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AND THE WINNER IS...
REI Roadster $129
It's fast and sleek—just like a real hot rod. We're betting everyone will want to jump in.
Why It's Cool: Setup is a snap—the fly can stay attached to the tent body in its stuffsack, meaning all I had to do was slide in a pole and pull out and tension the corner struts. >> Granted, my five-foot-six frame doesn't fill up most tents, but with 15.5 square feet of floor space, the two-pound-ten-ounce Roadster is the roomiest one-person abode I've ever slept in. The vestibule was large enough to protect my pack and boots, as well as to allow easy entry and egress, even when the rain was sheeting down. >> Thanks to umpteen ventilation options, every nocturnal slumber proved to be a condensation-free experience.
Hmmm... The Roadster could do with a few more inches of fly coverage over the foot of the tent. During one cloudburst, the exposed lower section of my sleeping bag ended up damp.
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Kelty X1 $160
If you want a tent that says "solitude," look no further.
Why It's Cool: Kelty has included features found on its more expensive tents on this three-pound-nine-ounce wonder, including noiseless zipper pulls (Shhh! Don't wake the neighbors!), a 20-square-foot bathtub floor with seams located above potentially puddling water, and a unique clamping system that secures the fly to the tent pole for maximum stability. >> While the vestibule is tiny, you can house a moderately sized weekend pack inside a waterproof nylon pouch that telescopes out of the side of the vestibule—a kind of "pack condom," if you will.
Hmmm... Bummer: There's no way to open up the tent door in a storm and not have rainwater drain from the fly and the sky onto the tent floor. |
Eureka! Zeus 2EXO $170
The price tag and solid performance in moderate weather make this lightweight single-waller a bargain.
Why It's Cool: With unique "exoskeleton" poles that secure with oversize clips, this three-pound-ten-ounce tent is easy up, easy down in almost any weather. >> Generous side vents, a mini-vent in the vestibule, and another in the roof keep things airy and relatively condensation-free inside. >> Despite a simple two-pole construction, the design remained remarkably stable even in the face of gusting winds that sheared off branches, toppled nearby trees, and left me ducking for cover inside the tent.
Hmmm... I couldn't secure the side vents against splatter from pelting rain, meaning the floor gradually became damp. >> With nearly 33 square feet of floor space, it's a wee bit cramped for two people. |
L.L. Bean Light Stuff 2 $175
With its sturdy three-pole construction, this three-season tent will carry you diehards right through the fall and stand up to light winter conditions.
Why It's Cool: Color-coded webbing tabs and poles made this tent the easiest of any in our test to set up. Without instructions or coaching, several testers managed to put it together in just two minutes. >> A clear vinyl window lets light stream in, and large mesh panels keep the cool air flowing—even when the tent is snugged down against the elements. >> The six-pound-four-ounce tent shrugged off wind and turned aside sheeting rain.
Hmmm... At 32 square feet, It's a tad snug inside, even for two really close friends—and with the single door and side opening on the vestibule, whoever ends up sleeping on that side gets a good look at butt and feet every time the tentmate enters or departs. |
GoLite Den $199
Bed down in this nearly perfect two-person minimalist shelter.
Why It's Cool: I know it's a two-person tent, but frankly, at only three pounds nine ounces, the Den makes a one-person Taj Mahal. >> Setup is quick: Slide the two poles into their respective sleeves, stake out the corners, and guy out the tent. >> To save weight, the Den forgoes the traditional front vestibule. Instead, a rear window zips open, furnishing access to a space large enough to shelter two pairs of boots.
Hmmm... The four very long and very black guy lines extending from the top and sides of the front entrance are accidents waiting to happen. |
Mountain Hardwear Waypoint 2 $250
This tent's mantra: "Eliminate ounces, not comfort."
Why It's Cool: The Waypoint's 32.5-square-foot floor is welded, not stitched, to the walls, making for a cleaner, leakproof design. >> Big guys take note: A single arching aluminum pole provides nearly 42 inches of headroom. An included but optional rear strut support increases both ventilation and legroom. >> Things stay plenty fresh and breezy inside the two-pound-nine-ounce tent, thanks to swaths of netting. >> Plastic windows keep the view in sight, and watertight zippers on both side-entry doors shut out the weather.
Hmmm... Open the door in a shower and water runs down onto the floor. |
MSR Ventana $250
Rendezvous at your own international space station.
