the search for a light, sturdy and spacious 3P tent

[Sophia K]

Hey there!

With my boyfriend and our dog we left home a few months ago to just travel and hike for possibly a few years. We started out with our MSR Hubba Hubba NX that we already had and which we do like, it’s just a little small for us three and the gear, especially cause we got aware of the fact that my boyfriend has some claustrophobic tendencies. Even though these feelings are strongest in situations he’s not super comfortable in, like strong winds, storms etc, he has always been bothered by the Hubba Hubbas fabric being too close to his head when sleeping.
Additionally he’s a little paranoid and has this desire to feel safe and sound in no matter which situation, so after long discussions we bought a Nallo 2GT, which I was hesitant about because of it’s size, weight, price tag etc, but since he really didn’t feel well about more simple tents we gave it a try. It’s obviously a really high quality tent but in the end even he finds it too heavy for an all-time-use and too warm for summer, so we’ll keep it for winter but we are now looking for a middle ground 3 season tent.

So, basically we need a 3 person tent with spacious headroom for a permanent 3-season use, if possible under 2kg including the footprint. Soon we’re heading to hike along the Breton coast on the GR34, we’re planning to thru-hike the GR10 in late summer/early autumn and next year we’d like to head up to scandinavia around spring, what we’re gonna do in between is not yet sure. Since we would appreciate to not use the Nallo for most of the time, the tent should hold up well enough in nasty winds to not make a nervous person feel like we’re gonna fly away in about three seconds.
And, not to forget, the colour! I would really like to have a green tent or at least something in really natural/tan colours since it already happened a few times that we stalthcamped in cities, and the MSR’s dark green surely reassured me about not being spotted too easily. My boyfriend needs peace of mind concerning weatherconditions, I need peace of mind concerning unproblematic stealthcamping :D

For now we considered the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 3, the Nemo Dagger 3, and the MSR Mutha Hubba NX. The MSR seems strongest for wind and weather, but it’s a tad heavy and the numerous reports about the fly touching the inner do not seem so reassuring. The Nemo seems nice but we hesitate because of the missing vents and we’re not really sure about weatherresistance, latter is the same with the Big Agnes.
What do you say about these options, or do you have completely other recommendations?
How do the Nemo and the Big Agnes perform with high winds and constant dog paws? Is all the mesh too drafty in cold autumn or is it totally fine with the doors closed and warm gear? Are there major up- or downsides to any of the tents that we didn’t see at all?

Thanks a lot for reading all that mess already and even more for your thoughts!

[bradmacmt]

I’ve had the MSR Hubba Hubba NX, the Nemo Dagger 2 and the Big Ages Copper Spur HV UL2… While these are obviously these are the 2P versions of those you are thinking of, I think I can give you an idea of interior volume.

Of the three, my wife and I disliked the Hubba Hubba NX the most, and found it to have the least interior volume because of how the inner tent walls slope-in towards the head and feet sections. I could tolerate it, my wife genuinely disliked it, and she’s really not very picky. I sold it.

The Dagger is very nice, no real complaints. It just was a bit heavier than its advertised weight. Since I only set it up in the backyard (on a piece of Tyvek, and didn’t use its actual stakes) I returned it.

We got the BA Copper Spur HV UL2 last, and love it. It’s the lightest of the three, and “feels” far roomier volume-wise than the MSR Hubba Hubba NX.

I kept notes of the weight of each tent, here’s what I found:

The BA CS HV UL2 is:

6.8 oz’s less than the current CS UL2 “Classic”

8.5 oz’s less than the MSR Hubba Hubba NX

13.3 oz’s less than the Nemo Dagger 2P

20.9 oz’s less than our circa 2012 MSR Hubba Hubba.

I actually lobbied Big Agnes several years ago to bring out a more natural color than the “noisy/harsh” orange they traditionally use on the CS line, and apparently I wasn’t the only one because they now offer a subtle sage green, which give it a super pleasant interior, and makes it less noticeable in a mountain meadow.

