Tarptent - Triple Rainbow DW

The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 is the QUEEN of 3person tents. It *will* get a bit cramped once you have two adult-sized boys, but it’s still doable. But at that point, you’ll be at the end of that tent’s lifespan (newer tents will be much lighter) and/or the boys are gonna want to sleep alone in their own tent. For an even lighter option, the Tarptent Triple Rainbow, Hogback, or Cloudburst 3 person tents are all great choices. One thing to consider: double doors are more pleasant with two people … but with 3, you may want a front-opening single-door tent like the Cloudburst. That way, nobody needs to climb over anyone else for the bathroom. The Cloudburst also won’t feel too tight with an adult and two adult-size kids. It has TWO openings/vestibules but they’re positioned at the head and foot, so no climbing over your friends.

I have a Tarptent Rainshadow 2 that I use for similar purposes and works great. (It's a 3P tent, confusingly named.) The successor, the Rainshadow 3, also looks good, but appears to be out of stock. The Cloudburst 3 would be okay, but it would be a bit of a squeeze in terms of width. Tarptent Triple Rainbow would probably be my pick.

Triple rainbow by tarptent. And it feels roomy.

Tarptent triple rainbow. Love that I can pitch with fly attached. Fits me and both family members. Or me spouse and 2 German shepherds (dogs have to suck it in, cause I have a 25” pad).

Tarptent triple rainbow. This is my first year in it. In love, so far. 3lbs. I’ve used it about 10 trips. Good in wet or dry conditions.

Alpkit tarptent, can become a 2 person if you want it to but as a 1p you have loads of space

Do you hike with poles? If so, the single-walled Zpacks Hexamid can be set up with your hiking poles and is USD $499. My Zpacks single-walled tents perform poorly in rainy, humid conditions but making this compromise will save you weight. Tarptent makes several double-walled tents for less than USD $500 that perform well, and there are also some excellent Chinese-made Lanshan tents on Aliexpress. My double-walled Tarptent performs much better than my single-walled Zpacks tents when it's set up, but it's also much heavier to carry.

I’ve had great experience with the tarptent rainbow series, just as long as the spine is facing into the wind and not the broad side.