Year in, year out, we use two-man tents more than any other type. Why? Well, it’s pretty easy to figure out; often we camp in pairs, and even when we’re alone it’s sheer luxury to have a “big” tent to sprawl out in (although the state-of-the-art in solo tents means that we don’t exactly suffer in those, either). Some of the two-man tents on the market today are almost ridiculously light, approaching the weight of the solo tents; for instance, the MSR Carbon Reflex 2 weighs in at an almost-absurd 3 pounds 6 ounces, which is lighter than two of the solo tents we reviewed.

But, that light weight carries a big price tag; the Carbon Reflex 2 comes in at a whopping $500. You get what you pay for, at least at the high end…but what happens when you drop down a price bracket? Or two . . . Are we talking Wal-Mart backyard camping only, or are these still quality tents that will make a serious backpacker and kayak camper happy? Clearly, to get answers to that question, we needed to get some of the current crop out in the field and see what they’re like.

After some discussion, we settled on some clear parameters for the test. There are multiple designs out there, but our overall favorite is a rectangular tent with two doors and a dome rainfly; that configuration isn’t the lightest, but it gives each person their own door and their own vestibule, which is very convenient. Another advantage of the two-door design is excellent ventilation; aligned properly with the rainfly doors open, they catch any wind and pull it through the tent. This is a time-proven design that’s been around since the 1970s, (does anyone else remember Kirkham’s AAA Springbar 9155 backpacking tent?) but has been improved considerably with each passing decade as new materials have made tents lighter and stronger; the 1990s Kelty Vortex 2 was perhaps the first “modern” backpacking tent with this design. Value matters, so we set a $300 limit, and started looking…and found a handful that met all our criteria.

Let’s start with the good news. As one tester said “20 years ago, I’d have traded my house for any of these tents.” Admittedly, it wasn’t much of a house, but it makes the point; these tents are GOOD. Period. And, as you would expect, they all have tradeoffs; the manufacturers can’t give you everything for that price. So, which should you buy?  It’s your call. Are you someone who leans toward serious 3-season camping where you might get snow load? There’s a tent here for you. Are you “big and tall?” There’s a tent for you. Like pretty colors? Yup, you can have those too. And, of course, for the weight wienies there’s a “best choice,” as well. Read on, and when you see yourself described…buy that tent!

Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Sugar Shack 2 Tent, $299, 6 lb, 4 oz. 51″W x 77″L x42″H. The iconoclast of the group, the Sugar Shack is more like a house than a tent. The dome structure creates virtually vertical side walls, so ALL of the space is usable. One of the tallest tents of the test, it’s spacious enough for two reasonably tall people to sit up and play cards. Storage inside is great, as well, with 4 large pockets and a gear loft.  Storage outside…well, not so good. The door design creates two small vestibules on each side of the door rather than one large one, so it’s hard to find a place for your pack (hint: put it to the right side looking out, and it won’t be as much in your way as you come out the door). The height also makes it the heaviest tent in the test by 4 ounces, which won’t please the gram counters. To get the side walls that vertical requires an unusual pole structure; setup isn’t intuitive. Practice at home before you go out the first time, though, and it goes up easily, giving you the closest thing to a backwoods screen house available at the price!

Kelty Gunnison 2.2 Tent (tested as the 2.1 Pro), $200, 5 lb, 15 oz. 53″W x 79″L x 39″H.The 2.2 came out after our test began; as far as we can tell, the only differences between the old and the new is the size of the plastic windows in the fly, and the use of Jake’s Foot connectors for the pole/fly setup. The spiritual successor to the old Kelty Vortex (yes, we still have one in our gear storage archives, a/k/a the attic), this is easier to set up,  about 5 ounces lighter, and has better ventilation. DAC hubbed poles make it about as simple and quick to get up and running as anything we’ve ever used; it’s hard to make a mistake with it. Build quality is excellent, with materials that feel like they would take more abuse than anything else here. Good ventilation in the fly makes it comfortable in steamy summer rains; close the vents down, and the design is second only to the Mountainsmith Morrison for handling snow load if you push the weather envelope. Vestibules are among the largest in useful area in the test, and a gear loft is included; that, plus 4 pockets, makes for simple organization. Can’t decide which tent is best for you? This is probably the right one, then; it’s the Swiss Army knife of the group, not the best at any one thing, but very good at everything.

