Let’s be honest now, do you actually even NEED to buy a travel tent? With an abundance of cheap hostels, nice airbnbs and moving trains to sleep on, you may well be wondering if modern backpackers need to burden themselves by hauling a tent around with them.
But hear me here. A backpacking tent offers you a home. Anywhere you go, be it parks in the urban sprawl or glorious remote vistas in the wilderness, you’ll have your home with you!
Camping out in the woods, on the beach, or at the foot of some mighty mountain is a truly amazing way to reconnect with nature. I love to camp and have been lucky enough to camp out in over fifty different countries across five continents. Plus I saved a hell-a-lotta dough on accommodation costs in the process too…
In this in-depth post, I’ll condense my years of traveling with a tent down and review the best tents for backpacking for all budgets and styles of travel – cheap tents, light tents, hiking tents, travel tents. It’s a goddamn tent city and we’re finding you a sweet crib!
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- Quick Answer: Best Backpacking Tents for 2024
- The 5 Best Backpacking Tents of 2024
- How to pick the best backpacking tent for you?
- Thoughts on Camping Hammocks
- How and Where We Tested To Find The Best Backpacking Tent
- FAQ about the Best Backpacking Tent
- So, what is the best tent for backpacking?
- Buy Us a Coffee!
Quick Answer: Best Backpacking Tents for 2024
- Overall Best Tent for Backpacking –> MSR Hubba Hubba
- Best One Man Tent –> REI Co-op Trailmade 1 Tent
- Best 3 Person Tent –> MSR Hubba Hubba
- Best Ultralight Backpacking Tent –> Nemo Hornet
- Best Hammock Tent –> Lawson Blue Ridge Hammock Tent
- Best Bivvy Style Tent –> Crua Hybrid
- Jump to –> Backpacking Tent Reviews
MSR Hubba Hubba 2
- Price > $549.95
- Weight > 3.25 lbs.
- Capacity > 2 Person
- Free Standing > Yes
Nemo Hornet
- Price > $429.95
- Weight > 2.5 lbs.
- Capacity > 2 person
- Free Standing > No
REI Co-op Trailmade 1
- Price > $179
- Weight > 4.6 lbs.
- Capacity > 1 Person
- Free Standing > Yes
Lawson Blue Ridge Camping Hammock
- Price > $207.71
- Weight > 4.25 lbs.
- Capacity > 1-2 Person
- Free Standing > No
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL 2 Solution Dye
- Price > $449.95
- Weight > 1.13kg
- Capacity > 2
- Free Standing > Semi free standing
The 5 Best Backpacking Tents of 2024
#1 Overall Best Tent for Backpacking: MSR Hubba Hubba
- Price: $549.95
- Weight: 3 lb. 4 oz
- Dimensions: 84 x 50 inches
- Size when packed: 4.5 x 19 inches
Discover the perfect blend of lightweight design and robust performance with the MSR Hubba Hubba tent. Weighing just 3.5 pounds, this tent is a backpacker’s dream, offering an incredibly spacious interior without the extra weight. Its durable construction, intuitive setup, and eco-friendly materials make it an ideal choice for any adventure. Enjoy ample headroom, two large vestibules for gear storage, and a mesh canopy for ventilation and stargazing. The Hubba Hubba stands out for its quick assembly, compact packing, and adherence to high environmental standards, ensuring that your outdoor experiences are not only comfortable but also sustainable.
While it IS expensive at $500, it’s a great bloody tent. MSR is one of the most respected brands in the backpacking tent and gear industry and they have seriously decent customer support – when you buy an MSR tent it comes with a lifetime warranty so you can see it as an investment, it’ll be the last tent you ever have to buy!
Finally, the MSR Hubba Hubba comes in three sizes, 1 man, 2 man and 3 man. We have tried all of them. The one in the picture is the One-Man.
- Ultra Light Weight
- Great weight to space ratio
- Leading material in technology
- Lifetime warranty
- Expensive (but the lifetime warranty makes it worth it!)