Ours:

As to weather security, I’ve used an older CS UL1 in a variety of weather conditions and found it excellent. My wife and her girlfriend have used the original CS UL2 for ten years, in a huge variety of weather, and have found it storm-worthy for everything here in Montana. I wouldn’t worry. The design is a sound one.

Our older CS’s set up in September Rocky Mountain weather some years back:

 

[Gary Dunckel]

If you aren’t set on a double wall tent, you might look at Tarptent’s 3 and 4 person tents. They offer great ventilation, quality construction, and they are relatively inexpensive.

[Robert Alexander]

I recommend a 9×9 pyramid with corresponding nest. It cost me a fortune but my Locus Gear Khafra and 4/5 nest fits your requirements and comes in at around 1.25kg with stakes and all. You could get a HB version for cheaper and it would still be under 2kg even with a polycryo groundsheet underneath.

 

[Franco Darioli]

If you aren’t set on a double wall tent, you might look at Tarptent’s 3 and 4 person tents. They offer great ventilation, quality construction, and they are relatively inexpensive.

The 4 person version , the Hogback, is a two wall tent. Can be purchased with the mesh or partial solid inner.

about 25% smaller footprint than a 9′ mid .

This should illustrate how the 86’x86″ floor is all usable

Comparing footprint with the 3 person BA

note the Hogback does have small vestibukles (big enough for not full 60 L packs and boots)  but there is a lot more room inside.

[Sophia K]

Thank you so much for your answers guys!
It’s interesting what you say about the interior space of the Hubba Hubba and the Copper Spur, paired with your experiences concerning sturdyness that’s really reassuring!!

Otherwise it’s true that a tarptent is a similarly interesting option, I admit that we didn’t really consider them yet. The Rainshadow actually speaks to me a lot! We’ll have a closer look at the others as well and try to figure out where our priorities are.
In any case thanks a lot for your input!

[Alex F]

Sounds like you guys will have a great time traveling! One version of the BA Copper Spur you may want to check out is the Mtn Glo version. It looks a lot better than the orange or sand colored one, in my superficial opinion and has lights built in (that might help your partner with his claustrophobia)… Having said that, I owned the 2p version of the Tiger Wall, which is very similar to the Copper Spur, and what caused me to return it is: 1. The rainfly door opening design is poor. The way you strap it to the side causes it to hang low and get in the way. 2. I wasn’t crazy about the privacy sheet on the mesh door. You can’t enjoy looking outside when the rainfly door is open and tent doors closed when laying down. 3. The double zipper doors were annoying.

Hope this helps! Cheers!

[David Thomas]

Lighter than you want, bigger than you require, and very good in winds:

The Diamond Brand Mega Light Tent pyramid:

Average Packed Weight : 1.27 kg (2 lb 13 oz)
Minimum Weight :  1.05 kg (2 lb 5 oz)

Dimensions : 218 x 218 x 145 cm (86 x 86 x 57 in)

Frequently is available for $200 or less.

But is only in blue/off-white or (previously?) in plum/white and yellow/white before that.

It’s been our go-to option for the last few trips to the Aleutian Islands.

[Sophia K]

I think that a pyramid is not the best option for us, unfortunately. We are both not that fond of having a pole in the middle and the steep walls made my boyfriend stress out a bit too much. For shorter trips he could handle it, but since we’re out all the time we largely prefer to keep it more reassuring and comfortable for the three of us, regardless the higher weight.
We looked at the mtn glo as well but actually prefer the more natural colour of the standard version, and for my boyfriend the light doesn’t make enough of a difference to be worth the little extraweight and -money. Maybe I am mistaken but the door of the Copper Spur seems to strap away higher, thus less in the way than the Tigerwall’s door, no?

Until now we broke it down to the Copper Spur or the Cloudburst, though we’re hesitating which one of the two would suit us better. The thing is that both of them weigh pretty much the same once we add the optional liner and 3rd pole to the Cloudburst. We are obviously not forced to use them all the time, but we prefer to take the decision based on the maximum weight since we don’t like to send things back or have things sent to us apart from when it’s really necessary.
The BA provides a tiny bit more interior space, a more natural colour and the facts that it’s freestanding and that we are able to sleep without the fly while still being protected from mosquitos.
The TT has the potential of being ligther, the fabrics a bit sturdier and non-triangular vestibules should be really more handy for storing everything away comfortably.
We are not sure which one would be better suited for harsher conditions though, high winds etc. We tend to the tunnel but what are your opinions on that?

