Reasonably priced and Light-weight: Finest Ultralight Backpacking Tents

January 28, 2025

93

Ultralight backpacking tents have change into more and more standard, significantly these made with an ultralight materials known as Dyneema DCF. Sadly, they’ve additionally change into very costly, placing the lightest weight tents out of attain of most individuals. However many high-quality ultralight backpacking tents can be found right now that price far lower than Dyneema ones; they’re nonetheless fairly light-weight and simply as a lot enjoyable to make use of. They’re made with extra typical materials like siliconized polyester, siliconized nylon, or ripstop nylon with a well-established historical past of sturdy use.

If spending an arm and a leg on an ultralight Dyneema DCF tent is out of your attain, listed here are the ten Finest AFFORDABLE Ultralight Backpacking Tents, each single-wall and double-wall tents, that we suggest.

1. Gossamer Gear “The One”

Gossamer Gear’s “The One” is an ultralight, single-walled trekking-pole tent that weighs 17.7 oz. It has a spacious inside that’s a palace for one, with glorious air flow to assist stop inner condensation. Made with 10d Sil/PU ripstop nylon, the One is manufacturing unit seam-taped so you need to use it with out seam-sealing. The entrance vestibule is sort of massive with a zippered heart opening which may be closed shut in inclement climate or rolled again for views and air flow. The vestibule can also be massive sufficient to retailer your pack underneath half the vestibule and get out and in by the opposite. Learn our evaluate.

2. Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo

The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo is an ultralight model, single-wall tent that’s pitched with a single trekking pole. Weighing 26 ounces, the Lunar Solo has a bath model flooring to forestall flooding within the rain and a facet door, making entry straightforward. The inside is sort of roomy, with a hexagon-shaped flooring, offering room to retailer your gear within the tent, and loads of headroom to take a seat up inside. A big vestibule additionally gives gear storage and room to prepare dinner in dangerous climate. The Lunar Solo higher is made with a 20d silicone-coated polyester, lowering material stretch and packed quantity, whereas the ground makes use of a sturdy 40D material. Learn the SectionHiker Evaluate.

3. Six Moon Designs Skyscape Trekker

The Skyscape Trekker (28 oz) is a big and ethereal tent good for tall hikers or individuals who like a number of air flow. It has two massive facet doorways and vestibules for gear storage. It requires two trekking poles to arrange (accent poles obtainable individually) and features a third roof strut to hyperlink the 2 poles collectively and create a ceiling. The tent has a hybrid single-wall double-wall design the place 80% of the rain fly is separated from you by no-see-um mesh. The trekker is made with low-stretch siliconized polyester however have to be seam-sealed earlier than use (obtainable for an additional price).

4. Featherstone Spine 2P

The Featherstone Spine 2P is an reasonably priced ultralight single-wall tent for 2 those that requires two trekking poles to arrange. Weighing 2 lbs 11.5 oz, it’s comparatively cheap, however has many options discovered on far more costly ultralight tents together with peak vents, nook struts, line loc tensioners, TPU waterproof door zippers, and twin vestibule hooks. It’s made with PU-coated silnylon, so it’s seam-taped and comes full with 15 tent stakes. Moderately than having symmetric sides, the pole positioning ratio is offset 40/60 to supply extra overhead room on the head finish for sitting up and transferring round. Struts, inserted on the foot finish corners additional improve the room above your toes with out requiring a bigger footprint in order that the tent can match into smaller tent websites. Learn the SectionHiker evaluate.

5. Tarptent Protrail

The Tarptent Protrail (22.1 oz) is a single-wall tackle the traditional pup tent with a built-in bathtub flooring, a entrance vestibule, and no-see-um mesh on the entrance and rear ends for air flow. It has a siliconized polyester rain fly for sag-free use in wet climate with a silicone-coated nylon 66 flooring for sturdiness. The Protrail requires two poles (or trekking poles) to pitch, a entrance pole (45-48 cm) and rear pole (32 cm) to prop up the tip. That is Tarptent’s hottest solo shelter and is right for backpacking or bikepacking journeys when pack area is at a premium. Learn the SectionHiker Protrail Evaluate.

