Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Light weight tent recommendations

whats everyone using for tents when they are backpacking? I will be hunting solo 5 to 7 miles from the truck.

Where, and what month(s) of the year?

Montana, September and October, 6,000 to 9,000 feet elevation.

OK, so bow season. Temps are generally pretty mild here then and a bomber tent isn't really needed. Any good single man bp tent with a mesh interior will be fine.

I have a variety of 1-man tents, but one I really like is the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1. As of the last couple years it can also be had in a pleasant sage green color.

Another good one is the Tarp Tent Moment with a partial solid interior...

Brad,

Thanks for the input that’s a solid looking tent, definitely in the weight range I was looking at.

Region 6:

I also own several 1-man tents.

I own both the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL-1 and the UL-2. The UL-1 weighs about half a pound less than the UL-2. My UL-1 tent has two vestibules; a full size vestibule and a smaller vestibule. But can't use the smaller vestibule from the inside of the tent, no connecting door. It has less cubic volume and therefore less room. It's OK for one night.

But when I expect to spend several nights in a tent, I use my UL-2. It has two full size vestibules and both are accessible from the inside of the tent. Has more room and additional functionality. The extra weight is worth the extra room IMO.

My UL-1 is not the HV (high volume) version. Might make a difference? Might be about the same as a UL-2? I suggest that you take a good look at both of them.

Both tents are 3-season tents. Don't expect them to perform well in later seasons.

KC

I am simple, and only require the basics....so a floorless tarp is good enough for me. I use a Kifaru ParaTarp, which is stupidly light, sturdy and indestructible.

Even late season, snowy hunts can be done with a floorless tent if you use a pad, bivvy sack and a good bag. Water condensation on your cloths and boots gets into floored tents, and won't leave, which is why I have gone floorless.

I use a Eureka Spitfire 1 for my early season solo elk hunts. Works great and can be purchased new for a little over $100. I leave my Klymit pad and 20 degree down bag in it, roll the whole thing up together and carry it that way. It weighs a little under 8# complete with Tyvek footprint. I probably have $200 in it total. Too many ants and bugs around here for tarps and floorless tents. Not to mention the occasional snake looking for a warm place to sleep.

Marmot Tungsten 2P or 3P.

Plenty of bugs and ants where I hunt too....but a properly placed floorless tent won't have any more of them than a bathtub tent will.

Snakes on the other hand.....god that would suck. Where I elk hunt I have never seen a snake, other than small water snakes adjacent to the creeks. I have no plans to backpack hunt in normal antelope country or deer low country, where I do see rattlers. I am not a fan of those things...

No doubt the lightest way to go is the tarp. The idea of the tarp I like. I may have to do a trial run with a harbor freight tarp and see if I can hack it.

I ought one of these this spring, to replace an older tarptent. Its a bit better design and quite a bit lighter than my old protrail. Its 16oz and while you can tarp with less weight the Aeon also offers full bug protection. I have only used it 3 nights but its a gem.

https://www.tarptent.com/product/aeon-li/

I prefer a 2 wall tent (I despise condensation) but the Aeon li has my attention... I don’t use trekking poles (I use a cane), so I’d need a single pole, increasing its weight. For now I’ll stick with my Nemo Hornet Elite 1P or MSR Hubba HP. But were I trying to lose a bit more weight than the Nemo, I’d go with the TT Aeon li. It seems to be a great design.

When I need a tent, for the most part a double wall tent is preferable. I don't have a good, light one right now.

When I'm carrying a tent, backpacking, right now I'm using a Tarptent ProTrail. Previously a Notch. Comparing them, each has pros and cons. What I really liked about the Notch was side-open. For me it's a lot easier to get in and out of without dragging dirt, sticks, and [bleep] into my tent, plus easier to sit inside with my feet out to lace up my boots. On the other hand, the ends of the Notch are both low and I had problems dragging my head against the tent material when I'd sit up or try to get dressed inside and wind up wet. I decided the end-entry negatives were more than offset by staying drier.

Most of the time when I'm hiking, rather than a tent, i use a bug bivy and hang a tarp if I need it. I have 2 bug bivies I use fairly often. First is from bearpaw wilderness designs. Seems like when I've mentioned this in the past, a lot of people here have reported problems with the product and with customer service. I haven't had problems with mine so I haven't had to test their customer service. Guess I got lucky. Anyway, its a thing to be aware of I think. The other I use is an REI Bug Hut I. The BPWD bivy includes a tub so no ground sheet is needed. The REI unit requires a ground sheet. From the waist down it drapes directly over you/bag. From the waist / chest up, it is a "square dome (2 crossing poles) with really good head room. I often don't unpack the tarp but I carry it. I have 2. Mostly I carry a Mountain Laurel Designs monk tarp but I also have a z-packs hammock tarp.