[Roger Caffin]

The BA tent is a pop-up, and will suffer in any high wind. Pitch it in wind and rain will be a bit of a nightmare.

The Cloudburst with a 3rd pole would be a good reliable tunnel.

Caution: I am highly biased towards tunnels, but that may be due to using them for the last 30+ years in alpine conditions. This was autumn, not winter!

Cheers

[Chris R]

A big pyramid doesn’t have to be single pole down the middle. I converted my Golite to use a double pole for winter stove use to use two poles running along opposing corners. Makes it easier to then just have to stake out the other two using deadman anchors. The top joint is a single PVC pipe joint. I used the 3/4″ poles I had spare from another winter project so not super light but something smaller diameter or even DIY carbon (which I have made for a centre pole) would work fine.

Sorry, not the best picture but the yellow tape at the top of the one pole is holding the pipe fitting in place on one half of the pole set. Pieces are all shock corded together so they go up as one.

Makes for lots of room at the centre of the tent for the wood stove.

[Edward John M]

The TarpTent colour is a very stealth colour under most situations and the Cloudbust is fairly generous. If stealth camping is really an important need you can always rattlecan some shading and contrast onto it. If I bought one I would definitely get the third pole and if money was available I would be very tempted to get a Cuben/DCF tarp to use as an extra porch area on the more protected end

[Rob P]

Since you mentioned that your boyfriend is bothered by tent fabric too close to his head while sleeping, I would think the Cloudburst would be a good choice.  It has vertical end walls, so he can use a big sleeping pad and a lofty sleeping bag and the fabric won’t be closer to his head.  I would venture that although a tent like the Big Agnes might appear to have more room on paper, the Cloudburst might have more functional space because of the vertical ends and sides.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

CAVEAT:

** Get a tent that pitches like the Tarptent Scarp 2 or Hogback with the inner tent pre-attached to the fly. This insures your can set it up in a storm W/O getting the inner tent wet.

Failing that buy a tent that permits your to set up the poles and fly FIRST so you can crawl inside with the inner tent to clip it into the fly & poles during a storm.

 

 

[Stumphges]

I owned both the Big Agnes CS 3p and the Nemo Dagger 3P, both briefly. I thought the Dagger was the better tent in almost every way, for whatever that’s worth.

[Adam]

I’ve been doing lots of “research” on exactly this, and just yesterday purchased the Big Agnes Tiger Wall 3P for my wife and me and our two pups* (or a third hiking buddy if we want to go really light per person).

The tent should be in hand tomorrow, and we have a few trips planned over the next several weeks, including a Rainier DC run that my wife is leading.  I’ll circle back with my thoughts as we get some experience under our belt.  You can often get a LONG way towards wind stability with creative guyline and trekking pole work, so I’ll let you know her review after pitching it at Camp Muir for 3 nights.

*my Shephard-Husky mix carries a pack, and we ordered some 30D ripstop as a “dog floor” that we’ll use when the pups are with us. I’ll let you know how it works in real life, but I don’t see him noticing the extra 8oz or so that the floor will add to his pack.

[Adam]

Welp, the Tiger Wall 3P tent is on it’s way back to Big Agnes.

Honestly, I think it’s a great tent for a whole lot of people.  The attention to detail is what you’d expect from BA, and the materials felt a lot more durable than their weights would imply.  But, unfortunately, the tent simply wasn’t long enough for me (due to the aggressive slope at the feet more than the total length).  My forehead and toes were both touching mesh when laying on my S2S ultralight pad.

Not sure if that’s helpful to your search, but there ya go :).

[peter t]

Adam said, “My forehead and toes were both touching mesh when laying on my S2S ultralight pad.”

Would you mind telling us how tall you are?

Thanks!

[Sam F]

Adam – what’s your height?  I’m seriously considering the Tiger Wall 3P but, at 6’3”, you’ve got me concerned.

[Author]

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