Tent Reviews

The Black Diamond FirstLight Tent (updated for 2019) is a two-person, freestanding, single-wall tent for winter backpacking, backcountry skiing, and mountaineering. Weighing 3 lbs 1.3 oz (after seam sealing), it has a wind-resistant wedge shape that sheds snow well and packs up small. Since it’s freestanding, you can pitch it …

TheTentLab MoonLight ML2 is luxurious as backpacking tents come, and a great example of when its worth trading weight for comfort. The attention to detail in its design is apparent in every thoughtful feature from its materials to its spacious interior and flexibility of setup. The tent has extraordinary strength …

The MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 is a great tent for two people. It’s incredibly easy to set up, lightweight and has two doors so you can come and go at night without disturbing your partner. Nearly freestanding, the pole configuration creates an interior space that has near-vertical walls, providing …

The Big Agnes Scout 2 Platinum is a 17 ounce, single wall trekking pole tent designed for three-season use. It has a pup-style, A-frame shape, with side struts that create vertical internal sidewalls for improved livability and ceiling height. While the tent does not have a front vestibule for gear …

Gossamer Gear’s “The One” ultralight 1-person tent ($299) is an ultralight, single-walled trekking-pole tent that weighs 20.6 oz. It has a spacious interior that’s a palace for one, with excellent ventilation to help prevent internal condensation. Factory seam-taped, there’s no need to seam seal The One which is made with …

The Exped Mira HL 1 is a surprisingly lightweight and comfortable one-person tent weighing just 35 oz. It has two vestibules, one for gear storage, and a second for easy access and exit. A long arched ridge-pole provides lots of headroom, making it easy to change clothes and move around …

The X-Mid 1P is a single-person double-wall trekking pole tent that weighs 27.9 oz. It requires two trekking poles to erect and can be set up in rain without getting the inner tent wet. The inner and outer tents both have two doors and can be rolled up for enhanced …

The REI Half Dome 2 Plus is a luxurious, but surprisingly affordable two-person camping and backpacking tent with an extra-large interior that’s perfect for couples who want more room to spread out and relax. It has a dome shape with two doors and two vestibules for easy access and gear …

The Big Agnes C-Bar Two Person Tent is a surprisingly affordable backpacking tent with a trail weight of 3 lbs 9 oz. Fully-featured, this double-wall tent is easy to set up and made with heavier and more durable materials than Big Agnes’ ultralight backpacking tents. If you’re looking for a …

The NEMO Galaxi 2 Tent is a spacious and affordable ($199) two-person tent that comes with an included footprint. Setting the tent up is easy because it has a single hubbed pole and inner tent and rain fly can share the same corner grommets, while numerous interior pockets and gear …

The REI Camp Dome 2 Tent is an amazingly good value for only $99. With two doors and durable aluminum tent poles, it’s a perfect entry-level camping or backpacking tent that combines comfort, ease of use, and durability for multiple years of use. If you’ve been looking for an inexpensive …

The Tarptent Aeon Li is a one-person Dyneema trekking pole tent that weighs 15.8 oz. It’s basically a half-pyramid shape, modified so that it has more usable headroom and interior space than regular pyramid tents and tarps. It has a built-in bathtub floor sewn to the sidewalls with mesh for …

The SlingFin Portal is a highly-livable and lightweight two-person tent with a spacious dome-shaped design that’s ideal for three-season use. But what sets the Portal apart from other tents is the ability to extend it for use in more extreme four-season winter conditions, including snow loads and high, buffeting winds, …

The REI Passage 2 is a comfortable two-person camping tent that’s ideal for car camping, base camping, and short backpacking trips. It has two doors and two giant vestibules with plenty of external gear storage. But what sets this tent apart from others is its internal livability. The tent interior …