Right now I just have an enormous tent from Wally World that I've used for about 8 years. Obviously it is only good for car camping trips. I'm really wanting to get into more hiking/backpacking trips and I'm looking at purchasing a lightweight two-person tent. The two options I'm leaning towards right now are:

 

Kelty Salida 2

REI Halfdome 2

 

Anyone have any experience with either of these two? Or recommendations for a good lightweight and moderately cheap two man tent?

I have a Eureka Apex 2XT. I've had it for about 7 years and I absolutely love it. I have only used it, personally, as a 1-man tent, but it has sufficient room to be used as a 2-man, as designed. (You'll find, especially with backpacking tents, that the 2-man designs are often more along the lines of 1-1/2 man tents.)

 

Over years of backpacking, and having the opportunity to sleep in many different tents, I've learned to pay the most attention to footprint and head-room. When it's raining or freezing cold outside, it's sure nice to have sufficient room inside your tent to sit upright and crouch enough to move around, change clothes and access gear without knocking your tent all around and pulling the stakes out of the ground. At 7'5" x 4'11", it's plenty long enough for a 6' tall man (with pillow) to lay. The 2-man width is the kicker though. I, personally, have very broad shoulders...29" broad to be specific. That means at 4'11" wide, my tent does have room for another person with shoulders as broad as mine. Also, with a 43 1/2" tall peak in the tent, I have absolutely no complaints about interior height.

 

The other two big bonuses in Apex 2X are the HUGE vestibule and the fact that it has TWO doors. The second door is just plain old handy, and the vestibule allows you to keep ALL of your gear under cover. That will pay off a hundred-fold the first time you camp and experience a sudden downpour. Futhermore, the Apex actually packs down smaller than many comparable tents.

 

Also, you just can't beat the price. Eureka lists a $129.99 MSRP, but I just did a quick search and found one for $99.99 on Amazon with free shipping.

 

The only "complaint" I could possibly come up with about it is the fact that it weighs 5lbs 6oz. Some of the pricier backpacking tents make use of more expensive, lighter weight materials. They may offer a skimpier rainfly as well - the Apex rainfly is made of very solid material, which is my preference anyway. The larger overall footprint, larger vestibule, and second door zipper would also contribute to the larger weight.

As compared to your Kelty & REI, which both look like perfectly suitable tents:

 

Kelty Salida2: $139.99 + S/H

Doors: 1

Vestibule Size: 10 sq. ft.

Interior Peak Height: 43"

Length: 7' 4"

Width: 4' 7"

Packed Diameter: 7"

Packed Length: 22"

Weight: 4 lb 8 oz (3 lb 12 oz minimum weight listed on Kelty's website is packed without the rainfly.)

 

REI Halfdome 2: $179.99 + S/H

Doors: 2

Vestibule Size: 7.9 sq. ft.

Interior Peak Height: 40"

Length: 7' 4"

Width: 4' 4"

Packed Diameter: 6"

Packed Length: 21"

Weight: 5 lb

 

Apex 2X: $99.99

Doors: 2

Vestibule Size: 13.4 sq. ft.

Interior Peak Height: 43 1/2"

Length: 7' 5"

Width: 4' 11"

Packed Diameter: 6"

Packed Length: 18 1/2"

Weight: 5 lb 6oz

Thank you for all the information as it's very helpful. I've read a lot of reviews about Eureka tents leaking. Have you ever had any issues with that? Also, I'm a pretty small guy (wrestled 103lbs in H.S) so size isn't that big of an issue for me.

 

I saw this one on some searches and it doesn't look bad at all. I will be honest---after almost a week of constant searching I'm starting to suffer from information overload on tents.

Thank you for all the information as it's very helpful. I've read a lot of reviews about Eureka tents leaking. Have you ever had any issues with that? Also, I'm a pretty small guy (wrestled 103lbs in H.S) so size isn't that big of an issue for me.

 

I saw this one on some searches and it doesn't look bad at all. I will be honest---after almost a week of constant searching I'm starting to suffer from information overload on tents.

 

I've never had any issues with mine leaking, and one of my camping buddies has a Eureka Timberline that he absolutely swears by - I've even heard him talk specifically about how well it does in rain. Apart from that, the other regulars that I camp and backpack with all have REI and Marmot bags that they spent a small fortune on. I will say that a lot of folks neglect to seam seal their tents. I don't know of any tents that come with sealed seams, and water will wick in through the seams until you seal them, and you do periodically have to re-apply as it can deteriorate as you continually fold, roll, unroll, and unfold the tent. I apply seam sealer once a year - I use Gear Aid sealer.

 

Honestly, I don't know too much about Kelty tents beyond what I've read in magazines and online, and all of that has been fairly positive. I use a Kelty backpack and I'm very happy with it, but I don't really have any personal experience to draw from with their tents. It looks like a pretty good deal for what you're getting...I found some more specs on it on another site, and it overall it appears to be pretty much the same thing as the Salida only slightly smaller. Same interior peak height, same length, slightly smaller vestibule, slightly heaver packed weight (2 oz), but it does tapers from 3'9" up to 4'6" - that means that when the tent has two people in it, each one only has 22 1/2" down by their feet. I don't know that I'd personally be all that comfortable sleeping with that little space to kick my feet around, but if you're okay with it, then I don't see anything wrong with the tent.

