2 person 3 season tent recommendations

[MHWASH]

I'm just getting into the back country hunting thing and luckily my partner has all the gear. Other than a stove and water filter, I need a tent. We may need another for spiking out in a couple weeks, so gives me a good reason to get a tent. We've been using a Kuiu Mountain Star 2p, and it's been great. I'm just wondering if there is something just as good but in the $200-300 range?

[Hunter mike]

A bit on the heavy side, but I've had a Kelty Grand Mesa 2 for quite a while.  It's in the $100-150 range I think and sub 5 lbs.  It's been pretty bomb-proof when guyed out through some decent storms.  I always go for it in heavier weather (I use a tarp/bivy or floorless in nicer weather usually).  It seems like they get a lot more expensive before they get much lighter and then they get incrementally flimsier.  You can get lighter by going with a non-freestanding design as well.  I actually dislike the bulk more than the weight.

[KFhunter]

I've been looking at big agnes copper spur or something like that

[JeffRaines]

I’d look at tarptent offerings.

[jackelope]

Tough to beat a Copper Spur. Maybe a little more than the budget you mentioned. My REI Half Dome is a solid tent too, and the price is right.

[yakimanoob]

 

The truth is there are a bunch of tents in the 4-5.5lb range that will serve you well for years at that price point.  Big Agnes, Marmot, Nemo, REI, etc. -- it's hard to go wrong with any of those brands.

If you don't need the state-of-the-art weight/quality ratio, I'd just hunt for deals on any of the major brands in the 3.5-4.5lb range. 

If you want something south of 3lbs, you're getting into a whole different world and I would look at the cottage brands like Z-Pak, etc.  Big Agnes, Nemo, and a few others make great tents in that weight range too. 

[yakimanoob]

As a side note, if you were only joking about your budget, this thing looks ssssswwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeet:

https://www.stoneglacier.com/pages/skyscraper-2p-tent

[WapitiTalk1]

MHWASH, by chance are you a public service employee (LEO, firefighter, etc.), or, a govt. employee (state, FED, etc.)?  Just asking as there are a few companies that provide significant discounts on their gear if you have one of those mentioned affiliations.   

[MHWASH]

MHWASH, by chance are you a public service employee (LEO, firefighter, etc.), or, a govt. employee (state, FED, etc.)?  Just asking as there are a few companies that provide significant discounts on their gear if you have one of those mentioned affiliations.   

Yes, City government.

Which companies are you referring to?

[dvmagernbk]

Tough to beat a Copper Spur. Maybe a little more than the budget you mentioned. My REI Half Dome is a solid tent too, and the price is right.

This is a damn good tent. It's light with plenty of vestibule space on both sides. The HV version has more vertical walls with roughly the same footprint. That's what I have.

The one thing I will say about this two person tent with double vestibules... it's not always easy to find a good flat place to pitch the tent, and although it's freestanding and you can get creative with the stakeout points for the vestibules, I've found that the rain fly really prefers being taut all the way through.

I'd still buy it. I'm going to try a 3F UL 1 Person trekking pole tent the next time I am out. Wish me luck.

[WapitiTalk1]

MHWASH, by chance are you a public service employee (LEO, firefighter, etc.), or, a govt. employee (state, FED, etc.)?  Just asking as there are a few companies that provide significant discounts on their gear if you have one of those mentioned affiliations.   

Yes, City government.

Which companies are you referring to?

Sent you a PM buddy. 

[Switchback]

MSR Hubba Hubba is a classic 2-person tent, been using one for over a decade and not sure there's another tent I'd take in its place. It's pretty much the same design as the Kuiu except the poles go under the rain fly. Right at your price range, too.

[bracer40]

I love my Hubba Hubba. I just saw one on Rokslide for for $175 I think.

[Wetwoodshunter]

MSR Hubba Hubba is a classic 2-person tent, been using one for over a decade and not sure there's another tent I'd take in its place. It's pretty much the same design as the Kuiu except the poles go under the rain fly. Right at your price range, too.

I have both a hubba hubba (2 person) and a Mutha Hubba (3 person) tent. They are great tents and the rain fly is plenty big to store a backpack outside of the tent but kept dry.

I would reccomend it for a 3 season tent hands down. If you want a little more room, the Mutha Hubba is a rockstar of a tent.

We use these since they are extremely waterproof.

[Switchback]

I have both a hubba hubba (2 person) and a Mutha Hubba (3 person) tent. They are great tents and the rain fly is plenty big to store a backpack outside of the tent but kept dry.

I would reccomend it for a 3 season tent hands down. If you want a little more room, the Mutha Hubba is a rockstar of a tent.

We use these since they are extremely waterproof.

Never tried the Mutha Hubba, but we do have the Gear Shed for our Hubba Hubba that attaches to one vestibule, and creates even more dry and zipped in storage space. It's maybe a couple pounds, but if you're not hiking that far or you have another guy to carry it, it's not a bad option. Creates a ton of extra dry space, and a place you can cook in too if it's super rainy.

[StoneTrees]

The truth is there are a bunch of tents in the 4-5.5lb range that will serve you well for years at that price point.  Big Agnes, Marmot, Nemo, REI, etc. -- it's hard to go wrong with any of those brands.

I have a ~6 year old Nemo Losi 3-person tent that I love, but it weighs 8.1 lbs fully packed in the provided gear bag and including the tent footprint and gear loft.  It's a fabulous tent functionally, but heavy for one individual to carry alone.  If you're packing in with others, you can divvy up the components to share the weight.  The reason I bring up this tent specifically is that one of the cool features is that you can setup the rainfly, poles, and footprint together and leave the tent at home.  I haven't figured out the weight and space savings of doing this just yet, but I'd guess that it would shed more than half the weight and substantially reduce the packed volume of the tent.  If you and the others in your group don't mind the increased exposure to the elements and bugs or can somehow compensate for that in a lighter weight package, you could find something similar in another tent or go with the pyramid style shelter/tent that a lot of ultralight backpackers utilize.

ETA:
I just went out and set up my "tent" with only the fly and the footprint.  Forgot about one small issue.  The coverage isn't uniform around the tent.  Doh!  Doing so would have cut over 3 lbs though.