The Best Backpacking Tents for Getting Away From It All
WIRED TIRED Built like a tank, yet light Nothing Excellent performance in adverse conditions Full-length rainfly Good ventilation for a four-season tent Simple and fast to pitch The Hilleberg Akto (10/10, WIRED Recommends) is my favorite tent—in 10 years of testing products, it's the only thing I've ever given a 10/10 rating. Made of Hilleberg's Kerlon 1200 fabric (a silnylon) it has stood up to rain, snow, high winds, and everything else I've encountered. It's a weather-proof fortress. It's not the roomiest one-person tent, especially the peak height, which is low, but that low wind profile is part of what makes it so storm-worthy. The Akto has a peak height of 36 inches. I am 5'11', and sitting on a Nemo Tensor Trail air mattress (about 3 inches thick), I am just able to sit up in the Akto without pressing my head into the roof. The Akto's single-hoop design is different than most tents you've probably used. It's not freestanding. The design consists of a single curved pole in the middle of the tent. The ends are then pulled out from that center and staked down, creating a very strong structure, with six points pulling off a single central pole. The Akto pitches as a single unit, tent and rainfly attached (you can separate them, though, if you want). The rainfly is the main structural element of the tent. The pole passes through the rainfly and the guylines all attach to it as well. The inner tent hangs from the rainfly by clips and gets all it's structure and support from the rainfly. The floor plan is a slightly five-sided rectangle. The back wall points out a few inches in the middle where the pole is, which gives you a bit of extra space along that side to stash some gear. Lengthwise, I had plenty of room, and neither my pillow nor the foot of my sleeping bag touched the tent walls. The vestibule is roomy too, and it can be unzipped from top or bottom to help with ventilation. I have had no more issues with condensation than in any other tent, thanks to the multiple ways to ventilate the Akto. As much as I love this tent, especially for where I live in northern Wisconsin, it might be overkill for some. Hilleberg also make the Enan, which is very similar, but lighter, and worth considering if you don't need the four-season robustness of the Akto. Specs Use 4-season Weight 3 lbs. 10 oz. Capacity 1-person Peak Height 36 in. Interior Space 18.3 sq. feet Vestibule Space 8.6 sq. feet
WIRED TIRED Short poles for bikepacking Thin, somewhat delicate Lightweight and freestanding You want the footprint ($80) Large twin doors Good interior space for the weight
The Big Agnes Copper Spur bikepacking tent is very nearly a clone of our top pick—lightweight, easy-setup, steep sidewalls, good living space for the weight—but the poles are shorter, making then easier to fit between drop handlebars, in panniers, or other spots on your bike. You get the same twin vestibules and doors, but there are a few other bike-friendly features, like helmet storage, and external webbing for hanging out wet clothes. And yes the awnings do still need poles, which is sort of nonsensical for a bike-specific tent, but that's about my only complaint here.
As with the regular Copper Spur, I would size up for longer journeys. For example, the two-person is fine for shorter trips without a ton a gear, but if you're doing the Baja Divide I'd go with the three-person model for two, the two-person model for solo trips. Specs Use 3-season Weight 5 lbs 14 oz (2-person) Capacity 2-, 3-person Peak Height 40 in. Interior Space 31.8 sq. feet Vestibule Space 9.17 sq. feet (2)
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