Greatest Ultralight Backpacking Tents Underneath $300

Whereas many ultralight backpacking tents have develop into costly, there are nonetheless many budget-friendly fashions out there beneath $300 which might be light-weight and enjoyable to make use of. They’re made with extra standard materials like siliconized polyester, siliconized nylon, or ripstop nylon which all have a well-established historical past of sturdy use.

Make / Mannequin	Weight	Value
Gossamer Gear The One	17.7 oz / 503g	$255
Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo	26 oz / 740g	$260
Six Moon Designs Skyscape Trekker	28 oz / 790g	$275
Featherstone Spine 2P	43.5 oz / 1233g	$200
Tarptent Protrail 1	22.1 oz / 627g	$239
3F UL Lanshan Professional 1	24.2 oz / 686g	$187
Tarptent Rainbow	32.35 oz / 917g	$289
Durston X-Mid 1	28 oz / 794g	$240
Durston X-Mid 2	36 oz /1021g	$280
Sierra Designs Excessive Route 1	27 oz /765g	$299.95

If spending an arm and a leg on an ultralight Dyneema DCF tent is out of your attain, listed below are the Greatest 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 facility seam-taped so you should use it with out seam-sealing. The entrance vestibule is sort of giant with a zippered middle opening which will be closed shut in inclement climate or rolled again for views and air flow. The vestibule can be giant sufficient to retailer your pack beneath half the vestibule and get out and in by way of the opposite. Learn our Gossamer Gear One Tent Assessment.

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 tub model flooring to forestall flooding within the rain and a aspect 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 sit down up inside. A big vestibule additionally gives gear storage and room to cook dinner in unhealthy climate. The Lunar Solo higher is made with a 20d silicone-coated polyester, decreasing material stretch and packed quantity, whereas the ground makes use of a sturdy 40D material. Learn the SectionHiker Lunar Solo Assessment.

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 whole lot of air flow. It has two giant aspect doorways and vestibules for gear storage. It requires two trekking poles to arrange (accent poles out there 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 should be seam-sealed earlier than use (out there for an additional payment).

4. Featherstone Spine 2P

The Featherstone Spine 2P is an inexpensive ultralight single-wall tent for 2 people who 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. Relatively than having symmetric sides, the pole positioning ratio is offset 40/60 to offer extra overhead room on the head finish for sitting up and shifting 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 Spine Tent Assessment.

5. Tarptent Protrail

The Tarptent Protrail (22.1 oz) is a single-wall tackle the basic 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 top. That is Tarptent’s hottest solo shelter and is good for backpacking or bikepacking journeys when pack house is at a premium. Learn the SectionHiker Protrail Assessment.

6. 3FUL Lanshan Professional 1

The 3FUL Lanshan 1 Professional (24.2 oz) is an ultralight single-wall trekking-pole tent with a aspect door and vestibule that may be rolled again in good climate for air flow and views. The inside has a completely built-in bathtub flooring, so you possibly can pitch the tent within the pouring rain and nonetheless maintain the inside dry. The tent is made with silicone-impregnated nylon (silnylon) and should 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 the Part Hiker Lanshan Professional Tent Assessment.

7. Tarptent Rainbow

The Tarptent Rainbow is among the few ultralight tents out there as we speak that doesn’t require trekking poles to pitch. As an alternative, it comes with two poles, a protracted central one and a brief forehead pole that create a big inner residing house that may match a 25″ sleeping pad with ease and create two full-size vestibules that present ample gear space for storing. The Rainbow is simple to arrange as a result of the fly and flooring are totally built-in and the inside will keep dry even when you have to pitch it within the rain. It’s made with 20D silicone coated polyester with a 30D sil-nylon 66 flooring for glorious energy and sturdiness, even in very heavy rain. The Rainbow can be out there in a two-person mannequin and one made with Dyneema DCF.

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 made from 20D polyester with a 2500mm sil/PEU coating and requires trekking poles to pitch. All the seams are taped and the inside tent is elective so you possibly can simply use the rainfly if desired. The X-mid will be arrange fly first within the rain to maintain the inside tent dry and has loads of inside gear space for storing. This mid-style tent is sort of stormworthy and contains additional guy-out factors for excessive situations. Learn the SectionHiker X-Mid 1P 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. Massive 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 totally seam-taped with Aquaguard door zippers enabling hassle-free use in all situations.

10. Sierra Designs Excessive Route 1P Tent

The Sierra Designs Excessive Route FL 1 is a double-wall trekking pole tent designed for individuals who need the total protection and headroom of a two-peak pyramid, the power to pitch fly-first in a storm, and the flexibleness of a modular shelter system. Designed by Andrew Skurka, it’s related in sure respects to the Durston Gear X-Mid 1, however has been overshadowed by it the market. Designed by Andrew Skurka, in been confirmed within the subject and it’s fairly light-weight weighing simply 27 oz.

UL Backpacking Tent Choice Information

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

Ultralight Tent Supplies and Value Factors

Trekking poles tents can be found in quite a lot of completely different supplies and at completely different value 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 cheaper than Dyneema as a result of they are often sewn utilizing standard strategies. These three materials are additionally roughly comparable in value. 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 additionally very light-weight, waterproof, and powerful. They’re extra susceptible to wreck from daylight over the long run, however that’s seldom a problem for most individuals. Dyneema tents should 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 horny various 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 cheaper and a few are seam-taped, so you should use them out of the field with none seam sealing.
Tents made with PU-coated silnylon are usually extra waterproof than common silnylon, however you have to evaluate their waterproofing specs to make sure. The chief good thing about the PU coating over common silnylon is improved UV resistance and the truth that the fabric will be manufacturing facility 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 night time and when it will get moist, it’s not as huge a deal as folks make it out to be. Silnylon tents should be manually seam-sealed earlier than they can be utilized in wet climate. Whereas you are able to do this your self, my recommendation could 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 inside tents. Whereas each are vulnerable 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 along with your sleeping bag, quilt, or different gear. The inside 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 normally lowered weight.

If tent condensation ever turns into a problem for you, we suggest carrying a small absorbent face towel to wipe it away. Tent condensation is a small value to pay for lowered gear weight and it received’t kill you until 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 out there beneath the sloping ceiling. Mendacity in your again and gazing a ceiling that’s three inches out of your face will be unpleasantly claustrophobic. Ensure you study the size of the tents you’re contemplating, along with their peak heights.

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

Vestibules

Vestibules are good for gear storage, particularly moist gear storage, and for cooking beneath cowl in windy or wet climate. Most one-pole tents have a single vestibule, whereas two-pole tents usually have two. When shopping for a two-person tent, you’ll positively need two doorways and two vestibules so you possibly can 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 should 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 and not using a main weight penalty since most ultralight backpacking tents are fairly light-weight.

Pole Size

If you select a trekking pole tent, you need to be sure that it’s appropriate with the make and mannequin of trekking pole you utilize you probably have a desire. Fastened-length poles that aren’t adjustable will be tough to make use of with trekking pole tents which have very particular top necessities. As well as, you need to be sure that your trekking pole handles are appropriate if they’ve a non-standard grip.

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