3 Person Tents–A Backpacker Magazine Review

Backpacker Magazine has published an interesting review of some of the better 3 person tents on the market.  They went through, picked 16 tents that would appeal to backpackers then tested each of them over a period of 189 backcountry nights through every element imaginable in some of this country’s best parks: Olympics, Yellowstone, Canyonlands and even in Iceland…yes, the country.  At the end of the test, five tents stood alone as top performers.

Best All around tent:  The Black Diamond Vista–4 out of 5 testers agrees that this tent was King.  It stood above in every single category tested and comes in at a reasonable $350.  Heck, even I could afford that!

Best Space to Weight Ratio went to the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3.  It has 44 spare feet of interior space and weighs in at a reasonable 4 lbs. 5 oz. that can actually be brought down to 3 lbs 4 oz. with a couple of tweaks. (That is right, I said TWEAKS) The Big Agnes  is a bit more pricier than the Black Diamond model, but at $500 is still pretty reasonable for someone wanting to cut a few pounds off the pack.  Why is it when you want to cut weight, the price goes up?  Just doesn’t seem right-

Winning the Best Bargain category of 3-preson tents was the REI Quarter Dome TT UL3.
Priced at just $289 the REI Quarter Dome offers up 41 sq. feet of inside room, comes in at 4 lbs. 6 oz. and goes up lightening fast (their words). I always like to stay away from the “Lightening” word, myself, when discussing tents–but, who am I?

The Compact and Tough Award went to the Mountain Hardware Skyledge 3.
Backpacker Magazine says that this tent proved itself through numerous hard-blowing rainstorms above 8,000 feet. At 4 lbs 14 oz. almost anyone could handle it’s compact size and weight.  I know from personal experience that Mountain Hardware builds some of the best tents around–at $400, this tent would make a good investment if you like to camp through the elements.

Last but not least, The award for Spacious and Most Sturdy 3-person tent went to the Marmot Aeros 3p.  It offers up 46 sqare feet of interior space.  Plenty of headroom, but weighs in a bit more than the previous four mentioned.  The 5 lb 5 oz size could be a detracter for backpackers looking to save weight.  It’s $369 price tag puts it in the middle of the list.

Testers liked Marmot’s multi-hole stake tabs, which improve flexibility
when setting up on rocky, hard ground. The sturdy pole structure, low
profile, and ample stake and guy points made it a fortress in Cascades
wind and rain.

So there you have it, a rundown of Backpacker Magazine’s review of the best 3-person tents on the market.  As spring is just around the corner, many people will be looking to upgrade or purchase new equipment for the months ahead and now you can check out the best of the best.  Click the links to visit the manufacturer’s direct website, or to read more about each individual tent, along with the full review, be sure to stop by Backpacker Magazine and rread the full article.  You may do that HERE.