6. 3FUL Lanshan Professional 1

The 3FUL Lanshan 1 Professional (24.2 oz) is an ultralight single-wall trekking-pole tent with a facet door and vestibule that may be rolled again in good climate for air flow and views. The inside has a totally built-in bathtub flooring, so you may pitch the tent within the pouring rain and nonetheless maintain the inside dry. The tent is made with silicone-impregnated nylon (silnylon) and have to be seam-sealed manually earlier than use in wet climate. The Lanshan 1 Professional is remarkably much like the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo. The largest distinction between the 2 is that the Lanshan 1 Professional is made with silnylon which tends to sag a bit when it will get moist, whereas the Lunar Solo is made with siliconized polyester, which sags much less. Learn our evaluate.

7. Tarptent Rainbow

The Tarptent Rainbow is without doubt one of the few ultralight tents obtainable right now that doesn’t require trekking poles to pitch. As a substitute, it comes with two poles, an extended central one and a brief forehead pole that create a big inner dwelling area that may match a 25″ sleeping pad with ease and create two full-size vestibules that present ample gear cupboard space. The Rainbow is straightforward to arrange as a result of the fly and flooring are absolutely built-in and the inside will keep dry even when you must pitch it within the rain. It’s made with 30D double ripstop 100% silicone coated nylon 66 rated to over 3,000mm hydrostatic head for glorious energy and sturdiness, even in very heavy rain.

8. Durston X-Mid 1

The Durston X-Mid 1P is a 28-ounce double-wall trekking pole tent that’s exceptionally straightforward to arrange. This 2-door tent is manufactured from 20D polyester with a 2500mm sil/PEU coating and requires trekking poles to pitch. All the seams are taped and the internal tent is optionally available so you may simply use the rainfly if desired. The X-mid may be arrange fly first within the rain to maintain the internal tent dry and has loads of inside gear cupboard space. This mid-style tent is sort of stormworthy and contains further guy-out factors for excessive situations. Learn the SectionHiker X-Mid 1P (V2) evaluate.

9. Durston X-Mid 2

The Durston Gear X-Mid 2 is a spacious double-wall, two-person trekking pole tent that requires two trekking poles to arrange. Weighing 36 oz, the tent has two doorways and two vestibules with a form that makes it extraordinarily climate and storm-worthy. The all-mesh inside tent has offset peaks to maximise headroom and comes with 4 inside pockets for gear storage. Giant kickstand vents within the fly present glorious air flow, however the twin doorways and vestibules are additionally designed to allow them to be left open within the rain with out splashback. The tent is made with no-sag polyester and absolutely seam-taped with Aquaguard door zippers enabling hassle-free use in all situations.

View at Durston Gear

10. Out of doors Vitals Fortius 1P Tent

The Out of doors Vitals Fortius 1P Tent is an ultralight trekking pole tent that weighs 1 lbs 6.2 ozand requires two trekking poles to pitch. It’s a single-wall tent that’s reasonably priced, seam-taped, and packs up small as a result of it’s made with sil/PU nylon. The Fortius is easy to pitch with a two-peak design, one taller than the opposite, to create a big entrance vestibule. Should you don’t use trekking poles, collapsing carbon fiber poles are offered individually. Learn the SectionHiker Fortius evaluate.

UL Backpacking Tent Choice Information

The backpacking tent producers who make ultralight tents use a variety of supplies and designs. When searching for a tent, it’s essential to know the tradeoffs of the fashions you’re contemplating and the way they’ll complement your adventures.

Ultralight Tent Supplies and Worth Factors

Trekking poles tents can be found in a wide range of totally different supplies and at totally different worth factors. Dyneema DCF is the lightest weight materials and the costliest, partially as a result of it requires specialised manufacturing processes. Tents made with siliconized polyester (silpoly), siliconized nylon (silylon), and Polyurethane (PU) coated silnylon are a lot inexpensive than Dyneema as a result of they are often sewn utilizing typical strategies. These three materials are additionally roughly comparable in worth. It’d be tough to say which is the most effective to make tents with as a result of material high quality varies extensively relying on the producer and specification to which it’s made. That stated, ultralight tentmakers are starting to change away from silnylon to silpoly as a result of it has much less stretch when it will get moist than silnylon and absorbs much less water.

