10 Best One Person Backpacking Tents (2026) | Rated and Reviewed
A mix of ultralight and conventional tents for all preferences
One person, solo backpacking tents are ideal if you’re thru-hiking, fast-packing, or backpacking big miles and want to trim your gear weight as low as possible. More livable than bivy sacks, one-person tents are designed for sleeping and bad weather protection. While some solo tents are more plush and spacious than others, you almost always have to choose between competing priorities, including weight, ease of use, durability, and cost, when selecting one. This can make it tough to choose between tents, especially since few stores have display models anymore.
| Make / Model | Type | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zpacks Pivot Solo | Trekking Pole | 13.5oz / 383g | $649 |
| Durston X-Mid Pro 1 | Trekking Pole | 15.5 oz / 440 g | $549 |
| Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid 1 | Trekking Pole | 16 oz / 454g | $675 |
| Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1 | Freestanding | 32 oz / 907g | $500 |
| NEMO Hornet OSMO UL 1P | Semi-Freestanding | 29 oz / 822g | $460 |
| Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo | Trekking Pole | 26 oz / 740g | $260 |
| MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1 | Freestanding | 38 oz / 1077g | $470 |
| Tarptent Rainbow | Semi-Freestanding | 32 oz / 907g | $249 |
| Durston X-Dome 1+ | Freestanding | 35 oz / 980g | $359 |
| Tarptent Notch Li | Trekking Pole | 21.4 oz / 607g | $569 |
Taking these different priorities into consideration, here are our picks for the best one-person backpacking tents.
1. Zpacks Pivot Solo Tent
2. Durston X-Mid Pro 1
3. Hyperlite Mountain Gear X-Mid 1
4. Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1
5. NEMO Hornet OSMO Ultralight 1P
6. Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo
7. MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1 Tent
8. Tarptent Rainbow
9. Durston X-Dome 1+
10. Tarptent Notch Li
Tent Selection Criteria
Here are the most important variables to consider when buying a backpacking or camping tent.
WEIGHT/TRAIL WEIGHT – The total weight of a tent usually measures the tent and all of its packaging, while the trail weight is the weight of its poles, inner tent, outer rain fly, minus any tent stakes. Why the difference? Most people replace the tent stakes that come with a tent with lighter-weight or stronger ones and leave all the extra stuff sacks and packaging at home rather than carry it.
TYPE – Trekking pole tents require trekking poles for setup. Freestanding and semi-freestanding tents come with shelter-specific tent poles. Freestanding tents can be set up without being staked out and are desirable because you can pitch them anywhere, including on rock ledges, sand, or snow. In contrast, semi-freestanding tents must be staked down, which limits the places you can use them.
DIMENSIONS – When selecting a tent, consider how much width, length, and height (headroom) you desire. Do you use a wide sleeping pad? How tall are you? Do you want to bring your gear inside the tent at night, or are you ok with storing it under a vestibule? Do you want to be able to sit up in the tent or change your clothing? These are all factors to consider. When evaluating tent dimensions, particularly if it is a double-wall tent, make sure you understand whether the stated dimensions measure the width and length of the interior, not the width and length of the rain fly, which is often much larger and can give the illusion of spaciousness.
TENT POLES – Tent poles are made using fiberglass, aluminum, or carbon fiber. Aluminum is the most durable of the three, while carbon fiber is typically used only in very high-end tents where the focus is on low weight. Fiberglass poles are the least durable tent poles and break frequently. So much so, that we recommend avoiding any tent with fiberglass poles. All the ones above have aluminum poles or use trekking poles. Most manufacturers who sell trekking pole tents offer regular tent poles as an add-on purchase.
DURABILITY – The floor of a tent is the part of a tent most likely to be punctured or torn as a result of ground abrasion. While using a footprint on floors that are 20 denier thick or less is always recommended, it’s far less necessary on 30 denier or higher floors, except on highly abrasive or rough terrain.
DOORS – Tents with two side doors are often preferable when purchasing a tent for two because each occupant can get in and out without disturbing the other.
INTERIOR STORAGE – Interior pockets and storage organization is a plus in a multi-person tent. Look for internal pockets and gear loops to hang gear from the ceiling. A gear loft is an added bonus. Vestibule space is always a plus, especially if there are multiple doors, so that gear storage does not block entry and exit.
VENTILATION – All tents experience tent condensation, but good tent site selection and ventilation are the best ways to avoid it. Look for tents with lots of mesh netting to improve airflow, top vents to release moist air, and door tie-backs to roll up tent doors and keep them open at night.
