best backpacking tents

The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 in Utah's High Uintas Wilderness.

Review: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Backpacking Tent

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Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2
$550, 2 lbs. 11 oz./1219g
Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL
backcountry.com

As the wind gusted over 30 mph and at times 40 mph at our unprotected campsite in a big meadow beside the Snake River, on the Idaho side of Hells Canyon while backpacking in early June, I kept throwing nervous glances at our tents. But while three of them whipped and bent under the onslaught of air, the Copper Spur HV UL2 barely trembled—not what you’d necessarily expect from an ultralight backpacking tent. But that’s just one way this shelter defies expectations.

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The Nemo Dragonfly 2P on the Teton Crest Trail.

Review: Nemo Dragonfly 2P Ultralight Backpacking Tent

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Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Nemo Dragonfly 2P
$500, 2 lbs. 10 oz./1191g
nemoequipment.com

From clear, cool, late-August nights on the Teton Crest Trail, to mixed weather that included rain and wind on a five-day hike in Yellowstone’s Bechler Canyon area in September, the Nemo Dragonfly 2P displayed the weather protection and exceptional livability that distinguishes it as one of the very best two-person, three-season ultralight backpacking tents on the market today—at a very good price for this level of quality. Here’s why.

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The Slingfin Portal 2 ultralight backpacking tent in the Grand Canyon.

Review: SlingFin Portal 2 Backpacking Tent

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Ultralight Backpacking Tent
SlingFin Portal 2
$485, 2 lbs. 14 oz.
slingfin.com

Everyone wants a super lightweight tent—which makes sense: Give that your tent is one of the heaviest pieces of gear you carry, it offers great potential for weight savings. But not everyone wants the drawbacks of an ultralight tent, which can include tight living quarters and, in particular, so-so stability in strong wind. Enter the SlingFin Portal 2, one of the sturdiest sub-three-pound tents out there, as I discovered on a six-day, 74-mile backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon and stormy nights camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve.

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The Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Platinum ultralight backpacking tent in the Grand Canyon.

Gear Review: Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Platinum Ultralight Tent

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Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Platinum
$600, 1 lb. 15 oz.
moosejaw.com

The sub-two-pound, double-wall, freestanding tent has become like the two-hour marathon of the backpacking gear world: the holy grail that many have come close to achieving, without quite nailing it. Now Big Agnes has set the pace with the Tiger Wall 2 Platinum, a redesign of its Tiger Wall UL2 from 2018 that seizes the grail and—most importantly—avoids shortcomings endemic to other ultralight tents. Taking it out on a six-day, 74-mile spring hike through the Grand Canyon that—not surprisingly—tested the wind resistance of our shelters, I found much to recommend about the Tiger Wall 2 Platinum, and decided it ranks among the very best backpacking tents available today. Here’s why.

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The MSR Zoic 2 backpacking tent in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains.

Review: MSR Zoic 2 Backpacking Tent

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Backpacking Tent
MSR Zoic 2
$350, 4 lbs. 6 oz.
Moosejaw.com

Everyone wants ultralight backpacking gear—but not everyone wants to live with the sacrifices inherent to ultralight gear. While few pieces of gear can produce as much reduction in the weight of your gear kit as switching from a standard to an ultralight tent, you’ll also notice the tradeoffs in a tent more than with almost any other ultralight gear. With MSR’s Zoic 2, backpackers get the comfort of a tent with good space, along with superior ventilation and good stability, weather performance, and durability.

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