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Join REI Today!#2 Best Ultralight Backpacking Tent: Nemo OSMO Hornet
- Price: $429.95
- Weight: 2lbs 8 oz
- Dimensions: 85 x 51 x 43 in
- Size when packed: 7.5 x 12.5 inches
Check out our epic full review of the Nemo Hornet here!
Step into the future of backpacking comfort with the Nemo OSMO Hornet tent, where innovation meets affordability. Priced competitively, this tent offers exceptional value, combining Nemo’s cutting-edge OSMO fabric technology with a design that’s both ultralight and ultra-durable. Weighing barely over 2 pounds, the OSMO Hornet is an ideal companion for hikers and backpackers looking to minimize their load without sacrificing space or comfort.
Experience the OSMO difference with its advanced waterproof and breathable fabric, ensuring you stay dry and comfortable no matter the weather. The tent’s spacious interior, innovative pole structure, and two-door design provide ample room and easy access. With its quick setup, compact pack size, and focus on sustainability, the Nemo OSMO Hornet is not just a shelter but an investment in comfortable and eco-conscious adventures. Enjoy the wilderness in a tent that balances price, weight, and remarkable living space, making it a smart choice for any outdoor enthusiast seeking value and performance.
- Ultralight
- Well designed
- Two doors
- Waterproofing has mixed reviews
- So does it’s strength
- No lifetime warranty
#3 Best One-Man Tent: REI Co-op Trailmade 1 Tent
- Price: $179
- Weight: 4 pounds 9 ounces
- Dimensions: 88 x 36.5 inches
- Size when packed: 7.5 x 22.44 inches
Are you a backpacking enthusiast searching for a practical yet sustainable tent? This 1-person, 3-season offering might just be the one. The REI Co-op Trailmade 1 prioritizes usability with eco-friendly construction. REI is a Climate Neutral Certified brand, meaning it’s a great way to look after our planet whilst backpacking.
Weighing in at 4 pounds 9 ounces, this tent won’t slow you down either on the trails or backpacking around a new town. Packing down to an incredibly small 7.5 x 22.44 inches, it’s the perfect compact companion for your next adventure. Where it might be small when packed down, it opens up like a tardis when pitched. With floor dimensions of 88 x 36.5 inches, it offers a spacious 20 square feet of floor area and a height of 41 inches. On top of that, you’ve also got a super useable 9.5 square feet of vestibule area which is perfect for storing your gear.
One of the areas that we really love about this tent is the way in which its construction reduces its carbon impact. REI’s commitment to sustainability can be seen in its use of recycled materials and solution-dyed mesh meaning no harmful chemicals have been used during the process to make it fire retardant.
Need more options? Check out our list of the best one-man tents for some more ideas.
- Lightweight
- Pretty durable
- Low Price
- Center seam can tear
- Entry level
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#4 Best Camping Hammock Tent: Lawson Hammock Blue Ridge
- Price: $207.71
- Weight: 4.25 pounds
- Dimensions: 90 x 42 inches
- Size when packed: 6 x 22 inches
Hammock tents are super versatile, well made and can be set up like a normal tent on the ground if needs be – this offers the best of both worlds. If you are looking for a quality one-man tent for backpacking but also want to hang out on the beach in a hammock during the day, the Lawson Hammock Tent offers incredible versatility and best of all these bad boys are tough and you can put them through hell.
This particular hammock tent comes with an integrated mosquito net to keep bugs out and a waterproof ripstop nylon rain fly to keep you dry (it actually rained hard when we tested it too). It’s also easy enough to put up despite the novel design. They felt it wasn’t overly complicated to put up despite being a very different design than they were used to.
