OnYoLeft

My wife and I have finally used our old 6 person Coleman tent to its fullest life and it's time to replace it this year. 14 years is a pretty good run. I'm looking for a lightweight (under 5#), 2-3-4 person tent. I have a 2 person bivvy tent but you can't sit up and change clothes in it. Does anyone have any suggestions for new or old tents in the $150 range.

KrisPistofferson

REI closeouts are always pretty helpful.

rmwun54

How about this tent, https://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...berId=12500226
I use this one for backpacking and have been in the rain so I know it will hold up for the worst of weather if needed. Light and roomy for two with two doors which is a plus and the price you can't beat.

natelutkjohn

Talking about campmor, I just bought the Mountain Hardware Mountain Jet 2 from last year at a web bargain price of only 149.00! Originaly $230. Great deal and an increadible single wall tent, but it does weight 5lb, 14oz fully packed, a little heavier then the 5lbs you mentioned.

https://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...uctId=37881687

Dougmt

Another place to look into is killer deals
They have some good buys. I like our marmot swallow for a tent... it's great for me and my two kids... but it's not a family tent.
D

Dougmt

NICE... marmot mercury but maybe a little heavy???

My tent
swallow
But I got if for just over 100 several years ago..
D

balto charlie

I just bought a TNF Tadpole for 149.00 from JB3 warehouse. https://www.jb3.com/store/
It's a 2 person, free standing, under 5 lbs. I also got free shipping because of Valentines day sale(over now) Someone just posted a bigger tent for 3 under 6lbs from Mnt hardwear. Don't recall the name. Do a search in the touring section.

Bekologist

150 bucks doesn't buy you much of a tent; however, the Kelty Gunnison 2 is nice, same with the REI half dome($159), both are freestanding. A Kelty Crestone 2 is 4 pound 2 oz, not free standing, 140 bucks. Eastern Mountain sports makes a few domes under 150, though I haven't seen them. Why not splurge a little, and get a real nice, lightweight tent? 200 bucks gets you a four pound, two door MSR Zoid 2.Stay away from the Mountain Hardware jetstream series, they are sweatboxes due to the single wall, waterproof/nonbreathable construction. Like sleeping in a garbage bag with vents.
For bike touring and ski mountaineering, I just bought a Black Diamond Lighthouse for 299 and tax. A big, spacious tent for 2 (3 in a pinch) and gear, freestanding, under 3 1/2 pounds. It's the size of a small loaf of bread, plus the poles. And, I don't think you're going to find a 3 or four person tent under five pounds unless you splurge $$$$ for a Bibler/BD, Integral Designs, or a Hilleberg. Or sleep under a teepee tarp like the Mountain Hardware Kiva. Teepee tarps are also prone to condensation.

Miles2go

OnYoLeft,

I've been researching my A$$ off on tents because we're due to buy as well.

You set a pretty hard standard...$150 and sub-5 pounds. That's a small and not necessarily well regarded crowd. I figure the best you can do aside from asking us touring folks is to search for reviews written by backpackers. These can be found on sites such as Outdoorreview.com, Trailspace, Backpacker, Epinions and so on. There's often a reason that many of the single wall tents are found in the bargain basement, condensation. Not *all* single wall tents have this issue but try reading some reviews before you buy one.

Here's one that looks pretty good on paper.

Another nice site for additional photos and specs

And if you spend an extra $30 you can have the 3 person version. It's better to have the biggest version possible if you are going single wall. This reduces the chances of noticeable condensation issues.
For $180 here's the 3P

And finally here are at least a few legit opinions from owners.

Good luck out there!

Cheers,

Ron
Utah...for now
Jasper, Banff, Calgary & Edmonton this July

hoss10

I have a Sierra Designs Clip flash lite which I really like. Really light and cheap, only downside is it is not freestanding.

tibfibfracture

I'm planning on using my S D clip lite to go to Ireland this May. It's stood me well on backpacking trips both solo and with 1 other person. Very light 41/2 Lbs. Even though it's not 'freestanding' it is easy to put up, has room for 2 (or 1 with gear inside). and has stood up to wind and snow on Mt Hood and Mt Adams quite well. It's everything I can ask for in a tent at 41/2#.

