Recommend A Tent

[Edcculus]

I'm in love with the MSR "HUBBA" line of tents. They make 1, 2 and 3 person sizes. They are lightweight backpacking tents. The 3 person starts to get a little cumbersome to really pack, even between 3 people. What I love is how darn easy they are to set up. They consist of 1 shock cord pole with a hub (hence "hubba") that splits into a Y on each end. You snap open the pole, attach the Y ends to the eyelets to hold out the bottom, then clip in the pole. Thats it. The rainfly is just as easy. It has a small pole to hold it out from the tent, and just clips into the eyelets on the corners. No guide strings etc. Its completely free standing and symmetrical. That means you don't need stakes, and the pole and rainfly can go on any way (no front/back etc).

Its a little pricey, and probably small for car camping, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. It really is the easiest tent to set up I've ever known. I can have the 2 person version up in less than 2 minutes.

 

[gorgehiker]

I would got with the half dome, been backpackers tent of the year for....ever...I think......I would own one, got a smoking deal on a kelty half dome knock off, so thats what myself and the wife use, we have plenty of room in it to keep the boots and some other stuff we dont want bugs and snakes in. If you want ulta light check out:
http://www.rei.com/product/797208/nemo-meta-2p-tent

This is what I would get if I needed a new tent.

 

[_MementoMori_]

I just bought a Eureka Tetragon 9 today for me, my wife, and our seven year old daughter. It had a lot of good reviews, and I know the Eureka brand is well regarded.

 

[M80]

The weights and packing size are a fraction of those of other quality tents, but what really appeals to me is their ease of set up. The poles can be inserted into their sleeves from the comfort of a chair,

If the weight and size are a factor, why are you carrying a chair with you?

 

[cbird]

I meant from a seated position in general (more likely a picnic table bench). I only use a tent on bicycle tours, so packed size, weight, and ease of set up and take down are the main features I look at. Most decent tents will provide very good weather protection, anyway. The Warmlite tents claim a weight of 2.75 PBS and packed size of 5" by 17" for their standard two person tent, and that is exceptional. They also do not have a rain fly, so are all the simpler to pitch. Yes, their website is probably the only NSFW website operated by a camping supply company, I'm not sure what their point is. These are expensive tents, though, so would only be worth it if you expect to use the tent fairly often. For all out weather protection, the old Moss tents had a great reputation, but are no longer being made, but often are available on eBay.

 

[Mark_M]

I have Eureka tents and like them. Here's my ONLY advice:

Buy the largest one you can set up by yourself!

I hate fumbling around setting these up, they can be complicated. The easier the better. Don't forget you're camping and want things simple. The last tent I bought, brought home and attempted to set it up in the back yard and went crazy. I returned it for the smaller version.

I love camping!

 

[Dubbya]

Want to go light? Get two ENO Doublenbests with rainflies. I have never slept so well in my life; not even in my bed.

Pro-tip: Put your sleeping bag in the hammock with the zipper up just past the feet end, roll into the hammock and bag as a single unit, zip up, enjoy never having to worry about cold ground/ants again.

If you still want a good 2 person tent, MSR makes a great little superlight that is good in the cold and wet that you guys get up that way.

 

[igloo]

My Kelty is still going strong after 18 years .

 

[Swanny]

Looks like a cat toy for bears

It probably is not what you are looking for but a couple years ago I made the switch from a tent to a hennessy hammock and have never looked back. I love the thing.

 

[Dubbya]

Looks like a cat toy for bears

No way man. Bears take one look at an awesome hammock campsite and go, "Nope, this guy is way too comfortable to eat. Let's go steal hamburgers from the folks in that RV and flip over the trash cans down at the park ranger station."

Bears are hooligans, you know.

All kidding aside, a tent isn't really much more defense against a half ton bear.

 

[vaquer03]

Get the Jan or Feb. issue of Backpacker Magazine. It will show you everything that is available on the market. I would stick with the tents they have been making for years. They are proven & usually durable, although they may not be the lightest (that is the trend with all things backpacking, but it can often lead to non-durable items). Been backpacking for 30 years & camping for 40 & a tent is low on my list of gear, but what I look for is it has to be able to take a very good wind, a showering down pour, & breathes very well on the hottest most humid days.

Funny thing my wife & I were in the market for one like yourself and we ordered something like seven of them and had our backpacking buddies come over and rate them. I didn't really think any of them were all that good and returned them all. We ended up with a Mountain Gear and it is a very nice tent. Hopefully it will hold up for year. Also I withstood, just under some hurricane winds, in the Arctic inside a Mountain Gear, a few in the group lost their tents to broken poles.

On a budget I would get a Kelty and keep the zippers clean and well maintained.

 

[Jwolf24601]

I used my dividend on a REI Half Dome 2+ and love it. The Quarter Dome 2+ looked even better but is $100 more and I like the extra durability the half dome's weight affords.

 

[vaquer03]

Here is a decent article worth reading: http://www.24hourcampfire.com/backpacking.html