10 Finest Backpacking Tents of 2023

The Copper Spur HV UL2 and UL3 are a few of Large Agnes’ best-sellers, they usually’re amongst our all-time favourite backpacking tents. The ultralight freestanding design of the Copper Spur allows hikers to pitch nearly anyplace, and it doesn’t sacrifice comfort, climate safety, or livability.

The Copper Spur is a well-liked selection amongst thru-hikers of the AT, PCT, and CDT, all of that are notoriously robust on gear. Should you take care to clear pokey particles out of your campsites, this tent will final for 1000’s of miles. We’ve been backpacking with our Copper Spur 2 and three for a number of years they usually’re nonetheless going robust.

The Copper Spur’s bent-pole construction and prime crossbar create practically vertical sidewalls offering a ton of usable inside house and ample headroom. The UL2 has sufficient house for 2 regular-width sleeping pads and a few gear, whereas the UL3 is roomy sufficient for 2 broad pads and conserving your entire gear inside. Whichever measurement you go together with, you’ll have a backpacking tent that gives an distinctive stability of camp consolation and weight.

For extra, try our full assessment of the Copper Spur HV UL2.

The Zpacks Duplex, Triplex, and Plex Solo are our go-to ultralight backpacking tents for thru-hiking and long-distance adventures. These tents present a superb quantity of inside house and climate safety at a freakishly low weight.

The key to those tents is the DCF materials. It’s waterproof, robust, extremely gentle, and doesn’t sag when moist; the draw back is that it’s costly. The Duplex, Triplex, and Plex Solo could also be spendy, however they’re an unimaginable funding in case you like to backpack as gentle as doable. The opposite key to the Plex’s ridiculously low weight is the non-freestanding, single-wall design. This eliminates the necessity for tent poles and a rainfly, however it might take a number of pitches to get it excellent in case you’ve by no means used a backpacking tent like this earlier than.

The excessive ceiling of the Duplex/Triplex will permit you and your mountain climbing companion to sit down up comfortably on the similar time, and the two-door design will preserve you from crawling over one another to get out and in. Should you’re on the lookout for the most effective ultralight backpacking tent in the marketplace, that is your man.

We expect the Duplex and Triplex are each spacious sufficient for 2 hikers. However since they’re so gentle, we’re a fan of the Duplex for solo hikers who prefer to have additional inside house and the Triplex for extra sq. footage when mountain climbing with a companion. Solo hikers who prioritize saving weight above something can’t go improper with the Plex Solo.

For extra, try our full opinions of the Duplex, Triplex, and Plex Solo.

REI’s Half Dome SL 2+ has an distinctive stability of worth, sturdiness, and inside house. Its symmetrical freestanding design and really roomy dimensions make it comfy and user-friendly for hikers of all expertise ranges. This tent is our favourite budget-friendly crossover selection for individuals who like tenting within the frontcountry and the backcountry.

Although the load of the Half Dome is greater than we choose for strenuous backpacking adventures, it’s not too unhealthy when break up between two hikers. As well as, it can save you about 8 ounces by leaving the included footprint – a pleasant tent ground sturdiness bonus – at residence.

If an excellent stability of sturdiness, comfort, inside house, and affordability is what you’re on the lookout for, it’s very robust to beat the REI Half Dome SL 2+.

For extra, try our full assessment of the Half Dome SL 2+.

REI has made a few of our favourite tents over time, however few have been as spectacular because the Flash 2. This tent has a weight and inside quantity that rival a few of the hottest backpacking tents of all time, nevertheless it prices far lower than something in its class.

With its distinctive pole structure, the Flash 2 manages to really feel extra spacious than tents with the very same dimensions – just like the Large Agnes Copper Spur 2. The headwall of the Flash 2 stands vertically and is supported by an arch pole that pulls the sidewalls out. Because of this, you find yourself with extra headroom the place you want it most.

