Three-Season Tents

Recent Three-Season Tent Reviews

Durston X-Mid 1P

Excellent value in an innovatively designed, lightweight, and well thought-out solo tent by UL hiker Dan Durston.   This solo tent is a good option for folks seeking a good balance of light weight, space, simple/fast pitch, and strength in various conditions. I think the design is very innovative, allowing poles to be placed to the side so that entry/exit is not obstructed by poles. The floor has a diagonal shape inside a rectangular-based fly. The separate mesh inner clips into the fly at the… Full review

MSR Hubba NX Solo

Great tent! Lightweight yet can handle a strong rainstorm with no problem! Easy to set up. Great backpacking tent! This is far and away the best tent I've ever owned. I had the opportunity to use this tent during a weekend of heavy rain. The remnants of a hurricane impacted the Carolinas while I was hiking the Appalachian Trail. I was pounded with heavy rain throughout the night. Because of a poor location choice, mud ended up flowing between my footprint and floor. I remained dry! This tent is… Full review

LightHeart Gear Duo

Easy setup. Other reviews here suggest this tent is difficult to set up and needs practice. I have to disagree... I just bought this tent, and set it up for the first time. I had no problem whatsoever (and I am not an engineer). Very self-explanatory. And I am a newby backpacker who hasn't set up a tent in over 10 years. The vestibule space is very roomy compared to others I researched. Recommend the carbon poles for the vestibule. Full review

Eureka! Solitaire AL

It ain't a tent and it ain't a bivi! It is small, lightweight, but does the job. Bought one of these 3 years ago and  had a good run with it in alpine three-season travel. It has a flimsy tray ground sheet and had to have a sturdy footprint made from Tyvek for my purposes. It is waterproof, storm proof pitched tail to the wind, the space inside is low, you can't sit up, but worst of all in bad weather there is no possibility to cook inside without having rain inside the entrance on the ground… Full review

Eureka! Solitaire AL

Great, affordable one-person, three-season backpacking tent. I purchased this recently (summer 2020), so it came with the aluminum poles. I wanted a small, lightweight backpacking tent. The dimensions are what they are: this is a one-person (two adults could squeeze in in an emergency) low-profile tent. It goes up easily. However the stake positioning can be somewhat confusing at first. I love the roof zipper that allows standing access and egress, and the attached fly. Two triangular internal pockets… Full review

Luxe Outdoor Sil Hexpeak V4a

Very sturdy, easy to erect, and spacious shelter that makes use of trekking poles or ridgeline. Much less faff than threading poles through sleeves and spills wind very efficiently. Various configurations for inside make this a very versatile lightweight shelter. I have really enjoyed using this tent over the last few weeks of summer. It comes in Forest Green or Desert Brown (I opted for green). There is also a four-season version with a snow skirt. The construction seems sturdy and well stitched… Full review

Academy Broadway 6-1/2-Ft. x 7-Ft. 3-Person Dome Tent

I have two of these tents. After all these years, they are still standing up well. Overall, they are lightweight, strong, and versatile. Backpacking or backyard play, they are great! Full review

Big Agnes Big House 4 Deluxe

Great car camping tent, absolutely love the pockets inside as well as the nearly straight vertical walls. Orange, yellow, and white colors do tend to attract bees, wasps, and other bugs that like bright things. The combination of pole sleeves and pole hooks seems to give the tent a very solid frame. Only thing I don't care for about it is the rainfly. I use it in wet Western Washington. The fly comes nearly to the ground on the two solid sides, but on the front and back door sides the fly stops… Full review

REI Half Dome 2 Plus

Good tent with a few flaws. Fairly lightweight. I've carried this on trips as long as 56 miles. Roomy for one, cozy but manageable for two. Love the vestibule and dual door design for two-person use. Great windows without the fly, but keeps rain out with the fly. Easy setup and take-down. Footprint should extend beyond tent for better protection, tends to flop around. When the fly is staked with string it has a gap that convects air up under the fly and through the tent; with no window covers there… Full review