So many tents!!!!!! (and Hi! I am new here)

Check out the new Lightheart Gear Duo. It is getting higher carbon struts on the side, like the SoLong6(so your husband will have plenty of room if he decides to join you), and it is now going to be tapered at one end, to save weight, but still fit two full size pads side by side. Plenty of room to play cards!! Should be right at 2# or a little less, will know when the go for sale in the next week or two. A little over your budget at $295, but covers all of your needs.

http://lightheartgear.com/

You are going to get 100 different responses on shelter and there is obviously multiple right answers. To narrow down your choice a bit, can you give some background on the type of environment you plan to use it in? Are you strictly a summer user, 3 season. What part of the country do you plan most of your use?

…

Let's see if I can answer all the questions. I will add this to my OP as well.

I will be using this mostly in the New England area.

3 season definitely, I have only been out as early as late april and as late as late october in the Northeast.

I would say my love of nature stops at night and I like to be "closed in".

No pets.

Would love a vestibule, but not necessary. (I am used to a tarp with my hammock, so I can cook under it/hang out in the rain, so I might miss that aspect). For the storage aspect, it would be helpful as well.

I will most likely not be making it into camp late with my little guy. I feel we will not go the mileage I would cover alone, so I anticipate setting up camp early and hanging around exploring the area and resting.

I do hike with poles. Though they are fixed height (old ski poles). We are on one income right now, so I am making it all work.

http://www.big5sportinggoods.com/product/tents/478242-149276/tioga-v-lite-2-person-tent.html

I've yet to use it in the rain. The seams are taped but someone complained of water getting in this tent. Search the forums here and you'll find more on this topic.

If you use a trekking pole and leave the included pole at home, I believe the weight is somewhere between 2 and 2.5lbs. I'll weigh mine later to confirm.

Edit: I'm 6'3" and fit in it fine with one of my kids.

I am a Tarp only guy so don't have direct experience with TarpTent but I think you would hit all of your requirements and then some with a TarpTent Double Rainbow though it's over your price range but in your OP as an option. I think keeping < $200 is going to be difficult for a quality lightweight 2p Tent.

L.L. Bean makes a $200 free-standing 3lb tent IIRC… check them out too! Lifetime warranty matters.

There's no such thing as finding an ideal spot to pitch a tent in New England (outside of a campground). The closest thing would be wooden tent platforms. And the skeeters will eat you alive. So, generally speaking, I think a double-wall free-standing tent is going to be the best option for New England camping, especially with a youngster.

A lot of tent for the money is the current $230 sale price here on the Marmot Eclipse 2P:

http://www.sunnysports.com/p-mrmtec2/marmot-eclipse-2p-ultralight-tent

This is slightly heavier than your 3 pound target (3.5 pounds for the tent, fly, and poles — 4 pounds shipping weight with all the stakes, guylines, repair kit, stuff sacks, etc.. The extra weight is from slightly more robust waterproof materials than the absolute lightest tents. 40 denier nylon for the fly and floor with 1800 mm waterproofing on the fly and 3000 mm on the floor, compared to the 20 dernier fabrics and 1200 mm waterproofing that it takes to get under 3 pounds. I have my doubts about the longevity of the waterproofing on gossamer light floor fabrics used on rocky New England terrain. Rule of thumb that I've seen is that you can count on abrasion and use, under the best of conditions, to reduce the effective waterproofing by as much as 50% compared to the factory spec. If you start with a 1200 mm floor and cut the water resistance in half, you are down to a range that would only be marginally waterproof. Similarly, I would be concerned about the durability of 10 denier mesh walls in a tent with a 4 year old. We are talking some pretty fragile fabrics that aren't going to take much abuse.

This tent is also a bit bigger than the absolute lightest tents — more pole structure to pull the sides of the tent out to give a little more internal volume from a fairly typical footprint size. I still think this entire category of tents would be a very uncomfortable stretch for two adults, this size tent would probably work for you and the kiddo.

It's a very high quality tent for $230. Biggest downside is only one door.

---

If you want something a with two doors, they also have the Pulsar 2 on sale for $267. Not quite as much of a discount, but it's 3 ounces lighter with two doors. Same fabrics. A little less pole structure.

http://www.sunnysports.com/p-mrmtp2/marmot-pulsar-2p-ultralight-tent

---

REI has a closeout sale price of $230 on their Quarter Dome T2. Similar size tent. One door:

http://www.rei.com/product/864808/rei-quarter-dome-t2-tent-special-buy#specsTab

It's 6 ounces heavier than the Marmot Eclipse, but otherwise looks like a nice tent.