Like most tents that goal to chop down on weight as a lot as doable, the Flash 2 will should be handled with care to increase its lifespan. We had a pointy pine needle work its method by way of the ground early on throughout testing. There’s no everlasting harm to point out for it, nevertheless it did drive residence the necessity to actually filter an area to camp in case you don’t plan to make use of a footprint. We at all times hike with a little bit of Tenacious Tape to restore the inevitable snags and tears that include use on path.

We extremely suggest the Flash 2 to hikers trying to save a major amount of cash with out having to compromise on weight, house, or the comfort of a freestanding design. And people on the lookout for much more house ought to try the Flash 3, which nonetheless prices lower than lots of the two-person tents on our checklist and solely weighs about 10 ozmore than the Flash 2.

We’re placing this tent by way of extra field-testing to find out its ultimate place on this checklist. It has the potential to take excessive spot. Checkout our full assessment of the Flash 2 right here.

Ounce-counting hikers will love the ultralight, semi-freestanding design of the Large Agnes Tiger Wall 2. With sufficient construction to carry out effectively in inclement climate, however a weight that’s barely over a pound when break up between two hikers – the Tiger Wall is a extra handy various to non-freestanding ultralight tents.

Usually semi-freestanding tents can really feel a bit cramped. And whereas the quarters within the Tiger Wall are a bit tight, it has a wider ridge pole than most different tents of this type. This creates extra livable house the place you need it most – on the head when sitting up. One other function that will increase consolation within the Tiger Wall is the easy-to-use door toggles that provide the capacity to roll again each side of the vestibule for taking in grand views or maxing out air flow on clear nights.

Total, hikers who prioritize saving weight and don’t thoughts sharing a tighter house will love the minimal but purposeful design of the Tiger Wall 2. Should you choose extra room to unfold out, the Tiger Wall 3 has additional ground house and some extra inches of peak peak however remains to be lighter than many 2P tents. For more information, try our full assessment of the Tiger Wall right here.

With an additional secure body, maximized inside house, and top-quality building/supplies, the SlingFin Portal is a superb shelter to hunker down in when nasty climate hits. Thicker poles, inner guylines, and the flexibility to connect trekking poles for added structural power make the Portal extraordinarily strong in wind, rain, and even gentle snow. These options are distinctive for a light-weight backpacking tent and are extra frequent in high-end mountaineering shelters.

One in every of our favourite options of the Portal is its beneficiant quantity of headroom, which makes it really feel rather more livable than the common light-weight 2P backpacking tent. Different particulars, like nice pockets and further zipper sliders, come along with the storm-worthy design to make the Portal among the best backpacking tents we’ve ever examined.

For extra, try our full assessment of the Portal.

Ultralight doesn’t must imply sacrificing consolation. With the NEMO Hornet OSMO 3, a pair of hikers can have all of the conveniences of a conventional 2-person tent – two doorways/vestibules, a roomy inside, helpful pockets – with out the extra weight. As an added bonus, this spacious shelter prices across the similar amount of cash as lots of the main 2-person backpacking tents.

You may want additional house for quite a lot of causes – perhaps you wish to match two broad sleeping pads with room to spare, you journey with a big canine or an adventurous child, otherwise you simply need a bit of extra respiratory room when sharing your tent with a companion. No matter your cause could also be, the beneficiant ground dimensions and peak peak of the Hornet 3 will accommodate.

Not too way back, NEMO rolled out their proprietary OSMO cloth and started implementing it on all of their tents. OSMO cloth repels water higher than customary nylon or polyester flysheets, and better of all – OSMO stretches far much less when moist. This implies your pitch stays taut throughout rain, and also you received’t have to fret about saggy rainfly materials inflicting moist spots in your tent physique, sleeping bag footbox, or head.

We’ve at all times been massive followers of NEMO’s consideration to element, high-quality building, and revolutionary designs, and the Hornet OSMO 3 undoubtedly doesn’t disappoint. For individuals who prioritize saving weight over having additional house, the NEMO Hornet OSMO 2 can be an awesome selection and is a little more inexpensive than equally designed tents.

