Lightweight Backpacking Tent Recommendations

[JPM8765]

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[RadDad]

Not sure your budget but that SG Sky Solus 1P looks pretty sweet. I saw it at SHOT Show this week while I was there. Very well thought out design, lightweight, and SG makes solid gear. Can’t comment on durability since I’ve never owned one.

-RadDad

 

[AG8]

Another vote for Copper Spur

 

[DeePow]

+1 for this, I love mine and use it anytime I’m not going floorless.

I have one I picked up this fall I am trying to part with - $185 tyd

 

[Read1t48]

The Pro1 was released yesterday.

I'll be taking a hard look at the durston pro 1 when it comes out

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Had xmid1,sold it thinking i wanted free standing but ended up using stakes alot anyway with dragonfly,and copper spur 2&3.Sold them and waiting on xmid2 v2 to arrive and also going to get durston poles when available.
The xmid i had was in a totally different league compared to the other tents.Just to fragle for my use.

 

[Ram94]

XMid 2P solid. Very well thought out design.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

I think there is more to the question. Are you trying to go light? Are you camping in wind prone areas? Are you planning on camping in deadfall? Wet conditions? What State? For what its worth here is my take, I have owned floorless and free standing and most of my hunts now a days are backpack style hunts with camp on my back. I may not use it but it is there if I need camp. For areas where there can be a lot of wind, I won't take a floorless. For areas, where I am going to be in timber cover and wind isn't a concern, floorless would be a good option. If I am planning on camping where the elk aren't that usually means up and out of the way of the elk and could be in a wind prone area. If I am planning on just dropping camp where I end at dark (I don't like this option), the footprint of a tent may be a concern. It could be deadfall, timber or a ridge. In this case, I would go a lightweight freestanding tent. I have an old cabelas solo tent, its snug but more comfy then a bivy and I have shaved the weight down to ( 3 lbs). If I was buying today, (i really want to buy one of these two), I would buy the Stone glaicer solo or 2 person tent they have. For extreme lightweight which elk hunting sometimes is conducive of, I would buy the Sky Air Ultralight with nest, vestbule, tub sheet. That comes in at like 28 oz. Not bad for a bivy upgrade. The kuiu tent would be another option or the first lite. I don't have experience with those two however. In my opinion, there is not a one size fit all tent but there are some tents that nail it 70% of the time. I have moved to a freestanding tent from a floorless. More so out of preference as my hunting is more/less going to be all solo this year and beyond.

 

[camelcluch]

If the marmot super alloy interests you, I have a 15% code your are welcome too.

 

[Mrshort]

I've grown up backpacking and have gotten a ton of use out of an old North Face 2p Tent. The beauty of that tent is that it's only two poles, and because I bought the footprint, the poles can be clipped into the footprint and used without the inner netting. That tent served me incredibly well for a dozen years. You don't always need the newest, best and greatest to get it done. Sure you end up carrying more weight, but the only thing holding you back is YOUR fitness. That said, I was headed out on a mountain goat hunt this past year and wanted to reduce weight. This past year, I bought a Seek Outside Eolus tent, which is a hiking pole tent... and MAN do I love not having that extra 3-4 lbs on my pack! This 2p tent is crazy light weight and served me great for the 15 nights I spent in it this season. I dealt with heavy rain a couple nights and it worked just fine. I did use my footprint from my old 2p tent, just to have a ground barrier for my sleeping pads.

 

[hunting307]

I have two seekoutside teepees and I'm a big fan of how lightweight they are. Plus having a stove makes things better.

 

[sneaky]

Cost?
Money isn’t an object? Zpacks Duplex
Budget? Big Agnus Copper Spur

I have both after owning many tents. Both are A+

Copper Spurs are $500+ these days. They've long since left the budget realm.

 

[Tobe_B]

I use a marmot 2P. It’s enough for me and my gear, packing in the mountains from summer through 2nd rifle.


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[Siscoe308]

I just bought the Kuiu Mountain Star. Seemed a quality jumping off point.

 

[Mrshort]

I use a marmot 2P. It’s enough for me and my gear, packing in the mountains from summer through 2nd rifle.


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Marmot makes great tents and sleeping bags at fairly decent prices. At least that's been my experience. If someone was looking for a practical and durable starter tent... definitely a brand worth checking out!

 

[Broadjumper]

SAMAYA.

 

[ElkArcher918]

On backpack hunts I'll either run a traditional Big Agnes Cooper Spur HV UL2 or a floorless Seek Outside Silex. I go back and forth which one to use depending how far I'm hiking in. I used the Silex last year and was impressed with ease of setup and the weight savings.

 

[shootnrun]

For August-early October I run an escapist tarp and bug bivy. Total weight is ~2lbs. The tarp was far cheaper when I got it 5 years ago. Survived some rough weather and stayed dry. Finding a pitch and site that will meet conditions is key. It's not fun, but I've inadvertently spent 48 hrs under this tarp just waiting out fog. When the weather turns or I have more people I have a GoLite SL5. That thing has summited mountains and never failed me. But they went under a few years back. There are lots of similar products available these days.

As others have stated, there are a ton of considerations when picking a shelter. Do you hunt 4 seasons? Solo? Can you do floorless where you hunt? Do you just camp next to your car? You are going to make concessions no matter which shelter you go with, so you either need an endless supply of money to buy one of each, or eat weight/comfort and deal with what you have. IMO, you're better off over sheltered and staying on the mountain than suffering a gear failure and packing up. That being said, I don't have a free standing tent and it hasn't sent me packing yet..

I have friends that pack anything from copper spur UL2s, some $100 1 person tent thing off amazon, the worlds cheapest walmart dome, and nice teepees. Pick the best you can afford with a weight range you can tolerate and get after it.

 

[big217boy]

I've spent a lot of nights in the Kuiu Mountain Star 2P, Argali Rincon, and Seek Outside LBO. I like all 3 for different purposes:

1. Kuiu Mountain Star - Really easy to setup, traditional double wall tent and never had condensation issues, convenient that it's standalone so you can move it once constructed if needed (comes in handy when you dont realize there's a rock/root under your sleeping pad), it fits met well since i'm 6'4" and 250LBS and has been bomb proof for me. Downside is that it's over 3.5LBS (not terrible)

2. Seek Outside LBO - This is my Hot Tent Setup. Lots of room for 1 guy, gear, and a stove. A shade over 2LBS including stakes (i don't recall the exact oz's) Downside is that i have to Guy It out to make the walls less steep and once it's setup, i ain't moving it.

3. Argali Rincon - Great setup when weight is at the top of the priority list. When I plan on putting 10+ miles on everyday to find bugles, this tent's coming with me. It packs down super small and is extremely light weight. The shape makes it really easy to get a tight pitch and i save weight by pitching with my trekking pole. Downside is that I have to use guy lines to make the side and back wall more vertical to take advantage of the space. Also, like the LBO (any Tipi for that matter) once it's pitched, i'm not moving it unless i royally messed up and pitched it in a terrible spot.

All 3 fit in my arsenal and the one that rides in the pack is the one that best fits my hunting plans. Tents are like Boats...1 doesn't cover all use cases. At least that's what I tell my Wife .

 

[JD Jones]

Mountain Star vote …. It’s become my favorite tent to date (used teepees, stone glacier, msr, Nemo and some others). This tent is bombproof breathes handles wind no problem and easy set up I use as a solo