The Best Backpacking Tent Review

Selecting the Right Product
A quality tent is arguably the single most important component of building a multi-day gear kit. The 24 tents included in this review are all fully enclosed 2-person backpacking tents that pitch with traditional tent poles included with purchase. Our Ultralight Tent Review compares nine cutting edge trekking-pole supported shelters that offer the greatest performance for ultralight backpacking. We separate the tents in this way to make it easier to compare specific types of tents and because ultralight shelters require that you buy into a different, and possibly better, way to backpack. We encourage you to consider both tents and shelters and urge you to look at our Backpacking Tent Buying Advice, which describes the pros and cons of tents and shelters.

Traditional tents, such as those included in this review, with dedicated poles that support the tent, are generally more comfortable than trekking pole supported ultralight tents. The models in this review are ideal for both multi-day human-powered trips — such as bike touring, backpacking, remote basecamps, kayaking, etc. — and for car camping. In that sense, they are an excellent value; one tent may serve all of your three-season needs.

Types of Backpacking Tents
Many of the 2-person tents in this review are also available in 3 or 4-person versions with similar features. As far as 2-person backpacking tents, the number and location of doors is one of the common design variations:

• Two Door Tents — we found that tents with two doors offer the most comfort, have the most vestibule space, and are the heaviest; they’re best for car camping and luxurious backpacking

• Single Side Door Tents — typically the cheapest and least comfortable

• Single Front Door Tents — offer the best balance of low weight and comfort

Criteria For Evaluation
Livability
Here we assessed how close to home we felt in each tent. Two-door tents are by far the most luxurious and tents with a single side door are the least comfortable, because one person has to climb over the other person in order to get in or out. Our ratings consider door and vestibule design, solid or mesh walls, the number and size of pockets, peak height, floor area, and vestibule area. We include other important factors such as: Does the tent get wet from falling rain when someone enters in the rain? Can a six-foot tall person sit up inside or lie down without their feet touching the walls? Does the fly protect the inner tent from splashback and spindrift?

The most livable tent we tested was the North Face Minibus 23, a palatial estate with tons of pockets and two gigantic vestibules. The Easton Kilo 2 was the least livable. Most tents tested here are significantly more comfortable to spend extended amounts of time in than ultralight shelters.

Weather Resistance
Here we assess the amount of protection each tent provides against vertically falling and horizontally blown precipitation, and the strength of the pole design, which is important during high winds. We considered pole design, pole diameter, the number of pole intersections, mechanism for attaching the body to the fly, mechanism for attaching the fly to the poles, construction quality, as well as the number and quality of guy points. The North Face Tadpole 23 has the greatest static strength, but the Hilleberg Anjan takes first place for overall weather resistance. The weakest tent was the North Face Minibus 23, followed by the MSR Carbon Reflex 2.

Although several tents tested here are very capable of enduring serious three-season storms, we've found that ultralight tents are stronger and safer in high winds because trekking poles don’t break, cuben fiber is stronger than even the strongest silnylon used in these tents, and shelters can be pitched lower to the ground than tents.

Ease of Setup
The majority of tents tested here are self-supporting, meaning they stand up, to some degree, by themselves and have components, such as a vestibule, that must be guyed out for a proper pitch. Self-supporting tents are the most idiot-proof type of shelter; an eight-year-old child can easily pitch one in a few minutes. Tunnel tents — those with two hoop-shaped poles — require more skill and experience to pitch because they, like all ultralight shelters, are supported entirely by tension from guylines. The Tarptent Double Rainbow is the fastest tent to pitch; its poles insert into the rainfly from the outside and the inner tent suspends from that. The Hilleberg Anjan and Rogen are the next easiest to pitch. But no tent tested is hard to pitch and we don't believe that ease of setup is an important attribute for a backpacking tent; this variable assumes 5 percent of each tent's total score.

