Best solo backpacking tent
Equipment
Ok guys and ladies lets have it. I want to know what you think is the best solo backpacking tent made and why?
Tarptent Stratospire 1. Lightweight, 2 vestibules and you can set it up with trekking poles.
Agreed on the Stratospire 1 though I am contemplating getting the 2 for more room in the sleeping area. Not that I need it to sleep, but when the weather gets bad I dont feel so claustrophobic.... It is rated for a snow load but I have not been in a situation to test that yet. TODDY
Mountainsmith Morrison 2 Person, 3 Season Tent (Citron Green), affordable, well built, spacious, bright color visible at night.
Another thumbs up on Tarptent Stratosphere 1. Been through high winds, rain storms, snow and has yet to fail. Two vestibules very useful. I Use one for bow/boots. Back pack in other leaves plenty of room to enter or exit out of either.
One more thought on the Tarptent . The head room is higher than a lot of other solo tents. Comes in handy stuck in storms and having to jet boil and eat your mountain house inside.
You'll find a plethora of answers. One question I have for those that like a model that uses trekking poles: what do you do when you need to hike but want to leave your tent set up? Seems like if you need your poles to hike, the tent would have to be taken down?
MSR Hubba (or Hubba Hubba), Nemo Obi 1 or 2, many good choices it all depends on your budget and needs.
My 2019 MSR Hubba NX is decent, sets up easily and withstood some miserable weather above treeline last fall in N BC...wind, rain, freezing rain and snow. It is a side entry design with a vestibule for pack boots and bow and big enough to sleep in. Glad it had a tub floor when I was using it as snow built up against it when it would slide off the fly. I stayed warm and dry in the sleeping bag inside. This tent, as well as the MSR Hubba Hubba has vertical ends which allow enough room for your feet (size 13) on top of a Neoair pad. I have one of each and rate them as an 8.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 is excellent). Drawbacks would include the lack of decent side pocket to put small items in at night and weight as it slightly heavier approaching 3 #s (forget exact #).
I had a failure Stone sheep hunting with Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 in 2014. It was a windy night with some rain and snow mixed in, above treeline...the tent would blow flat on top of you as the aluminum single pole design wouldn't hold the tent up. I ended up trying to move the tent so my feet would face directly into the wind, but it still got flattened numerous times. Also, my large feet didn't fit into the end on top of the pad (checked it out in the store without a pad in it) due to the low sloping roof. It didn't have a decent vestibule either and the tent got wet inside if it was raining and you opened the door. Definitely buy a tent with a side entry and decent vestibule versus an end entry like the Fly Creek. I'd rate it a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being very poor.
Good luck with it!
This answer will depend significantly on where you intend to use the tent. If you are using it in a dry climate such as New Mexico for elk hunting, just about anything will work. If you're going to Kodiak Island after blacktails, you will want to stay away from the super ultra-light options as the condensation is a killer. I know, I've made the mistake.
My go-to is a Copper Spur UL1. I've also used a Gossamer Gear The One tent, which is one of the lightest options out there. This tent was a mistake in the Yukon but could be great in New Mexico.
Of course, if you're winter hunting you will almost certainly want a 4-season tent.
For a "one for everything" tent, I love my Hilleberg Unna. I use it floorless 90% of the time but nice to have the option for a double wall tent. Free standing makes finding sites much easier in rocky terrain. I sleep like a baby no matter the weather knowing my tent is bombproof.
"You'll find a plethora of answers. One question I have for those that like a model that uses trekking poles: what do you do when you need to hike but want to leave your tent set up? Seems like if you need your poles to hike, the tent would have to be taken down?"
Tarptent sells vertical support poles that you can use in place of trekking poles. They add very little weight if you choose to use those instead.
Hilleberg is known for bomb proof bad weather tents. One nice feature of their tents (at least the models I have used) is the fly and tent are connected so when you erect the tent the fly keeps the tent dry (i.e. when setting up the tent in the rain like in Alaska)
I would definitely say the Hilleberg Soulo. I have spent a bunch of nights in mine in some seriously bad weather. Love it, bombproof!
I've used a Nemo Blaze 2p for the past two years and have been very happy with it. The entire setup is just over 2 lbs and is freestanding with 2 vestibules. Due to the pole configuration, a couple corners sag a bit but for one person it has been awesome. And they're on Expertvoice for anyone who has access to that, got mine for $300 instead of $500
I am now trying out the Lux Mini Peak. You can run it as just a tent or you can run it with the 1 or 2 man insert to make it a double wall. I like that option as you can still use it with a tent stove. So its a 1 man tent with tons of room that has the option of make its double wall and a stove. It is versatile as hell in my opinion and will allow me to flex from PNW to New Mexico for my hunts next year. The Weight is 2.18 lbs or if you go with the inner you are at around 3.3 lbs. It is considered a 3 season plus tent. Sorry wrong link https://luxe-hiking-gear.com/collections/lightweight-camping-tents/products/minipeak-pyramid-tent-system
Looking for my first UL tent as well. After checking out Tarptent I’m in shock! Is it normal to spend $350+ and then have to buy a seam seal kit to water proof your new tent?
I was leaning towards a BA Copper Spur 2. Will I have to seam seal it as well?
