The best 2-person tents 2024: for camping trips with a buddy (2024)

The best 2-person tents are wonderfully versatile. Light enough to take on the trail, yet roomy enough for two to enjoy a car camping vacation – you'll get plenty of use out of a quality 2-person tent, making it a sound investment indeed.

For many backpackers, even those going solo, the additional living space provided by a 2-person tent over a coffin-esque one-person shelter makes for more pleasant adventures. The weight penalty is marginal, particularly where ultralight components are involved. This is the case in many of the best 2-person tents in our roundup, including in the excellent Sea to Summit Alto TR2, our pick of the finest available in 2024.

Nevertheless, all the shelters in this guide are among the best camping tents out there. Our expert testers have put them to the test in a range of backcountry conditions to bring you our approved roundup. For more on what to look for when selecting your ultimate shelter, see the how to choose section at the bottom of this guide.

The quick list

This is our quick list, a brief overview of the very best two-person tents available in 2024. For a deeper dive into each product, navigate to the more detailed reviews further down the page on this guide.

The best two-person tents we recommend in 2024

The best two-person tent overall

Sea to Summit's new range of Alto and Telos tents feature patent pending Tension Ridge Architecture, which features a cross bar that cantilevers upwards, creating near vertical walls, a high ceiling and a kind of unrivalled roominess we very much enjoyed on test. This unique and innovative architecture paves the way for myriad other benefits: high doors, large vestibules and good climate control. On test, this all added up to a superbly liveable tent space, especially for a backpacking tent. "The inner boasts a great amount of headroom," said our expert tester, "feeling less claustrophobic than most backpacking tents."

Other features include five separate setup options depending on the weather, oversized Apex Vents in the ceiling to combat condensation and an illuminating Lightbar that is used in conjunction with a headlamp. With ultralight DAC poles and lightweigh fabrics throughout, the Alto TR2 weighs in at just 1.15kg and this weight can be split into three storage units for the trail. Perfect for wild camping expeditions in the warmer months, this is one of the best 2-person tents out there.

Read out full Sea to Summit Alto TR2 review

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The best two-person tent for storage options

The North Face Trail Lite 2 is a lightweight backpacking tent from the outdoor powerhouse brand. It's a cleverly designed dome tent that offers maximum space for two backpackers, thanks to an additional crossing pole that’s mounted off-center under the fly, providing support for huge storage pockets. "In my opinion, these considerations make the tent one of the best options out there for duos who hike and camp together," says our wild camping expert.

Meanwhile, it's still small and lightweight enough to easily carry over long distances. It comes with two doors and two reasonably-sized vestibules, as well as a host of smart storage pouches for keeping things tidy inside. It’s also incredibly easy to pitch and pack away, and does a surprisingly good job in changing weather conditions.

Weighing pretty much bang on 2 kg (4.43 lbs), the Trail Lite 2 is reasonably lightweight, especially considering the versatile environments this thing excels in. So, Lightweight, easy-to-carry and decidedly easy to pitch, the North Face Trail Lite 2 is a comfortable two-person, three-season shelter for use in a range of conditions.

Read our full The North Face Trail Lite 2-Person Tent review

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The best two-person tent for value

We found the Forclaz MT500 to be a neat little tent. Packed away, it comes in a small red bag with compression straps that allow you to pull everything tight before stashing it in your pack. And at 2.8kgs (6.1lbs), it’s also reasonably lightweight – especially for a shelter at this price point and that promises to withstand winds up to 70km/h (40mph).

In the pack, the tent comes with two lightweight yet robust aluminum poles, plenty of pegs, four additional guy lines and a pre-attached inner and outer tent so that you can rapidly put this thing up in inclement weather. Thanks to the dome structure, the tent offers tons of space once up, and even comes with two doors. This is handy if you’re sharing (though it’ll be a very cozy night for the both of you) and it also gives you the option of using one vestibule as a gear store and the other as a cooking space.

Roomy, sturdy and simple to set up the Forclaz MT500 trekking tent "does way more than you should reasonably expect from a tent at this price point" according to our hardened camping expert.

