped for ventilation—we had zero condensation.

The Tensegrity 2 FL and its sister tents in that line are a good choice for backpacking in a relatively dry climate or on shorter trips in any weather. But on longer trips where you may face repeated rainy days, condensation and the inability to dry out the tent might eventually leave you with a wet shelter, inside and out. Unlike the FL version, the lighter and more-expensive Tensegrity 2 Elite ($490, 2 lbs., 2 oz.) requires seam sealing.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking this link to buy this product at CampSaver.com.

See all of my reviews of backpacking tents I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear.

See also my stories “The Simple Equation of Ultralight Backpacking: Less Weight = More Fun,” “Buying Gear? Read This First,” “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear,” and “Ask Me: How Do We Begin Lightening Up Our Backpacking Gear?”

NOTE: I’ve been testing gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See all of my reviews by clicking on the Gear Reviews category at left or in the main menu.

—Michael Lanza

This blog and website is my full-time job and I rely on the support of readers. If you like what you see here, please help me continue producing The Big Outside by making a donation using the Support button at the top of the left sidebar or below. Thank you for your support.

I invite you to subscribe to this blog by entering your email address in the box in the left sidebar, and follow my adventures on Facebook and Twitter.

The Big Outside is proud to partner with sponsor Osprey Packs. Please help support my blog by liking and following my sponsors on Facebook and other social media and telling them you appreciate their support for The Big Outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-tensegrity-2-fl-tent/feed/ 2 14059 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-tarptent-double-moment-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-tarptent-double-moment-tent/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2015 10:00:30 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=13269 Read on

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Three-Season Tent
Tarptent Double Moment
$349, 3 lbs. 4 oz.
tarptent.com

With a preference for backcountry tents that are lightweight and stable, I’m willing to sacrifice capacious living space and the convenience of freestanding models, and I’ve seen tunnel-style designs that stand up well to strong winds despite their low total weight. Intrigued by the Double Moment’s space-to-weight ratio, I took it out on a five-day backpacking trip down Paria Canyon on the Utah-Arizona border in late March and a three-day backpacking trip on the Royal Arch Loop in the Grand Canyon, to see how it would hold up.

A two-person, double-wall tent with two doors and vestibules, and an interior with mesh walls and a solid, fabric ceiling that can be detached from and pitched independent of the rainfly, its standout selling point is a good space-to-weight ratio: At just over three pounds, it’s a bit too heavy to be called “ultralight,” yet is certainly lightweight for two people. And the seven feet of length, plus a peak height of 45 inches, create nice headroom and living space even though the 27 square feet of floor area isn’t exceptional. It had adequate living space for sharing with a 5-foot, 10-inch friend in the Grand Canyon, and with my five-foot-tall son in Paria Canyon. The vestibules are each big enough for boots and a mid-size pack, plus sliding buckles on straps outside the doors allow you to increase vestibule space while proportionately reducing the width of your interior living space.

Not freestanding, it pitches using an arch pole over the tent’s peak and short, collapsible, carbon-fiber struts at each end that help give the tent its structural integrity. While you never have to remove the struts from the rainfly, they are removable and you can substitute trekking poles to shave four ounces of weight. An optional, 8-ounce pole makes the tent strong enough to handle a snow load, according to Tarptent. (I didn’t test that.) The Double Moment held up well through a night of steady rain in the Grand Canyon. But on an evening when strong gusts kept shifting direction—preventing us from pointing the tent’s foot end into the wind, which would be its most stable positioning—wind hitting the side walls bowed them in until we stacked large rocks to anchor the ends, all four corners, and the vestibules. Pitching it on dirt in wind would demand more stakes than the two end stakes that come with the tent. Vertical inside walls overhung by the rainfly ensure against rain coming in when you enter or exit (unless the rain is blowing sideways).

It’s kind of tedious to pitch and take down, partly because the pole sleeve is so narrow that I had to wrestle the pole through it, and partly because the guyline system that helps support both ends has to be tensioned perfectly—I found that requires some patience to get it right until you get to know it. The tent is also easier to pitch in dirt than on a flat, sandstone slab where we had to substitute rocks for stakes. The Double Moment packs away to a moderately compact 5×18 inches in its stuff sack.

With the caveat that this tent requires a little more thought and work to figure out how to pitch it effectively before you’ll pitch it quickly, it’s a good choice for people—especially tall folks—looking for some extra space while keeping their shelter weight reasonably low.

See all of my reviews of backpacking tents I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear.

See also my stories:

“10 Tricks For Making Hiking and Backpacking Easier”
“7 Pro Tips For Avoiding Blisters”
“The Simple Equation of Ultralight Backpacking: Less Weight = More Fun”
“Ask Me: How Do We Begin Lightening Up Our Backpacking Gear?”