For me the need for a tent is colder weather and wind ... or more extended bad weather where I'd want to hunker down for a day or two. The single wall tents, even staked against the ground, don't seem to completely block wind. I'm not in any hurry but I'm definitely eying one person double-wall tents. In the mean time, I haven't used it, but the plan to carry me over is a regular bivy. Don't yet know if I can use it w/o too much condensation. If you are going to be hunkered down in a tent for a while, it's worth the extra weight of a 2 person tent even for one person. In old days I carried an REI Half Dome everywhere. Later when I was hiking more dry weather, it became my car camping tent. After the poles finally disintegrated, I replaced it with a Marmot Limelight 2. Both remain marginally viable, though heavy, options probably worth the extra weight if you'll be in the tent a few days.

Tom

Thanks for all the replies guys, I have the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL-2 on the way.

Tom

For a 1 man I'd have gone UL1... it's about the largest one man out there. However, if you're ok with the additional weight there's no reason not to do the UL2.

My CS HV UL2 in action:

For those in need of replacements or repairs of tent poles...I've had great results with this small company in Vancouver, WA:

https://tentpoletechnologies.com/

Lots of good recommendations here. The last couple of years I have been using the Hilleberg Niak in all seasons, no major plans to change.

Brad,

It was a toss up UL1 or UL2. I went UL2, thinking if I encounter bad weather, I would be more comfortable. Also I have two young boys and sooner or later they will be tagging along.

Go read the reviews on that Big Agnes Copper Spur junk they call a tent. If you want drooping poles because the elastic weakens after just a year or a leaky tent or stitching coming loose or zippers that require two hands to operate, keep it.

https://www.bigagnes.com/Copper-Spur-HV-UL2

"I came back home and wanted to test it in the controlled setting. So, on a rainy evening I setup Copper Spur HV UL2 and Flying Diamond 8 tents in the back yard and observed that Copper Spur HV UL2 had water seepage from the floor but Flying Diamond had water under tent but didn't seep in. I wonder if it's because Copper Spur has 1200mm floor coating vs Flying Diamond's 1500mm. I'll be return this tent because it doesn't serve the purpose for me here in Texas and worrying if I get hit by the rain."

If you want a real tent that actually lists the specific fabric it is made of on their website, and the leader in the industry, cancel your Big Agnes order and go buy a real tent. You can thank me later.

There’s a reason Mountain Hardwear tents rule Everest, and have for years. They’re the best.

And the big big big positive, they no longer spray the chemical fire retardant junk on the tent fabric that you have to breath all night.

https://www.mountainhardwear.com/as...cgid=equipment-tents-backpacking#start=0

P.S. Mountain Hardwear Aspect 2 has a 1500 floor.

P.S.S. Big Agnes response to their leaking floors:
"Water likes to move and with a thicker footprint water can be pushed up through the floor of the tent. In those circumstances you will find that not using a footprint is a better option."

Instead of building a bulletproof tent, just don't use a footprint, so you'll wear out / damage the floor sooner. LMAO

Makes perfect sense to me. It's not a huge weight penalty for the UL2... I freely admit I have too many tents

Myself, my wife, and friends have used four different versions of the CS for the last 10 years, including the current HV model.

For what they're meant for, they're fantastic tents... and unlike you I'm not guessing from my mom's basement in Texas.

Some years back, UL1 & UL2 CS's in the September MT highcountry...

Look at you Brad. You look like a Narcissistic flamboyant phaggot flailing his arms around to draw attention back to you, because you have to be the center of attention, and in your mentally sick state of mind, you think I attacked you directly, when such never happened, so you come at me with your insults when I never addressed you here to begin with.

I simply pointed out for Tom, Region6, Big Agnes’s latest product has numerous people unhappy, and customer service ignoring them and raking them over the coals with only an offer of 80% credit, instead of backing the product 100%.

You injected yourself into a discussion between the OP and I, which did not involve you, just so you could continue your cyber-stalker bullying Narcissistic behavior towards me.

You debate like a Communist by only quoting me partially, and leaving out the crucial and verifiable facts, just like all Communists do when they side-step, obfuscate and attempt to deflect away from the subject matter.

An intelligent person would have gone to the link I posted, and come back with a statement like, “After reviewing the comments on the Big Agnes website concerning that tent, I might have been lucky with my tent, and KC too. It looks like Big Agnes might be going the way of Leupold and Marlin. I have to take back my recommendation here.”

