Ultralight Backpacking Tent Reviews

Gossamer Gear The One ultralight backpacking tent in Glacier National Park.

Review: Gossamer Gear The One Ultralight Backpacking Tent

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Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Gossamer Gear The One
$217, 1 lb. 2 oz./510g
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.

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Slingfin 2Lite Trek ultralight backpacking tent.

Review: Slingfin 2Lite Trek Ultralight Backpacking Tent

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Ultralight Backpacking TentSlingfin 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 …

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Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL 2 ultralight backpacking tent.

Review: Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 Ultralight Backpacking Tent

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Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2
$400, 2 lbs. 4 oz.
backcountry.com

I got a little worried when the wind in the Grand Canyon started gusting to about 30 mph one evening—which I assumed would test the limits of the ultralight Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 tent’s structural strength. When the gusts continued to increase—at times exceeding 40 mph—I seriously thought we might lose one or more of our shelters roughly halfway through our May backpacking trip on the 25-mile Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. But the Tiger Wall stood up to those gusts, giving me yet another reason to like this supremely featherweight backpacking tent.

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The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 ultralight backpacking tent.

Review: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Ultralight Backpacking Tent

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Ultralight Backpacking TentBig Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2$450, 2 lbs. 12 oz.backcountry.com I’ll tolerate reasonably close living quarters in a tent that’s lightweight and performs well in the backcountry, because I prioritize my comfort on the trail (read: light pack) and usually only crawl inside the tent to sleep. But not all of my backpacking companions share my tolerance for …

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Gear Review: MSR Freelite 2 Ultralight Tent

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MSR Freelite 2
MSR Freelite 2

Ultralight Backpacking Tent
MSR Freelite 2
$440, 2 lbs. 7 oz. (not including stuff sacks and stakes)
backcountry.com

How important is low gear weight to you—and what are you willing to sacrifice to hike with a light pack? Your choice of backcountry shelter can achieve the most significant weight savings and entail the greatest compromises. As someone who generally chooses lightweight gear, with its pros and cons, I took MSR’s lightest freestanding tent on a pair of backcountry trips for which tents like this seem well suited: I shared it with my wife on a mid-July rafting and kayaking trip on the Green River through Lodore Canyon in Dinosaur National Monument; and used it by myself for two nights on a mid-August backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains. I found the Freelite 2 has distinct advantages for a tent so light, while making relatively small compromises on space and strength.

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