NOTE: I’ve been testing gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

 

 

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, the creator of The Big Outside, recognized as a top outdoors blog by USA Today and others. I invite you to get email updates about new stories and gear giveaways by entering your email address in the box in the left sidebar, at the bottom of this post, or on my About page, and follow my adventures on Facebook and Twitter.

 

This blog and website is my full-time job and I rely on the support of readers. If you like what you see here, please help me continue producing The Big Outside by making a donation using the Support button at the top of the left sidebar or below. Thank you for your support.

The Big Outside is proud to partner with sponsors Backcountry.com and Visit North Carolina, who support the stories you read at this blog. Find out more about them and how to sponsor my blog at my sponsors page at The Big Outside. Click on the backcountry.com ad below for the best prices on great gear.

 

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-tarptent-double-moment-tent/feed/ 5 13269 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-tips-on-gear-for-an-appalachian-trail-thru-hike/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-tips-on-gear-for-an-appalachian-trail-thru-hike/#comments Thu, 07 May 2015 11:00:11 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=12374 Read on

]]> Hi Mike,

I am 63 and retired. I have done multiple bicycle tours up to 600 miles around Lake Ontario. Now this boy in and old man’s body wants to hike the Appalachian Trail in the spring of 2016, at 64. Your articles on light backpacking have been valuable in making smart equipment choices. I can use some of my bike gear but the MSR Hubba Hubba tent and MSR WhisperLite stove have to go. I have some questions for you about gear.

I workout six days a week to stay in shape with spin classes and weight classes and plan on five- and 10-mile hikes at local state parks here in NY this summer.

I’m getting used to packing my small Osprey Atmos, and waiting for more gear to arrive.

What is your opinion of alcohol stoves vs. Jetboil?
What is your opinion of Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 vs. Tarptent Pro?
I tried the L.L. Bean Microlite FS1 (no room to move).
Last, do you have a video on packing?

Thanks for listening.

Mike
Williamson, NY

Hi Mike,

Congrats on planning an Appalachian Trail thru-hike. I’ve hiked most of the AT in New England (some sections many times, and all over the White Mountains), where I’m from originally, and parts of the trail in the Great Smokies. I’ve met many people who thru-hiked the AT at your age. I wish you a wonderful experience.

Regarding alcohol stoves vs. Jetboil: I’ve rarely used alcohol stoves because they do not produce as much heat as gas stoves, so they take perhaps twice as long, or longer, to boil water, compared to a gas stove like a Jetboil. The traditional advantages of alcohol stoves are that they are quite compact and light and you carry just one fuel bottle and refill it as needed when you resupply, rather than carrying multiple canisters, which is why alcohol stoves have really only been favored by thru-hikers. However, I think Jetboil has changed that equation because its efficiency allows you to carry less weight and bulk in canisters (and you can recycle the canisters by puncturing them with a simple and light tool sold by Jetboil).

I recently reviewed the new Jetboil MiniMo solo cooking system, and cooked 12 one-person meals with just one, 100g fuel canister, and there was a little fuel left after the trip. Given how often you can resupply along the AT, and that time efficiency in camp translates to having more time for hiking and enjoying the trip, I would take something like the MiniMo instead of an alcohol stove. Some people would disagree with me, but I hope my perspective helps inform your decision.

When I’m backpacking ultralight, as you want to do in thru-hiking the AT, I want as light a shelter as circumstances allow. The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 is a great tent (I’ve reviewed the Copper Spur UL4 and used the UL2 and UL3 versions), and its advantages include better headroom because of the pole design. But I’d go with the Tarptent ProTrail over it because it’s a solid, adequately roomy tent that’s a pound lighter than the Copper Spur UL1, which will make a big difference on your body over the course of a 2,000-mile hike.

 

Two more shelters I recommend you look at include one I recently reviewed, the new MSR FlyLite, which weighs one-and-a-half pounds, actually fits two people and is cavernous for one, and pitches using trekking poles; and the Sea to Summit Specialist Solo. (I’ve reviewed the Sea to Summit Escapist Tarp, but that’s for trips where you don’t have to worry about bugs.) Shelters that pitch using trekking poles require a little more futzing, but you get used to dealing with them quickly.

I generally find many one-person tents not very roomy (although both tents you’re considering are exceptions to that rule). But given the mileage you have to average daily and the toll a thru-hike on a rugged trail like the AT takes on the body (and I know it doesn’t get easier with age; I’m 54), I think it’s wise to prioritize minimizing weight over luxuries like a little extra space. Tarptent does a good job of really minimizing weight without compromising too much on space or stability (as long as you pitch it correctly).

