Two Tents

Over the past ten years I have owned two backpacking tents. I still have them both, but rarely use the one I initially purchased. That one my son uses far more often than I do.

The first one I bought when I returned to backpacking is a model that was sold through Dick's Sporting Goods stores. It's a two-man tent and is actually a knock-off of the high quality tent made by Big Agnes, the model they sell called "The Seedhouse". It's a very good design, front entrance, with lots of room for one person, but slightly cramped for two. It was great to start with, but I quickly found that I both wanted and needed a much lighter tent.

Big Agnes still makes The Seedhouse, but I no longer see the knockoff in the Dick's Sporting Goods stores. I keep this tent because sometimes I will use it car camping and my son likes it. Occasionally I will carry it on brief backpacking trips when I'm not worried about lugging the extra weight around and want the luxury of more room.

My Seedhouse knockoff (made by Quest) at Deep Gap in the Black Mountains of North Carolina.

Looking through the entrance (front opening). Plenty of room.

The lighter tent I finally settled on is the MSR Hubba. It's a one-person tent. It's just fine for me and has enough room to accommodate myself and most of my gear. It has an excellent rain fly, is well ventilated, and weighs in at just over two pounds. I've seen lighter tents...but what's the point? This one has served me well in trips all over the place, from the Piedmont of Georgia to the highest mountains in North Carolina to the San Juans of Colorado. It's a great tent.

At a campsite in the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

This was, I think, the first time I used the Hubba tent. At a campsite in Virginia on the Appalachian Trail.