Read our full Forclaz MT500 two-person tent review

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The best lightweight two-person tent

Described as a one- to two-person tent, we found the Vaude Lizard Seamless 1-2P is palatial for one but snug for two – making it a good option for quick overnighters, but perhaps less ideal for extended trips, unless you’re a couple of adventure racers who are simply too exhausted to care. It is, however, a technically advanced tent that manages to be impressively lightweight for a double-walled tent yet extremely storm-proof too.

There’s only a single entrance, with a modest porch, though we found that the inner tent can be pulled aside to offer a little more room. It's an ideal option for weight-conscious solo adventurers who are likely to encounter variable conditions – though be aware that the lightweight fabrics can tend to flap in the wind, so we recommend earplugs for gusty nights in exposed locations.

Though other tents are cheaper and roomier, few match this one for weight or overall build quality – it is meticulously engineered.

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The best two-person tent for bikepackers

Campers are always looking for new and exciting ways to get deeper into the woods and wilderness. Bikepacking – strapping gear to mountain bikes and riding remote single track trails for overnight adventures – is becoming increasingly popular. To accommodate bikepackers, Big Agnes has designed the Tiger Wall UL2 as a bike specific shelter.

On test, we found that every detail of this tent is examined through the expectations and eyes of the cycle-camper. Short 12in/30.5cm pole sections made strapping our tent bag to handlebars or a rack easy. Once we got it down off the bike and started pitching, we found that the proprietary TipLok Tent Buckle makes set-up fast and simple, especially welcome after a long, muddy trail ride. The double-door, two-vestibule set-up offers gear storage and easy access. Overhead pockets keep smartphones and headlamps off the tent floor and close at hand when needed. The stuff sack has attachment points to help secure the tent to the bike.

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The best two-person tent for space

The best backpack tent designers worry over the smallest details, and the benefit of their hard work is often found in product attributes you don’t immediately notice, because it’s the things that don’t annoy you. We found that this was the case with the Half Dome 2. Once set up, we enjoyed the large door openings and durable zippers, which translated into easy entry, without snagging mesh or tripping over a door seam that’s too high off the floor.

The Half Dome 2, a pound lighter than the previous model, is filled with the small details that make the difference between frustration and pleasant memories. The proprietary pole architecture delivers vertical walls, while giving us comfortable headroom and floor space. Its a shelter big enough for two adults plus a small child or a trail dog, and ventilation is excellent. Internal organization capacity is good too, with pockets and hanging straps to keep gear readily to hand. In addition to extra storage space under the vestibules, the fly can be rolled up and stowed.

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The best two-person tent for easy pitching

"A quality tent with solid construction and fabric," according to our camping expert, this ultralight two-person tent from the long-running Hubba Hubba series from MSR is a backpacker’s dream. We found that, though it easily sleeps two, its weight and pack size are comparable to a lot of one-person tents. It arrives in a front loading compression sack with pull handle and illustrated instructions for set up. When we pulled it out of the sack, we had the inner tent set up in well under two minutes.

Once inside, it's surprising how much headroom there is for two people, plus enough space for backpacks and gear. You’ll each have two pockets for gear you want close to hand and your own side entrance. If you’re camping in dry weather, the mesh upper lets you do some stargazing and provides plenty of airflow. If there’s wet weather coming, the rainfly adds a little confusion the first time or two, but provides ample protection from the rain as well as two vestibules for muddy hiking boots. MSR calls this tent its 'most liveable tent', and all in all, we heartily agree.

Read our full MSR Hubba Hubba NX review

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The best two-person tent for backpacking value

Combining the functionality of twin porches, semi-geodesic geometry and a strong wind-resistant design, the Alpkit Jaran 3 tent is an ever-popular choice for hikers who want a backpacking tent to take into the mountains and beyond. When pitching the tent, we found that the horizontal supporting crossbar proved a bit fiddly to begin with, but after slotting all the poles together, we found it to be a no-nonsense design. Once inside, we found it was a great, spacious tent that sleeps two (in luxury) or three people.

It also offers lots of liveable functionality, due to twin porches that ensure the living space within the tent is readily available, with ample room for storing kit either side of sleeping spaces. "From a comfort perspective, the Jaran 3 has been my go-to tent recently," said our wild camping expert.