Plus, on the AT, you can sometimes sleep in a shelter for a break from your solo tent. Personally, I like having a solo tent for quiet when I’m sleeping, rather than sharing a shelter with several people making night noises.

You mentioned that you have an Osprey Atmos backpack, but if you mean the previous version, you might be interested in my review of the new Osprey men’s Atmos AG 65 and women’s Aura AG 65. You may also want to read this Ask Me post where I answer a reader’s question offering my recommendation for a thru-hiking backpack.

See my video demonstrating how to properly load a backpack.

Feel free to send any other questions. Good luck, please do let me know how it goes for you. Thanks again for following The Big Outside.

Best,
Michael

Michael,

Thank you for sharing your wisdom on hiking.

Mike

In Ask Me, I share and respond to a reader question. Got a question about hiking, backpacking, gear, or any topic or trip I write about at The Big Outside? Send it to me at mlanza@thebigoutside.com, message me at facebook.com/TheBigOutside, or tweet it to @MichaelALanza. I will answer the ones I can in a post, using only your first name and city, with your permission. I receive a high volume of questions, so I cannot always respond quickly.

I’ve been testing gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See all of my reviews by clicking on the Gear Reviews category at left or in the main menu.

—Michael Lanza

This blog and website is my full-time job and I rely on the support of readers. If you like what you see here, please help me continue producing The Big Outside by making a donation using the Support button at the top of the left sidebar. Thank you for your support.

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]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-tips-on-gear-for-an-appalachian-trail-thru-hike/feed/ 2 12374 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-msr-flylite-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-msr-flylite-tent/#comments Fri, 01 May 2015 11:00:34 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=12281 Read on

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Ultralight Tent
MSR FlyLite
$350, 1 lb. 9 oz. (not including stakes)
moosejaw.com

More backpackers are realizing what tent makers have known for years: The smartest way to reduce pack weight is by trimming the single heaviest item in your backpack—your tent. And you achieve the greatest weight savings there by eliminating or at least greatly reducing the poles and rainfly. The MSR FlyLite does both. On a five-day, late-March backpacking trip with my family in Paria Canyon, in Utah and Arizona, the FlyLite shined for having an outstanding space-to-weight ratio while proving itself stable in strong gusts, and not very susceptible to the bane of most single-wall tents: condensation.

The FlyLite looks unusual at first glance because this single-wall shelter lacks a rainfly and is pitched using trekking poles (which smart hikers and backpackers carry, anyway) and a short, third pole that supports the foot end. Pitching a non-freestanding tent typically demands a little more effort and attention to staking it properly, and isn’t easy on solid rock or any ground where stakes don’t sit well (like loose sand), when you have to secure the tent using rocks or whatever is available. That said, I could pitch the FlyLite by myself in about four minutes once I got the hang of it, which didn’t take long. And it held up well in 30 mph gusts, although I would try to avoid facing its vertical front wall into strong wind. While we saw no rain, the FlyLite’s awning with side wings overhangs the doorway, creating a drip line that keeps water from entering through the door.

The FlyLite avoids the usual shortcoming of single-wall tents—poor ventilation—with mesh vents high on the door and at the foot end: Only a little condensation accumulated on the ceiling—which was damp but not dripping, so didn’t really affect us—on the one night in Paria that was cool and dead calm, with a low in the 30s. But there was no condensation inside the FlyLite on nights that were breezy or entirely calm but milder, with lows in the 40s.

 

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter, or enter your email address in the box in the left sidebar or at the bottom of this story. Click here to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

 

The 29 square feet of interior space, with a peak height of 44 inches and vertical walls that create lots of headroom, is comfortable for two six-footers, or an adult and a child. I shared it with my son and daughter on separate nights, and my wife, who is five feet, 10 inches, was comfortable in it with one child, too. While MSR markets this as a two-person tent, given its low weight, it’s a legitimate solo shelter, and cavernous for one person with gear (when you’re even less likely to see condensation). The big door and no vestibule mean very easy entry and exit without feeling like you’re crawling into a small cave. Of course, the tradeoff is no storage space for backpacks with two people inside, but there’s little inconvenience in leaving a pack covered (in case of rain) outside.

Construction looks solid, including taped seams and reinforced stress points, although I’d be a little careful not to expose the 10-denier, coated, ripstop-nylon tent fabric to sharp points; the 20-denier ripstop floor fabric should endure years of average use.

 

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I’ve used numerous single-wall tents in which the condensation problem was intolerable, or interior space was cramped; and neither of those issues plagues the FlyLite. Whether you’re an ultralight backpacker, thru-hiking a long trail, backpacking with a young child, or just smart enough to want to minimize pack weight, the MSR FlyLite is an excellent choice if you use trekking poles and don’t mind sacrificing the convenience of a freestanding tent.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking either of these links to buy an MSR FlyLite at moosejaw.com or rei.com.