They make a new version with 15 denier fly fabric and 30 denier floor fabric. It's 5 ounces lighter than the Marmot Eclipse, but $80 more expensive at $299. REI doesn't give waterproofing specs, so I'm not sure how it compares in that department.

http://www.rei.com/product/862423/rei-quarter-dome-2-tent#specsTab

---

Most of the other lightweight 2P double wall freestanding tents tent to run in the $300 to $400 range. For example, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX looks like an awesome tent. 2 doors. 1 ounce lighter than the Marmot (the extra door and 2nd vestibule is offset by lighter fabrics). But, it's $390.

I don't think you can meet all of your requirements and get a really good tent by buying new. If you are willing to go a bit over on the weight I like the REI quarter dome T2 on closeout on the REI outlet. BUT…if you are willing to be patient and do a bit of work just monitor the gear trade section (or post a "wanted to buy") and/or check every day on Ebay. To keep under the weight you want and still get bug protection you are likely to have to go with something like a Tarptent, Six Moon Design, or Lightheart Gear. Probably my favorite in a 2 person tent is the Tarptent Double Rainbow (outdoor gear lab top pick) and they occasionally come up for sale used both here and on ebay. You are smart to start him out on very short hikes.

The $189 LL Bean tent is a 1 person tent. It's only 36 inches wide at the widest point and tapers from there. An adult and a toddler? I don't know…. I guess the kid could sleep on top of you! Or maybe curled up at your feet? :)

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/80580?feat=506854-GN2&page=microlight-fs-1-person-tent&attrValue_0=Yellow%20Citron&productId=1337509

The 2 person version of the tent is $239:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/80580?feat=506854-GN2&page=microlight-fs-1-person-tent&attrValue_0=Yellow%20Citron&productId=1337509

It's a minimum weight of 3 pounds 14 ounces (no stakes, no stuff sacks, no guylines) or 6 ounces heavier than the $229 sale price on the Marmot Eclipse.

I would suggest you look for a gently used Tarptent Double Rainbow or a Lunar Duo. You should be able to find one of these in your price range, and they are well within your weight goal.

I'm pretty new here too, so I don't have near the experience as the other posters.

I do have a BA fly creek 2, and almost a full platoon of kids. My 7 year-old son sounds about the same size as yours. We've used this tent together and there's enough room for the both of us and pooh bear, but that's about it. He's a restless sleeper, and I was afraid that he'd kick the sides out, but so far no issue.

He's small enough that both of us can sit up inside when it's raining, but it's a little cramped.

My 9 year old daughter is a bit bigger than the 7 year old. She's also a restless sleeper. With the two of us, there's almost no usable room and we kick each other all night long.

I love the tent for solo, but it's on the small side for any combination but me and the 7 year old, and IU suspect by next year it'll be too small.

I recently added a Tarptent rainshadow 2 to our collection of gear. I set it up in the yard, but have yet to use it on a trip. It's much roomier. Weight for both is in the 2.5lb range. They're both a little more expensive (new) than your $200 range, and I think the rainshadow is actually a little less expensive.

When I go w/ the kid(s), I'll be taking the tarptent. I don't want to try to talk you into more than you need, but this thing is big enough that you, your son, and your hubby could all fit. There's no way that would happen in the fly creek 2…

You mentioned the Lunar Duo, have you looked at the outfitter model? It's $160 and about 3.5 lbs. I've been looking at one as a loaner tent and on the rare occasion my wife goes with me. For the price, weight, and amount of usable space it looks hard to beat.

Brandon

I'd suggest the TarpTent Double Rainbow. A little over budget, but an awesome tent if you can afford to go up that little bit. Can't go wrong with TarpTent.

Maybe you can snag a used one around that price.

Erica,
I understand your plight. I was on a similar quest earlier this year, best/lightest tent I could buy for $200. I found you basically have three options:

1) Lunar Duo Outfitter – This is probably the lightest tent you can buy outright in the price range you're looking for. You will have to use your hiking poles to set it up as it doesn't come with poles (or any stakes). Also note that the weight doesn't include stakes or poles. By all accounts this is a great tent at a bargain of a price.

2) Wait for a Double Rainbow/LightHeart Duo/etc. to come up for sale on the used market. It happens but you have to be pretty vigilant around here as sales on those items get snapped up pretty quickly.

3) Wait for a sale on something like the new Sierra Designs Flashlight or the REI Quarter Dome. I used a 20% off coupon and got my Flashlight for just a hair over $200 and I love it. Not long after that, I saw the New Quarter Dome on sale for $200 as well. Not sure if you'll see a sale like that again, but the 20% coupons are prevalent both at REI and CampSaver.

