2 Person Tent – 3 lbs or less. Cast your votes!

REI Quarter Dome 2 weighs 3 pounds?  Wow, the weight has come down a lot since I bought my T2 pluss 5 years ago.  sorry don’t have opinions on the others

Thats quite a list. You could pare off some of those if you decide on a single or double wall. A couple more if you want a free standing or other. The smaller list might make it easier for folks to narrow in on their advise.

stratospire

My opinion:  ‘at least…84″ long’ is not a very meaningful constraint.  Two reasons…first, there are tents out there with floors 100+ inches long that won’t hold as long a hiker as an 84″ floor on other tents.  Length is meaningless if you don’t know how steeply sloped the end-walls are.  (The same is probably true for width, but IME it’s less an issue in that dimension.)  Second, virtually every tent is at least 84″ long.  I’m tall, so the very first thing I consider on a tent is length, and I don’t ever remember seeing one (outside of kiddie tents) less than 84″.

You might get better info if you state your real need.  E.g., “must sleep a 6’2″ hiker in a down bag on a 2.5-inch air mattress”.

The REI Dash ckecks all your boxes and is currently on sale. 2 lbs, 7 ozs “trail weight” meaning you don’t use the 3 stuff sacks and replace the steel stakes with something much lighter. Only mentioning this because you listed the Quarter Dome 2.

Good point Todd.  Actually your example is spot on.  I’m 6’2″ 190 lbs.  Sleeping in an EE Quilt with a neo air xlight 76×25 pad. And I want to be able to have another person sleep with me with at least a 20″wide pad.

I’m open to single or double wall and I guess my preference would be more towards free standing.

Lunar Duo for the wife and I. Its a palace.

+1 on the Lunar Duo.  My wife and I find it very roomy. I’m 6’1″ 200# and use a Xlite pad. It has plenty of extra length for me.  The straight sidewalls mean plenty of headroom, we can both change clothes at the same time without elbowing each other, or sit up and play cards if it’s raining.

Walt

I considered the Big Sky Mirage but settled on the Revolution 2P for less condensation in wetter climates. It’s a great tent, 5″ longer than your minimum and a bit wider, tapering from 53″ down to 47″ with a lot of headroom. Freestanding and sets up in less than 2 minutes. Design is quite similar to the Hilleberg Soulo but roomier and lighter. It has worked well for me in rain, wind, and a couple of inches of snow. Build quality is excellent, no Suzy Homemaker zippers like you’ll find on some of the competition. Custom options will bring the weight down some if you have the cash.

Nm

No love for the LightHeart or MSR? The Freelite 2 looks especially interesting for a nearly free standing double wall tent given the weight.

Zpacks Triplex.  24oz, 60″ wide x 90″ long.  Cost: $$$$

Zpacks has a couple of options that look really good except for 2 things:  price and doors that open down which I really dislike.

Where I purchasing…

“Frestandng” –  MSR Freelight

Trekking pole supported – ZPacks Duplex

But anyone who has read my posts already knows that :)

The Lunar Duo is a great tent. You don’t appreciate the spaciousness of a tent until you have to spend the better part of a day in it to ride out a storm. It’s not bombproof, and if you’re going to consistently be in snow or very inclimate weather there are better options, but for most backpacking applications I think it excels.

Wow, I have a Duplex and could be convinced to carry one of these tents, especially the Freelight — so many good offerings these days under 3 lbs! Not like the bad old days when I schlepped a Eureka Timberline and thought it was da bomb, lol.

However, keep in mind that most of the ‘2-person’ tents these days won’t actually accommodate 2 people comfortably. Even with the Duplex, it’s just me and the dog, but if I were getting something for 2 people on a regular basis I’d definitely take Kenneth’s suggestion and get the Triplex.

However, the SMD Lunar Duo does have a good reputation for actually having plenty of room for 2 adults. To me, that’s really the bargain in the list.

I love my SMD Lunar Duo – especially if you hike with trekking poles anyway.

I never even heard of this one before but it looks interesting.

Anybody have any experience with Slingfin?

However, keep in mind that most of the ‘2-person’ tents these days won’t actually accommodate 2 people comfortably

True, except us short people like the Mrs. and me. I saw the Slingfin line up but it was going in the wrong direction weight wise. I’m in the school of live with the cramped quarters while sleeping rather than carry anything heavier all day. Really though even our last Gen. FC2 is just fine with me. Especially once my eyes slam shut I couldn’t care less :)    But if you just don’t fit its no help.

One other thing is footprint size. There have been a few times when a decent spot to pitch has been a bit sketchy around here. The little BA tent makes it a little easier.

Hazel and I love the inside space of our SMD Lunar Duo, the short curved top poles make it really spacious and roomy. The cost per comfy cubic foot is, IMO, really reasonable.

But now we carry a Triplex, which is wider but not quite as airy and lots pricier – and it’s a full pound lighter.

jimmyb, you guys are prime candidates for a Duplex! :^)

In your recent thread you appear to be leaning this direction. Did you order one?

Bob, I first heard about Slingfin on BPL in 2010 OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER MARKET 2010: DAY 3 – TREASURE HUNT and only a few times since then, from 2012 PACK FOR SMALL TRIPS/TRAVEL/BIKING and 2015 LIGHTWEIGHT BACKPACKING NEWS: DIGEST NO. 22 . This is from  Trailspace  in 2012 SlingFin Makes Serious Tents for Serious Users and a 2015 review from Indefinitely wild  Slingfin 2Lite Review: Everest Tent Tech For The Backpacker

Thanks for the links! Hmm… I’ve gotta get out more. :^)

The review in that last link is pretty impressive. I didn’t realize the brand had such a good pedigree.

jimmyb, you guys are prime candidates for a Duplex! :^)

In your recent thread you appear to be leaning this direction. Did you order one?

Haven’t ordered yet Bob but it looks like a Duplex will suit us best. For the stealthier camo model split two ways it would save us 5 1/2 oz. ea. A decent savings but still at a cost. Just having a little commitment hesitation I guess. Truck needs tires and besides that $630 would pay for a nice trip. Just a cheap *ss Yankee ya know. I’ll get there though.