 

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See all of my reviews of backpacking tents I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-msr-flylite-tent/feed/ 6 12281 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sea-to-summit-escapist-tarp/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sea-to-summit-escapist-tarp/#respond Tue, 30 Sep 2014 22:00:03 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=9787 Read on

]]> Ultralight Tarp
Sea to Summit Escapist Tarp
$230, 12 oz. (large)
Sizes: Large 10 ft. x 10 ft./3x3m, medium 6 ft. 6 ins.x8 ft. 6 ins./2×2.6m ($200, 9.5 oz.)
backcountry.com

When rain began falling while a friend and I were sleeping under the stars in Yosemite National Park’s Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River, we grabbed our gear, pitched this tarp in just a few minutes, and had dry shelter for the night. Besides using the Escapist Tarp on that four-day, 85-mile, backpacking trip, I camped under it with my son in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, where the tarp held up well throughout a windy night. For late-summer and fall trips where I won’t encounter bugs, there’s no need to carry the weight and bulk of a tent. The Escapist tarp provides a sturdy, spacious, and durable ultralight shelter from rain, acts as a wind break, and on calm nights will keep you a little warmer than you’d be sleeping under the stars because it traps some warmth.

The large tarp was capacious for two of us and our gear when pitched A-frame using two trekking poles extended to create a peak ceiling height several inches above our heads. It can comfortably sleep three and would fit a fourth person if needed (with pairs sleeping at opposite ends). Its useable floor space varies depending on how you pitch it, and several configurations are possible because the eight Hypalon tie-out points each hold the tip of a trekking pole and have cord adjusters and reflective guylines attached. It pitched taut and stood up to moderate winds even when we didn’t use the middle guylines on each side. I could pitch it alone, although that took about twice as long as two people pitching it.

The waterproof, 15-denier silicone- and polyurethane-coated nylon fabric is tough for its weight and showed no damage when the wind rubbed it against granite, but I’d be careful not to abuse it too much. The tarp also provides good coverage as a sun or rain awning for cooking or hanging out in camp on wet trips. Best of all, this shelter fits into a stuff sack the size of a Nalgene bottle (not including stakes). Printed on the stuff sack are diagrammed instructions on ways to pitch it. Sea to Summit says the medium tarp sleeps two when set up close to the ground as an A-Frame. But for the nominal additional weight and bulk of the large tarp, I prefer its added space for spreading out and storing gear.

Sea to Summit sells separately two types of bug netting designed for using with the large Escapist Tarp, as well as a groundsheet ($59, 6 oz.). The Ultra-Mesh Bug Tent ($199, 14 oz.) has a 15-denier mesh canopy, a 15-denier, seam-taped, bathtub-style floor, and a zippered door. The Ultra-Vis Bug Net ($79, 5 oz.) is constructed entirely of 15-denier mesh and has no floor; you either stake it to the ground or tuck its edge under your sleeping mats, and get in and out by lifting a corner. Attaching to the tarp, both bug shelters do the job, but are much more limited in space than the tarp, with just enough room inside for two people.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate this links to purchase a Sea to Summit Escapist Tarp at backcountry.com or seatosummitusa.com.

See my review of “The 8 (Very) Best Backpacking Tents” and all of my reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear that I like.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See all of my Gear Reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sea-to-summit-escapist-tarp/feed/ 0 9787 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-flash-3-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-flash-3-tent/#respond Tue, 01 Apr 2014 13:00:48 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=8303 Read on

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Three-Season Tent
Sierra Designs Flash 3
$400, 4 lbs. 15 oz. (tent and poles only)
sierradesigns.com

Backpacking with my kids amplifies a challenge any backpacker faces: finding a tent that provides good living space and stability without being a burdensome weight or filling your backpack. My kids are young enough that they carry just personal gear (bag, pad, clothes, snacks, water). So on a recent overnight trip with my kids in the Needles District of Utah’s Canyonlands National Park, without my wife or another adult to share the family food and gear load, I took the Flash 3 for a test drive and was blown away by the amount of space it has for a sub-five-pound, freestanding shelter.

The cavernous interior is created by lightweight, hubbed DAC NSL poles that assemble in a flash, and a small, awning pole across the roof. Together, they lift the ceiling to a peak height of 44 inches—but more importantly, provide good headroom out to the side walls, so three adults can sit up comfortably. With a floor measuring 41 square feet (86 inches/218cm x 69 inches/175 cm), and that ample headroom, all but the tallest people can lie in either direction, across the width or length of the tent. I was able to fit my 72-inch-long air mattress across the width, so the kids and I slept with our heads and feet at the doors, with the kind of space between us that I’ve rarely enjoyed in a backcountry tent. Taller people would lay the length of the tent, meaning the person in the middle has to climb over someone to get out. But even in that orientation, there’s space between pads so you’re not elbowing one another.

