Recommend a good 2 person tent

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  • Antarctica

    YEEEEEHAWWW!!!!
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 29, 2012
    1,728
    Southern Anne Arundel
    Also, buy or make a larger bag to put it in. PITA to try to cram it all in the sack that comes with it....
     

    dontpanic

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 7, 2013
    6,631
    Timonium
    Avoid tents that have too many poles or poles of different lengths. It gets confusing when setting up in the dark or rain.

    Make sure it has clips instead of having to thread the poles through fabric slots. Threading your poles is a sign of a crappy tent..

    I spent a lot of nights in a Timberline and still own one, but it does not compare to a modern tent.

    Try to buy one size up from the number of people you want to use it. It is also great to have 2 doors and 2 vestibules

    Marmot, Eureka, Big Agnes, MSR and REI all make good tents that are a good value and I have owned at least one of each.

    I use an older version of this tent and I camp at least one weekend every month. Notice that it has two vestibules and only two poles that are the same size.

    https://www.rei.com/product/168433/rei-co-op-passage-2-tent-with-footprint

    BTW, this is a lot of tent for this price. You will have a hard time doing better.

    The MSR, Marmot and Big Agnes usually have an extra pole that helps to make the walls more vertical. If you are by yourself, this does not matter but if you are tenting with someone else it becomes a nice feature
     

    budman93

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 1, 2013
    5,267
    Frederick County
    I use a 4 person big Agnes king creek model as a 2 person tent. With air mattresses it's pretty full. You could squeeze 4 people on foam mats but it wouldn't be something I want to do. I would get bigger than a 2 person.

    The model I have has a vestibule also which is nice. You can keep gear out of the weather or sit under there if it's raining. It's nice to have a dry place to clean off without having to go right into the tent if it's muddy or raining.
     
    Last edited:

    Tacswa3

    Active Member
    Oct 7, 2013
    198
    Important question #1 - Serious backpacking , or within 5 minute walk of car/ truck ?

    Important question #2 - Do you have a prefered style in mind ?


    #3 A - Occasional weekend , or near continous use ?

    #3B - Price Range ?

    #3 C -Your religious commitment to either one of : Buy Once , Cry Once vs Eh , if you actually wear it out in a cpl years , you got your money's worth , and then replace it .

    Thank you everyone who has replied, just the kind of info I was looking for as I will be a complete newb to tent camping. To start, I will camp out on my property for a little experience and test out gear. Find out what works/doesn't work, what I like/dislike, etc. To answer some questions:

    1) Will be "car camping" unless the hobby takes off and I want to venture "out there"

    2) No preferred style, but I'm liking the recommendations of a vestibule.

    3) Occasional weekend - more likely in cooler weather such as fall and spring. Winter is not out the question, I don't mind 30-40 degree weather. The heat is what I don't like, so no dead of the summer camping.

    3B) Haven't really thought about price, figured I see what the recommendations were and go from there.

    3C) For now, I'm inclined to say, got my money's worth, time to replace it or upgrade if I'm liking the tent experience.

    I have plenty of experience in the outdoors...hunting, fishing, building fires, cooking over fires, etc, just not sleeping in the elements with a tent and without the "creature comforts" lodging or RVing gives you.
     

    DZ

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 9, 2005
    4,091
    Mount Airy, MD
    For car camping, we use the REI Grand Hut 4. It's huge. Plenty of room for everyone and the dog. You can stand up in the thing.
     

    rgramjet

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 25, 2009
    2,962
    Howard County
    ALPS Mountaineering Tasmanian 3

    Tested mine in DE a couple months ago in big winds and driving rain. Warm and dry is a beautiful thing. 2 vestibules and nicely engineered. Not the lightest tent at 8 lbs.

    I got it from Sierra trading post years ago for half of what they are on Amazon.

    Practice the setup before you take it into the woods. Its tricky the first time.

    Let us know what you end up with.
     

    lawrencewendall

    Been There, Done That
    Oct 10, 2009
    1,744
    Was just coming here to post this very thing. The 4 man Eureka Timberline is a phenomenal tent. We used and abused the hell out of these when I was in scouts with monthly camping trips. The 4 man realistically sleeps three with gear. It's a little heavy with its thick aluminum frame, but very durable. No frills, bells or whistles. Two people can easily assemble it in 5 -10 minutes.

    https://eurekacamping.johnsonoutdoors.com/tents/backpacking/timberline®-4-person-tent
    :thumbsup::thumbsup:
     

    Tacswa3

    Active Member
    Oct 7, 2013
    198
    Was just coming here to post this very thing. The 4 man Eureka Timberline is a phenomenal tent. We used and abused the hell out of these when I was in scouts with monthly camping trips. The 4 man realistically sleeps three with gear. It's a little heavy with its thick aluminum frame, but very durable. No frills, bells or whistles. Two people can easily assemble it in 5 -10 minutes.

    https://eurekacamping.johnsonoutdoors.com/tents/backpacking/timberline®-4-person-tent

    I actually like this design, seems you won't get the cramped feeling because of the more vertical sides vs. the dome style tents. Looks like I'd have to spend another 70 bucks to get the vestibule attachment.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Something advertised as being Three Person . ( not a joke )

    Yup. You can make a 2 person work. But it’s a tight fit.

    A few companies make a 2.5 person tent. Which can actually fit two. I’ve got a big Agnes 2. It’ll fit me and my wife, but tight. I like it as a roomy 1 person tent. I am a very trim 6’1”. My wife is a reasonably trim 5’5”. It has a vestibule, so a pack and boots can fit outside the tent.
     

    geda

    Active Member
    Dec 24, 2017
    550
    cowcounty
    Another option is the cheap walmart ozark trail tents, They are practically disposable! My co worker needed a cheap tent for his kids this spring and showed up with a $25 4 man dome tent. For that price in my mind as long as it lasts one night without falling down it was money well spent. Their sleeping bags also fall in the same boat. They have kids and adult bags for $10. You can outfit everything you need to go car camping for well under $100.


