The North Face - Tadpole 2

For about 15 years this North Face Tadpole has been my main tent for backpacking. It’s insanely stable and dry in a storm, it’s perfect for a one- or two-nighter with my son, and it has a lot of sentimental value to me. (I’ve repaired the pole and re-sealed the tent since this photo was taken) For trips with my son or for bad weather trips, it will remain my go-to tent until it falls apart. But it’s also pretty heavy, at ~5+ lbs. I’m looking for a tent that would make for a good, lightweight option for when I want to cover some ground solo, something I can toss in a small pack with a lightweight setup for summer backpacking when I’m trying to keep mileage up and weight down. Is there anything that fits the bill for: -under $250 (not opposed to a used tent) -semi-freestanding -large 1p or small 2p -under 3lbs -not reliant on trekking poles (I don’t often use them) -good weather resistance is a plus but not a requirement

I backpacked with a Tadpole for many years. I mostly really loved the tent. It was super stable and sturdy. I swapped it out for an MSR Hubba Hubba over 10 years ago. Modern tents are lighter but a lot more expensive. I thought the Hubba Hubba wouldn't last....yet it has. The tent material is going strong. The lighter weight poles have taken a beating in some very strong winds. It is still super functional if only a little differently shaped than when I first bought it. I think the weight savings of most quality modern tents is a huge upgrade...if your pockets are deep enough. Gear comes with some pretty big sticker shock these days. It may not be light, but some days I miss the old army surplus stores that were once a staple for backpacking. That is until I heft my current much much much lighter pack.

My Durston is light and roomy. I started in the 60s. Paring it down isn't easy and sometimes means saying goodbye to old gear friends. I like my Featherstone Granite II, for a self-standing. My first of my own was a Eureka Timberline, the old Boy Scouts tent. NOT light. Somewhat claustrophobic. Much depends on how big you are. I used a Northface Tadpole for a while too.

I own Kelty, North Face and Marmot backpacking tents, and can attest to their durability, ease of use and agreeable weight. I've used them both in the backcountry as well as when going car camping.

I was thinking the tent is 82 inch long. I could sleep in it, but I would be more comfortably laying in a larger tent. I have a North Face tent that I thought was a great find, just to find out it's so tiny inside it annoys me (I think it is only around 80"). I would rather pitch a tarp and sleep in my bivy sack underneath.

Honestly you just need something with a fly. We’ve had a North Face, and Coleman and a McKinley all with fly’s and all have been perfectly fine riding out rainstorms. A ground sheet/tarp tucked under the tent is never a bad idea either as long as it’s not sticking out catching rain. Set the tent up properly with the guy lines out and you should be good. A vestibule has always been something we have too, one with the full fly not just mesh screens.

I’ve owned a lot of tents Eureka, Kelly, North Face, Big Agnes, REI and our last two have been Core (big and cheap) tents. Only one of my tents has ever leaked even with significant rain and thunderstorms.  Make sure things are not pushing on the wall of the tent and properly stake out your tent and fly.   Others have pointed out getting a better tent will help, and it will but if you have stuff pushing on the wall or you don’t stake it out, they will leak too.   Pay attention to how you are storing your tent too.  I had a wonderful North Face tent that got moldy and after that, the waterproofing was shot.  Water literally pouring in the tent as a thunderstorm roared over Lake Superior.  This was the only tent I ever had that leaked and it was an entirely my fault.  

The one that fits your needs. Car camping 4 seasons = Kodiak canvas flexbow or a Spring Bar tent is good. Backpacking 4 seasons tents = North Face Small car camping tent = Cabela’s dome tent Two rooms = Gazelle. Car camping 4 seasons White duck bell tent .

Second what others have said. UL is always a bet that the worst won’t happen and you can ignore discomfort in the name of weight as comfort. The same can’t be said for winter camping where the margins are much tighter. With that being said alpine climbing has been doing UL since before it was cool. There are plenty of 4 season (in reality 1 season) alpine single wall tents like the Rab Latok, Samaya 2.0, MHW AC 2 that are all around 1.7kg and designed to take intense weather. They tend to be designed for snow not rain, so struggle above 0. I got a TNF one on pro deal it’s only useful for mountaineering ascents. But they’re cramped and you get wet every time you run any body part along the wall. I’ll take the extra 1kg of an MSR Fury which is more spacious and more comfortable any day. For ski tours I prefer pyramid tents and dog down using the snow for insulation. One option that balances out fairly well is the SeekOutside hot tents. Tent pole pyramids with the option for titanium stoves. They get super hot, too hot really while you feed the fire. Unfortunately the stoves only accept small bits of wood and require regular feeding. You often go to bed sweating and wake up very cold. You also need the time to gather burnable firewood, which is not always easy in some environments. Without the stove they are lighter than compatible pyramid tents, especially the Dyneema version.

Yes and no. I have a half dozen tents that I bought for less than $100. Most are decent enough and for the casual camper they’ll last quite some time. I also have a $600 North Face tent that I could live in for years.

The easy answer is that it’s a well built solid piece of gear. Color coded tabs so there’s no guesswork with the fly, aluminum poles over fiberglass, good quality screen and the seams are still solid after a decade. It’s just made really well.