The pole structure and integrated design—with the rainfly attached to the interior canopy—stands up to fierce weather and allows pitching the tent in rain without getting the interior wet, as I discovered with last year’s version of the Flash 2 (which differs primarily in lacking some updates featured in this year’s model). When a violent thunderstorm erupted one afternoon on a five-day family backpacking trip in Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness, I erected the Flash 2 in a few minutes, and it withstood 30-mph gusts that lasted through the 90-minute storm.

The hybrid single- and double-wall design, with a rainfly over the roof and side walls only, eliminates traditional vestibules outside the two doors. That loss is a gain, though, making entering and exiting much easier—the drop doors are huge—while the awning pole prevents rain dripping inside. Plus, the doors have solid panels that zip up over the mesh when you need to keep blowing rain out. Replacing the vestibules are two, seven-square-foot “gear closets” outside the walls rather than the doors, each accessed by a zippered, inside hatch door. So boots and wet stuff get smartly stored out of the way of the doors. Although it’s freestanding, you’ll want to stake out the Flash 3 even on calm nights, otherwise the side walls of the rainfly will lie against the mesh canopy and you’d lose the gear closets.

This blog and website is my full-time job and I rely on the support of readers. If you like what you see here, please help me continue producing The Big Outside by making a donation using the Support button at the top of the left sidebar or below. Thank you for your support.

The big, open doorways and all-mesh interior canopy create excellent ventilation (a rarity in typical, single-wall tents). On our first night in The Needles backcountry, the temperature dropped below freezing and there wasn’t a breath of wind—conditions that usually ensure a frost-covered interior by morning. But even with three of us inside, and the solid door panels only partly open, there wasn’t a bead of condensation. I had similar results in the Flash 2, which collected no condensation on raw, rainy nights and stayed comfortably cool on warm nights.

All in all, the Flash 3 offers great space and stability for its weight, at a competitive price for this category. The new version of the Flash 2 is $300 and 4 lbs., 12 oz. See more reviews of backpacking tents I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear.

See my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent,” all of my reviews of backpacking tents and backpacking gear, and “My 10 Most-Read Gear Reviews,” “Best New Gear of the Year: My Top 10 Favorites,” “The Simple Equation of Ultralight Backpacking: Less Weight = More Fun,” “Buying Gear? Read This First,” “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear,” and “Ask Me: How Do We Begin Lightening Up Our Backpacking Gear?”

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking this link to buy this product at CampSaver.com.

NOTE: I’ve been testing gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See all of my reviews by clicking on the Gear Reviews category at left or in the main menu.

I invite you to subscribe to this blog by entering your email address in the box at the top of the left sidebar, and follow my adventures on Facebook and Twitter.

—Michael Lanza

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-sierra-designs-flash-3-tent/feed/ 0 8303 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-whats-a-good-tent-for-cold-wet-weather/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-whats-a-good-tent-for-cold-wet-weather/#respond Fri, 10 Jan 2014 13:30:41 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=7683 Read on

]]> Michael:

I just got turned to your site today and have enjoyed reading your gear reviews. I plan to return for more reading soon and learn of your adventures. I noticed that we like a lot of the same brands of gear and particularly thought you might help me with my dilemma.

I have used a Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 for years and loved it. Early this year I bought a Big Agnes Fly Creek 2 in order to lighten my load. However, now that some cold temps are coming around, I have found that the Fly Creek 2 gathers condensation pretty bad when the temp gets around freezing. I would go back to the Seedhouse 2 for cold temps, but in heavy rains, water tends to splash up under the fly and onto the netting. I backpack in rain and in 15-degree temperatures, can you suggest a tent I could use year round.

I have been considering the Sierra Designs Flash 2, which you also like. Will this solve my problem? I am a little concerned that because it is a single-wall tent, and my extra-long winter sleeping bag will touch the end wall, that it will take on some of the moisture. Any advice appreciated. FYI, I always use a 2-person tent for just me and sometimes dog so I can keep gear in the tent.

Jeff
South Carolina

Hi Jeff,

I’ve also been a Seedhouse fan since it first came out; I remember seeing one of the first samples of the tent, actually, before it went on sale. But it’s really a tent for milder temps and there is the problem of rain spattering and dust blowing up under the rainfly.

The condensation you experienced with the Fly Creek 2 will be common to many compact-size tents that have just one door, because they don’t have the cross-ventilation that you get with either two doors or high-low vents at opposite ends of the tent. Especially on calm, cold nights, you’re just exhaling a lot of moisture in a small space and it’s not getting moved out of the tent. So you may have to consider getting a slightly larger (and heavier) tent with some design element that promotes cross-ventilation: either two doors or vents at both ends. And double-wall tents are just better at avoiding condensation problems than single-wall tents.