    I personally use a 20 year old timberline for 3x a year casual fair weather car camping with kids. But if I had to buy a new one at the current camping cadence walmart tents would be on my list.
     

    budman93

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 1, 2013
    5,267
    Frederick County
    I actually like this design, seems you won't get the cramped feeling because of the more vertical sides vs. the dome style tents. Looks like I'd have to spend another 70 bucks to get the vestibule attachment.

    Some domes are pretty tall and have sides that are more vertical than that one. The Eureka tent in the link is only 4ft 10in in the center. My big agnes dome tent is 5ft 6in at the center according to the specs and i think it might actually be a few inches taller than that in reality.

    The exact model is discontinued but here is a pic of it.
    https://www.rei.com/product/811008/big-agnes-king-creek-4-tent
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    I went camping for the first time since HS and Basic Training last spring. I got invited by my BIL and his friends as a guy's weekend where the main goal was to burn as much ammo as possible, but I digress.

    I had no camping gear so I had to keep budget in mind when I bought the stuff I needed, among which was a tent.

    I got a Coleman Sundome tent because it was cheap - I got one on sale because of the color and it was advertised as a 4-person tent.

    I got the job done, but if I had it to do over again, the main thing I'd have looked for is a tent I can stand up in. The height also made it a challenge to use with the cot that I used. Unfortunately I kind of ruined this tent already - in my effort to get it dried so I could put it all away, I accidentally melted the bottom in a couple of places when I put it in my drier, even on the lowest setting, so if I do this trip next year, I'll have to get something else, and I'll find some other way to dry the tent out before I store it.

    What everone else says about size is true - take the number of people it says it's good for and subtract it by 1. And I like my space. I could have had another person in that tent with me, but even as a 4-person, it would have been tight with the other stuff I had stowed in there.

    Also, the footprint of the tent doesn't tell the whole story. The Coleman 4-person Sundome tent says it's 9'x7'. Sure - at the floor. But with the sloping sides, once you're a foot or two off of the floor that space is a lot smaller. With the cot set up diagonally, I was still almost touching the walls.

    If I do this again, I'll get a tent that's tall enough that I can stand up in the middle. That will make it easier to change clothes and to move around in the tent. I'll also get something bigger. Overkill, sure, but I'm car camping - not backpacking. If I was backpacking it would be a different story and I'd want something smaller and lighter, but if I'm car camping, I have the space so that I can get a tent big enough to be comfortable in.

    Those are my thoughts on it.
     

    geda

    Active Member
    Dec 24, 2017
    550
    cowcounty
    The big pro of the timberline tents that I came to appreciate in boy scouts is that they are very very simple. A tree could fall one one , break all the poles, and you could fudge it with some string and some trees or branches. God help you if you are out in the woods and a fiberglass dome tent pole breaks.
     

    budman93

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 1, 2013
    5,267
    Frederick County
    I went camping for the first time since HS and Basic Training last spring. I got invited by my BIL and his friends as a guy's weekend where the main goal was to burn as much ammo as possible, but I digress.

    I had no camping gear so I had to keep budget in mind when I bought the stuff I needed, among which was a tent.

    I got a Coleman Sundome tent because it was cheap - I got one on sale because of the color and it was advertised as a 4-person tent.

    I got the job done, but if I had it to do over again, the main thing I'd have looked for is a tent I can stand up in. The height also made it a challenge to use with the cot that I used. Unfortunately I kind of ruined this tent already - in my effort to get it dried so I could put it all away, I accidentally melted the bottom in a couple of places when I put it in my drier, even on the lowest setting, so if I do this trip next year, I'll have to get something else, and I'll find some other way to dry the tent out before I store it.

    What everone else says about size is true - take the number of people it says it's good for and subtract it by 1. And I like my space. I could have had another person in that tent with me, but even as a 4-person, it would have been tight with the other stuff I had stowed in there.

    Also, the footprint of the tent doesn't tell the whole story. The Coleman 4-person Sundome tent says it's 9'x7'. Sure - at the floor. But with the sloping sides, once you're a foot or two off of the floor that space is a lot smaller. With the cot set up diagonally, I was still almost touching the walls.

    If I do this again, I'll get a tent that's tall enough that I can stand up in the middle. That will make it easier to change clothes and to move around in the tent. I'll also get something bigger. Overkill, sure, but I'm car camping - not backpacking. If I was backpacking it would be a different story and I'd want something smaller and lighter, but if I'm car camping, I have the space so that I can get a tent big enough to be comfortable in.

    Those are my thoughts on it.

    I think the only good way to dry a wet tent like that is to just set it up on a sunny day when you get home.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    I think the only good way to dry a wet tent like that is to just set it up on a sunny day when you get home.
    Fortunately that tent only cost me $50 - an expensive lesson to learn, but it could have been worse. The next time I'll drape it over my deck rails, flip it a couple of times, and call it a day.
     

    budman93

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 1, 2013
    5,267
    Frederick County
    Fortunately that tent only cost me $50 - an expensive lesson to learn, but it could have been worse. The next time I'll drape it over my deck rails, flip it a couple of times, and call it a day.

    Thats probably fine if its a budget tent and you aren't worried about it. If it was a nicer tent I would actually set it up so you can be sure it is dry and won't mold in storage. Personally I would do that with any tent.
     

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