This all adds up to a shelter that's easy to share with a companion or two, or ideal for small families (parents and child), with room for sleeping kit inside and bigger bags protected from the elements out in the porch.

Read our full Alpkit Jaran 3 ultralight backpacking tent review

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The best two-person tent for porch space

Once we had the Hoolie Compact ETC 2 up, the most immediately impressive feature was its cavernous porch. With a total length of some 2 metres, it offered us a capacious amount of space for our kit. This makes this tent a popular choice among bikepackers or cycle tourers, as well as backpackers on extended trips carrying big, heavily-laden packs. We found that the internal sleeping space wasn’t bad either, with generous length plus reasonable width and headroom.

At just over 3 kilos, this is not the lightest 2-person tent around, making use of heavier weight polyester fabrics as opposed to lighter nylon or DCF. That does, however, keep the cost down and ensures it is both robust and reliable, with fully taped seams throughout and 8.5mm Superflex alloy poles.

The design pitches all-in-one, while there's only one entrance and it relies on guyline tension for stability, but if securely pitched it is very weatherproof, offering good three-season protection. If there is a drawback to this tent, it’s the relatively modest ventilation. There’s only a half mesh door and two fairly small vents at either end.

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The best two-person tent for all-in-one pitching

The Vango F10 Xenon UL2 maximises the advantages of a tunnel tent in a lightweight package. In fact, we found Vango’s clever architecture adds head height without affecting stability, thanks to the tent’s arched poles, which gives steeper walls for better rigidity and improved rain run-off compared to standard hooped poles. Inside, these are braced with the brand’s Tension Band System (TBS), which prevents the poles deforming in high winds.

So, although this isn’t classed as a four-season tent, it's still very weatherproof and stands up well to the rough stuff. Indeed, it prioritises protection at the slight cost of ventilation, and we found that airflow through the tent isn’t as good as many 2-person tents, resulting in condensation in some conditions. However, it pitches all-in-one, which is a practical solution for wetter climates, and with practice goes up very easily.

Although the design offers only one entrance and a single porch, it’s a good size for either cooking in or storing packs and wet gear. It all makes this a robust tent that is well suited to outdoor adventures in unpredictable weather.

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The best two-person tent for wet conditions

This superb two-person tent is based on US brand Sierra Designs’ bestselling Meteor series but tweaks the build to make it better suited for the wetter climates of northern Europe. As such, it features enhanced waterproofing, with a PU-coated polyester flysheet rated at 3,000mm hydrostatic head in an earthy green colourway that makes it far more practical for stealthy wild camps. We found that the fly provides good coverage and there is added wind protection too, thanks to an inner tent that features more fabric and less mesh.

Once inside, we were pleased with the decent living space. There are two roomy porches and we enjoyed plenty of headroom. Practical features abound, like two-way door zips for additional ventilation. It does need to be pitched inner-first and those beefed-up fabrics mean it now tips the scales at just over 2kg, which for some might be the cut-off point for a lightweight backpacking tent. However, we’d urge you to not to discount it, as this is one of the best value options around for backpackers and wild campers.

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The best two-person tent for car camping

We found that the 32 sq ft / 3 sq m floor plan of the Eureka Mountain Pass 2 makes this a comfortable shelter for two adults. Once stashed away in our pack, it wasn't the most lightweight 2-person tent we've ever carried, so it's best suited to backpackers who aren’t intending to venture too far on any given trail day.

However, on test, the Mountain Pass 2 provided a good level of shelter and its zippered, removable panels could be used to extend the tent to four-season use when required. The pitch is nice and easy too: a hub, three color-coded pole-and-clip system takes the tent from stuff sack to crawl-in comfort in just a few minutes. It is also an easy tent to keep organized and tidy; five pockets and an overhead gear loft swallow sunglasses, smartphones, headlamps, pocket knives and anything else you want to keep handy (see our guide to the best headlamps for some good options).