You may already do this, but whenever I camp in temperatures near or below freezing, especially when there’s no wind to help ventilate the tent, I keep the tent door(s) either partly or fully open. That requires having a sleeping system (bag, pad, and clothes combined) that’s warm enough. But that’s really the best way to prevent condensation buildup in those conditions.

I don’t think you would have as much of a condensation problem with the Sierra Designs Flash 2 because it ventilates so well. But with its big, high vent, it’s quite airy on cold nights.

A tent I’ve used a lot and which I think crosses over nicely from summer to cooler autumn use (or milder Southern winters) is the Exped Mira II. It has two doors and a rainfly with a drip line that keeps rain out when you open the vestibule doors, so you can cross-ventilate by cracking those doors open slightly. Plus, its rainfly reaches nearly to the ground.

But I would add one caveat about the Mira II or any three-season tent: They typically are not built to hold a load of snow. If you’re going to camp at a time of year when snow could fall, you have to seriously consider a four-season or mountaineering tent. The lightest of them are single-wall, which will present the same issues with condensation, but there are good, sturdy double-wall models out there.

I hope that’s helpful. Let me know if you have other questions.

Best,
Michael

Michael,

I was more worried about water from rain of a single wall than condensation. Old tents when you touched the wet wall the water came through. Is technology past this?

Jeff,

Single-wall tents are made with some kind of waterproof fabric. It’s condensation that’s the problem, not rain coming through.

Michael

Michael,

Thanks for everything, enjoying your book!

Jeff

[In Ask Me, I share and respond to a reader question. Got a question about hiking, backpacking, gear, or any topic or trip I write about at The Big Outside? Send it to me at mlanza@thebigoutside.com or tweet it to @MichaelALanza. I will answer the ones I can in a post, using only your first name and city, with your permission.]

—Michael Lanza

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-whats-a-good-tent-for-cold-wet-weather/feed/ 0 7683 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-slater-ul-2-tent/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-slater-ul-2-tent/#comments Wed, 14 Aug 2013 13:00:07 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=6575 Read on

]]>

Tent
Big Agnes Slater UL 2+
$390, 2 lbs. 11 oz. (tent, rainfly, poles)
bigagnes.com

My first impression of the Slater UL2+ was formed before I even pulled it out of the stuff sack: I couldn’t believe a two-person tent could possibly fit in such a small package. Given that I often backpack with my family—with my wife and I shouldering most of the gear because our kids are young—low weight and bulk take top priority with us. But any concerns about that low weight affecting the Slater’s sturdiness in weather were erased after backpacking and camping trips in Utah’s Coyote Gulch (two nights) and Capitol Reef National Park (two nights), Washington’s Glacier Peak Wilderness (four nights), and Idaho’s White Clouds Mountains (two nights) and City of Rocks National Reserve (two nights). This tent stood up to strong gusts repeatedly, including sustained, steady winds over 40 mph in the White Clouds and Capitol Reef, without even bending slightly.

The freestanding Slater, with just one door and vestibule (eight square feet), pitches fairly quickly using a strong, DAC Featherlite NSL hubbed-pole system that attaches to the tent canopy at just three corner grommets and six points on the canopy. Four clips connect the canopy to the rainfly to help pull the walls outward, buying a little more shoulder room. Unlike many ultralight tents, the Slater’s walls are made of lightweight nylon ripstop instead of mesh, trapping a little more warmth and keeping sand and dust from blowing inside. The tent door also has two zippered panels, mesh and polyester, offering the choice between ventilation and full protection. Ventilation is decent but not outstanding, given the solid walls and one door instead of two: We got a little condensation on cool, calm nights, but never enough to dampen the interior. The lightweight aluminum J stakes punch into hard ground easily and I never broke one. A footprint, sold separately ($60, 6 oz.), allows pitching the tent with just rainfly and floor, paring the weight (without stakes) to a trim 1 lb., 14 oz., without compromising its strength.

Of course, as with many ultralight tents, you sacrifice space. I found the 37-square-foot interior fine for my 80-pound son and me, but two full-size adults will find it cramped—although the 40-inch peak height and the way the side walls are lifted outward help make it livable. Plus, the 96-inch length creates space for gear or clothes at the foot end (which is just 26 inches tall, discouraging sleeping at opposite ends). The geometry is tricky, you have to position the stakes well to get a taut pitch and avoid the rainfly flapping in wind, but that’s easily mastered. Because the door angles outward for wind resistance, rain can drip inside the tent when you’re coming and going. And you have to exercise a little more care with tents in this category because materials are lighter and more fragile: I broke one zipper pull tab on the rainfly door. (I had to use the inside pull tab, not significantly affecting the ease of opening and closing the door.)