The MSR FreeLite 2 is a superb choice for these trying to go lighter with out sacrificing the comfort of a double-wall tent. It has two massive doorways/vestibules, and the inside house feels extra roomy for 2 hikers at a a lot decrease weight than different equally designed tents.

We usually view the FreeLite as extra comfy for solo hikers for the reason that inside headroom can really feel a bit of cramped when spending any prolonged period of time inside. However for pairs that worth saving weight over having additional wiggle room, the FreeLite actually has sufficient house to accommodate two.

The rainbow form of the FreeLite is efficient at shedding rain, and some design particulars – like well-placed pockets and a rainfly gutter – make this tent significantly interesting. Any backpacker wanting the most effective mixture of weight, livability, and climate safety will certainly love the FreeLite.

The Sea to Summit Telos TR2 is an revolutionary tent with a whole lot of distinctive options to like. It has extra headroom than any 2-person backpacking tent in its weight class, which makes it really feel much more livable than many others.

Creature comforts, just like the light-dispersing Lightbar and shady Hangout Mode, make the Telos really feel like a bit of slice of luxurious within the backcountry. Sea to Summit took additional care designing the adaptable air flow on the Telos, and we discovered that it supplied comfy and virtually condensation-free nights.

Whereas it’s a bit of spendy, the consolation the Telos gives is price the fee in case you’re on the lookout for a flexible 2-person backpacking tent with the entire particulars dialed in.

For extra, try our full assessment of the Telos TR2.

The Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo is without doubt one of the greatest worth backpacking tents on our checklist on account of its wonderful mix of house, weight, and sturdiness. We’ve put the Lunar Duo by way of the wringer on a number of thru-hikes, and it held up like a champ in all types of circumstances.

It’s a bit heavier than some ultralight non-freestanding tents, however we discover the load tradeoff to be price it for the numerous financial financial savings. One factor that makes the Lunar Duo distinctive is that the guylines might be re-tensioned from contained in the tent, which is admittedly handy throughout a downpour. The massive vestibules are designed to open utterly with out disturbing the construction of the tent, so you may have comparable air flow and think about advantages of a double-wall tent.

Should you’re on the lookout for a roomy ultralight shelter at an exceptionally inexpensive worth, there are few tents that come near the Lunar Duo. For extra, try our full assessment of the Lunar Duo.

The Lunar Solo is one among our prime picks for solo hikers. It’s very spacious for one particular person and their gear, is straightforward to arrange, and packs down extremely small. For extra, try our full assessment of the Lunar Solo.

The inexpensive REI Path Hut 2 is a superb tent for hikers on a decent funds or these wanting a crossover tent for automotive tenting and backpacking. It’s fast and straightforward to pitch, made with sturdy supplies, and the load/bulk aren’t too unhealthy when break up between two hikers. You may also save about 8 ounces by leaving the included footprint at residence.

Whereas not one of the Path Hut’s specs or options (apart from worth) are actually standouts, this tried-and-true design will maintain up effectively in unhealthy climate and preserve you on the path for a whole lot – if not 1000’s – of miles.

The budget-friendly Path Hut doesn’t skimp on inside house or high quality, so we predict it’s a superb funding for these desirous to hit the path with out spending a fortune.

Should you’re trying to go as inexpensive as doable, the REI Trailmade 2 prices much less and is a bit lighter. Finally we choose the Path Hut for its bigger inside house, however both tent is a strong selection.

For extra, try our full assessment of the Trailmade 2.

The NEMO Dagger OSMO 2 provides a ton of inside house at an affordable weight, so it’s excellent for these wanting a tent that’s comfy for each backpacking and automotive tenting.

The Dagger has a ton of handy options in-built, like two large vestibules for gear storage, light-dispersing headlamp pockets, and an included tub accent that retains your gear clear and dry within the vestibule. The revolutionary OSMO cloth additionally doesn’t sag when moist like Silnylon and it’ll stay waterproof for longer than the coated materials used for a lot of different tents.

Should you’re on the lookout for light-weight livability in a handy design, the NEMO Dagger 2P is a superb selection.

For extra, try our full assessment of the Dagger OSMO 2.