The v all-time backpacking tents, perfect for spring camping, ultralight hikers, and couples

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Best backpacking tents 4x3

Alyssa Powell/Concern Insider
  • The best overall
  • The all-time budget
  • The best ultralight
  • The all-time for couples
  • The best four-season
  • How to store for a backpacking tent
  • How we test backpacking tents
  • Check out more than Insider Reviews outdoor guides
  • Backpacking requires an emphasis on lightweight gear that'due south durable, piece of cake to prepare, and packs down small.
  • When considering a backpacking tent, keep in mind its weight, the duration of the trip, and who will utilise it.
  • Our superlative pick, the Large Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 2 , is durable, weighs three pounds, and has a roomy interior.

Spending a weekend (or longer) living out of your haversack while hiking through a remote trail may not seem like a great feel to many just for a backpacker, it's the all-time escape imaginable. For them, camping in the lawn or merely a few steps from the car doesn't cutting it. Instead, they prefer to leave civilization behind and make their way into the backcountry to find solitude and quiet.

All the gear a backpacker carries with them on the trail plays a vital role in keeping them comfortable and safe. Simply the tent you choose to sleep in might be the most important, serving as your home away from home and providing shelter from the elements.

See too: Your guide to getting exterior for Memorial Mean solar day Weekend, from beach days to camping trips — plus exclusive gear discounts

Every bit an avid backpacker myself, I've learned (mostly the hard way) what makes a good backcountry tent. Of grade, weight should be a tiptop priority since you'd adopt your backpack to be as lightweight as possible, but there are plenty of other considerations to go on in heed, likewise. Below, are five of my favorite backpacking tents, tested across various backpacking trips both big and small.

At the bottom of this guide, I've as well included some tips on how to shop for a backpacking tent, as well as some insight into the testing methodology I used while reviewing.

Here are the all-time backpacking tents:

  • All-time backpacking tent overall: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 2
  • Best budget backpacking tent: REI Co-op Half Dome SL 2
  • Best ultralight backpacking tent: Zpacks Duplex
  • Best backpacking tent for couples: MSR Hubba Hubba NX
  • All-time four-flavor backpacking tent: Mountain Hardwear Trango two

The all-time overall

REI

Even though the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL ii weighs just 3 pounds, it has a roomy interior, an innovative hub blueprint that increases its stability, and two doors and vestibules to allow for piece of cake entry.

Pros: Big interior space, two doors make it easy to go in and out, two-tone mesh offers outside views without sacrificing privacy, and it weighs simply over 3 pounds, making information technology 1 of the lightest on the marketplace

Cons: Condensation and waterproofing can be an issue, a piddling pricey

To seasoned campers, the Big Agnes name is synonymous with quality and dependability, and its Copper Spur HV UL 2 is the embodiment of that description. Not but is information technology our pick for the all-time backpacking tent but it could very well exist 1 of the all-time tents for any outing, backpacking, or otherwise. With a packed weight of but over 3 pounds, information technology's light enough for weeks spent on the trail. Its light weight ways at that place's more than room in your pack for other things.

The tent's svelte design is crucial, but where the Copper Spur truly shows its worth is with its surprisingly roomy sleeping area. Often, backpacking tents sacrifice interior volume to shave off precious ounces, but Large Agnes figured out how to offer more than room in the head and shoulder area while besides integrating steep walls to allow you to sit upright comfortably. The blueprint helps yous feel less cramped during the nighttime and affords ample space to modify wearing apparel each day.

Adding to its convenience are ii doors and two vestibules, which offer added space to shop gear and more than one way to enter or exit. Its 2-tone mesh design grants privacy to those who like to do a lilliputian stargazing at night, besides.

Perhaps our favorite attribute of the Copper Spur, however, is its color-coded tent poles which makes setting it up a breeze. Information technology takes just a few minutes to set the tent up one time you've arrived at the campsite. When you're at the end of a long day of hiking, petty things like that truly brand life easier.

Priced at $450, information technology's certainly not the cheapest option on the market but tents offering like features that weigh just 3 pounds either cost more or simply don't exist. When it comes to striking a balance between weight, size, ease of use, and durability, the Copper Spur remains in a class all its ain.

The best budget

REI

Easy on the wallet and on your back, REI'southward Half Dome SL 2 offers an extremely easy setup system, very durable ripstop materials, and a large interior that's spacious plenty for 2 people.

