Backpacking Tents

Lightweight backpacking tents

An A-frame tent with a door in one end is the classic backpacking tent. These differ from family tents in that they trade features and spacious size for light weight so you can carry your tent in or on your backpack. Some backpackers still use and praise the A-frame Eureka Timberline series of tents. For example, the Eureka Timberline 2 (*Est. $110) is a simple free-standing A-frame tent with 37.6 square feet of floor space plus a 12.5-square-foot vestibule. It's sturdy but at six pounds, it's on the heavy side for backpacking, and the slant of the walls decreases the interior space compared with newer tent styles that use curved poles.

In recent years, the trend in backpacking tents is toward tents with a large door on each side of the tent. This makes larger vestibules possible too - so there's more room for a dog or wet gear. The new standard is to have two doors plus two vestibules - so two people can share the tent without one person having to crawl over the other to get in or out. Newer backpacking tents are also lighter and better ventilated -- with lots of mesh on top, vents in the rainflies and variable-diameter poles that put strength where it's most needed.

The Big Sky Evolution 2P (*est. $300), for example, weighs more than two pounds less than the Eureka Timberline 2 mentioned above but provides two doors and two vestibules. Comparison tests at Backpacking Light give this backpacking tent the top ranking based on its excellent space and very good ventilation, wind protection and durability. Backpacker Magazine gives this tent its 2007 Editors' Choice award, and it is also the 2007 budget pick at Outside Magazine - where tests show it performed well even in a surprise snowstorm.

The lightest version of the Big Sky Evolution 2P (2.9 pounds) uses carbon-fiber poles, which deflect more in the wind than aluminum poles, but weigh a pound less. The pole deflection can let the rainfly hit the mesh tent, letting some condensation form. Owners reviewing this tent at BackpackGearTest.org note that it's sturdy in gusts up to 80 mph, but the zippers can snag.

Owners say the zippers can also snag on the Big Agnes Emerald Mountain SL2 (*Est. $300) , and though it comes with just one vestibule, at nearly five pounds it's heavier than the Big Sky Evolution 2P. The tradeoff is in lack of condensation: tests at Outside Magazine show zero condensation even under rugged conditions. This backpacking tent earns the 2007 Gear of the Year Award from editors at Outside Magazine, with praise for quick, easy setup plus the best ergonomic design.

This tent also shares the 2007 Editors' Choice award at Backpacker Magazine. Owners reviewing the Big Agnes Emerald Mountain SL2 at REI.com also praise its light weight and easy setup. The main drawback is the single vestibule. A big 27-square-foot (*Est. $130) pole-supported vestibule is available as an extra option (*est. $130), but it is expensive and heavier, adding another 14 ounces to the total weight.

The newer Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 (*Est. $500) is a bigger three-person backpacking tent with 44 square feet of floor space plus two 11-square-foot vestibules. Yet partly because of its silicon-treated nylon fly, it weighs less (4 pounds 3 ounces). Comparison tests at Backpacker Magazine, where it earns the 2008 Editors' Choice Award, find it's the fastest to pitch, and creates no condensation. The only drawbacks are that the fly chatters in a high wind and the doorways are relatively low -- especially for tall campers.

With huge doorways, the less expensive three-person Black Diamond Vista (*Est. $350) actually rates higher in comparison tests in the Feb. 2008 issue of Backpacker Magazine, but it is heavier, weighing in at just under six pounds. Tests show that the Vista is excellent in high winds and has great ventilation, with awnings that can be slightly unzipped in a rainstorm. It provides even more space (51 square feet) than the more expensive Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3, and comes with two vestibules -- though both are small at only nine square feet each.