Freestanding tents are the holy grail of backpacking tents on account of they’re often put together shortly nearly wherever, on picket tent platforms, rock, sand, snow, and even climber’s portaledges, with out having to be staked to the underside first. That is significantly helpful in poor native climate when it is best to get out of the native climate and will’t search for a protected tent site or dig one out all through the snow.
Listed beneath are the ten greatest freestanding tents for backpacking that we advocate all via numerous price components and weights:
Most freestanding tents are wedge or dome-shaped, making them terribly native climate and wind-resistant. Nonetheless, freestanding tents are typically barely heavier than non-freestanding ones on account of they need to be self-supporting, with extended tent poles that add further weight. Some two-person fashions may be cramped, significantly ones designed for mountaineering the place consolation is generally sacrificed all through the set up of lowered gear weight. Nonetheless, the expertise of making a freestanding tent is liberating on account of likelihood is you may pitch one wherever there’s flat flooring. That type of flexibility is awfully useful when it is best to get out of the native climate and correct proper right into a safe and common shelter.
1. Huge Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 1
The Huge Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 1 is a well-liked one-person backpack tent and with good motive. This freestanding tent is easy to rearrange and has a spacious inside with a great deal of headroom and vertical sidewalls so likelihood is you may change garments and sit up inside with out touching the perimeters. Off-the-floor storage contained in the type of an outsized ceiling pocket and media pockets present quite a lot of house for private objects you need shut at hand. Weighing merely 2 lbs 2 oz, the Copper Spur is an exceptionally light-weight however fully featured backpacking palace. The freestanding two-person Copper Spur HV UL 2 usually is a hiker favourite.
2. NEMO Dagger OSMO 2 Tent
The NEMO Dagger OSMO 2P Tent is a spacious freestanding double-wall tent for 2 individuals with two doorways and two vestibules. Weighing 3 lbs 6 oz, the tent is made with NEMO’s new OSMO polyester/nylon ripstop materials, lowering rain fly sag when moist and enhancing waterproofing. The spacious inside and pretty only a few livability accents make the Dagger OSMO 2P an incredible tent for tall individuals or {{{couples}}} who need further room to unfold out. Be taught the SectionHiker Dagger OSMO 2 Contemplate.
3. Tarptent ArcDome 2 Terribly
The Tarptent ArcDome 2 Terribly is a 3 lb 5.2 ozdouble-wall freestanding dome tent made with UltraTNT, an ultralight waterproof laminate provides inside the same class of offers as Dyneema DCF. The ArcDome 2 has two doorways and two overhanging vestibules and is an precise four-season tent, with the collection of getting a safe inside or a mesh inside tent for higher air motion in hotter native climate. The tent has two carbon fiber crossing poles inserted into sleeves, making setup simple. Along with, the inside house is offset at a diagonal to provide occupants with further dwelling house.
4. Huge Sky Soul 1 UL Tent
The Huge Sky Soul UL 1 is a one-person freestanding double-wall tent with a entrance door and vestibule. Weighing 2 lbs 3.7 oz, the tent’s cowl is constructed from nylon coated on each side with silicone, whereas the underside is constructed from PU-coated nylon. The tent is manufacturing unit seam-sealed and taped. The inside tent is all mesh. It’s pitched first and might be utilized standalone with out the fly, which clips to the tent’s DAC Featherlite NFL aluminum poles. A barely heavier model might be in the marketplace with tent poles that fold correct all the way in which right down to 12″ for bikepacking.
5. NEMO Dragonfly OSMO 1 Tent
The NEMO DragonFly OSMO 1 is a light-weight double-wall freestanding one-person tent with a generously sized door and asymmetrical vestibule for easy entry and entry to bulkier gear. Weighing 2 lbs 1 oz, the tent is made with NEMO’s OSMO polyester/nylon ripstop materials which reduces rain fly sag when moist. Inside, a gear loft and tools pockets shield belongings neatly saved and out of the simplest means. Hubbed, prebent DAC Featherlite NSL poles with high-arching essential pole considerably improve quantity on the head, peak, and foot ends. White no-see-um mesh on the aspect will enhance privateness, whereas black mesh on the extreme turns practically clear at night time for clear stargazing
6. SlingFin Portal 2
The Slingfin Portal is a light-weight two-person tent that could be utilized year-round in additional excessive native climate (Slingfin was based by Martin Zematis, the one who began Mountain {{{Hardware}}}). Weighing merely 2 lbs 13 oz, it has a singular inside guyline system that offers glorious wind resistance with out further weight. Two giant vestibules and pretty only a few inside pockets present best-in-class livability, whereas its freestanding, dome-shaped exoskeleton makes it simple to rearrange. Kickstand door vents present unrestricted cross-tent airflow for fantastic condensation administration with out sacrificing native climate safety. Be taught the SectionHiker SlingFin Portal Contemplate.
