Help me pick a backpack tent

[walleye1]

 I have the anjan 2 gt wish I went with the 3.  Cant go wrong with a hilleberg. I would also recommend the gt with the vestibule.

[lord grizzly]

http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/duplex.shtml

single best purchase I've ever made on gear.

If I didn't pack with mules I would be doing this tent.
21 OZ??
are you kidding me?
Awesome.

and its literally the roomiest tent I've ever packed with. the vestibule design is absolutely perfect and I've weathered some intense storms in it. both early and late season. you get what you pay for.

[2MANY]

Obviously the people who bought one agree with you as well.
I wish you many more healthy years using it.

[Craig]

Thanks everyone. Found a good sale and bought a copper spur UL3. Think that will work well for my needs and plenty of space for me and my son when we need it.

[Tbob]

You won't be disappointed! Just remember it's an UL tent. You'll want to be a little more gentle and careful with it.. Especially on the zippers and with smaller children.. Other than that, great choice!

[skagitsteel]

http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/duplex.shtml

single best purchase I've ever made on gear.

I have the same tent (triplex, 3 person version). It is an incredibly light roomy tent I have used for 3 years.  I love the tent for summer time but it is not designed for bad weather!  Not that it can't be done, I did a few days solo in 2015 and ended up with temps to 25 and a couple inches a snow.  It was after that trip I decided I also needed a hillberg.  Lightweight summer trips it's tough to beat, but not a good choice in high wind or cold temps.

[lord grizzly]

http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/duplex.shtml

single best purchase I've ever made on gear.

I have the same tent (triplex, 3 person version). It is an incredibly light roomy tent I have used for 3 years.  I love the tent for summer time but it is not designed for bad weather!  Not that it can't be done, I did a few days solo in 2015 and ended up with temps to 25 and a couple inches a snow.  It was after that trip I decided I also needed a hillberg.  Lightweight summer trips it's tough to beat, but not a good choice in high wind or cold temps.

interesting. I've found the opposite. may just be personal preference to what on needs in a tent for bad weather. I've had this tent in crazy winds, torrential down pours and snow just fine. I just wrap up in my quilt and roll over in the bad stuff. what did you find didn't work in weather?

[skagitsteel]

http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/duplex.shtml

single best purchase I've ever made on gear.

I have the same tent (triplex, 3 person version). It is an incredibly light roomy tent I have used for 3 years.  I love the tent for summer time but it is not designed for bad weather!  Not that it can't be done, I did a few days solo in 2015 and ended up with temps to 25 and a couple inches a snow.  It was after that trip I decided I also needed a hillberg.  Lightweight summer trips it's tough to beat, but not a good choice in high wind or cold temps.

interesting. I've found the opposite. may just be personal preference to what on needs in a tent for bad weather. I've had this tent in crazy winds, torrential down pours and snow just fine. I just wrap up in my quilt and roll over in the bad stuff. what did you find didn't work in weather?

My main problem was the tent is so drafty, it just did not hold any heat in.  The other problem I had with it being a single wall is condensation. I did my best to close the doors minimze the wind blowing into the tent but had pretty significant condensation as a consequence.  I also found heavy monsoon like rain combined with direct wind from the sidecan cause some water to come back under the dripline and into the bathtub floor. I was able to use a small tarp to mitigatge the problem pretty easily.  I had it out one day where it rained around 3" in less than 24 hours with pretty heavy winds.  I was able to find a sheltered location, but no way would it have stood up to heavy winds on an exposed ridge.  The spot I was in was getting some 20 to 25 mph gusts and it was flapping around pretty good.   The other time I had it out in snow I just simply got cold and had pretty significant condensation.  It also sagged pretty bad and pulled a  stake out with a few inches of snow.  It was cold enough in the tent that all the condesation inside the tent was completely frozen, as well as my boots frozen solid.  None of those things would keep me from going if thats the only tent I had, my expereince in bad condtions was just so different in a hillberg that it made the z packs seem more inadequate for bad weather.  Kind of like not realizing how old your car is until you test drive a new one.

I really love that z packs tent, its so light and roomy I use it whenever I can, I just use it in conditions that it performs well in.  When I am early archery hunting in good weather or summer scouting it is my tent of choice.  It handles rain just fine as long as there isnt a stong wind from the side.  I choose to use it primarily in sheltered campsite loctions so that it aren't susceptible to high winds

I have been in the same conditions in my hillberg nallo Gt and the there is absolutely no comparison atleast for me in being comfortable in bad conditions.  the hillberg is absolutelty solid in 30mph winds, no flapping, sagging or pole bending.  the hillberg also is about 15 degrees warmer inside the tent.  If it gets down to 25 outside and I have everything closed up it is a balmy 40 degrees inside and I'm not adding any extra layers to stay comfortable, even in the cold I often have to shed layers in the middle of the night.  It also handles the snow and condensation really well.  Downside of the hillberg is a stiff weight penalty.  I am very weight conscious in what gear I pack, in bad weather it is worth it to me to pay the weight penalty of the hillberg every time.

[Skyvalhunter]

Sounds like you are willing to pay a lot of money for the name when you don't have to.

[lord grizzly]

Skagit, it isn't a super warm tent that's for sure. my 2 man does great in the wind, may be the difference from the 2 to 3. I've also pitched mine lower in real heavy rain that's made a none issue about rain dripping around the over hang at the bottom. I will admit there's been a few nights where I wish I hade a more traditional style foul weather shelter but then I think about the 10 mile hike it took to get where I'm laying, just grit my teeth, remember I'm not out there to be comfortable and go to sleep happy I'm dry and my quilt is warm.

[pygmy1985]

I like the Marmot Limelight 3 person.  It has vestibules on both sides. Weighs about 4 #.   Hilleberg makes great tents, just on the pricier side.

[Seahawk12]

What do you need in a tent?

Why pick a 3 man tent?

Are you looking for 4 season?

[pygmy1985]

I thought he mentioned maybe having son go along with him in next year or so. 2 p tents give you sleeping space only for 2. A 3 p tent gives more room to move about, wait out the storms.

[CoryTDF]

I have the BA Fly Creek HV UL2  and it is really more of a 1 man set up. I would say when buying one of ultralight tents you will want to size up. The 3 person tent only adds like 9 oz.

http://ireviewgear.com/cool-gear/big-agnes-fly-creek-hv-ul2-mtnglo-tent-review/

The MSR Freelight tents are also a great 3 season tent. I really like mine but again, if you need space I would size up.

http://ireviewgear.com/camp/msr-freelite-2-ultralight-tent-review/

[swanny]

You can get away with a 2man UL tent, just have to be aware of the actual interior volume they provide. Many cut weight by reducing interior volume (steep pitched and/or slanted roofs). The exo-skeleton designs of Hilleberg and EXPED are great for shoulder and 4-season use when you know high winds, heavy rains, and snow loads will be a factor. They also tend to have larger vestibules to give you room to get in take your boots off, cook, store gear, etc. The down side is weight, but sometimes the couple extra pounds is worth the protection they provide. Best bet is to try and check tents out prior to buying, crawl around, lay in them so you know what you are getting.