Many 2 man tents are some of the smallest tents that you can buy. They are designed for ease and not usually comfort. They are great tents for backpacking and backwoods hiking. Engineers today have made some amazing advances in tents and have literally made many tents smaller and lighter that a lot of gear that a typical backpacker would carry. If you are a backpacker or backwoods hiker, we will discuss why these tents will save you time, money, and stress.
I recently backpacked down the Grand Canyon. On our way down we pick up a solo day hiker from China. He wanted some company on his hike and we were friendly so we invited him to hike with us. While getting to know him we found out that our new friend was planning to hike in and out of the Grand Canyon in 1 day. Many people think this is crazy but it really isn’t too hard if you are in decent shape. This doesn’t take into account that many people per month get stuck in the Grand Canyon without water and shelter because they had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
Here is where a 2 man tent will come into play. Our friend had been hiking downhill into the canyon for 2 hours, we were halfway down and it was only 2:00pm. He was at the canyon only for a day and really wanted to make it to the bottom but, by this time he was getting nervous that he would get stuck in the canyon without any shelter or lights. He asked the ranger and the ranger advised against it. Our friend decided against the ranger advice. If our friend would have prepared and bought a 2 man tent (they can make them as little as 2 lbs.) he would not have that much more weight and he would not have the problem of getting stuck in the canyon.
The good news is that our friend made it out of the canyon safe and sound. However, it was dark by the time he got back and he had no flashlights. Many times this situation can end up very bad and does for many hikers all the time. A little preparation for backcountry hiking can go a long way.
If you find a high quality, lightweight 2 man tent it will save you time, money, and stress while backpacking. If you are ever in our Chinese friends position you will not stress that you will be stuck on your hike. This will also save you time by not having to find help when you are stranded in the backwoods and you can wait until morning to plan your next move. Lastly, a good quality tent will last years and maybe decades. A cheaper made tent will start to show stress within a few camping trips. In the long-run a better quality tent will save you money.