Belugadave

Here are some nice ones https://www.alpsmountaineering.com/Li...ht%20Tents.htm I have the Mystique 2 and love it. My wife and I have used it for bike touring and for backpacking. Two doors and two vestibules give two people their own space. It's got great ventilation, but also a full coverage rainfly for the downpours. Just over 5 pounds and you can get it for less than the full retail price of $139 on the web page.

late

Hi,
the Backpacker Gear Guide issue is on the stands right now.
Even if you don't buy it, you will get some ideas.

rat

Coleman Exponent Inyo

Sleeps 1 and gear comfortably, 2 in close, but tolerable quarters. Light and the most compact tent I've seen - About the size of a loaf of bread and maybe 1.5 kilos so it fits across a rear rack. Sets up fast - I'm down to about 7 minutes.

bradw

I used my REI membership discount (20%) + last year's dividends ($13.60) to get an REI HalfDome 2 tent.
It's 34.5 sq ft, 42" heigh, 5lb9oz tent. The tent was $159, but after discount and dividend it was about $114. Also got the footprint for $25. There were lighter options that either had less space and/or cost more. I'm not too concerned about weight so the Half Dome seemed like a good idea. Last year I used a Eureka Solitaire bivy style tent and found it way too cramped. But it was only $70.

balto charlie

My experience has shown that the single wall tents are humid. Even the best ones are mediocre. They are meant for the mountains dry cold air. If that's where you ride then go for it but if you are in the valleys and the lowlands I would go with as much screening as possible and a fly. This is especially true for the mid-atlantic and southen regions of the country. Just my 2cents. Charlie

cyccommute 

The Zues is an okay tent. I used it in 2003 in Iowa and Missouri. It does get a bit drippy inside overnight. You need to use something to keep the top vent open (I used a flashlight clipped to the tent) so that vapor can escape which keeps the humidity down a bit.

The tent is light and packs very small.

For the mountain states this tent is ideal, but then you could wrap the tent in Saran wrap here in Colorado and not have any condensation in the tent.

Stuart Black

valygrl

I used the Zeus Exo 2 on my coast to coast tour last year, and for 2 months in New Zealand.

Pluses: Fast easy setup, light, small. cheap.

Minuses: condensation. Even though it is free standing, it really doesn't work unless you stake it out - condensation becomes truly unbearable. Also, it's too hot when it's hot out.

I thought the biggest problem with the single wall setup was that if you put it away wet (on the outside) when you unpack it it's wet on the inside too. So if it rains 2 days in a row you are S.O.L.

Anna

rnagaoka

Funny...I was just about to do the same thing with my dividend.

Slightly over 5 pounds, but what's a few extra ounces? I really like the 2 vestibules/doors.

Here's a very positive review of the tent:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journ...ge_id=6768&v=4

OnYoLeft

Thanks to everyone who offered their advise.

Our first two choices were the Eureka Zeus Exo 2 for its weight and the Kelty Teton 2 for its price. I went shopping this past weekend to Sportmart, Galyan's & REI to see what they had in stock and compare prices to the internet.

We got lucky today as we strolled into a Gander Mountain and found a little stuff sack on the shelf marked for $90. It seemed around 5# and they didn't mind if I set it up to make sure all the parts were there. They even offered us the conference room so we wouldn't be in the middle of the store. As we started to lay it our we noticed that it was a nice floor size. We started looking for all the features everyone here mentioned in a new tent.

What we found was a demo Eureka Isis 4. A double wall construction dome tent that has a 7' front width x 8'4" deep x 6' rear width, center height of 3'8", complete with 2 aluminum poles, 8 stakes, screened top, rain fly with window and vestibule. Best of all, it weighs only 5#9oz and packs down to 6" x 20".

Unfortunately, I can't find this model anywhere online so I don't know what the true retail price was but I would compare it to the Kelty Gunnison 4 w/o the 2nd door. It's marked down from $210. Anyway I believe it's a great deal and definitely lighter and packed smaller than our old Coleman 6-man. Thanks again everyone.

Dougmt

... and there ya go. Welcome to the tightwad clearance club. You will now notice that it's hard to buy ANYTHING that isn't marked down at least 50% :-)
D