Backpacking tent options

[Lark Bunting]

I am always looking for a good deal, not to be cheap but so I can stretch my budget. What would you guys and gals recommend for a small backpacking tent? What should I look for? What should I avoid?

I would like the option to have my son stay with me as necessary, so I guess I\'d need a two man+ tent. I figure he can pack his own tent in when he\'s a bit older...for now though he\'d be staying with me.

 

[elky McElkerson]

Lark.

are you a member of Rokslide? they have a very active Classified section there. some guy just sold a Big Agnes Fly Creek 2 for about $250..which is a steal!! not much heavier than my Fly Creek 1, so in hindsight, i think the 2 is the better purchase. the Fly Creek, you enter the tent from a big opening in the front. it\'s okay, unless you are two large guys, and then there might be more \"contact\" than what is comfortable.

the Big Agness Copper Spur 2 is heavier, but it has a door on the side. two doors, one for each of you. therefore you can come and go without all that weird \"contact\". we use one when it is my brother and i. i carry the poles, he carries the tent..and it is very weight manageable. very!!

 

[cnelk]

Lark

Check out this link - <!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.titaniumgoat.com/tents.html\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">http://www.titaniumgoat.com/tents.html</a><!-- m -->

The Vertex 5 may be something that would work.

 

[Deertick]

I would second Big Agnes tents ... they\'re good for the money, lightweight, and hold up to a little abuse.

I would also check out the Cabela\'s line of tents ... pretty similar.

 

[Scot320]

You may want to check out Marmot tents also...very good equipment.

 

[Anonymous]

...

 

[Don K]

You may want to check out Marmot tents also...very good equipment.

I picked up a Marmot at a great price and had plenty of room for my son and I for the 10 days we spent in it.

 

[Baby Huey]

I would recommend avoiding fiberglass poles for a backpacking tent. The cost for the tent will tend to be lower and will temp you, but the weight will be much higher with fiberglass poles and too heavy of a tent isn\'t fun to pack in/out.

Think about if you want to keep your gear in your tent with you, or perhaps in a vestibule, or under a separate tarp outside of the tent. This will help you determine how big of a tent you want and if you need/want vestibule space.

Also, think about where you will use the tent and what kind of wind or snow conditions you will use it in, and determine if it is rated for those conditions. Here is a portion of a table I made (sorted by weight) to help me decide what tent to buy back in 2013. From that list, I went with the Go Lite (no longer in business) ShangriLa5 as it had the most square footage (double most of those I was looking at) and it was the 2nd cheapest of the tents I was looking at, but 2nd heaviest. For me the space and price point helped me choose that tent.

Make Model # of Doors Weight SF Vestibule 1 SF Vestibule 2 SF Cost Cost/lb SF/lb Seller
Big Agnes Seedhouse SL3 1 3.93 44 0 0 $399.95 $101.57 11 REI
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 2 4.3 44 9 9 $379.99 $86.85 14 REI (Was $499.95)
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 2 4.3 44 9 9 $499.95 $114.27 14 Cabelas
Go Lite ShangriLa 3 1 4.5 59 n/a n/a $249.99 $55.55 13 Go Lite
Big Agnes Jack Rabbit 2 5.25 43 9 9 $369.99 $70.47 12 Campmoor
Big Agnes Jack Rabbit 2 5.25 43 9 9 $369.95 $70.47 12 REI
Sierra Designs Flash 3 2 5.25 41 8 8 $389.95 $74.28 11 REI
Exped Mira III 2 5.3 36 7 7 $439.95 $82.81 9 REI
Go Lite ShangriLa 5 1 5.75 90.4 n/a n/a $299.99 $52.17 16 Go Lite
Big Agnes Lone Spring 3 1 5.8 47 9 0 $249.95 $43.00 10 REI/Campmoor

 

[Baby Huey]

Well, that table didn\'t format worth a darn, sorry about that...

 

[Lark Bunting]

Well, that table didn\'t format worth a darn, sorry about that...

LOL, no problem. I will do some research on the tents you all named off. Thank you.

 

[iccyman001]

I hope the pad works out in your new tent.

I used mine on a 36 hour plane right from here to Africa. It worked well for sleeping on the metal floor.

 

[cohunter14]

Here\'s a new view of Roman\'s table...hope this helps!

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