One of the heaviest tents in its category. Other designs with a fixed modality for set-up didn't do as well in this category. He is a thru-hiker, cyclist, and runner, logging thousands of miles on trails and roads over his lifetime. Like other tents and tarps made from Dyneema, the StratoSpire is expensive. While you might find yourself dropping a wad of cash on your next ultralight tent, some come at a higher value than others. While the investment is a big one, it's worth the cost. Some of our competitors, side-by-side, lit up against a beautiful night sky. (Imagine the gait of a seven-foot-tall hiker. We also love the Ultimate Direction FK tarp that can easily be set-up with poles or your bike. For each, we took the time to weigh each total product and its components. Being able to boil water for a cup of coffee and stay dry on a cold and rainy morning will be more than worth the extra ounces that come from the waterproof zippers and corner ventilation flaps. Got feedback? However, the bug netting is heavy (one pound, thirteen ounces) and expensive, which ends up negating some of the cost savings of this mid. The construction (as Big Agnes points out on their website) is fragile, and the fabrics can puncture and rip easily. On the downside, it's a bit of a tight squeeze for two people. The Duplex Flex Upgrade in all its glory. (Extra long guylines wrap around rocks.) With practice, almost all of these ultralight tents and shelters become easy to use. Testing the Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Carbon to see how it sheds snow. We even update four times a year! While both offer adequate protection, the double-wall ultralight tents we tested struggle to handle a strong wind as well as the products above and need some serious guying out in heavy weather. The two interior trekking poles provide a stable design, especially in the wind, but they set up in the middle of the tent, rather than on the edges like most other trekking pole tents (which can present an issue if you like to cuddle your partner). Of them, it's not surprising that solo options with less material are lightest. That said, if you want a very adaptable, super weather-resistant, fully enclosed shelter that will never have you lamenting the trade-off in space or comfort, then this is the ultralight tent for you. While many may not be able to or want to afford its high price tag, we do believe the uber-light design is unparalleled. Derek sets up the Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Carbon with ease in under four minutes. This tent has everything you need (including poles) at a super low weight. Of the two-person tents, the Black Diamond Beta Light (1.35 pounds, stakes included) once again shines. This means if a storm is going through the night, you'll need to re-tension it. That said, you can skimp on livability to opt for the lightest or the most packable, but it's important to know what conveniences you're giving up. An enormous amount of floor space; tall, steep walls make it super spacious, Can be set up with an airflow gap or flush to the ground, Needs a single center pole longer than the average trekking pole, One of the most expensive shelters in the review. The floorless design offers excellent airflow, preventing condensation build-up. Those built with Dyneema offer the best lightweight protection. GearLab is reader-supported. Chris is a gear junkie who is constantly tinkering with his kit, making choices based on freedom of movement above all else. While we did get snowed on pretty heavily a couple of nights while testing these shelters in the Himalayas (with very mixed results) and the Colorado mountains, some ultralight shelters provide more protection than others. When camping in windy Nevada, this kept us up at night with the tent poles bending and the fabric hitting us in the head! This ups the overall shelter system weight and costs a bit. It took several attempts to figure out this package before we had to look it up online to see how it worked. While this shelter is stable and reliable in poor weather, it has some serious flaws. Between torrential rains and swarms of insects, this is a perfect, unforgiving environment for our comparative testing. Between them, most of our testers found the Tiger Wall 2 Carbon to be the easiest to set up without consulting directions. It also has six pole-compatible high-quality grommets around the edge. This tent is set up easily (with practice in under three minutes on softer terrain). The Beta Light comes without a floor or bug net, while the Distance Adaptor is a fully enclosed option that sets up with trekking poles. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Support poles are in the center of the living space. Keep in mind that both the price and the weight are for the tarp without the trekking poles needed to set it up or the stakes required to keep it affixed to the ground, so you will have to figure in the money and weight attributed to both. Bringing these shelters made for a great kitchen, sleeping area, with the ability to bring more food for more conveniences when remote and cold. This ultralight palace is costly; some will find that the weather protection, at such a low weight, makes it worth every penny. The Zpacks Duplex, Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Carbon, Nemo Hornet 2P, and Durston X-Mid 1P (2.34 pounds, includes poles and stakes) all have a double-wall construction. The X-Mid 1P being tested in the