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The best two-person tent for speedy pitching

The Buck Creek 2 is a very practical and liveable shelter. Inside, we found it has an array of little touches that really enhance overall enjoyment. It's robustly made from ripstop polyester, with sealed seams throughout and high-quality 9mm DAC aluminium alloy hubbed poles. This forms a sturdy exoskeleton, to which you simply clip the fabric fly and pre-attached inner, enabling simple, speedy pitching.

When bringing in our wet gear, we valued the porch, which has a partial groundsheet to keep packs and other gear dry, while still providing wet access for muddy boots. The single side doorway has a double zip to crack it open for extra airflow. Other nice touches include guy line retainers to avoid tangles, storage pockets for inner doors and an internal adjustable ridgeline to hang a tent lantern or dry your kit. Inside, the doorway has a mesh panel for ventilation, while the floor space will comfortably accommodate two. At 2.3kg, the weight is middling for a 2-person tent, but it’s still a viable option for backpacking.

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The best two-person tent for winter

Put two iconic tents together and what do you get? The Laser Compact All-Season 2, which Terra Nova claims is the ultimate four-season lightweight 2-person tent. It takes the distinctive low-profile design of the Laser, a favourite amongst lightweight mountain marathoners and adventure racers, and adds super-robust fabrics from the Quasar, the brand’s classic mountain tent (for which the appellation ‘bombproof’ was surely invented). On test, we found the result is a highly resilient and very stable storm-proof shelter that still weighs in at just 1.8kg and packs down to a mere 30 x 16cm.

For a genuine four-season tent that will hold up in the most fearsome winter weather those are impressive specs. But Terra Nova haven’t compromised on features in order to save weight. In fact, they’ve specced up this version for added toughness. As well as fully taped seams throughout, the twin door zips have vent hoods at the top for additional rain protection. Of course, as anyone who is familiar with the Laser design will know, it isn’t the roomiest. Once inside, we found it a little on the small side. As such, this tent is a snug fit for two.

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The best two-person tents comparison table

How we test the best two-person tents

At Advnture we endeavor to test every product we feature extensively in the field. That means one of our team of reviewers and writers – all experienced outdoor specialists active across the US, UK, Europe and Australasia – taking it out into the terrain and climatic conditions that it’s designed for. If, for any reason, this isn’t possible, we’ll say so in our buying guides and reviews.

Our reviewers test 2-person tents overnight, sleeping out with an adventure partner in conditions, temperatures and terrain appropriate to the rating assigned to the product by the manufacturers/ brand. They will also carry the tent in a backpacking scenario to test its performance as a shelter for multi day hikes.

For more details, check out how Advnture tests products.

Meet the testers

How to choose the best two-person tent

When considering how to choose a tent, there are many factors. 2-person tents are among the most popular pieces of backpacking kit around, a mainstay of many adventurers' camping checklists, and there is a bewildering array of models available, scattered across a broad landscape in terms of features, quality, weight and price point. The best 2-person tent for you will depend on what backpacking, bikepacking, canoeing or car camping adventures you have planned.

Before you invest, we've compiled come frequently asked questions to help you choose your ideal shelter.

How can you tell if a tent is good quality?

The primary function of a backpacking tent is to keep you protected from the elements – mainly wind and rain, but sometimes snow too. This is particularly important if you are intent on going wild camping in the mountains.

On quality tents, the flysheet and groundsheet fabric will have a quoted Hydrostatic Head (HH) weighting in terms of 1000s of mm – e.g. 3,000mm – which reflects how much pressure the fabric can withstand before it lets water in. So, a flysheet with a HH of 3,000mm could have a solid column of water 3 metres tall standing on it before it fails.

But, HH isn’t everything, good tents also need decent stitching, well sealed seams and quality zips. Ventilation is another important factor – a tent may be fully waterproof, but without adequate moisture management you’ll still get wet from condensation build-up.

It's always a good idea to read a review or two of the tent you are zoning in on, to check what the experts make of it before committing to a purchase.

How much should I spend on a 2-person tent?

First of all, you should consider whether a 2-person tent matches your ambitions. If you're heading for Glastonbury, you won't want to spend a fortune on something that was designed with the hardy souls of British Antarctic Survey in mind. One of the best pop up tents will be probably be just the ticket (not the sort of ticket that will get you through the festival gates, that is).