7. KUIU Mountain Star 2
The KUIU Mountain Star is a 2-person freestanding double wall tent with two doorways and two vestibules. The tent has three poles, which might be current in carbon fiber or aluminum. You may as correctly enhance the flexibility of the vestibule cross pole utilizing trekking poles, which is useful in excessive winds or heavy snow loads. With a built-in rainfly and bathtub-style ground, the inside stays protected, even all via setup and takedown, though additionally it is doable to set it up with out the inside tent to cut once more weight.
8. Durston X-Dome 1+
The Durston X-Dome 1+ is a spacious double-wall freestanding tent. At merely 35 oz (985 g), the X-Dome 1+ fashions up fly first and has a diagonal ground plan, offering further lined vestibule house and an extended inside than comparable dome-style tents. Its crossed carbon fiber poles present a extraordinarily sturdy growth able to holding heavy snow loads. The tent is made with 15d excessive tenacity polyester so the fly doesn’t stretch when moist. The fly might even be pitched by itself for winter use, dropping the carry weight to 24 oz.
9. Tarptent Rainbow
The Tarptent Rainbow is within the market in numerous fashions: as a one or two-person tent, as a single or double-wall tent, and made with silnylon or Dyneema Composite provides. More often than not, the individuals stake out the corners and vestibules of the Rainbow after they pitch it on flooring that’s simple sufficient to carry tent stakes. Nevertheless it will even be put together as a extremely freestanding tent by connecting the corners to the tops and bottoms of a pair of trekking poles. There’s no add-on bundle required. You’d set it up that technique often throughout the event you wished.
10. MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1 Tent
The MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1 is easy to rearrange and well-ventilated. Freestanding, the pole configuration creates an inside house with near-vertical partitions and an rectangular ground plan, enabling using a giant 25″ sleeping pad. Along with the doorway vestibule, there is also an inside gear loft and garments line for drying your moist socks. With a path weight of two kilos and 6 ounces, the Hubba Hubba LT 1 is a bombproof shelter that’s nonetheless light-weight sufficient for one specific individual.
Freestanding Tent Choice Necessities
When evaluating freestanding tents, it helps to analysis the native local weather circumstances you anticipate to make the most of the tent in, because it’ll inform the diploma of tent pole power and breathability required.
Tent Air motion
Tents dwelling residence home windows, doorways, and vents are Vital to chop again and scale back inside condensation. That is achieved by preserving the door(s) open when doable, via peak and aspect vents, and in some conditions via using breathable wall provides. You presumably can by no means have an excessive amount of air motion in a tent, though the addition of doorways and zippers may end up in elevated weight.
Tent Pole Development
Most freestanding tents have two or three crossed poles, anchored inside or exterior the tent partitions. Exterior poles which can be anchored in sleeves are fairly a bit stronger than poles that hook up with an inside tent utilizing clips or velcro tabs. They’re barely further wind-resistant and able to withstanding heavier snow loads.
Inside Tent House
Freestanding tents designed for prime alpine mountaineering use are usually smaller and additional cramped than these designed for four-season use on account of weight financial monetary financial savings are so very important when it’s a ought to to climb many tons of of toes to attain your journey spot. When choosing a tent be lifelike about your measurement and width necessities, significantly when deciding on a two-person wedge-style tent.
Variety of Doorways
Tents designed to carry two occupants are further cozy and helpful to make the most of within the occasion that they’ve two doorways and vestibules on account of likelihood is you may come and go along with out waking your tent affiliate. Dome-style tents typically present larger lined vestibule storage, which may make an enormous distinction in livability.
See Furthermore:
Research Out All of SectionHiker’s Gear Guides!
SectionHiker is reader-supported. We solely generate income for individuals who buy a product via our affiliate hyperlinks. Assist us proceed to look at and write unsponsored and impartial gear opinions, newbie FAQs, and free mountaineering guides.
