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Tag Archives: backpacking tent reviews
Gear Review: The 5 Best Backpacking Tents of 2018
By Michael Lanza
Time for a new backpacking tent? There’s hardly been a better time to get one. Whether you prioritize weight, living space, performance in foul weather, or unique features, tents for backpacking have seen great innovation and variety. In the competitive outdoor industry, designers keep making shelters that are lighter, stronger, and in many ways more livable.
For this article, I’ve updated my picks for the five top-performing backpacking tents available today, with links to my original, complete review of each one. I think you’ll find at least one that’s perfect for you—plus you’ll find some at great sale prices now (and links to those online retailers below). Continue reading →
Review: Gossamer Gear The One Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Gossamer Gear The One ultralight backpacking tent in Glacier National Park.
Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Gossamer Gear The One
$300, 1 lb. 6 oz.
gossamergear.com
When the wind blew strong gusts on some nights during a six-day, north-south traverse of more than 90 miles on the Continental Divide Trail in Glacier National Park in September, I wondered out of self-interest how well Gossamer Gear’s The One would stand up to them—given its tall profile, lightweight materials, and design that utilizes trekking poles for pitching. As it turned out, I had no reason to worry. The One not only held up well, it demonstrated why it is quite possibly the best solo ultralight tent on the market today. Continue reading →
Ask Me: The Best Backpacking Gear for the John Muir Trail
Hello Michael,
I read your article about ultra-backpacking and how you did the John Muir Trail in seven days. I am planning on doing it, but would like to know, for an ultralight backpacker, what do you suggest for a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, etc.? Any feedback or thoughts that you have would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
Joei
Covina, CA Continue reading →
Are You Still Wasting Money on Outdoor Gear?
By Michael Lanza
What if every time you laid down money for hiking, backpacking, or other outdoors gear, you always knew exactly what you needed and were invariably satisfied with your purchase for years afterward? What if you knew every time whether it was smarter to spring for the pricier piece of gear or go for the cheaper model? What if you always knew when and where to find the best gear at rock-bottom sale prices?
Read on to learn how you can become that expert gear buyer—just in time for ongoing gear sales at many online retailers. Continue reading →
Gear Review: Slingfin 2Lite Trek Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Slingfin 2Lite Trek
$329, 2 lbs. 6 oz.
slingfin.com
The world of ultralight backpacking tents can sometimes resemble a sort of Galapagos Islands of backcountry shelters, where odd-looking species evolve along a track (that probably defies some basic rules of evolution) toward competing goals of becoming stronger and incrementally larger while becoming lighter. Looked at from that perspective, the 2Lite Trek from Slingfin—a small company co-founded by a former Mountain Hardwear designer—doesn’t depart radically from traditional tents, other than pitching with trekking poles. But a unique design allowed it to stand up to winds of 30 to 40 mph in the Grand Canyon and Idaho’s City of Rocks. It’s also relatively roomy and featured for a two-person tent weighing under 2.5 pounds.
If a light pack on the trail is priority one for you, read on. Continue reading →