Overall, though, the Slater UL 2+ is a stout little freestanding shelter for two people who prioritize weight savings over living space.

See all of my backpacking tent reviews.

NOTE: I’ve been testing gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See all of my reviews by clicking on the Gear Reviews category at left or in the main menu.

—Michael Lanza

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-big-agnes-slater-ul-2-tent/feed/ 6 6575 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-which-tent-is-better-sierra-designs-flash-2-or-exped-mira-ii/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-which-tent-is-better-sierra-designs-flash-2-or-exped-mira-ii/#comments Tue, 13 Aug 2013 13:00:00 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=6504 Read on

]]> Hey Michael,

I saw that you subsequently reviewed the Sierra Designs Flash 2. Which of these tents are you packing now? For the Flash 2, with the side vestibules not touching the ground in areas, don’t you have trouble with sand and/or rain blowing in?

I have both tents sitting in my living room while I try to decide which to take on the Wonderland trail in a month.

Thanks!

Cheryl
(submitted as a comment at thebigoutside.com/gear-review-exped-mira-ii-tent)

Hi Cheryl,

Good question, there are many similarities between these two tents, including weight and sturdiness. I didn’t have trouble with rain blowing in on the Flash 2, and I don’t think blowing sand would be a greater problem in it than the Mira II (photo above), or similar tents, unless you encountered severe wind in a very sandy or dusty locale. As for which tent I still use, I just used the Mira II backpacking in Washington’s Glacier Peak Wilderness because I happen to still have it, while the Flash 2 ended up with another Backpacker magazine tester after I finished with it. If I still had both, I’d use both, choosing between them depending on the trip, as I’ll explain below.

For the Wonderland Trail, I guess I would lean toward the Mira II, favoring the greater rainfly coverage and headroom over the Flash 2’s superior ventilation. But I would also suggest you think beyond the Wonderland to future trips and which of those attributes will be more important to you: superior ventilation or the rainfly and headroom.

I hope that’s helpful. Let me know if you have more questions.

Best,
Michael

[In Ask Me, I share and respond to a reader question. Got a question about hiking, backpacking, gear, or any topic or trip I write about at The Big Outside? Send it to me at mlanza@thebigoutside.com or tweet it to @MichaelALanza. I will answer the ones I can in a post, using only your first name and city, with your permission.]

 

]]> https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-which-tent-is-better-sierra-designs-flash-2-or-exped-mira-ii/feed/ 1 6504 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-got-a-family-backpacking-tent-recommendation/ https://thebigoutsideblog.com/ask-me-got-a-family-backpacking-tent-recommendation/#comments Tue, 23 Jul 2013 13:00:15 +0000 https://thebigoutsideblog.com/?p=6356 Read on

]]> Hi Michael,

We discovered your website about a year ago, and have loved getting inspired by your stories!

We have planned a family backpacking trip on the Teton Crest Trail this August, based on your past trip, and need to replace our old tent. Our kids are ages 8 and 10, and we need something that will fit the four of us, as well as being light enough to be reasonable to backpack with. We do trips regularly in the mountains around home (Aspen, CO) and in the Utah desert, in spring through late fall. Occasionally we’re out in snow, and sometimes amidst  serious bugs. Can you recommend anything in particular that you’ve tried and liked?

Many thanks!

Best,
Rebecca
Aspen, CO

Hi Rebecca,

Good for you heading to do the Teton Crest Trail. It’s one of my favorites. I’m delighted you’ve seen my two stories (with photos) about it at The Big Outside. Great trip for families. My kids are now 12 and 10, but they were 8 and 6 and 10 and 8 for our two backpacking trips with them in the Tetons.

I agree with placing a premium on weight-savings and low bulk for family backpacking gear. Lightweight tents cost more, of course. My favorite 4-person, lightweight tent, one my family has used many times, is the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 4. It’s pretty sturdy and big enough for four, though not with much room to spare.

But something to consider is that you buy a tent to last several years, and your kids will change a lot over those several years. I often recommend to people that instead of a 4-person tent, you get two lightweight 2-person tents. While your kids may prefer to share a tent with a parent now, within a few years they may want their own tent, and then you get to share a tent with your husband again. Plus, there may be times when only two of you head out and you wouldn’t want to carry a 4-person tent then.

When sharing a tent with one kid, I’ve liked the Sierra Designs Flash 2, which is relatively roomy for being under 4 lbs., and the Brooks-Range Foray, which is even lighter but also more cramped than the Flash 2 (which I don’t mind, but some people wouldn’t like). Right now, I’m using the Big Agnes Slater UL 2+ (2 lbs. 11 oz.), a nice tent that I’ll review soon at The Big Outside. The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 3 is so lightweight that it’s worth buying even to use primarily as a 2-person tent, giving you the flexibility of having a 3-person tent, and the Copper Spur UL 2 is even lighter, of course.