San Gabriel Mountains. The tents scoring highest here are those with large storage vestibules, good ventilation, and additional storage. When packing for a week-long stay on an Alaskan Glacier we needed to seriously consider the weight we took along the way. (Flex upgrade: 11 oz), Total: 1 lb, 10 oz, floor and bug net: 11.5 oz, fly: 14.1 oz, Total: 1 lb, 14.5 oz, fly: 18 oz, inner: 9.5 oz, stakes: 2.5 oz, stuff sack: 0.5 oz, stake sack: 0.2 oz, Mid: 1 lb, 7.7 oz (bug insert with floor = 22 oz, bug insert w/o floor = 13.4 oz), Total: 1 lb, 5.6 oz, tent: 1 lb 1.3 oz, stakes: 3.8 oz, stuff sack: 0.5 oz, (bug netting and floor 1 lb, 13 oz - sold separately), 20 denier 420 thread-count 100-percent polyester, Amazing weather and bug protection makes this one of the most popular thru-hiking options and our first choice, This is the comfortable shelter you want when waiting out a storm, Lightweight, affordable, comfortable, adaptable, and built to last, A spacious, expensive, and high quality single-wall pyramid tent, A very affordable and spacious pyramid tent with great protection, While the price is incredibly high, we appreciate its semi-freestanding superior performance in weather and on long hikes, A spacious single wall tent at a relatively affordable price, Lightweight and bombproof, this shelter will keep you dry and bug-free on solo sojourns, A versatile, incredibly lightweight tarp shelter that provides a bomber design, Luxurious and spacious trail living in a lightweight package, A reliable and affordable pole-constructed ultralight option that is easy to set up, One of our favorite tarps, it presents high value and great performance, A warm single wall tent with full enclosure and a sturdy build, Light and packable, perfect for bikepacking, running, and hiking, More luxury than a bivy sack but doesn't quite cut it as a traditional tent. This feature makes it much easier to make micro-adjustments in the middle of the night. This provides the opportunity to make your shelter more adaptable to any type of terrain. The Black Diamond Beta Light (1.35 pounds, pyramid tent) and the BD Distance Adaptor (1.99 pounds, semi-freestanding) are both the least expensive. The Durston X-Mid 1P is absolutely amazing. A great option for bike packing. The second most adaptable designs were the three pyramids the Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid 2, the Durston X-Mid 1P, and the Black Diamond Beta Light. For such a thin nylon exterior, we are surprised at its level of durability and protection during storms. Endlessly curious and reflective, he is invigorated by the beauty, the challenges, and the rewards that come with traversing wild landscapes. The NEMO Hornet 2P is a free-standing tent that is one of the easiest to set up with good water resistance and features. The Dyneema fabric is incredibly waterproof and will stand up in high winds and rain. The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Tarp uses 16 perimeter tie-outs and four more found on the face of the tarp; there are many options for tailoring this tarp to the environment in which you'll be spending time. The Tiger Wall 2 Carbon is the most packable but also the least durable of the group. That said, the condensation build-up isn't a problem. As such, all the products tested are light and packable. If you're out with a smaller backpack and you want a reliable, ultralight shelter, this is definitely one to consider. GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. So it can be transformed from a double-wall construction into a single wall. Regardless, if you are in the market for a tarp and want the best one we have ever used, look no further than this excellent design. This tent requires two trekking poles and eight stakes (ultralight and included) for setting up, limiting where you can set up. Being able to keep your sleep system dry during a stretch of a few rainy days in a row is a huge morale boost. It is complete with plenty of headroom, upping its livability score. This four-sided pyramid is fully enclosed in top-quality DCF material, ranking it right up there with the very best for weather protection. If you don't like carrying trekking poles or are on a ski or river trip, Tarptent offers a pair of support poles for an additional cost. Breaking down camp before heading up the Larkya La Pass, up the valley to the left, which at nearly 17,000ft. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Weather (and bugs), of course! The Kammok Kuhli is much less expensive and only weighs 0.84 pounds (four stakes included). To be frank, the lowest cost is ultimately buying a tarp and rolling it into your pack. A look at the ultra-spacious Hyperlite Mountain Gear Square Flat Tarp; one of the best tarps you'll find on the market. Made with top quality DCF fabric ensuring durability and waterproofness. The weight of poles, stakes, and the tent. Another reason why the Kuhli wins a notable mention for its great value as a tarp. Of the three tested, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Square Flat Tarp is the lightest advertised shelter weighing only 0.64 pounds (no stakes or extra cord included). The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Square Flat Tarp and the Kammok Kuhli may seem pretty simple but offer a huge array of ways to set it up for changing weather conditions. The Kammok Kuhli UL also offers remarkable adaptability with its eight different guy lines with trekking compatible grommets; there's no need to tie the string off to your poles. