Three-Season Tents

Recent Three-Season Tent Reviews

Tarptent Notch Li

A very light, double wall, pole supported solo tent of Dyneema from an innovative tentmaker. Tarptent is a high quality American tent company that started small and has grown quite a bit in its offerings in the past 20+ years. At this writing I have now owned five Tarptents, including the Notch Li and every one was good in design and quality. The Notch Li gen.2 is now made in China at a premier tent making company and you can see the improvements in build quality such as reinforcement bonding and… Full review

Mountain Hardwear 3 Person Tent

I have been using this tent for 20 years. It's been in two hurricanes 90 plus winds it has never been treated and has never let one drop of water in. Setup: Easy Stability: Great even in 90 plus winds  Weather Resistance: 20+ years has never leaked a drop Ventilation: Vents real well Room: Plenty for two people (three would be real tight) Packability: I use a compression sack (not included). It fits snug in the bottom of my pack and the polls with six stakes go to the side of my pack. Full review

Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2

The Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 UL tent delivers on its promise of light weight and comfort. Take care of your tent and it will take care of you. Setup: The setup uses a single pole. The pole has a two hubs; one in the front for stability, and one in the middle to splay the tent for room. The back of the tent has one pole that runs down the spine. For setup, you lay the tent out, place the three pole ends into the grommets (two in front, one in the back)and then attach the cross pole on the top to the… Full review

ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1

Robust but lightweight tent that massively overdelivers on value for money. I am on my second Lynx 1 having retired the first after five years of solid use. I'd been looking for a lighter one-person tent and saw the Lynx1 online in 2014. It was very cheap so I decided to just buy one and try it out. After five years, a few drops of water started to come through the seams where the poles cross over as the tape sealing started to wear. I gave it away to a friend who needed a one-man tent for less… Full review

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2

Easy, quick setup, performs well even in heavy rains, lightweight. Love it. I have the new 2020 version of the HV UL2 tent. Love it so far. After first watching a YouTube video on how to set it up, I have always been able to set it up in 5 minutes or less. I have slept in weather in the very low 30’s, as well as in heavy thunderstorms with gusting winds and heavy rains. So far the tent has performed admirably.   Though pricey, it does not come with a footprint, so I made my own out of Tyvek (be… Full review

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2

Overcoming the fear of the lightweight material. I have had this for about seven years and purchased on sale at REI and wanted weight savings since my North Face Bullfrog began leaking (loved that tent for over 20 years). I was super skeptical about the material resistance to tears since often have to pitch in interesting conditions. I made a Tyvex floor for a ground cover after getting some tears on the floor both by the rocks and a 90-pound Lab. The tears were repaired with that invisible tape… Full review

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2

The Copper Spur HV UL2 and UL2... A Tale of Two Tents. Big Agnes has been around for about twenty years. Should you require it, their outstanding customer service could not possibly be improved upon. Their stated goal is to produce the best gear possible to help folks get outside and chase their dreams. I think they stand true to that goal. You can learn more about them here: https://www.bigagnes.com/our-story. Copper Spur is the name of this product line. UL stands for ultralight [weight] and 2… Full review

The North Face Stormbreak 1

This tent is basic, but works wonderfully. I have taken it on several two- and three-day backpacking trips. I am a 5'5" female and there is plenty of room inside, and it is light and fits inside my pack very well. I would definitely recommend it for any solo backpacker who is on a budget but wants a quality tent. It is great in the spring, summer, and fall. I have not gone camping with it in the winter yet. This tent is easy to set up. It is color-coded to attach the fly correctly, and the poles… Full review

Kelty Gunnison 2

Disappointed in zipper quality. I purchased a Kelty Gunnison 2 around late October 2019 and was very excited about setting it up. The awning and the three-season build were the selling points for me. The tent has withstood the AZ desert weather and 68 mph wind gusts. However, by the end of Jan 2020, the front zipper began splitting. I was able to fix it to where both zippers were functional, or so I thought. As of Feb 2, 2020, the bottom zipper continues to split and I can only use the top zipper… Full review