Tents made with Dyneema DCF are very costly, but in addition very light-weight, waterproof, and powerful. They’re extra susceptible to break from daylight over the long run, however that’s seldom a difficulty for most individuals. Dyneema tents have to be folded when packed not stuffed, however can nonetheless be surprisingly cumbersome regardless of their low weight.
Tents made with siliconized polyester (silpoly) are a gorgeous different to Dyneema DCF as a result of they don’t stretch a lot in a single day or once they get moist from rain. They’re additionally far inexpensive and a few are seam-taped, so you need to use them out of the field with none seam sealing.
Tents made with PU-coated silnylon are typically extra waterproof than common silnylon, however you must examine their waterproofing specs to make certain. The chief good thing about the PU coating over common silnylon is improved UV resistance and the truth that the fabric may be manufacturing unit seam-taped.
Tents made with silnylon are nonetheless frequent as a result of it’s a straightforward materials for producers to work with. Whereas silnylon does stretch at evening and when it will get moist, it’s not as huge a deal as individuals make it out to be. Silnylon tents have to be manually seam-sealed earlier than they can be utilized in wet climate. Whereas you are able to do this your self, my recommendation can be to pay the producer to do it for you so that you get a tent that’s prepared for use when it arrives.

Single-wall vs Double-wall Tents

Ultralight backpacking tents can be found in single-wall and double-wall fashions, with separate internal tents. Whereas each are inclined to inner condensation, the benefit of a double-wall tent is the moisture collects on the underside of the rainfly and never on a wall that has contact together with your sleeping bag, quilt, or different gear. The internal tent and rainfly on many double-wall tents can be used independently from each other, for instance as a standalone tarp or as a bug bivy, which may lengthen their utility. The benefit of a single-wall tent over a double-wall one is often decreased weight.

If tent condensation ever turns into a difficulty for you, we suggest carrying a small absorbent face towel to wipe it away. Tent condensation is a small worth to pay for decreased gear weight and it received’t kill you except you’re a witch (wizard-0f-Ozreference).

Headroom

Many ultralight backpacking tents pole tents have a pyramid form which may restrict the quantity of headroom and foot room obtainable underneath the sloping ceiling. Mendacity in your again and gazing a ceiling that’s three inches out of your face may be unpleasantly claustrophobic. Be sure you look at the size of the tents you’re contemplating, along with their peak heights.

Trekking pole tents that require two poles to arrange often have two peaks, which may improve the quantity of livable area overhead, in comparison with a one-pole tent. Some tent producers additionally scale back the slope of the ceiling to create extra headroom. The very best instance of that is Tarptent’s use of carbon fiber finish struts to extend the quantity of room underneath the ceilings on the head and foot ends of their tents. The draw back of those finish struts is that it may make tents tougher to pack horizontally in a backpack.

Vestibules

Vestibules are good for gear storage, particularly moist gear storage, and for cooking underneath cowl in windy or wet climate. Most one-pole tents have a single vestibule, whereas two-pole tents typically have two. When shopping for a two-person tent, you’ll undoubtedly need two doorways and two vestibules so you may every have your individual entrance and equipment storage space. It can be fairly helpful to have two doorways and two vestibules on a one-person tent, particularly when you anticipate stormy climate situations the place you might need to hunker down in your tent for a day. For that matter, many individuals use two-person tents as solo tents, one thing that’s possible with out a main weight penalty since most ultralight backpacking tents are fairly light-weight.

Pole Size

If you select a trekking pole tent, you wish to make it possible for it’s suitable with the make and mannequin of trekking pole you utilize if in case you have a choice. Fastened-length poles that aren’t adjustable may be tough to make use of with trekking pole tents which have very particular peak necessities. As well as, you wish to make it possible for your trekking pole handles are suitable if they’ve a non-standard grip.

Examine Out All of SectionHiker’s Gear Guides!

SectionHiker by no means accepts fee for gear opinions or editorial protection. If you purchase by affiliate hyperlinks on our web site, we could earn a small fee at no further price to you. Assist us proceed to check and write unsponsored and unbiased gear opinions, mountain climbing and backpacking FAQs, and free mountain climbing guides.