REI Co-op - Flash 2

My kids first slept alone in my old backpacking tent. It’s an REI clip flashlight 3-D, which I bought in 2001 and is still nearly perfect after a ton of use. I can’t remember exactly how old they were when I let them be in a tent alone, I would say five or six? But my older daughter was always the most independent child on earth so she was eager to do things like that. We always camp in places where two tents would be right next to each other. So she is just two pieces of nylon away from me and I could hear of her zipper opened and she could easily get my attention if she needed to get out and pee at night. She’s a junior in high school now and still loves camping so I feel like we did it right!

You can get a used in good condition Z-pack duplex for $450 - 600, I bought mine on eBay for $550 and hiked 3000 miles with it, otherwise maybe with a kid the REI flash 2 it’s a complete tent and I just picked up the older brown model for $110 is a little over 2lb with trekking poles, also don’t know if it still is on sale but I also picked up the MSR front range for Person tarp for $200 Which has a huge footprint and is only 2lb!

Depending what you’re using it for! Do you go camping with your car? Or do you do backcountry hiking? If you’re gonna be carrying your tent you want to go for as lightweight as possible. Ounces really add up. I have an rei brand two person tent that’s super light and still spacious enough for two. If you won’t be carrying it on your back, you can go for more space, maybe a more heavy duty rain cover depending on your most common terrain. I would also find a tent that has its own footprint that can attach to the bottom. Saves on time and space when setting up. :)