Fair weather, with occasional rain storm?
I have, and still use my Ozark Trail, 30 dollar bivvy tent. Its been through like 20 trips so far, without problems.
EXCEPT... I needed to waterproof it with scotchgard and wax on the seams after a really windy rain storm.
It's great for the cost. I have one that I've slept in 20-30 nights. Light, decently waterproof. Main problem is condensation because it's a single wall tent.
I've had good luck with the 1 person Ozark Trail tent. It was cold, muddy and rained the entire trip, but it held up very well for $30. The only thing I did was change the stakes out for lightweight aluminum ones.
I've moved on to a larger tent to hold my gear, but I still take it out from time to time (minus the large tarp lol)
https://preview.redd.it/fga77he0qx0h1.jpeg?width=1644&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=519f488cef26ff2f5ce2dc96e56bb1e808d64180
I have the $80 Ozark Trail 1p backpacking tent from Walmart and it holds up exceptionally well in heavy rain. In fact I’ve only used it in rain thus far and I’ve stayed dry 100% of the time. I was actually shocked at how well it performed
Walmart just says it has “enhanced coating” which I took to mean that it comes with a waterproofing coating of some sort. I have not applied any myself, but now that I’ve been out with it a handful of times I probably will coat it again before I head back out. The rain fly also extends nearly to the ground rather than only about halfway like some of the cheaper models.
If your just starting out tbh inexpensive gear is where it’s at. I’m a small person, so a 1p almost always fits my gear. You may want to size up. Though my top beginner recommendation is a 1p, 70$ Ozark trail backpacking tent. It’s durable and water safe, while being about 3.5lb. I find it roomy enough to put all my gear at my feet or by my side.
One suggestion I'd have would be, rather than buying more tent than you need for solo trips just in case someone else comes along, consider getting a cheapish backup tent. Walmart sells a couple of one-person tents that run 3-4 lbs - I have the heavier one and it's about 60 oz without stakes (the included stakes are SUPER heavy, and there's way too many). I've used it for trips just fine. It's not ideal, it runs a little heavy, but it's totally serviceable if you're concerned with having a backup option for shorter trips with people who don't have their own gear. A 15 lb dog should fit in an xmid 1 with you just fine.
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