Any other option I explored just seemed like too much of a sacrifice in one way or another. Our Scoutmaster has that HiTech tent mentioned earlier and it is pretty much a two person coffin. For me it would be miserable if I got caught in the rain in a tent I couldn't even sit up in. Mormot Limelite's and similar tents can often be found in your budget but then you're pushing 5 lbs or more. Good luck in your search!

Some advice from someone who has been there. If you can get a real steal of a deal on something that is not ideal, like getting a useable tent for $100, go for it. BUT… don't spend $200 on a compromise when you could get exactly what you want for under $300. Because at SOME point you will want exactly what you want and will end up buying twice. For example, I personally would not spend 230 bucks on an REI quarter dome T2 (nice tent, but one door and heavy) vs a Tarptent Double Rainbow for $289 that is good for 2 at only 41 oz. On the other hand, if I could pick up a used T2 for 100 I might do it as I could always re-sell it for what I paid. Just something to think about.

Just one note on the LL Bean Microlite, the foot end of the tent is only 36" wide. That's not enough for two sleeping pads side by side. That was the deal killer for me. And at that price you might as well buy the Marmot Eclipse that someone else posted for $10 less. It's a more livable tent at a heck of a price.

I just got the $229 sale on the Marmot Eclipse. Set it up in the basement and then took the tent body outside to spritz it down with permethrin so it can dry and be ready to go.

I can confirm that the advertized weights are accurate. 3 lbs 8 ounces for the tent, fly, and poles (before cutting the tags out of the tent). 4 lbs 0 ounces as shipped including 7 aluminum hook stakes, three plastic guy line adjusters, polypropelene guy line, a pole repair splint, three large (12" x 3") pieces of self adhesive ripstop repair patches to match the three fabrics on the tent, stuff sacks, and a pile of rubber bands.

The optional factory footprint (same 40 denier PU coated 3000 mm silnylon as the floor) is 7.1 ounces without the stuff sack, 7.6 ounces with the stuff sack. This allows for a barebones pitch.

I'm going to replace the supplied stuff with MSR reflective guys and mini-groundhog stakes.

It's a pretty large tent for a so-called "2 person" tent. Large enough that two adults could actually lie side by side in the tent, although I don't think any of these tents are actually two-person tents. It would be fine for parent and toddler. The side walls are pulled quite far out. the Door is nearly vertical and the tent is reasonably tall for more than half the length. For solo camping, I think I prefer the door on the end, only because it's easier to roll up a NeoAir mattress from the end than from the side in a small tent (and I think the fewer times a NeoAir comes out of the tent unrolled, the better). There's only one small storage pocket, but there are five tabs for hanging stuff from the ceiling — three in a triangle above your head. Another at the mid point of the tent and another on the center line above the feet.

It's pretty solid. DAC NSL poles. Freestanding, although you generally would want three stakes to pull out the vestibule and the two sides of the fly for ventilation and four stakes for the corners. I would say that minimum carry would be the tent, the fly, the poles, and three stakes. Optionally, there are three guy tabs on the fly for additional anchoring. The fly has velcro attachments to the poles in five places, so this thing could be pretty well anchored if you used the guylines for the fly.

All in all, it's not sub-3 pounds, but it has more robust fabrics than sub 3 pound tents: 40 denier PU coated silnylon, 20 denier mesh, 1800 mm waterproof on the fly, 3000 mm waterproof on the bathtub floor. One high vent at the top of the door. I haven't seen anything else under $250 that has higher quality materials, decent size, and reasonably low weight. If you want sub 3 pounds, then this isn't the tent. However, if you want a little bigger more durable tent at a terrific price, I can't find much not to like at 38% off retail price. At full retail, I'd probably spend the extra $20 and get the MSR Hubba Hubba. But, at $229, I haven't seen anything else particularly close.

I'm really happy with the Lunar Duo I picked up on sale this year. It has plenty of room for two adults with great head room and is easy to set up. The only real drawback is that it is not freestanding. Also, you should check the height on your fixed poles to make sure they will work with the tent (115 cm recommended but I think 110 cm will work. It shouldn't be a show stopper for the tent because you can get cheap poles dedicated to the tent from smd or cheap adjustable sticks from Amazon or others.

Have you considered getting your son a hammock and setting up a dual hang under the same large tarp?

I swing (ha ha) back and forth between using a hammock and a tent, and I'm thinking about trying this this year with either my 10 or 8 year old daughters, maybe my 6 year old son. It's understandably a bit tricky, and you have to trust them to not get out and wander around

I have not thought about another hammock for him, though he might like the idea of being just like me. I did do some thinking about a small net tent under my tarp, but then he doesn't think he will be able to sleep "alone". I he is a bit on the scared side of life……hopefully he will grow out of it.