Backcountry tent recommendations

[Teekerguy]

Buddy and I are gonna do our first backcountry hunt next year probably gonna pack in 5-7 miles and set up a spike camp. Would love to hear everyone's experiences with tents in the backcountry and what they would recommend and what I should watch out for in a tent. Thanks in advance

 

[Chesterrose79]

I have a kuiu 2P tent. It's a great tent. A little heavy for the long hiking hunts but 5-7 miles it would be perfect. For the long hauls the 1P tent is good. A fair bit of condensation with the 1P. 2P condensation was not an issue due to it not being completely enclosed.

 

[Huntnpack]

A lot depends on the season & terrain.
Going 1 tent or 2. Counting oz.? Floorless, single wall or double. Tarp, Tipi, Bivy etc.
tell us a little more on your plans & desired use.

I tried a couple options on my last wilderness archery hunt. ( 20 plus days )

First was a Seek Cimmaron tipi. & 2nd was a BA 2p Tiger Wall. Both worked sort of. Figured out I like a floor, double wall, more space, & 3 season rating.
I sold the tipi, just wasn't right for me.
Only space is in the center, gets dirt, dust, bugs inside, condensation, wind blown water from the bottom.
Tried to make it work. But probably won't go back to one.

My pack weight for 5-6 day trips comes in around 30# all up including full Nalgene of water for the pack in & out. I don't scrimp on my sleep system either.

Next tent to try will be a Copper Spur HV UL3 Long Series. Large enough for 2 & a palace for 1.
Several use options & not too heavy.

YMMV

Copper Spur HV UL3 Long Ultralight Tent | Big Agnes

Our Copper Spur tent now comes in a 96" "Long" size; perfect for our longer friends, or anyone that is looking for some extra space. Shop today at bigagnes.com

www.bigagnes.com

 

[Teekerguy]

It will be between September and October use in Northern California so warmer weather but can get into the 30s at night depending on time of year and random rain showers and wind. Yes I would like a floor as well and doesn't have to be the lightest tent around but carrying a little weight for comfort is worth it in my opinion

 

[Huntnpack]

I Agree, I'll take a bit of weight penalty on a spike camp tent for the comfort & extra room.

Comfort in the tent & sleep system pays dividends in the back country !!

In reality a 2 or 3 person tent is good for 1or 2. The dual doors & vestibules are a bonus, as well as the awning feature. I also like some extra length & height. I'll use the UL3 as my solo spike tent as well as a camping tent for 2.
If hunting & moving camp daily I'll maybe use it with fly only option.

YMMV

 

[Reelamin]

First question is how much is your pack going to weigh. Next how long you planning on staying? 3rd sharing a tent or each to their own tent? 4th do you want a heat source in the tent? 5th what is your height and weight?

 

[Teekerguy]

First question is how much is your pack going to weigh. Next how long you planning on staying? 3rd sharing a tent or each to their own tent? 4th do you want a heat source in the tent? 5th what is your height and weight?

Roughly 20-30 pounds (just a guess). 3-4 nights. Each have our own tent no heat source needed and 6'2 205

 

[Reelamin]

If you want to own a couple tents so you can go heavier for a trip like this. I'm not joking when I say this is a great tent for one person. I have a 2P Weanas Pro I bought off amazon for about $100 and weighs exactly 5lb in stuff sack with rain fly. Been in rain, freezing, and summer hikes and hunts works perfectly. I'm 601 210 and can get dressed and lots of room inside the tent. Has vestibule my pack and boots will fit under and lay my rifle inside on the side. They no longer sell it on Amazon yet there were several I would not hesitate to buy and use for under $150. Not interested in spending 5-700 on a tent for 80 percent of the true weather we hunt in.

 

[dfanonymous]

I would not consider a single wall tent. Single wall tents tend to build up a lot of condensation that adds cold.

Budget is mostly the issue with backpacking tents. If you want light, then you spend more. If you want light and strong you spend even more.
3 season tents will be the most versatile, hands down.

My favorite middle of the road tent is the nemo dragonfly. It's very comparable to big Agnes copper spur 1p, which I also have.

A good budget option is the Paria outdoors Bryce 1p. I weighted it, and it was over advertised weight, so, that was the issue with that. For the price it's a good entry tent for those that can handle the weight.

 

[Huntnful]

Six Moons Designs "Lunar Solo". I've spent around 100 nights in one if I had to guess.

 

[tobyscreams]

Xmid for the win. I do have and use a nemo dagger osmo and have the aforementioned Paria bryce as well. The bryce certainly is great for the money, but that's all I can say. It pales against my other tents.

 

[Dean2]

Buddy and I are gonna do our first backcountry hunt next year probably gonna pack in 5-7 miles and set up a spike camp. Would love to hear everyone's experiences with tents in the backcountry and what they would recommend and what I should watch out for in a tent. Thanks in advance

If you can find a place that rents equipment, try a couple of different ones. If not, pickup used ones to try and then re-sell. Used go for a big discount to new [prices and there are lots for sale these days. Using a couple of different models, especially cheap versus more expensive,will quickly help you decide.

 

[sierracharlie338]

A lot depends on the season & terrain.
Going 1 tent or 2. Counting oz.? Floorless, single wall or double. Tarp, Tipi, Bivy etc.
tell us a little more on your plans & desired use.

I tried a couple options on my last wilderness archery hunt. ( 20 plus days )

First was a Seek Cimmaron tipi. & 2nd was a BA 2p Tiger Wall. Both worked well. Figured out I like a floor, double wall, more space, & 3 season rating.

Next tent to try will be a Copper Spur HV UL3 Long Series. Large enough for 2 & a palace for 1.
Several use options & not too heavy.

YMMV

Copper Spur HV UL3 Long Ultralight Tent | Big Agnes

Our Copper Spur tent now comes in a 96" "Long" size; perfect for our longer friends, or anyone that is looking for some extra space. Shop today at bigagnes.com

www.bigagnes.com

You might consider the Nemo dagger OSMO or hornet OSMO tents as well. I was torn between the Tiger wall and copper spur until I started looking at Nemo. I was able to put hands on the copper spur and was concerned with how light the fabric was compared to the Dagger. I was so happy with the Dagger that I have the 2 and 3p tents for me and the kiddo trips.

 

[California hog hunter]

I hunt central California. Probably same weather as you. I use seek outside Cimarron or redcliff depending on people in the tent. I use to use a double wall tent and though floor less was weird until I tried it. I won't go back. For the 5 pound weight of most double wall tents you can take a redcliff way over kill for 1 person.
With my buddy 2 dogs and myself we use the Cimarron. Plenty of room. For one person it's a palace. If you have to wait out a storm you can stand up and move around some. You can have a chair inside. Don't discount the stove either being comfortable will keep you in the mountains longer. The stove and Cimarron weigh about 6.5 pounds if I remember correctly. 1.5 pounds more than a dome tent you can stand sit put all your gear inside. The best thing you won't have to ever crawl out of the tent .