I hate to keep bothering you. But do you know anything about this tent or company? It seems to have the extra room, 2-doors/vestibules, weight, and price.

I hadn't heard of Mountainsmith and I couldn't find any reviews of the tent online so I gave one of my buddies a call - he's spent time as a river guide, an outfitter, and as a general avid outdoorsman. He probably spends upwards of two months of every year sleeping in a tent somewhere or other.

 

He said that from what he knows of Mountainsmith, it's along the lines of Coleman gear. It's relatively inexpensive, and it will get the job done, but that in a lot of cases, you can really do better with your money...so take that for what it's worth.

 

I would also mention, though, that without asking, he said his recommendation was "without question" a Mountain Hardware Drifter 2.

 

Mountain Hardware is made by the guys who started North Face. After North Face became more of a status symbol than actual outdoor gear, they sold the company to VF Corporation (Lee, Wrangler, JanSport, EastPack, Vans, Nautica) and started Mountain Hardware - intended for selling to people who actually want the outdoor gear for its intended purpose. I've got a few Mountain Hardware items and they are absolutely top notch.

 

I looked up the tent, and you can buy it from rockcreek.com (that's where I get about 75% of my gear) for $148.50 + S/H. To be honest with you, I'm half tempted to buy one myself. It has two doors, and each one has its own vestibule, slightly over 10 sq ft a piece. Mountain Hardware also guarantees it to come watertight...which proves my statement about seam sealer wrong. The only thing it looks to be lacking is overall width - it's 4' 2".

 

Drifter 2:

Doors: 2

Vestibule Size: (2) 10.08 sq. ft.

Interior Peak Height: 45"

Length: 7' 9"

Width: 4' 2"

Packed Diameter: 7"

Packed Length: 26"

Weight: 5 lb 5oz

 

There's a good review on the Mountain Hardware page if you click the "Reviews" tab, and here are a couple more sites with some reviews of it...all look like positive reviews.

REI (Click the "Reviews" tab below the photo.)

LL Bean

Go with the Eureka. I've got 2. Waterproof it before you take it out. Get some seam seal and spray on waterproofing, Walmart has both in their outdoor section. I was in Ontario last fall on the eastern shore of Lake Superior. A storm with high wind and lots of rain battered me for 3 days. No problems at all with the wind or rain. And beleive me a Lake Superior storm is ferocious. I got mine online at http://www.campmor.com.

I hadn't heard of Mountainsmith and I couldn't find any reviews of the tent online so I gave one of my buddies a call - he's spent time as a river guide, an outfitter, and as a general avid outdoorsman. He probably spends upwards of two months of every year sleeping in a tent somewhere or other.

 

He said that from what he knows of Mountainsmith, it's along the lines of Coleman gear. It's relatively inexpensive, and it will get the job done, but that in a lot of cases, you can really do better with your money...so take that for what it's worth.

 

I would also mention, though, that without asking, he said his recommendation was "without question" a Mountain Hardware Drifter 2.

 

Mountain Hardware is made by the guys who started North Face. After North Face became more of a status symbol than actual outdoor gear, they sold the company to VF Corporation (Lee, Wrangler, JanSport, EastPack, Vans, Nautica) and started Mountain Hardware - intended for selling to people who actually want the outdoor gear for its intended purpose. I've got a few Mountain Hardware items and they are absolutely top notch.

 

I looked up the tent, and you can buy it from rockcreek.com (that's where I get about 75% of my gear) for $148.50 + S/H. To be honest with you, I'm half tempted to buy one myself. It has two doors, and each one has its own vestibule, slightly over 10 sq ft a piece. Mountain Hardware also guarantees it to come watertight...which proves my statement about seam sealer wrong. The only thing it looks to be lacking is overall width - it's 4' 2".

 

Drifter 2:

Doors: 2

Vestibule Size: (2) 10.08 sq. ft.

Interior Peak Height: 45"

Length: 7' 9"

Width: 4' 2"

Packed Diameter: 7"

Packed Length: 26"

Weight: 5 lb 5oz

 

There's a good review on the Mountain Hardware page if you click the "Reviews" tab, and here are a couple more sites with some reviews of it...all look like positive reviews.

REI (Click the "Reviews" tab below the photo.)

LL Bean

I"m going to get this on my next payday. Thanks for all the help man.

Went here and ordered it. With the coupon code "summerfun10" I got an additional $10 off for a grand total of $126.88. Once again, thanks for all the help.

Went here and ordered it. With the coupon code "summerfun10" I got an additional $10 off for a grand total of $126.88. Once again, thanks for all the help.

 

Nice! Let me know how it works out for you when you get to take it out.

Nice! Let me know how it works out for you when you get to take it out.

Will do. I may test it out behind my Mom's house this weekend if it's in by then. May 21st I'll be using it on a multiday canoe trip and can really tell you more about how I like it then.

 

And as always, thanks.

The Drifter was awesome this weekend. Thanks again for the help with selection.

Two years later and I'm still absolutely in love with this tent. Highly recommend to anyone.

It's almost camping season. Let's hear about some tents!