Isle Royale Forums

I am looking for an affordable lightweight 2 person backpacking tent any recommendations?

What is your definition of affordable (i.e. what is your price range)?

There are a million choices. You won't need mountaineering quality for Isle Royale. I would look for something freestanding with a decent vestibule for gear storage and at least enough height to sit upright. Bathtub floor for waterproofing. Entrances on both sides to eliminate climbing over people. Separate rainfly (in other words not a single layer of coated fabric). Should be less than 6 pounds or so; if you go below 4 pounds it will probably be a tight squeeze.

Bob

I'm sure everyone has their personal favorites. Mine is the MSR Hubba Hubba. It does everything I need it to do. I think it's reasonably priced (got mine on sale, as I get everything), but "reasonable" here is a hard term to pin down. http://www.rei.com/product/810183

I currently use the MSR Hubba (1 person) for my solo adventures and I like it a lot. If I was in the market for a freestanding 2 person tent I would seriously consider the MSR Hubba Hubba like KevinI suggested. It has 2 doors and 2 vestibules which gives each person easy access and personal gear storage. Typical packed weight is 4 lbs. 8 oz..

I have the REI Halfdome and have been very happy with it's performance. I've used it at Grand Canyon, Isle Royale, Sleeping Bear (N. Manitou), Cumberland Island and a couple of other places and it's worked great. It's reasonable in price, has a decent amount of room (I'm over 6'), two doors and two vestibules. It was a good buy.

Ditto on the REI Half Dome, especially if you catch it on sale. Sometimes it's marked down quite nicely. It gets good ratings from the magazines, has everying Bob indicates a tent should have, and is a good balance between price and features.
Having used a couple types of tents on IR, you DO want one that you can 'set up' in, in case the weather is crappy. I spent a day in a hoop tent once on IR, and was sore after that...

I have used two different tents on IR and the Boundary Waters. The half dome from REI is OK but my son and I find it a little tight. (He is 6'4" and I am 6'3") It's not the length that we find tight but the width. Two trips ago, I bought the Kelty Gunnison 3.1 and have found it a great fit for the two of us (it's rated as a 3 person). While it does weigh a little more, the extra space for gear and the ability to enter, sit and sleep comfortably is worth it to us.

Keweenaw wrote: I would look for something freestanding....

Freestanding is the natural enemy of light-weight. If you want to look at some really good light-weight tents check out Warmlite, but they're not cheap.

I purchased a REI Passage 2. It is a Kelty Gunnison 2.1 knockoff. $149 vs $189 for the Kelty.

You can always go down the path of evil like me and do hammock camping . Finding good hanging trees the correct distance apart can be a chore on IR but you always sleep comfortably. If you get a dispersed camping permit then you can pitch you hammock almost anywhere (certain distances away from other sites and water, restrictions on areas for time of year). You don't have to worry about level ground and you do not disturb the ground with a tent.

Speer's Hammocks sell a kit with everything (including the thread) for $122. I use a ENO one myself.

http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/HammockKits.htm

http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com/

These are the two tents that I use on solo hikes-
2 person- REI Half Dome(Light)
1 person- Zolo 1 Sierra Designs(Ultra-light)

Hope this is of some help.