If long solo trips to the hills and mountains are your cup of tea, then the weight saving you'll make by investing in one of the best one-person tents is more than worth it. However, a 2-person tent may make more sense, especially if you've got buddies you want to bring along.

If you're set on acquiring a quality 2-person tent for backpacking purposes that'll last for many years, you should look to spend at least $150 (£130) and think of it as an investment. Ultralight tents made from premium materials can come with big price tags (much higher than recommended above), as can four-season or expedition tents designed to withstand extremely high winds and massive snow-loading. But unless you’re a committed adventurer, you don’t need to spend an eye-watering sum.

Try to avoid paying the RRP where you can – the tents in our roundup often feature in offers, while events like Black Friday represent a great opportunity to bag a bargain shelter.

How important is weight when considering a 2-person tent?

If you’re car camping, these figures are less important – but if you’re backpacking or bikepacking, they’re crucial. Make sure the packed dimensions (i.e. total volume of the tent and poles all bundled up together in their stuff sack) are not too bulky to fit inside your backpack alongside your headlamp and freeze-dried meals.

When adventuring with a partner or adventure buddy, you can usually split the weight of the tent and share it – one person carrying the poles and pegs, the other carting the inner tent and flysheet.

Weight is still a factor of course, especially if you’re walking/running/riding a long distance. Dedicated ultralighters might consider a 2-person tent over 1.5kg as ‘too heavy’, but for most backpackers and wild campers, a 2-person tent up to about 3kg is still reasonably lightweight.

Nylon flysheets offer better strength for their weight, as do carbon fibre poles. Mesh used in the inner is light and cool in warm weather, but can result in a chilly night in cold conditions.

How important is the amount of space in a tent?

Carefully consider the total floor space of the inner, to ensure you’ll have enough room for you, a partner and both of your sleeping pads and gear. Ideally, you should be able to sit up, at least at one end of the tent.

Most tents have a small space outside the inner tent that’s still protected by the flysheet. This porch or vestibule is a great place to store wet kit and muddy boots, and can also act as a sheltered space to cook on a camping stove in poor weather. Make sure the porch is big enough to accommodate gear.

Is a small tent warmer than a large tent?

Tents don't provide warmth, they merely trap it. When you go camping, your main heat source at night is yourself and anyone else you're sharing your shelter with. Radiated body heat is trapped within the tent, which is why it ends up warmer inside your tent than outside.

Due to this, a small tent is warmer than a large tent, as there's less air for your body heat to warm up. Also, two people in a 2-person shelter will radiate more heat than one person, so camping with a buddy makes things warmer still. Of course, the best 2-person tents come with ventilation options, which help to keep things cool during balmy summer nights.

How do 2-person tents pitch?

When you're pitching a tent, you need to factor in its design. Tents pitch in one of three ways: inner first, outer first or all-in-one. Some 2-person tent designs are free-standing, meaning that the overall structure is created by the poles alone and does not rely on fabric or guy line tension to keep the tent upright.

A freestanding tent is ideal for pitching on hard ground when it may be difficult or impossible to drive tent pegs or stakes into the ground. It also makes it easier to move the tent around once it is erect if you decide to alter your pitch to find flatter ground, for example.

Provided tent pegs are securely staked, however, non-free-standing designs can be just as stable, and they also have lower profiles, enabling them to shed wind well. As well as pegging points at tent corners, most tents have a series of guy lines to help stabilise the tent in high winds. More guy lines add security and resilience, but also means carrying more pegs.

Is it better to roll or fold a tent?

It's the part of a camping trip that we all hate, packing the tent away. Well, that is unless you're backpacking and there are many more adventurous days on the trails to come.

So, to roll or to fold? That is the question. Well, many experts from tent manufacturers recommend neither, opting instead to stuff. Stuffing is generally better for the tent and is easier to do in a hurry. This makes stuffing the go to for serious backpackers, especially when it's raining.

However, there's also nothing wrong with folding and many prefer rolling the tent when they know it's being put into storage for an extended period.