If you are a ‘serious’ backpacker, then one of the most important pieces of equipment you can own is a lightweight backpacking tent. By ‘serious’ backpacker I am merely referring to some who travels with all their equipment in a rucksack on their back, hence the importance of a lightweight tent.
Click here to see Amazon.com’s range of lightweight backpacking tents
When choosing a tent, there are three important factors/criteria to pay particular attention to:
Price
Room To Weight Ratio
Quality
The price of all backpacking tents has fallen over the years, and it’s now possible to pick up a decent quality two man tent for under $50. Don’t focus entirely on cost however, as this may lead you to sacrificing on some of the other factors mentioned above.
Room to weight ratio is very important. A standard two man lightweight backpacking tent should weigh between 1kg – 1.5kg but light models are available (such as the Coleman Regal X2 – Follow link for tent review). The bigger the tent the more it will weigh, but as a rough rule of thumb you should always look for a ratio of 200 grams per square footage of internal floor space. Depending on your size and your strength it’s possible to get away with more but it could make the trip an uncomfortable one.
Quality is a big factor. You need to be sure that just because your backpacking tent is lightweight, the quality of all it’s parts and materials is still durable enough to withstand the conditions. Pay particular interest to the poles and check if they look solid and not likely to break. It’s important you give the whole tent a once over before you set off because if you are planning on taking it to high altitudes where it could be cold, wet and windy you don’t want to leave anything to chance.
Hopefully this information will stand you in good stead when buying a lightweight backpacking tent. If you have any further questions please comment in the box below and we will get back to you personally.
Click here to see Amazon.com’s range of lightweight backpacking tents
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