Last Updated on September 11, 2018 by Dean Anderson
These best backpacking tent reviews are specifically for backpackers who want a reliable, comfy tent for their trips—but don’t want to spend more than $150-200 for it. You can actually find a number of great solo and two-person tents within that budget, and they won’t break your back from sheer weight either. Below are 5 of the best lightweight tents for backpacking to be found within those parameters.
1. ALPS Mountaineering Extreme 2 Tent – Simple sturdy design that’s great in poor weather
75D 185T polyester sides give this tent lasting tautness and UV-protection, and a urethane coating gives it added protection against the rain. The seams are also sealed in the factory. There are two vestibules inside, and the mesh roof panels allow ventilation while three aluminum poles provide a rigid backbone without adding too much weight.
Pros:
- Very sturdy and dry even under bad weather conditions – almost 4 season rating
- Double doors
- Takes only 5 minutes to set up
Cons:
- Rain fly doubles the weight of the tent
- Not big enough for 2 adults, instead buy 2 or consider a larger option
- The floor could be a little more durable but we appreciate this would increase weight
It may be advertised as a 2-person tent, but this isn’t that spacious if there are two adults using it—especially since its rectangular footprint tends to pinch at the ends. For a single backpacker, though, it has plenty of room. It’s also a decent weight at under 6lbs. It’s a bit odd that half that weight is the rain fly alone, but given how well the rain fly works at keeping you dry in a storm, you’ll feel OK about the extra weight eventually.
To get the weight down the floor material is a little on the thin side. If you have the capacity to carry more in your backpack or if you’re sharing then a footprint would be a good option here.
The overall manufacturing quality on this product is pretty good and the simple but stable design gives you real security without too much fuss on setup.
2. Mountainsmith Genesee 4 Tent – Easy to setup and good for 2-3 people
This is a freestanding tent capable of sleeping as many as 4 people. It has a seam-taped floor, 2 doors, 2 vestibules for your belongings, and vent windows. It employs the simple 2-pole construction design.
Pros:
- Color-coded and simple design makes it very easy to put up
- Bath tub like floor construction
- Enormous rain fly
- Ventilation windows have a very fine mesh that keeps insects out well
- Reflective guy lines to avoid trips
Cons:
- Vestibules are cramped – barely big enough for your boots
- Could use more guy lines
This is a 3-season tent that can hold 2 or 3 people and their camping mats very comfortably. You can probably fit 4, as the manufacturer claims, but only if they aren’t that big and they’re willing to be in a very intimate row. That’s not bad space for something of this price and it weighs under 7lbs, though. It has a great rain fly, a straightforward design that makes it a cinch to set up, and overall good build and material quality. There are only 2 guy line attachments, though, which is a bit irritating if you’re used to more.
3. ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1 Tent – The best backpacking tent here for the solo thru-hiker
This single-user tent has sides composed of polyester bottoms and mesh tops for combined protection and ventilation. The included rain fly covers the mesh areas for full privacy and rain protection, and a polyurethane coating helps the floor resist abrasion as well as moisture. It uses 2 poles and has a vestibule inside for storage.
Pros:
- Good at dealing with rain as well as wind (the latter due to its low profile)
- Extremely light (3.75lbs) but robust
- Easy to erect
Cons:
- Can be hard to get in or out of in wet weather
The only issue with this solo tent is that you might find it a challenge to enter if you’re coming in from the rain and don’t want your stuff to get wet too. You can do it with a bit of deft maneuvering, though, so it’s a really minor qualm. This is a very well made, very well designed solo tent that will see you through many a backpacking trip or indeed a thru-hike for a one-time outlay of just under $100. That makes it an ideal tent if you don’t need to share with anyone on the trip and have to save money.
4. Kelty Grand Mesa 2 Tent – A decent buy but taller people should look elsewhere
This freestanding 2-person tent comes in at under 5lbs and uses a 2-pole color-coded clip design. The poles are made of aluminum for lightness and strength and the seams are factory-taped for rain protection.
Pros:
- Large rain fly
- Very tough bottom
- Good ventilation
Cons:
- Bundled stakes are somewhat weak
- People above 6ft will not fit in it when lying down at full stretch
This is a nice tent for people 6ft and below (at 6ft, you can actually hit both ends of the tent when you stretch out). You can technically use it too even if you’re taller than that, but you may have to curl up or lie diagonally inside it in that case. It’s made quite well overall. The floor is probably the best illustration of this with its deceptive thinness. It’s actually very strong despite its looks. The factory-taped seams aren’t bad either. The only place where the stock materials fall short, actually, is in the stakes. Fortunately, they’re easily (and cheaply) replaceable. On the whole, it’s a nice buy given its general performance and weight but better overall quality can be found in the other options on test.
5. Eureka Apex 2XT Tent – Decent quality for the money
This tent has a 4’11” by 7’5” footprint, giving it the capacity to sleep up to 2 people. Each side has 6.7-square-foot vestibules for storage. A double-coated polyester fly and floor give it wet weather protection. Full mesh walls give it great ventilation and can be covered with the fly.
Pros:
- Very durable
- Great performance against rain and high winds (around 50mph)
- Easy to put up
Cons:
- Vestibule zip location makes it awkward to unzip without getting a little wet (due to the rain fly)
This is one of the best backpacking tent for about $150, especially given how roomy it is for one person (and still fairly comfortable for 2). It’s quite sturdy, decently light (about 6lbs), and can be set up in under five minutes if you know what you’re doing. One does wish that the vestibule zip were easier to reach (and, maybe, that the tent had aluminum instead of fiberglass poles), but they’re minor issues and ones most people can live with.
So the Best Backpacking Tent is…
These are all great backpacking tents, but if you’re just one person using it, the best solo backpacking tent is the Alps Lynx. It’s far and away the cheapest as well as the lightest, yet it manages to keep you dry, warm and comfortable like the more expensive options here.
If you’re looking for the best backpacking tent for two people then go for either the Mountainsmith or the Eureka. They’ll give you sufficient space so as not to feel like total sardines in a can and still remain relatively light despite that.
Eight years ago, I took a risk and left a miserable office job to follow a lifestyle career that involved my love for the great outdoors. I’ve taken my love for camping, hiking and travel to the next level by running my small campground with a friend near Portland, Oregon. It’s for way less money but this has truly been a dream come true and the running involves lots of family and friends.
The next evolution of that was to get online and start allcampingstuff.com. At our campground, I spend a lot of time setting up camping equipment for customers and disposing of the garbage products they leave behind. If I can help just a few people with advice on good camping gear, then this website venture will be worth it.
So, if you want to avoid the duds and spend your money wisely you’ve hopefully come to the right place.