Adaptability
What you require from a tent varies with location and weather conditions. One night you might need protection from vertically falling rain. Another night you might need protection from strong winds and horizontally blown rain. And another night the skies may be clear with no wind…all you need is bug protection. Tents that can adapt to varying conditions, or be used in locations that don't permit a perfect pitch, can save time, money, and energy. In general, double wall tents that pitch with dedicated poles are the least adaptable; they must be pitched in the same way regardless of the campsite or the weather. Ultralight shelters, in contrast, are much more capable of adapting to environmental variation. The Hilleberg Rogen and Anjan are the only tents tested that have some degree of adaptability. Their inner tents can be removed to create a pole-supported floorless tent that is significantly stronger, more comfortable, and lighter than “fast pitching” a tent with a footprint, poles, and fly.

Weight and Packed Size
Our weight variable ranks each tent on its packed weight, which we measured with each tent’s included poles, inner tent, outer tent, and guylines. See individual product reviews for the weight of each component. At 31 ounces the Big Agnes Fly Creek Platinum is the lightest tent tested. At 108 ounces, the North Face Minibus 23 is the heaviest tent tested. In comparison, two-person ultralight shelters weigh an average of 16 ounces and as little as 7 ounces. We list space-to-weight ratio (sum of vestibule and floor area / ounces) in our specification table. The average score is 0.77 with a range from 0.40 to 1.23.

Packed size is strongly correlated with weight. However, some tents have lots of features, like pockets and gear lofts, or complicated plastic pole hubs, that add more bulk than weight, or simply don’t collapse well. The Terra Nova Solar Photon 2 is the most compact tent tested here. The North Face Minibus and Nemo Losi are the least compressible.

Durability
This variable represents our best guess estimate at the long-term durability of each tent. Our ratings in this category are based on our experience field testing and on manufacturer's fabric specifications. In general, nylon is more durable than polyester and silicone coated fabrics are stronger and more durable than polyurethane coated fabrics. (See our Buying Advice Article for more info on fabrics.) Many of the lighter tents tested here are not designed to endure lots of use and abuse. For example, roughly half the models tested skip basic strength enhancing features like clips that relieve stress from vestibule zippers. It's more important to have a stronger and more durable fly material than a stronger and more durable floor material, but some tents, like the Mountain Hardwear SuperMegaUL 2, have the opposite. We believe the least durable tent tested is the Big Agnes Fly Creek or the Easton Kilo 2. The Hilleberg Rogen and Anjan have a host of features commonly found on four-season tents and are by far the most durable. We've found that the importance of durability increases with trip duration. Repairs take time and serious damage or failure has larger consequences and costs in more remote areas and on long distance hikes.

Forget the Footprint
Footprints, or waterproof fabrics cut to match a tent bottom, are overpriced accessories that are completely unnecessary for backpacking. Extensive camping on pointy rocky ground or in the desert, where punctures are possible, might be a reason to consider one. But choosing a good campsite is easier and weighs less. If you choose to experiment with a footprint, we don't recommend purchasing one from a tent manufacturer because they are often overpriced and of moderate to low quality. Instead, consider cutting your own out of Tyvek Home Wrap or polycro plastic. Tyvek is the most durable and puncture resistant footprint material we've used. A typical tent size piece weighs around 7 oz, which is not particularly lightweight. But if you're looking for one footprint primarily for car camping that occasionally joins you on puncture prone backpacking trips, this is our top pick. You can buy Tyvek at hardwear stores or online from ZPacks. Polycro is a lighter and less durable option that ultralight backpackers tend to favor; it may be all you need. Buy it from Gossamer Gear or Mountain Laurel Designs. The weight of a sleeping pad and bag keeps a custom footprint in place- there's no need for grommets.