Why It's Cool: The front vestibule is large enough to accommodate an ultralight-freak friend who left his shelter at home without first checking the forecast. >> The rectangular floor design—27 square feet—and relatively vertical sidewalls offer generous space for two full-length sleeping pads to lie side by side. >> Opening the front vestibule door is like lowering a wall—a particularly inviting option on early mornings just as the sun is coming up.
Hmmm... The top of the tent is somewhat flat, and moisture tends to pool. While no leakage did occur, it was disconcerting to look up and see a small lake forming. >> MSR opted against a zippered door in the second vestibule—gear stashed back there is accessible only from the inside, via a half-door.
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The North Face Salamander 23 $250
The company behind last year's Gear of the Year-winning tent delivers another fantastic shelter.
Why It's Cool: Shall we begin with the 40-square-foot interior? You could fit three very good friends inside for slumber, or host an evening of gin rummy for six. >> Both vestibules are large enough for added gear and protected in-and-out from the tent. >> Three poles keep the six-pound-ten-ounce Salamander standing strong in the face of anything Mother Nature tosses its way, including a large branch that fell right on top. I experienced no runs, drips, or errors—though my heart rate markedly accelerated for a while there.
Hmmm... The tent did not offer as much ventilation—just a small skylight vent—as I would have liked. A few above-door vents would really help open things up. |
Sierra Designs Hyperlight AST $299
This is one of the roomiest freestanding tents we've seen.
Why It's Cool: Thanks to SD's optional Footprint ($44)—essentially a tarp floor—you can leave the tent body behind and pack just the fly and poles for a three-pound-four-ounce minimalist shelter that's roomy enough (43 square feet) for three. >> The freestanding design is easy to put up and a snap to move around, should you want to relocate. >> We love the removable attic ($18), which features a zippered pocket for eyeglasses and a clothesline for laundry. >> The Hyperlight hardly moved in the face of howling winds, and for that you can thank Jake Lah, the genius behind Jake's Corners, SD's proprietary pole-tensioning system (not pictured). When attached to the tent and the tent pole, the two short struts on the Corners bolster the tent mightily.
Hmmm... Thanks to the trapezoidal floor shape, tall campers have to sleep facing opposite directions—a real bummer if your tent is pitched on a slight slope and you're the chump with your head downhill. |
ExPed Sirius $319
A suspended-tent design means pitching is a piece of cake.
Why It's Cool: A huge front door and supersize vestibule make entry and exit from this six-pound-three-ounce tent a breeze, even with two of us heading out at the same time. >> Small vents over the back window and the front door supported decent flow-through ventilation. >> The tent body "hangs" beneath the fly, making the Sirius both very easy to set up and very weather-resistant. Despite heavy winds and equally heavy rains for three days running, everything inside the tent stayed high and dry.
Hmmm... Ventilation could be improved. By simply making the vent hoods larger, and perhaps adding more mesh to the back window, the often-still air that sits heavily in a closed-up tent might actually move on through. |
Marmot Hypno $349
This inviting shelter is appropriately named for the Greek god of sleep.
Why It's Cool: Every visitor to "tent city"—the top-secret shelter proving grounds for the Outside Buyer's Guide—let out a comforted sigh after clambering into the Hypno. Why? The colors, baby. Yellows and oranges cast a warm, cozy hue over the interior, and that—combined with the rather generous 37-square-foot living space—creates a shelter one wants to linger in, not race to get out of. >> Two doors, on opposite sides, make getting in and out of the five-pound-13-ounce Hypno a snap. >> A pair of narrow, castle-like vinyl windows adds to the light and ambience.
Hmmm... The vestibules are too darn small. While nothing is simple, I'd venture that a few more guying points and a vertical wall around part of the vestibule would open things up a bit. As it is now, little else fits, save a pair of boots. |
Hilleberg Nallo 2GT $530
The greatest swedish import since Ikea.
Why It's Cool: The minimum weight is four pounds ten ounces, and the vestibule is large enough to hangar a Cessna—model-size, of course, but you get the point. >> Setup is incredibly easy, thanks to single feed-through poles. >> Because of the tunnel design and guy-outs, this tent fared as well as the best dome tent we tested. >> Interior space is superb (30 square feet of floor), and the huge door allows the easiest entry and exit of all the shelters seen on these pages.
Hmmm... The only real ventilation point is the main door to the vestibule. >> OK, so it ain't cheap—but neither is a shiny new Volvo. |
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