Pros: Piece of cake setup, great ventilation, good for stargazing, spacious interior with room for two, and solid condensation control all at an splendid price tag

Cons: Heavy, doesn't pack down particularly pocket-size

When you're just getting started backpacking, dropping hundreds of dollars on a tent can exist daunting, particularly when you're investing in a sleeping pocketbook, stove, and a pack to comport everything around in it too. Thankfully, there are some first-class bargains to be had when it comes to buying your army camp shelter, with REI'due south Half Dome SL two making the perfect entry-level model.

At just $229, it comes in well below the price tags of the other picks on this list, but that doesn't mean that it lacks features. For starters, thanks to an innovative vertical wall blueprint that maximizes caput and shoulder room, it can sleep 2 people comfortably. The tent also comes with ii doors and vestibules, which give each person their ain entry bespeak and spot to store gear also.

With a packed weight of 5 pounds and 5 ounces, the Half Dome SL 2 isn't going to win any awards for being lightweight. That said, it isn't a behemoth either. It's a great blend of size, weight, features, and price.

Like some of the other picks on our list, REI's upkeep tent features color-coded poles making setup an absolute cakewalk. Once pitched, its unique fly design allows y'all to curlicue upwardly each terminate to increase airflow while as well offering a nice view to the outside. Its fly was too designed to take four vents that go a long style toward reducing condensation.

Though REI is known mainly as a purveyor of outdoor gear, its Co-op-branded camping ground equipment is equally impressive as anything on the market. The Half Dome SL 2 is the perfect case of this, delivering outstanding functioning despite its depression-cost toll tag.

Comfy plenty for two people, piece of cake to pitch, and backed by REI's high-quality structure, this tent is a great option for anyone looking to salvage a few bucks on a loftier-quality shelter.

The all-time ultralight

Zpacks

Tipping the scales at simply 1 pound and three ounces, the Zpacks Duplex is the standard by which all other ultralight tents are measured.

Pros: Weighs merely xix ounces, very durable, comes with two doors and two vestibules, and performs well in poor weather

Cons: Expensive, complicated to fix up, condensation build-up, non especially warm

Zpacks has been at the forefront of making ultralight backpacking gear for years and its tents are platonic for those who are trying to cut down on gear weight. The company'southward Duplex 2-person tent leads the ultralight category, tipping the scales at a mere nineteen ounces.

To reach this feat, Zpacks used a fabric called Dyneema, which is known for existence very lightweight, merely stronger than steel. That translates to a very durable tent that is more resilient than its slim design would lead y'all to believe.

Making a tent that barely weighs more than a pound is an achievement in and of itself, but doing and then without giving up a lot of features is even more impressive. Despite its ultralight construction, the Duplex not only features two doors, two vestibules, and a bathtub-manner flooring to help keep rain from making its way inside. The tent is also surprisingly roomy, offering 28 foursquare anxiety of interior space.

In add-on to being very lightweight, Dyneema has another good quality that makes it proficient for use in tents. Because it tends to not absorb moisture, the Duplex won't become soaked and get-go to sag in a heavy rainstorm. In fact, it performs very well in wet conditions, keeping the interior protected from the elements.

The downside of Dyneema is that information technology is an expensive textile to utilize, which contributes to the Duplex's $600 price tag. The tent also uses single-walled structure to keep its weight to a minimum, which tin lead to excess condensation. Learning to manage that condensation takes a chip of trial and fault, which tin lead to a moisture sleeping bag from time to time. The tent as well takes a bit of practice to gear up up, which means it isn't especially beginner-friendly.

The all-time for couples

MSR

With more headroom and elbow space than most backpacking tents, MSR'south Hubba Hubba NX 2 sleeps 2 backpackers with ease, and thanks to its ii large StayDry doors, each person gets their own entrance and go out.

Pros: Sleeps two people comfortably, performs well in poor weather weather, compresses downwards to a very small size for storage and transport, durably congenital

Cons: A bit pricey, weighs about 4 pounds

Backpacking is best done with friends and sometimes, those friends also happen to be your pregnant other. But when packing lite is the name of the game, strapping on a cumbersome two-person tent isn't exactly ideal. Enter MSR's Hubba Hubba NX, a backpacking tent designed specifically for couples – if the name didn't already give that away.

MSR designed an innovative pole configuration that increases headroom and elbow space, giving both people ample room to cozy upwards for the night without feeling cramped. This added infinite doesn't do much to the tent's pack weight, yet, as it even so manages to weigh simply 3 pounds and 14 ounces. While that is heavier than Zpacks Duplex and the Large Agnes Copper Spur, it won't irksome you down likewise much if you need to haul it around for hours on stop.

Despite its unique pole configuration, setting up the Hubba Hubba NX still only takes a few minutes. Thanks to its color-coded blueprint, putting this tent together is simply a thing of aligning the poles to the hubs that share the same hues.