Color Matters
A bright colored tent is ideal for expedition mountaineering and alpine climbing because it allows you to find a tent easier than a less visible color would. An attention grabbing color can also help others find you if you need to get picked up or rescued. For three-season applications like backpacking a bright colored tent is a handicap when you want to camp stealthily or act in accordance with Leave No Trace principles. Dark green or moderate grey colors blend in well in most non-snow covered environments and draw less attention from wildlife and people. Color can become a safety issue when camping near urban areas where you don't want to be noticed by people that might be interested in you and/or all of the expensive gear you're carrying. Moderate green and grey are our preferred colors for three-season tents.

Consider Upgrading Stakes and Guylines
Of all the tents tested here only Hilleberg models come with enough guyline to achieve a proper pitch. Hilleberg is also the only company that includes enough stakes for each guypoint. Pretty lame, right? Easton Full Metal Jacket stakes and Dyneema IronWire cord are very good. Easton Nano Nail stakes and Bluewater 3mm Niteline are a good value.

Consider an Ultralight Shelter
If ultralight backpacking is your objective, or may be in your future, we highly recommend using trekking poles (see Ten Reasons for Trekking Poles) to support one of the tents found in our Ultralight Tent Review. Floorless shelters are ideal for pushing the ultralight performance envelope.

Editor’s Choice Award: Hilleberg Anjan 2
Whether you’re backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail, bike touring around the world, or car camping at the local park, the Hilleberg Anjan 2 provides the ultimate balance of low weight, complete weather resistance, generous comfort, and exception strength and durability. If we were to have one single tent for all types of three-season multi-day trips, the Anjan would be it. This is also the highest performance light duty winter tent. Our testers used the Anjan on multi-day trips from Maine to Washington State, and they bicycle toured down the Baja peninsula and through India and Nepal. At 58.4 ounces, the Anjan is not the lightest tent available, but what it lacks in low weight it makes up for in comfort and durability. In our ratings, the Anjan ties as the most durable tent tested, which makes it an exceptionally good long-term value.

Top Pick Award for Ultralight: Terra Nova Solar Photon 2
The 34-ounce Terra Nova Solar Photon 2 emerges as our highest rated tent for trips where weight and packed size are the top concerns. The Solar Photon has several advantages over similar models from Big Agnes, Mountain Hardwear, Easton, and Brooks Range. We found the fly fabric to be stronger; it packs the smallest of all tents tested; it has two vents that reduce condensation; several unique features like a clip at the vestibule zipper and rear guy points increase its strength; its vestibule is 30 percent larger than its closest competitor's; and a solid nylon inner wall helps to block spindrift. All “ultralight” dedicated pole tents sacrifice strength, durability, and comfort for weight savings, but of all the light tents tested we believe the Solar Photon makes the fewest sacrifices. This is the next best thing to an ultralight tent.

Top Pick Award for Two-Door Ultralight: Tarptent Double Rainbow
The Tarptent Double Rainbow offers an exceptionally rare combination of low weight, abundant comfort, and affordability. This single-wall tarptent pitches quickly with one pole from the outside, weighs a modest 42 ounces, and boasts two doors and two vestibules. The Double Rainbow performs better than most traditional two-door double wall tents and, at $275, costs far less. This is an exceptional value and a winner for anyone that wants to go light without sacrificing comfort, and without paying top dollar. Other tents. like the Solar Photon 2, weigh ten ounces less, but cost $200 more. The Double Rainbow is easily the best value lightweight tent that we know of.

Best Buy Award: REI Half Dome 2
Where the Double Rainbow excels at providing lightweight value, the $180 REI Half Dome 2 is a champion at providing more comfort for an even lower cost. At 88 ounces, however, we believe this is suitable for occasional, shorter duration backpacking trips and primarily for car camping. It weighs twice as much as the Double Rainbow and nearly three times as much as the Solar Photon. If you’re like most people and are looking for one tent for mostly car camping and occasional backpacking, the Half Dome 2 takes the cake. This is a real rock star of a tent and it's incredibly cheap.


Best Tents For Specific Applications
People over 6' 3" tall: REI Half Dome 2 Plus and Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 2.