Super lightweight
Best of two worlds
Seriously cool
Not cheap for a hammock
Not everyone likes hammocks
#5 Another Great Travel Tent – Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL 2 Solution Dye
- Price: $449.95
- Weight: 1.13kg
- Dimensions: 90 x 42 inches
- Size when packed: 6 x 22 inches
Big Anges have really outdone themselves with the Tigerwall UL Solution Dye series. Now being their smallest and lightest tent, it is designed to be the perfect travel companion for 3-season multi-day trips. When this parcel arrived in the post, at first, I thought I had the wrong order; it was way too small for a 2-person tent. How wrong I was. Every tiny detail, from the poles to the pegs have been meticulously thought about to reduce every single gram – yet maintaining that balance of strength and structure. Boasting their solution dye fabric, this tent doesn’t just reduce weight; its fabrication even has a reduced energy and water usage – making it one of the most eco-friendly tents on the market too.
The single pole structure is made with DAC Featherlite NFL aluminum. It comes in a Y-shape with a small, built-in T-bone to add the necessary dimensions, while also creating a super-fast build time. The inner canopy is made of a breathable ripstop nylon/polyester mesh which allows perfect airflow with a bug protector. It has a large built-in pocket for storage.
As much as I love the Big Anges Tigerwall, like everything, it comes with its flaws. The footprint is made of the same Silicone-treated ripstop Solution Dye nylon that the raincover is made from. Although this maintains that super ultralightweight design, I can see it ripping. This is the only disappointing part of the design of this tent for me.
#6 Best Bivvy Tent for Backpacking: Crua Hybrid
- Price: $279.99
- Weight: 6.6 lbs
- Length of Sleeping Area: 6.1ft
- Size when packed: 29.1 x 13.3 x 13.3 in
If you’re looking to travel light, quickly and lay your head wherever you can, then the Crua Hybrid might just be for you. This tent is probably one of the most versatile on the market at the moment and for backpacking it makes the perfect accompaniment for those on a real adventure.
Whether you choose to use it as a bivvy or hang it off the nearest palm tree as a hammock, you’ll be able to bed down whenever and wherever the need arises. Luckily, the tent is made up of super-strong and durable rip-stop polyester meaning wherever you put it night in night out, it will last the course of your trip!
Make no mistake, this thing is most definitely a one-person tent but that doesn’t mean it isn’t spacious! The interior of the tent is a mummy shape meaning it’s tapered for the wider parts of the body and it features a pretty large vestibule for the style of tent. This area is not only ideal for keeping your gear but it can also be used by those who want a bit more headspace.
Another great feature of this tent is the integrated anti-bug mesh meaning during the warmer months or whilst travelling around tropical areas you can pull the waterproof flysheet off and let the breeze blow through without getting eaten alive. It also makes the tent less claustrophobic than you might imagine for a bivvy-style tent.
The tent is predominantly designed for the summer months but it can be combined with the Crua Culla Solo, an insulation insert built specifically for this tent. This adds not only insulation for the winter months but can also be used to keep out the blazing sun as well as acting as a sound and light barrier for the ultimate night’s sleep. But of course, this is to be purchased extra and does add extra weight to your pack.
- Ultra Light Weight
- Hybrid design can be adapted to different travel styles
- Super durable
- Quick and easy set up
- Small!