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Funny how virtually all 1-P tents are made for people under 6 feet tall, which I am not Even the Zpacks Altaplex 1-P tent is a tight fit. I’ll never be able to take a 1-P tent where it doesn’t feel like a no-room coffin.
The floor length of the X-mid 1 pro is 90″ and the silpoly version is 93″. Seems pretty spacious to me. Same for Six Moons Lunar Solo – floor is 90″ Perhaps you’re looking in the wrong places.
From Z-Packs:
“Altaplex Tent
Features
Sleeps 1 Tall / Larger Adult”
Girth vs. Length perhaps?
Curious why the Slingfin Portal 1 didn’t make the list? Or, was it just a little too heavy? And hot on the hills of this list, HMG just came out with their CrossPeak 1. Looks interesting if you can get past the price.
Enjoy the site and appreciate all the information that you provide.
That is news! I love the CrossPeak 2 – I’ll have to check it out….Definitely not at that price. I mean – a separate cross pole – that’s really old school and too easy to lose. And its white. So much for stealth. The CP 2 is worth it though.
Slingfin – well, the Portal 1 is a perfectly nice tent, but I’d rather be in a portal 2. Like with the Crosspeak, the Portal 2 is the real gem and that’s why its on my 10 best 2 person tent list coming out in a week or two.
Thanks for the excellent review. The word “best” is such a value judgement. Best how? It’s great that you included non-dyneema tents. I own two polyester X-Mid 1’s, V1 and V2. I can’t for the life of me see how the Lunar Solo beat out the X-Mid 1.
Also, a correction please: the X-Dome 1+ is listed as a trekking pole tent. It is a freestanding tent.
If you don’t put the word best in, google ignores the post. I hate doing it, but its the only way to come up in search results. I fucking hate Google.
I actually just bought my third X-mid 1 (3rd generation)- in silpoly. The silpoly version is mentioned in the X-mid 1 listing above, so technically, the X-mid got two mentions. I like the darker, more stealthier color of the latest version.
As for the ranking – that’s another google-ism – that you must include. Ignore it. You must consider your own needs when determining what is BEST for the environmental conditions you will encounter and your own preferences.
Thanks for the explanation Philip. That explains why a lot of gear reviews use “best”. I’m a gear nerd and somewhat of a local backpacking resource in Volcano Hawaii. I get asked “what is the best ……? regularly. I’m always hesitant to recommend because it’s all so subjective. You have more guts than me. Please keep it up. You are one of the best reviewers out there- very little clickbait and objectively honest.
That’s why I think it’s important to give people some options and encourage them to think through what they’ll need while pointing out tradeoffs. I get tp try most of these tents (keeps me out hiking) and I hope people take advantage of my more detailed reviews to develop a better understanding of the alternatives, pros and cons of each choice.
Poly x mid 1 is my favorite of any tent I’ve had. I like free standing but for space, weight, looks, and anything else it’s the one I’ll be with.
It’s a great tent if you have the space to set it up in.
Philip: Much thx for the insight/details on these tents; starting out in Backpacking space. Picked up the Marmot Tungsten 1P tent for $125 (50% off sale) at a notable retailer 2 wks ago near LAX before boarding flt back to Phx. Too good a deal to pass up for a newbie. Will test it out in AZ desert next month after trial set up at home. As an original resident of Northeast (NY, MA, NH, CT), miss the geography at x, but not the cold. Keep on keepin’ on!?
I was starting to get close to pulling the trigger on the NEMO Hornet. But then I saw Hyperlite came out with the Crosspeak 1. It may be a game changer in the freestanding space. If you get any feedback on it, please let us know!
I haven’t tried the Crosspeak1 – but by the looks of it I’m not that wowed. It’s certainly not a game changer – it’s not that lightweight, for instance. Take a look at the Tarptent Rainbow Li. Less expensive, lighter weight, super comfortable. The regular silpoly rainbow also looks like a much better value and probably packs up smaller because its not Dyneema (1/3 the price of the Crosspeak1). Because you’re considering a hornet, I’ve assumed that you don’t think a freestanding tent is a necessity.
I sold my notch Li because although its shape is storm-worthy i could never get a satisfactory pitch with the fly close to the ground, and without that it felt quite insecure in high wind. I now use a durston Xmid which does pitch close to the ground when required., Its a bomber and perhaps the best all round tent on the market IMO.
if you have enough room to pitch it. there’s no such thing as the perfect tent for all conditions. Every try pitching the x-mid on solid rock or in a tiny space only big enough for a freestand tent? Don’t get me wrong – I’ve owned 3 x-mids, but I wouldn’t bring it on many trips.