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Tents
Tents
Tents are one of the most critical pieces of gear for backcountry travel. Backpacker’s experts evaluate the best tents on the market every year—whether your style is ultralight, car camping, or mountaineering, these shelters will give you safety from the storm.
Tents are one of the most critical pieces of gear for backcountry travel. Backpacker’s experts evaluate the best tents on the market every year—whether your style is ultralight, car camping, or mountaineering, these shelters will give you safety from the storm.
Slingfin Portal 2
Strongest tent
Vargo No-Fly
Best livability
Gossamer Gear The Two
Best storage
Black Diamond Distance
Best weight-to-price ratio
NEMO Rocket 2P
Best for fastpacking
Big Agnes Scout 2 Platinum
Lightest tent
REI Co-op Shell Bivy
Best bivy
REI Co-op Arete ASL 2
Sturdy Shelter
15 Last-Minute Gifts for Hikers From REI's Holiday Clearance Sale
Put off doing your shopping? Lucky you: Right now, some of our favorite products of the year are on sale at REI.
Cabela's Orion 2
Best space-to-price of any budget two-person tent
Slumberjack Nightfall 2
Best pitch of any budget two-person tent
Big Agnes C-Bar 2
The lightest two-person tent for hikers on a budget
Eureka! Suma 2
The best value two-person tent for hikers on a budget
Mountainsmith Morrison EVO 2
Most liveable two-person tent for hikers on a budget
Sierra Designs Meteor 2
Best all-around two-person tent for hikers on a budget
The Best Deals From REI's Labor Day Sale
Upgrade your backpacking kit for chump change through September 3rd.
The 4 Best Tarps for Backpackers
Lighten up with these simple tarp shelters.
The 6 Best Budget Two-Person Tents on the Market
Sleep well and spend less with these two-person tents.
The Best Deals at the Backcountry Semi Annual Sale
Now's a good time to grab hiking boots, jackets, adventure luggage, and more.
The 12 Best Tents of 2018
Big or small, your tent is your home in the backcountry. Get the perfect one with these picks from the experts at BACKPACKER.
The Best 2-Person Tents for Backpackers
The best small tents can be as decadent or as minimalist as the hikers carrying them.
The Best 4-Person Tents for Backpackers
The more, the merrier. Bring the gang along with one of these king-size shelters.
The Best 3-Person Tents for Backpackers
Make room for your friends and their gear with these perfect 3-person tents.
Deal of the Week: Big Agnes Tumble 3 mtnGLO Tent
Never get blinded by a tentmate’s headlamp again.
MSR Remote 2
Most spacious tent
Hilleberg Kaitum 4
Sturdiest tent
The 11 Best New Tents of 2017
Whatever type of shelter you're looking for, these backpacking tents have you covered.
Sierra Designs High Route 1FL
Solo Palace
Mountainsmith Bear Creek 2
Budget Saver
NEMO Spike 2P
Floorless Ultralight
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Platinum
Roomy Ultralight
Kelty Horizon 2
Best Value
REI Co-op Quarter Dome 2
Light and Livable
MSR Access 2
Shoulder-Season Shelter
Cotopaxi Inti 2
Shape Shifter
Marmot Tungsten UL 3P
Light and Strong
Cotopaxi Techo 3
Most Organized
Therm-a-Rest Tranquility 6
Car-Camping Luxury
Slingfin WindSaber
Strongest
Kelty Gunnison 2.3
Stretch your dollars—and your legs.
Mountain Hardwear Trango 3
Feel secure in this three-person tent when the biggest storms roll in.
ZPacks Hexamid Solo
It's everything you need on a light-and-fast hike, and nothing you don't.
Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2
Check out Laurel "Lollygag" Reisman's author page.
Tarptent Rainbow
Check out Liz "Snorkel" Thomas's author page.
Slumberjack In-Season 2
This affordable fortress has plenty of room.
Nemo Apollo 3P
Floorless Pyramid
Marmot Colfax 3P
Most Versatile
The North Face VE 25
Check out aroyaimmedia-com's author page.
Hilleberg Tarp 5
Versatile Tarp
Sierra Designs Nightwatch
Affordable Castle
Fjällräven Abisko Shape 2
Planet-Friendly Bomb Shelter
MSR Freelite 2
Livable Lightweight
L.L. Bean Microlight UL2
Editor's Choice Update
Nemo Equipment Escape Pod
Minimalist Bug Shelter
Mountain Hardwear Ghost UL2
Light-and-Tight Freestander
Hilleberg Niak
Bomb Shelter
Exped Carina IV
Light Four-Person Tent
The Tentlab Moonlight 2
Fully Featured
Sierra Designs Convert 3 Tent
Stretch out in this lavish winter shelter.
NEMO Equipment Kunai 2P Tent
A four-season tent that's actually light enough to use year-round.
Sea to Summit Specialist Solo
It’s one of the lightest solo models out there, even before swapping the tent poles (3.9 ounces) for trekking poles.
Yama Mountain Gear Cirriform SW 1
It has the best performance-to-weight ratio of the bunch.
Big Agnes Bitter Springs UL-1
This solo tent can take a beating
NEMO Equipment Wagontop 4P
A lavish palace that packs down smaller than other family tents.
Exped Gemini IV
By pairing four expedition-worthy poles with three-season fabric, the four-person Gemini tent delivers rock-solid stability for an attractive weight.
Big Agnes Foidel Canyon 2
This sturdy, double-wall two-person dome tent offers the protection and space campers need for year-round use—and the durability to do it year after year.
Big Agnes Rattlesnake SL2 mtnGLO
This lightweight two-person dome tent comes with built-in LED lighting.
Big Sky Soul x2
Shaving tent weight usually means jacking the price or shrinking the dimensions, but the two-person Soul hits a rare trifecta—light, livable, and affordable.
Brooks-Range Mountaineering Alpini Bivy
Pack ultralight—but legit—weather protection with this solo bivy.
Exped Mira II Hyperlite
If you're willing to secure a few stakes and sacrifice some stability, this two-person tent offers roomy quarters.
Marmot Force 2P
If you sleep better knowing you're in a fuss-free fortress, this two-person tent is the one for you.
Marmot Tungsten 3P
This three-person tent boasts freestanding convenience and luxe headroom at an affordable price.
Mountain Hardwear Optic 6
The six-person version of the 2014 Editors’ Choice Award-winning Optic 2.5 tent, this palace features a rollaway fly and adjoining doors for 180-degree views.
Mountainsmith Mountain Dome 3
Expansive headroom and an unusually sturdy design make this three-person tent a comfy, affordable choice for car-camping and short-mileage overnights.
MSR FlyLite
This versatile solo tent is a castle for one and an ultralight shelter for two.
NEMO Equipment Blaze 1P
Solo tents sometimes feel coffin-tight, but this nonfreestanding, double-wall dome is supremely livable.
NEMO Equipment Dagger 3P
Most tents this light skimp on space or durability, but the three-person Dagger saves weight with unusually strong, ultralight fabrics.