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One person, solo backpacking tents are ideal if you’re thru-hiking, fast-packing, or backpacking big miles and want to trim your gear weight as low as possible. More livable than bivy sacks, one-person tents are designed for sleeping and bad weather protection. While some solo tents are more plush and spacious than others, you almost always have to choose between competing priorities, including weight, ease of use, durability, and cost, when selecting one. This can make it tough to choose between tents, especially since few stores have display models anymore.
| Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1 | Double Wall | 32 oz / 907g | $450 |
| NEMO Hornet OSMO UL 1P | Double Wall | 29 oz / 822g | $420 |
| MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1 | Double Wall | 38 oz / 1077g | $470 |
| Zpacks Pivot Solo | Single Wall | 13.5oz / 383g | $649 |
| Durston X-Mid Pro 1 | Single Wall | 15.5 oz / 440 g | $549 |
| Gossamer Gear The One | Single Wall | 17.7 oz / 503g | $255 |
| Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo | Single Wall | 26 oz / 740g | $260 |
| Tarptent Notch Li | Double Wall | 21.5 oz / 610g | $629 |
| Durston X-Dome 1 | Double Wall | 35 oz / 980g | $379 |
| Tarptent Dipole Li 1 | Single Wall | 20.8 oz / 590g | $629 |
Taking these different priorities into consideration, here are our picks for the best one-person backpacking tents.
1. Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1
The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 is a spacious, freestanding double-wall tent that’s easy to set up and has a trail weight of just 32 oz. With a “porchable” side door, a high vent, and two-way door zips, the Copper Spur has lots of options to vent extra moisture, increase airflow, and reduce internal condensation. The side door makes getting in and out easy, and the large front vestibule lets you store gear without blocking access. A ceiling pocket, media pockets, and internal hang points help keep your gear organized and tucked out of the way. A longtime backpacker favorite, the well-appointed Copper Spur strikes an excellent balance between luxury and low weight.
2. NEMO Hornet OSMO Ultralight 1P
The NEMO Hornet OSMO Ultralight 1P is a 29 oz ultralight semi-free-standing double wall tent made with a nylon/polyester rain fly that won’t sag in the rain. It has a single side door with lots of mesh for ventilation and to help prevent internal condensation transfer. The side vestibule over the door provides plenty of gear storage without interfering with entry or exit. But the thing that sets his tent apart from others is the poles, which, when collapsed, are only 12.5″ long, making it possible to pack horizontally in almost any backpack! An even lighter weight, but more expensive version is available called the NEMO Hornet Elite OSMO 1P, which only weighs 23 oz, or for more interior space, the NEMO Hornet Elite OSMO 2P, which weighs 27 oz.
3. MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1 Tent
The MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1 is easy to set up and well-ventilated. Freestanding, the pole configuration creates an interior space with near-vertical walls and a rectangular floor plan, enabling the use of a wide 25″ sleeping pad. In addition to the front vestibule, there is an interior gear loft and clothesline for drying your wet socks. With a trail weight of 2 pounds and 6 ounces, the Hubba Hubba LT 1 is a bombproof shelter that’s still lightweight enough for one person. Read the SectionHiker Hubba Hubba LT 1 Review.
4. Zpacks Pivot Solo Tent
The Zpacks Pivot Solo 1P is a single-person, ultralight backpacking tent made with Dyneema DCF that weighs 13.5 oz. It has a spacious interior compared to Zpack’s other pyramid-style single-person tents, with plenty of room above your head because its peak is at the end and not in the middle. It requires two trekking poles to set up and is surprisingly wind resistant when staked out. Read the SectionHiker Zpacks Povot Solo Review.
5. Durston X-Mid Pro 1
The Durston X-Mid Pro 1 is a single-wall trekking pole tent made with ultralight Dyneema DCF. It is extremely easy to set up and requires 2 trekking poles. It has a very spacious interior with a 32″ wide bathtub floor and is long enough to accommodate hikers up to 6’8″ in height. Numerous refinements make it quite livable, including dual doors and vestibules, peak vents, and magnetic door toggles. The X-Mid Pro 1 is quite storm-worthy and includes extra guy-out points for extreme conditions.
6. Gossamer Gear “The One”
Gossamer Gear’s “The One” is an ultralight, single-walled trekking-pole tent that weighs 17.7 oz. It has a spacious interior that’s a palace for one, with excellent ventilation to help prevent internal condensation. Made with 10d Sil/PU ripstop nylon, the One is factory seam-taped so you can use it without seam-sealing. The front vestibule is quite large with a zippered center opening which can be closed shut in inclement weather, or rolled back for views and ventilation. The vestibule is also large enough to store your pack under half the vestibule and get in and out through the other. Read the SectionHiker “The One” Review.
7. Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo
The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo is an ultralight style, single-wall tent that’s pitched with a single trekking pole. Weighing 26 ounces, the Lunar Solo has a bathtub style floor to prevent flooding in the rain and a side door, making entry easy. The interior is quite roomy, with a hexagon-shaped floor, providing room to store your gear in the tent, and plenty of headroom to sit up inside. A large vestibule also provides gear storage. The Lunar Solo upper is made with a 20d silicone-coated polyester, reducing fabric stretch and packed volume, while the floor utilizes a durable 40D fabric. Read the SectionHiker Lunar Solo Review.
8. Tarptent Notch Li
The Tarptent Notch Li is a one-person, double-wall tent with two vestibules and two doors that weighs 21.4 oz. It’s a wind and weather-worthy shelter made with Dyneema DCF. Internal livability is excellent, with plenty of headroom, space for a wide 25″ sleeping pad, and large vestibule spaces for gear storage, cooking in the rain, or a canine companion. Peak and end vents help maintain ventilation even in crappy weather. The inner tent can be set up by itself with trekking poles in dry weather, and a solid inner tent is also available to extend the tent’s range in colder winter weather. Read the SectionHiker Notch Li Review.
9. Durston X-Dome 1+
The Durston X-Dome 1+ is a spacious double-wall freestanding tent. At just 35 oz (985 g), the X-Dome 1+ sets up fly first and has a diagonal floor plan, providing more covered vestibule space and a longer interior than comparable dome-style tents. The tent is made with 15d high tenacity polyester, so the fly does not stretch when wet. The fly can also be pitched by itself, dropping the carry weight to 24 oz. Read the SectionHiker X-Dome 1+ Review.
10. Tarptent Dipole 1 Li
Weighing 20.8 oz, the Tarptent Dipole 1 Li is an ultralight Dyneema DCF trekking pole tent with two doors and two vestibules. The tent has a rectangular footprint and requires two trekking poles to set up and 6 to 8 stakes, depending on the degree of stability you prefer. It includes two carbon fiber struts that are used to increase the headroom at the ends and form covered awnings that can be sealed closed in high wind. The struts are collapsible so that the entire tent can be rolled up and packed horizontally in any backpack that’s at least 13″ wide (which fits most backpacks).
Tent Selection Criteria
Here are the most important variables to consider when buying a backpacking or camping tent.
WEIGHT/TRAIL WEIGHT – The total weight of a tent usually measures the tent and all of its packaging, while the trail weight is the weight of its poles, inner tent, outer rain fly, minus any tent stakes. Why the difference? Most people replace the tent stakes that come with a tent with lighter weight or stronger ones and leave all the extra stuff sacks and packaging at home rather than carry it.
DIMENSIONS – When selecting a tent, consider how much width, length, and height (headroom) you desire. Do you use a wide sleeping pad? How tall are you? Do you want to bring your gear inside the tent at night or are you ok with storing it under a vestibule? Do you want to be able to sit up in the tent or change your clothing? These are all factors to consider. When evaluating tent dimensions, make sure you, particularly if it is a double-wall tent, make sure you understand whether the stated dimensions measure the width and length of the interior and not the width and length of the rain fly, which is often much larger and can give the illusion of spaciousness.
TENT POLES – Tent poles are made using fiberglass, aluminum, or carbon fiber. Aluminum is the most durable of the three, while carbon fiber is normally only used in very high-end tents where the focus is on low weight. Fiberglass poles are the least durable tent poles and break frequently. So much so, that we recommend avoiding any tent with fiberglass poles. All the ones above have aluminum poles or use trekking poles. Most manufacturers who sell trekking pole tents offer regular tent poles as an add-on purchase.
DURABILITY – The floor of a tent is the part of a tent most likely to be punctured or torn as a result of ground abrasion. While using a footprint on floors that are 20 denier thick or less is always recommended, it’s far less necessary on 30 denier or higher floors, except on highly abrasive or rough terrain.
DOORS – Tents with two side doors are often preferable when purchasing a tent for two because it means each occupant can each get in and out without disturbing one another.
INTERIOR STORAGE – Interior pockets and storage organization is a plus in a multi-person tent. Look for internal pockets and gear loops to hang gear from the ceiling. A gear loft is an added bonus. Vestibule space is always a plus as well, but especially if there are multiple doors, so that gear storage does not block entry and exit.
VENTILATION – All tents experience tent condensation, but good tent site selection and ventilation are the best ways to avoid it. Look for tents that have lots of mesh netting to facilitate airflow, top vents to release moist air, and door tie-backs to roll up tent doors and keep them open at night.
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