Mountainsmith Morrison 2 Person 3 Season Tent, $180, 5 lb, 7 oz. 49″W x 80″L x 46″H. Like to push the weather limits, taking the chance of getting a major snow dump on you and your tent? This is your shelter! With steeper sides and ventilation that can be mostly shut down, the Morrison is the closest to a true 3-season tent of the bunch. Not enough “beef” for you?  How about the fly being attached to the main body of the tent with nine Velcro loops. That’s going to stand up to some serious wind. It’s also the lightest tent in this test (perfect for someone who wants a “big” solo tent, as well), and a smoking bargain at the price. Negatives? It’s the tightest space of the bunch due to the slope of the sides, and has, functionally, the smallest vestibules as well. Great storage inside, though, with 3 pockets for each person as well as a gear loft. If you don’t mind snuggling up a bit, you simply can’t beat this for the price. Along with the light weight comes small packed size, so if you’re trying to get away for a weekend carrying your 40L pack, you just might be able to pull it off.

REI Half Dome 2, $189, 5 lb, 11 oz.  50″W x 75″L x 40″H.The exact opposite of the Morrison, the Half Dome is more aimed at summer backpacking; it’ll handle some snow load, but not as much. With walls that aren’t as vertical as the Sugar Shack but steeper than any of the other tents in the test, it’s pretty much a palace for two people. The vestibules are larger than the Morrison’s, but functionally smaller than other tents in the test (with any of the smaller vestibules, slide your pack into the vestibule along the base of the tent, leaning it out against the rainfly with the strap side facing away from the tent; that’ll make the best use of the space, allow you access to the pockets, and keep everything as dry as possible). That’s a pretty good tradeoff for the price, though; as the second cheapest tent here, with huge interior space, you can afford some good backpacking chairs and play cards inside when it’s raining! Summer testers fought over this one; the combination of size, shape, ventilation, and moderate weight make it a bargain on a par with the Mountainsmith. That is, as long as you read the set-up instructions on the stuff sack; if you don’t, you’ll look like an idiot in front of your friends as you try to set it up (watch out for their cell phones, or you’ll end up in an embarrassing video on YouTube). If you DO read the instructions, though, set up is simple and quick.

Sierra Designs Zolo 2 Tent (3 Season), $270, 5 lb, 13 oz. 49″W x 84″L x 40″H. If we had to be stuck in one of these tents for a week in a storm, this would be our choice. The numbers don’t really tell the tale; this tent feels BIG inside. Our 6’4″ tester spent 12 hours in it during a huge downpour; only a few drips made it inside, and he felt like he was staying in a hotel. With 6 big pockets inside and the most useful vestibules of any tent here, the Zolo makes multi-day trips easy and organized. Yes, it’s the heaviest tent in the test, but only by a few ounces so there’s little in the way of tradeoffs to get the size. The only negative we found was that there are no vents in the fly; it can get a little steamy during a long summer storm. About the only change we’d make is to seal the seams of the fly to keep the last few drips out, and laugh at the weather! It’s also a very 3-season-capable tent, very similar to the Gunnison, and the unventilated fly will help keep out blowing snow and rain.

Long-term comparison tests can be a real pain in the neck; varying conditions and testers can make it hard to figure out what really works best. In this case, however, everything worked, and worked well…it all came down to details. If you made your decision on something as seemingly silly as “oh, I really like that blue color!”, we couldn’t argue your choice. We didn’t have a single tester have a miserable night in any of the tents, and comments typically ran to nitpicking details, as the tents simply worked so well. With pricing that isn’t QUITE Wal-Mart, but starts at not all that much higher, there’s no reason not to have a serious, well-designed, high quality backpacking tent that’ll take you from season to season and place to place in comfort and style. Remember that tester who would have traded his house for one of these tents?  Well, his roof leaked…maybe, just maybe, he WOULD have been more comfortable in one of them!