Best 2 person ultralight tent

[Cadesc11]

Hey everyone. Looking for any help/recommendations on the best (semi affordable) ultralight/trekking pole tent set up? Currently am packing around way to heavy of a set up.

 

[kevingm1987]

Durston X-mid 2. Buy the model that works with the budget

 

[Cadesc11]

Thanks for the info! I’ll look into them

 

[Freezing Moon]

I have a Black Diamond Beta Light 2P which I love. Super underrated, storm- and snow-proof. It's comparably priced with the Durston model but almost a pound lighter. That said, it's floorless and the bug protection is perimeter netting so consider what you value in a shelter.

 

[whiskybiker]

Seek outside sunlight is another option. Got to borrow a friends for a few nights out and was impressed.

 

[RADunfee]

Zpacks has the lightest on the market.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Welcome. Another durston fan here. Clever, well executed design.

The dyneema tents are great and very light but pricey. Rule of thumb is about half the weight for 3x cost. I have and use two but I think a comparable nylon tent is more bang for the buck.

 

[shax2lex]

I'm trying the Argali Owyhee 1p tent this year. You could look at their products. They seem to be pretty good price wise.

 

[Voyageur]

I've used my Tarptent Stratospire 2 for over 10 years now and have no complaints. I would buy another without hesitation if the need arose.

 

[100%DIYazCOUES]

Durston xmid2 is my recommendation. Easily the best combo of cost, weight,durability, and living space that I’ve found

 

[Jordan Budd]

Argali Rincon. We used that a lot this summer and was a great option to setup super fast and stay light. However for the sheep hunt we took the bigger Absorka and I think it's worth the extra weight for all the room you gain for gear. The Rincon or like the Durston xmid like recommended is gonna be kind tight on gear space for 2 if you want to spread out at all.

 

[Beendare]

This is a Tarptent Double rainbow....palace for one....probably tight for 2 decent size guys. 2.5#
Its awesome. I just spent 8 days elk hunting in one.


I like my bigger home made 12' diameter tipi for 2 guys.
Pic is a bit of a mess with all of my hunt gear....

 

[Walkstoomuch]

Durston xmid2+ plenty roomy for me and partner. I’m 6’1”

Argali rincon if you really want a palace

 

[DannyB]

I really like my Gossamer Gear The Two, and it only weights 24oz!

 

[Bassman]

Stone Glacier Skyair ULT is a decent option but I would consider it an "emergency" 2P tent. No chance you'd get two dudes in there comfortably but it is a breeze to pack. I'm a Hilleberg fanboy but got tired of carrying it around for summer hiking, scouting trips and early season hunts. Made the switch to a UL tent for those situations and no major regrets.

 

[Bughalli]

In the past I used the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2. No complaints and happy with it as an all around backpack tent. Very comfortable and still have it. It's really more of a 1.5 person tent, so it holds your gear comfortably, but I wouldn't want to share the tent with someone. It's not really a 2 man tent. I've had it in all kinds of weather in the mountains (heavy wind, rain, snow, etc) and it never let me down. But it weighs around 3lbs.

You can go significantly lighter if you use a trekking pole style tent and pay the extra $$ for Dyneema material. It depends on what you're trying to achieve. I did a bunch of research on this and there's a lot of great options out there. In the end you're kind of splitting hairs. Below is where I ended up. My criteria were - light as possible, small footprint, utilizes trekking poles, simple design, fast to setup, etc. I like to hunt where I always have my full camp with me, which allows me to go anywhere without worrying about getting back to camp.

For a two-man tent, I would go with Zpacks - Duplex tent. It only weighs 17oz, which is crazy light for a two person tent. I seriously considered it. But even with my Copper Spur sometimes it was hard to find a spot big enough without being on top of where I wanted to hunt. I've hunted some steep terrain and if it's flat, that's where the game is. So I tent to camp in random spots to get away from where I think they'll be.

I ended up going with Tarptent Aeon Li, which is smaller but comes in at 19oz. The main reason I went with the Tarptent was because it had the smallest footprint. You can set this up on a deer trail if you had to. The two-man tents are more roomy, but I wanted to be able to place it anywhere. I've only used it a few nights. Still early. Everything is a compromise and given I was trying to go minimalist, it checks all the boxes.

 

[Roosterstraw]

This is a Tarptent Double rainbow....palace for one....probably tight for 2 decent size guys. 2.5#
Its awesome. I just spent 7 days elk hunting in one.
View attachment 762519

I like my bigger home made 12' diameter tipi for 2 guys.
Pic is a bit of a mess with all of my hunt gear....

Any problems with condensation?

 

[Beendare]

Any problems with condensation?

Nope, nothing.

I noticed the one flap in the vestibule was a little damp one morning but probably due to it swooping down close to the ground. My tipis I've owned will do that.

This trip was pretty dry, only one small storm so that probably contributed to no condensation....but the tent has great ventilation which was a key factor to mitigate it...and it also has a full floor- I hate it when tent walls are dripping wet. The flourless have more problem with condensation, this one is really good.

 

[HouseCL]

Argali Rincon. We used that a lot this summer and was a great option to setup super fast and stay light. However for the sheep hunt we took the bigger Absorka and I think it's worth the extra weight for all the room you gain for gear. The Rincon or like the Durston xmid like recommended is gonna be kind tight on gear space for 2 if you want to spread out at all.

I agree with the sentiment about the Absaroka. If you’re actually looking for a tent for 2 adults, a tent marketed as 2p is not going to provide enough space (unless the other adult is your significant other). The Absaroka at 30oz is stellar for a 4p. I really like mine but with 2 dudes and gear elk hunting, it felt like the bare minimum amount of space although we were using the insert which reduces the usable footprint.

 

[HouseCL]

Can anybody offer their experience with these ultralight dyneema offerings in bad weather? At 17oz the xmid 2 pro whatever seems pretty crazy but I really wonder how well they would stand up to significant wind.