Big Agnes C-Bar 2

Livability

2.1/5: With a tent this light and affordable, something has to give. In this case, it’s living space: The 28-square-foot floor and 7-square-foot single vestibule are small for the category. “My wife and I had to overlap our standard sleeping pads at the foot to make them lay flat,” said one tester after a trip in the Adirondacks. On paper, the 41-inch peak height should be plenty, but our 6’ testers bumped their heads against the sloped ceiling. At least a single door at the head means campers don’t have to climb over each other.

Weatherproofing

4.5/5: “In a 48-hour period, we saw high winds, sleet, rain, graupel, and even a bit of frost, but the tent never faltered thanks to its low profile and sturdy pole placement,” says one New York tester. Adequate ventilation requires a taut pitch: “There’s only one vent, so we had to stake the fly out well to prevent stuffiness,” our tester says.

Features

3.3/5: Three interior mesh pockets at the corners reduce clutter. Additional loops are available to hang a gear loft, but it’s sold separately ($22). After a late arrival to their campsite by Lake Colden, our testers deemed the hubbed pole system idiot-proof, even after dark.

Durability

4.3/5: An entire summer in the rooty-and-rocky Adirondacks did no damage to the C-Bar’s 68-denier fly and floor. “We slept in a scree field for two nights, but the tent took it like a champ,” one tester reports.