| Name | Weight | Temperature Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feathered Friends Swift 20 YF | 1 lb 15 oz (Just under 1 kg) | 20 F (-6.7 C) | $479 |
| Sea to Summit Spark Quilt | 12 oz (.5 kg) | 54 F | $399 |
| REI Magma 15 | 1 lb 14 oz (Just under 1 kg) | 16 F (-7 C) | $389 |
| Marmot Trestles 20 | 3 lbs 1 oz (1.4 kg) | 30 F (0 C) | $179 |
| Sea to Summit Trek TKII | 2 lbs 6 oz (Just over 1kg) | 18 F (-8 C) | $319 |
| Kammok Thylacine 20 | 1 lb 15 oz (Less than 1kg) | 15 F (-9.4 C) with liner | $349 |
| REI Co-op Joule 21 Sleeping Bag – Women’s | 2 lbs 3 oz (1kg) | 21 F (-6 C) | $320 |
| Marmot Never Summer Sleeping Bag | 3 lbs 3 oz | 0 F | $301 |
| Nemo Disco 15 | 2 lbs 3 oz (1kg) | 15 F (-9.4 C) | $319.95 |
| Feathered Friends Hummindbird UL 20/30 | 24 oz | 20 F (-6.7 C) | $539 |
| Nemo Forte 35 Sleeping Bag | 2 lbs 2 oz | 35 F | $159.95 |
| Exped MegaSleep Duo 25/40 | 5 lbs | 25 F | $239 |
| REI Co-op Magma Trail Quilt 30 | 1 lb 4 oz | 30 F (-1 C) | $299 |
| Feathered Friends Swallow YF 20/30 | 28.7 oz | 20 F (-6.7ºC) | $469 |
Ten years ago, I hit the road with almost no money in my pocket, a battered tent and an old camping stove. I hitchhiked my way across Europe, thriving on a shoestring budget and having an incredible adventure. Since then, I’ve personally tried and tested dozens of backpacking tents in my travels.
If you’re a long-distance hiker, your needs will be pretty different to a backpacker traveling around the world. Weight is arguably the most important factor to look at when choosing both a travel or hiking tent and personally I would never carry a tent that weighs more than 5 pounds – it’s just too heavy.
Personally, I opt to go for a light and compact tent which I can pitch quickly. All of the tents that I’m reviewing weigh under 5 pounds and are quick to set up but some of them are lighter, or faster to set up, than others.
Price is obviously an important factor and if you’re on a budget, your choices are plentiful! Once upon a time, cheap backpacking tents were dogshit, falling apart and breaking before long. These days, however, many kickass companies have stepped up to the plate and offer some seriously good cheap tents; so much so that we have a roundup of the best budget backpacking tents!
Think carefully about what you need your personal tent for and how many people you envision sleeping in it. Most of the time, three-man backpacking tents only weigh a little bit more than two-man tents so if you will be camping with a buddy, it’s well worth picking a three-manner and taking the extra sleeping space.
Two-man backpacking tents can be pretty cramped, especially if you want to roll around a lot. 😉
Considerations to make about your backpacking tent.
When choosing the best backpacking tent for yourself, here’s what you should consider…
- Size when packed
- Size when open
- Price
- Weight
- Pitching time
- Season
- Functionality
- Durability and strength
Having a backpacking tent with you opens up a whole new world of possibilities – you can save a ton of money by camping and if you’re hitchhiking you really MUST have a tent as there is no way of knowing where you’ll end up sleeping!
If you are on a long-term budget adventure, having a tent for camping really is a necessity as it will save you so much cash and gives you so many more options. A backpacking tent not only saves you money in the long run but frees you up to stay in a place you otherwise could never have stayed in. Some of my most memorable travel experiences were only possible because I was camping.
Check out the comparison table and detailed tent reviews below so that you can choose the best backpacking tent for your needs.
Now, you could spend a fat chunk of $$$ on the WRONG present for someone. Wrong size hiking boots, wrong fit backpack, wrong shape sleeping bag… As any adventurer will tell you, gear is a personal choice.
So give the adventurer in your life the gift of convenience: buy them an REI Co-op gift card! REI is The Broke Backpacker’s retailer of choice for ALL things outdoors, and an REI gift card is the perfect present you can buy from them. And then you won’t have to keep the receipt. 😉
Buy on REI!Thoughts on Camping Hammocks
If you just don’t want to take a tent, at least take a hammock! Camping hammocks are compact, light and give you a ton of freedom.
If you’re travelling solo then I would suggest getting a hammock rather than a tent (depending on where you are travelling) or even getting both as a hammock opens up a whole new world of outdoor sleeping… Check out The 10 Best Camping Hammocks to find the best backpacking hammock tent for you or, if you’re feeling lazy – buy this one; it’s the best value camping hammock around (but it can’t be pitched on the ground like the Lawson Blue Ridge).