One caveat: None of these are winter tents, but all would be fine if you’re camping on snow only in summer conditions.

Have a wonderful and safe trip. I’d love to hear about it afterward.

Best,
Michael Lanza

Michael,

Many thanks for your tent recommendation. We just now ordered a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 4, and are looking forward to using in in the Tetons. It’s great to have your input and know we’re getting something that will work well for this trip and other upcoming adventures. We already own a couple of 2-person tents, and its also great to know we’ll be able to put them to use again in coming years as the kids get older and want their own tent.

Rebecca

[In Ask Me, I share and respond to a reader question. Got a question about hiking, backpacking, gear, or any topic or trip I write about at The Big Outside? Send it to me at mlanza@thebigoutside.com or tweet it to @MichaelALanza. I will answer the ones I can in a post, using only your first name and city, with your permission.]

 

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Three-Season Tent
Sierra Designs Flash 2
$340, 3 lbs. 15 oz.
sierradesigns.com

As a violent thunderstorm ripped the skies open in Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness, on the second day of a five-day August family backpacking trip, I had to pitch this tent in a hurry. It was one of those moments when I really appreciate good gear design. With the Flash 2’s “external pitch” integral rainfly attached to the interior canopy, I was able to keep the interior dry while pitching the tent in a downpour. And thanks to having clips instead of pole sleeves, it goes up very quickly.

The Flash 2 withstood gusts of about 30 mph that lasted through that 90-minute storm. Unlike many single-wall tents, which tend to collect a lot of condensation inside, this hybrid double- and single-wall proved very airy and well ventilated on raw, rainy nights and warm nights, thanks to mesh doors on both sides and covered vents on each end that kept out windblown rain. The spreader poles that extend side-to-side and front-to-back create good headroom, with a peak height of 39 inches that is comfortable for all but the tallest people.

I shared the tent only with one of my kids, so interior space was fine for us, but two big people might find the 29.5 square feet of floor space a bit snug and not long enough. The two 8.25-square-foot vestibules provide adequate space for storing boots and packs and cooking. The 20- and 40-denier nylon used in the Flash 2 is more durable than 10-denier nylon used in some ultralight tents. Overall, for a tent that weighs in under four pounds, you don’t suffer big compromises in stability, space, ventilation, or weather protection. The Flash also comes in 3-person ($390, 4 lbs. 13 oz.) and 4-person ($450, 5 lbs. 12 oz.) versions; at those weights, campers who want a little more space might consider getting the Flash 3 for two people or the Flash 4 for three people.

NOTE: I’ve been testing gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See all of my reviews by clicking on the Gear Reviews category at left or in the main menu. See more reviews of backpacking gear I like by clicking on the “backpacking gear reviews” tag in the tag cloud in the left sidebar.

—Michael Lanza

 

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Backpacking Tent
Exped Mira II
$379, 3 lbs. 14 oz.
exped.com

Rain, hail, snow squalls, strong winds, temps below freezing, as well as dry, calm nights in the 40s and low 50s—I saw it all in this tent, from Washington’s stormy Olympic Mountains to Idaho’s City of Rocks and Smoky Mountains. It handled that entire gamut of conditions: keeping us dry though tempests and not bending in gusts of 30 to 40 mph, while ventilating well on clear, mild nights. But the real selling point is that it performs at this level—plus has decent interior space and two doors and vestibules—while weighing in under four pounds and setting you back less than four C-notes.

Exped achieved the low weight through reducing the pole structure at the foot of the tent without compromising stability, though we were careful to try to pitch the beefier end of the tent into the wind. The Mira II nonetheless has thicker, more durable nylon fabric (70-denier nylon in the floor, 30-denier in the rainfly) than many competitors in this class. Exped nailed other important details, too: The doors prevent rain dripping inside when you’re coming and going, and the vestibules are each big enough to store a pack and boots (we also cooked in one). While the 29.6 square feet of floor space is fairly average in this weight class—a six-foot buddy and I (I’m five feet, eight inches) found it a little cramped but livable—the peak height of 43 inches provides good head room. The color-coded poles and sleeves make setup easy; and while sliding poles through sleeves is slower than clipping up a tent, it is also sturdier. All in all, you get your money’s worth in this high-performance, lightweight, three-season tent.

NOTE: I’ve been testing gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See all of my reviews by clicking on the Gear Reviews category at left or in the main menu. See more reviews of backpacking gear I like by clicking on the “backpacking gear reviews” tag in the tag cloud in the left sidebar.

—Michael Lanza

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