Telos TR2

I agree that they are cool, but for me they generally pack down to a excessively large size. I prefer hiking gear. Small when packed, lightweight and large enough for 2. A two person tent is perfect for 1 plus gear. I have the Sea to Summit Telos TR2. Nice piece of kit.

Have the same style from Sea to Summit, can recommend it a lot. Self standing is very handy if you are solo, only downside if its raining you need to be fast bc the inner and outer tents are separate and you will have a damp or wet inner tent

We have 4, was 5 but I turned one in to a gear reseller and got $40. It was a 30 year old 2p thru-hiker mountain hardware that would not die. We also had a North Face 3p that was awesome, it was barely holding together with patches and 10 layers of seam seal, finally destroyed in a hailstorm in Golden Gate state park. Oldest to newest: 1. huge Coleman for car camping. 2. 3p mountain hardware 3. 2p (roomy) Nemo 4. 2p Sea2Summit (small) ultralight. Depends on what we are doing, we have everything for 3-1/2 seasons.

This will sound insane, but one of my favorite tents is the 70$ Ozark trail backpacking tent. It’s very durable if a bit heavy and for the price you can’t beat it. I’d say there is nothing comparable (From a reputable brand) under 300ish. It’s a one person but still comfortable with a nice vestibule. That said I’m writing this from my sea to summit telus 2. It’s the second trip out, but I love it. A bit lighter than the Ozark and considerably roomier. Given that full price it’s more than 5 times the cost it’s not surprising. I however picked it up at my local sierra trading for an insane discount - I think I may have accidentally robbed them??? If you’re just starting out the Ozark will serve you well till you know what features you really care about. Tents are a lot of personal preference and figuring out what you need. sierra and sometimes dirt cheap can have really great deals both online and for sierra at least in store for high end tents and gear.

I’ve got a Telos 2P and an X-mid 2. I’d pick the x-mid every time. The telos unfortunately sags a lot when wet, is substantially heavier and less floor space. It’s mesh first pitch and takes longer to pitch. It does have better headroom for the second person though. (Also a relative beginner)