Also, if you ever want to step up your camping game to another level, check out our epic review of the best rooftop tents.
| Name | Weight (lbs) | Capacity (People) | Dimensions (CM) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSR Hubba Hubba | 3 lbs 4 oz | 2 | 213.36 x 127 x 101.6 | 549.95 |
| Nemo Hornet | 2 lbs 8 oz | 2 | 215.9 x 129.54 x 109.22 | 429.95 |
| REI Co-op Trailmade 1 | 4 lbs 9 oz | 1 | 223.52 x 92.71 x 104.14 | 159 |
| Lawson Hammock Blue Ridge | 4.25 lbs | 1 | 228.6 x 106.68 | 199 |
| Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL 2 Solution Dye | 2.49 lbs | 2 | 228.6 x106.68 | 449.95 |
| Crua Hybrid | 6.6 lbs | 1 | – | 299.99 |
How and Where We Tested To Find The Best Backpacking Tent
The only way to really test a tent out, to be honest, is to get all up inside it! So in the name of science we took each tent out for a proper few nights camping to give them all a proper old test drive and find you the perfect backpacker tent!
In order to fairly and consistently assess and compare them to one another, our testers applied the following metrics to each of them;
Packed Weight
You can go onto a tent manufacturer’s website and find out what the packed weight of a tent is but that KG/Ibs number only really comes into sharp focus once you’re 5 hours into a hike, halfway up a mountain and your shoulders a screaming bloody murder!
The lighter a tent feels when strapped to your back, the better, simple as that! Either way, you’re going to want a compact tent for backpacking.
Packability (Packing and Unpacking!)
One of the most annoying features when it comes to tents is twofold. The first is pitching and unpitching. No one wants to be messing about with an overly complicated tent in gale-force winds and a downpour! Equally, many tents can be a nightmare to pack back into the inhumanly small bags they come in. Again, having to be a master in origami to get the thing back into its bag is no fun for anyone!
Our testers awarded each tent points for being easy to pack and unpack and deducted points for being difficult. Fair enough right?
Warmth, Waterproof and Ventilation
When you spend a night sleeping in a tent, you really get to know it. Nothing brings into reality those temperature ratings until you’re freezing your arse off for hours on end or alternatively spending the night rolling around in what feels like a tropical swamp!
Insulation and ventilation are key components to a good tent and an enjoyable experience! One great way to really get on top of your temperature rating outdoors is a solid insulated tent.
Obviously, when assessing the warmth and ventilation capabilities of a tent our testers took into account the weather and the sleeping bag they were using.
In terms of testing out the waterproofing, if our testers ended up somewhere dry, they just went back to basics and threw a whole heap of water over it! Leaky mofos were sent packing!
Spaciousness and Comfort
Tents are not exactly designed for throwing parties (ok, some are) unfortunately… but I mean, we can try! Either way, you still want to have enough space to sit up and store your gear.
Again, this is something you only really get a feel for after spending a night inside a tent which is exactly what we did.
Build Quality and Durability
All of our testers were instructed to subject tent poles to a good bit of good-natured force, look closely at the seam sewing and take notice of the thickness of the fly sheets.
As a side note, ultralight tents are not as durable as heavier ones so there is always a tradeoff between longevity and packed weight when it comes to this type of tent.
FAQ about the Best Backpacking Tent
Still have some questions about the best tent for backpacking? No problem! We’ve listed and answered the most commonly asked questions below. Here’s what people usually want to know:
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So, what is the best tent for backpacking?
I decided to break down all the information you really need to pick the best tent for backpacking so hopefully, you have found this post useful and can now pick out the best tent for your needs.
If I had to pick one overall epic tent for backpacking I would say go for the MSR Hubba Hubba.
So pick up the best budget solo backpacking tent and head out there! Happy camping amigos!
Found the right tent? Now check out the best backpacking sleeping bags to put inside!
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