For camping in wetter climates (or when that out-of-nowhere rainstorm hits), the tent features two of MSR's patented StayDry doors, which guide water away from the interior when they're open. This helps keep you and your gear dry. As it turns out, this just so happens to be a feature that nosotros've put to the test in the field. We've survived a number of moisture nights nestled cozily inside.

When breaking the tent downwards, it packs into an incredibly meaty compression sack that fits perfectly inside your backpack or can exist securely fastened to the outside. This makes it a great companion for short weekend getaways or even multi-day adventures on longer trails. If yous're in the market for a comfortable tent for you and your partner, the Hubba Hubba is definitely a keen choice.

The best 4-flavour

REI

Though heavy at ix pounds, 10 ounces, the Mount Hardwear Trango 2 is the ultimate four-season backpacking tent featuring ultra-strong DAC Downy poles and bomber construction designed to withstand the worst weather conditions.

Pros: Performs well in winter weather and in alpine settings, very durable, atmospheric condition-resistant, DAC Featherlite poles are durable and lightweight, spacious

Cons: On the heavy side, pricey

If you're going to brave the snow, wind, and common cold of winter to go camping, you lot need a tent that can go along you lot warm and well protected from the worst that Mother Nature has to throw at you. Mount Hardwear'due south Trango two tin exercise that and and so much more, providing shelter from the elements, along with enough of room for you, a companion, and all of your gear.

Outfitted with 2 doors and two vestibules, accessing the interior of the tent is quick and like shooting fish in a barrel from either side. True to its four-season nature, those vestibules offer a dry entry, keeping rain and snow out, while providing a comfortable space to take your boots on and off.

The Trango 2's large bathtub-style floor prevents moisture from seeping through likewise and provides a layer of protection even when fix on snow. Fantabulous ventilation also helps to go along condensation build-upward to a minimum, ensuring a comfortable and warm living space.

Setting up the Trango 2 is quick and easy thanks to a color-coded organization for matching the poles with the correct connectedness points. With a lilliputian practise, this tent tin can be built in simply a few minutes, which is a large plus in the wintertime when conditions tin can quickly take a plow for the worse. This is ane of the near stable and wind-resistant four-season shelters that nosotros've always seen. It tin can accept the burden of gale-forcefulness winds without missing a beat.

With a weight of 9 pounds and ten ounces, the Trango ii is heavy compared to everything else on this list, but information technology's fairly lightweight for a four-flavour model. Winter tents are fabricated from thicker, more than durable materials, which is what makes them ideal for inclement weather.

That doesn't make them a great option for use at other times of the twelvemonth, as this style of campsite shelter is warmer and tends to offer less airflow than three-flavor options. Because of this somewhat express window of utilize, the Trango 2's $700 price tag is on the expensive side.

All of that said, if y'all need a four-season tent that is ideal for use in very cold conditions or alpine environments, you but can't go wrong hither. When you consider the level of performance that the Trango 2 offers, along with its list of features and outstanding immovability, it is piece of cake to encounter why this is considered one of the best tents on the market place.

How to shop for a backpacking tent

Finding the right tent takes a bit of time and effort, besides. You'll want ane that'southward spacious enough to conform you lot and your companions, is easy to set, doesn't counterbalance a lot, and won't take upward much space in your backpack. Your choice may also be influenced by the location and season you lot'll be backpacking, adding even more variables to consider.

Ultimately, the blazon of tent you choose to have with you on your adventures is frequently influenced by the type of trip you intend to accept. On a shorter outing, it may exist okay to comport a heavier, more feature-packed tent, while a longer multi-mean solar day trip may call for something lighter and less complex. Experienced backpackers may even determine to go ultralight, eschewing all civilities in favor of the lightest tent they tin find.

No matter the scenario, tent makers like Big Agnes, MSR, Mountain Hardwear, and even REI have a number of groovy options designed specifically to keep you lot cozy while catching some shut-heart.

How we test backpacking tents

Each tent in this guide went through a multi-phase testing procedure to judge its effectiveness in a diversity of ways. Commencement, nosotros wanted to run across how much of an impact its weight fabricated in our backpacking packs. This meant comparing more robust packs to encounter if they were worth the extra weight, or if the saved ounces from lighter tents immune us to pack along more gear.

We likewise compared the relevant build quality and durability, how easy they were to set up and break down, and how its overall value (and toll) factored into information technology being a sound investment or not.

The tents featured all stood out on their own during the tests, though none was as impressive overall as the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 2. It was consistently easy to pitch and tear downwardly each day, offered a surprisingly spacious interior, and held up well in a variety of environments and weather condition conditions.

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