Ultralight Backpacking Tent

Bought the same for my scout - I did reseal and heavy waterproof spray it the last 2 years but it’s done absolutely fantastic. It’s extremely light weight and the poles look like crap, but they’ve held up great

If that’s the agenda budget for backpacking and no concern about using gear for camping I’d recommend Ozark Trail and other Walmart gear. The weight is gonna be noticable but aslong as your baseweight is under 30ibs you should be good (30ibs overall total before you add water and food). If your only complaint is weight when on trail that’s fixed for a few dollars typically toss out what’s not needed (packing fears and comfort is an issue for new backpacker) then upgrade tent and sleeping system is the only actual money spenders. But yeah for price and still a reasonable weight go for that ozark 1 person backpacking tent. It’s 4.5ibs so weighs more than most 2 persons winter tents but still workable if overall weight is reasonable. I would strongly suggest pack like a pro as in get a solid garbage bag to put everything inside to keep your stuff clean and dry. Put garbage bag inside backpack. Then your sleeping bag then warm clothes (shouldn’t be more than a baselayer top bottom and midlayer with 1-2 extra socks) then put in your food. Then take your tent out of the box and stuff the inner tent and rain fly into a lightweight dry bag or if needed another trash bag and roll it up. Misc gear can fit around your food items. If your using a foam pad it goes on the outside if not but using a inflatable pad it either is rolled up between food and tent or folded up and put alongside the back of the backpack (imagine a laptop sleeve in a backpack) water and tent poles goes on the outside of the backpack. Water filtration also goes on the outside during 3season backpacking. Electronics put in a ziplock bag and another ziplock and put either ontop of your backpack if there’s a dedicated pocket or it goes under your tent. Pack as much inside as possible and don’t have things dangling from the outside. I see that mistake with new guys all the time and they always complain. And cheap Amazon trekking poles are just fine to use and help the weight distribution does it look dorky yes but only lame to new guys anyone with some experience knows it’s like a superpower item. If you have any complaints about small stuff like your feet was too cold at night, weight issues, bugs on your face, water filtration questions, clothing options, etc those are simple easy fixes. And there is amazing subreddits dedicated for backpacking from ultralight to lightweight to general backpacking. I’m a winter backpacker that loves backcountry skiing and snowshoeing that is now just a 3 season lightweight guy due to where I currently live now. If you like the general aspect of backpacking but hated something or what have you there is an easy fix. The only reason I’m saying so much is because I’ve seen so many new backpackers turn away because of some silly mistake that’s a easy fix or they packed so much gear and the sheer weight made the trip miserable and they think the only option to reduce weight is spending crazy amounts of money. Which in reality you can get to pretty lightweight for pretty cheap without spending crazy amount of money.

I have a couple ozark trail tents. They’re decent, especially at that price. I bought the $28 one-person tent last year so my son could have a backyard tent to hang out in. I forgot to take it in when the snow started, so it wound up enduring MN winter from sep-May. Barely faded, everything intact, dry when I took it down. Can’t ask for more than that for $28.

I love my little ozark 2 person backpacking tent. Fits my wife and I comfortably. Super easy to set up - didn’t even come with directions and we figured it out on the fly!

I got this tent at the end of 2024 for $17 on clearance. I dont think itd fit the dog with them, but definitely two people.

I have a different ozark trails tent that I love. Ive been eyeing that A frame myself. I saw someone at a spot next to me that had it and asked them about it and they said they recommend it.