Your actions here show you don’t have much horsepower between your ears, so expecting any intelligence to come from you is hopeless. Posting a picture of a four season camp when the OP will be camping and hunting in a three season situation proves how desperate and crazy you are to draw attention to yourself.

And it’s fun posting from the basement when I get to watch you fall all of the way to the ground, after pushing you off your pedestal.

Now go find your bucket, and go play with the cat dung in your sandbox.

P.S. 200+ people have read this thread, and seen you make a fool of yourself. Just an FYI.

So you've never seen or used the product, but know "all about it."

Classic.

He’s read the reviews. Isn’t that enough? 🙄. Pun intended.

But hey, 200+ people now know what an azzhat the slayer dude is. The reviews on him CAN'T be wrong.

Gorgeous!

I've got a couple of "expedition" 4 season+ tents and love MH gear, but even a "3 season" can be used in Winter conditions if temps are moderate, winds are modest and snowfall is light. Tent footprints can enhance water-resistant flooring and alleviate lower performance specs. Seams can be reinforced and sealed etc., etc.

I still want one of the MH Hunker military sniper/spotter tents...

We had a MH Trango-2 for many years. It was pretty warm, and bombproof, but heavy at around 9 lbs.

In honesty, we never used it to it's full design potential, so we eventually sold it, and went the floorless tipi route.




Floorless 6-man with Ti woodstove, total weight about the same as the Trango-2.

I'm still using an SL-5 for September hunts (discontinued) so I can't add any specific recommendations for the OP. Except that I like floorless tents for the early seasons, the SL-5 and similar single-pole tarp tents have some of the best square footage to weight ratios going and I like to be able to pitch them with space at the bottom for ventilation when I need it. Not good with any snow load but that's rarely a problem in September here.

For later hunts I use a Kifaru 8-man tipi and stove. Not light but worth the weight to have a wood stove when it's cold out. May have to check out a smaller one to save some weight, the extra room in the 8-man is nice, but really unnecessary most of the time.

I'm not sure how the Kifaru compare, but on the SO tipis, the 8-man is only about 8-9 ounces more than the 6-man. You might have to drop down to the Kifaru Tut, or Sawtooth to get a significant savings in weight.

the Tut is what I use...

Is that the Tut, crashed out on your bag??

Don,
What is your little pards name? A few members have that same breed I think - or your dog keeps photo-bombing others pics. 😬😎

Finn.

You'd know Finn if you saw him. He's the good-looking one.

Just bought one myself. Not super UL but a good chance it will be still standing if the weather turns sour. Only used mine once so far and liked it a lot.

Lots of good recommendations here but I absolutely love my Hilleberg Soulo for a one man tent.

Plenty of room in the vestibule for your pack, rifle, food or whatever and they are bombproof in the wind/snow/rain or whatever.

pretty impressed with the sawtooth

just spent 4 days in it on a bear hunt

Met Finn, good looking dog! Don on the other hand....

I either used a GoLite Shangrila 4 modified for a stove (teepee style, no longer made) when cold, or the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL-2 when not so cold.

I haven’t done a lot of backpack hunting in the last few years, but a recent summit of Kilimanjaro makes me want to start backpack hunting again. Luckily, I still have most of my gear.

Congrats on the climb!


Now, you only have to travel less than two hours (in any direction) to be...in it!

I've used a couple of dozen different lightweight shelters over the years, but ponied up for a Tarptent Aeon Li this spring- it arrived the same day I was heading out the door to get to the start of this year's Bob Marshall Open- set it up quickly in the backyard and decided to roll the dice with an unproven shelter. Turns out my instincts were pretty good, lot of rain on this trip and the Aeon proved out well. Mine is 16 oz on the nose w/ guys AND stakes (7). Has a very small overall footprint, so it fits into spots that many shelters wouldn't. Plenty of room for one and a decent size vestibule. It's definitely not in the bomber category, but wouldn't hesitate using it early season.

Thanks for the report. Based on everything I've been reading I will own the Aeon Li...

I use hilleberg tents. Not the lightest but I never wonder if. Y tent is going to get blown down or get through a week long storm.

Aeon from this weekend

How has condensation been?

not bad; it has a really neat setup with mesh encircling the entire bathtub floor, it also has in the two rear corners mesh openings- these can be closed if conditions warrant

of course the full front mesh helps significantly and even in lighter rain one side of the vestibule can remain rolled up

I always carry one of those little micro fiber cloths (multi-use) and can wipe any condensation that has formed, but haven’t needed to yet (that’s with several very rainy nights)

Great to know... I had a TT Rainbow, and it was a condensation collecting beast.

I’ve been using the Hilleberg Akto and Staika.

Anyone have any experience with the Big Agnes UL2 Super Scout? Any feed back would be greatly appreciated.