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison. If you want a super inexpensive option and looking to upgrade from a traditional tarp, the Kammock Kuhli (0.80 pounds) is an excellent option that packs small and fits into small spaces of your bag. Finally, it's on the more expensive end of the spectrum. Derek and his pup enjoy spacious headroom in the Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Carbon on a backpacking trip into the Gunnison Gorge, early Spring in Colorado. While pyramid designs are versatile enough to bear the load of heavy snow, most of these shelters are for three season use, and typically lack the structure necessary to withstand the weight of a severe snowstorm. Of the three, however, the Durston X-Mid 1P stands out in that it is transformable while remaining under the two-pound threshold for ultralight shelters. These can easily be modularized to carry only the body of the tent if you want to eliminate even more weight. The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Square Flat Tarp pitched in super low storm mode without stakes. Third, the light material is see-through at night, so you'll have to decide if you're okay with that. Once we figured it out, setup takes only a few minutes. While there are many positives, this tent is not perfect. Having enough breathing room is important not only for comfort but for keeping your sleeping bag and the rest of your gear as dry as possible too. The same goes for set-up since the X-Mid pitches fly-first. The whole strut system looks complicated, and we were scratching our heads at how this shelter could be one of the lightest and have additional features not seen on any other tent, but the Tarptent folks pull it off. Our testing is objective and based on well-founded unbiased and hands-on research. With a built-in bug net and full floor, summer nights will have you safe from flying pests, while the Dyneema fabrics wick and shed water without any absorption, even after hours in a downpour. To make a tent adaptable for different seasons, modular add-ons are quite common. That being said, the weight savings of a tarp cannot be ignored. North Cascades, WA. The materials retain their shape, with the tent shedding away any unwanted moisture and snow. The Ultimate Direction FK Tarp offers a fixed design and does not come with all eight stakes you need, weighing 0.80 pounds with a profile just a tiny bit smaller than the Kuhli Kammok UL. If you buy the Tiger Wall's footprint, you can take just that and the tarp to make for a super lightweight bivy with the poles and stakes. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Square Flat Tarp in the North Cascades, WA. The price of the Black Diamond and the Durston are almost identical, but the X-Mid is far more luxurious. DCF fabric, formerly known as Cuben Fiber, is completely water proof, and will not absorb water either, meaning it won't stretch or sag when it gets wet. This one stands out as the interior tent is a continuous fabric (not bug netting), which makes the interior tent weather-resistant as well (even without the vestibule). A good option for bike packing or as an emergency shelter. At an incredibly light and most packable shelter option at a reasonable price. The minimalist design, premium materials, functionality, and comparatively low price make it one of our highest-rated ultralight shelters. With enough time and practice, anyone can enjoy the versatility and freedom that comes with tarp shelters. The Aeon Li is one of our favorite solo tents; one of the reasons being that you've got plenty of headroom with built-in bug protection. We camp with our friends, set them up in our backyards (when travel isn't an option), and take them to a variety of climates around the world. Dedicated pole tents are the second easiest category to set up. We consider livability to be one of the most important considerations because if it's not comfortable, it's not a worthwhile purchase. The StratoSpire Li is the lightest but requires you to carry some additional poles. Read review: Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Carbon. We also love that you can strip it down to its bare essentials, removing the protective inner to create a floorless pyramid that still protects well in harsh weather thanks to walls that extend all the way to the ground. The ability to add or remove floors or bug nets also added points to a shelter's adaptability. One tester just opted not to use it and use trekking poles instead. We've used them in storms, blustery weather, cold and icy conditions, and in the desert heat, to give you an accurate account of their strengths and weaknesses. Tarps are the hardest and most time-consuming to set up, especially in wind or rainstorms. While we think the performance is worth the cost, not all people may feel that way. Those with more adaptable systems have more tie-off points that you can add in. Did we mention there's enough headroom for a seven-foot-tall person (or Sasquatch) to fully sit up? The Ultimate direction design is a bit easier to set up than others and offers a bit more protection than square and catenary cut tarp set-ups. Since both are flat, they can deploy easily in a low to the ground storm mode and do a significantly better job of protecting against both rain and wind than in A-frame mode. Best of all, it packs down into a stuff sack far smaller than any other in this review.