Terra Nova Unisex's Laser Compact 2 Lightweight Tent, Green, 2 Person

Product Information

If you’re looking for a two-person tent that’s even lighter than the MSR Hubba Hubba, MSR also offers the FreeLite 2. Designed for ultralight adventures of all descriptions, this tent is all about maximum space-to-weight, without compromising too much in terms of overall protection or durability. Included are Dyneema reflective guylines that are three times stronger than standard guyropes, adding extra support.

Terra Nova Superlight Series tents are designed to create extremely lightweight products, balanced with strength and durability. This is achieved using both 7 and 10 denier nylon 6.6 ripstop flysheet fabrics, with a maximum tear strength of 6kg. The Outdoors Magic staff plus our Gear Testers have tested out countless tents over the last few years. Here are the 10 options that have impressed us all the most. This uses some excellent, ultralight but durable materials and has plenty of nifty little details to, overall, make for a tent we rank very highly here at Outdoors Magic. To be honest, your route to finding the best fit tent for your needs is a series of personal questions you need to ask yourself. We all have different needs.The Fal Pro Air 2 has a dome-style design, with two poles crossing each other at the apex of the tent in an X-shape. This gives good headroom, creates an internal floor space of 210x130x100cm, and is very simple to set up. It is all-as-one pitching, meaning you don’t have to faff around with the flysheet and inner separately (though you can detach them if you need to). To help keep condensation at a minimum, there are also vents at both ends of the inner and flysheet A simple, effective design with single entrance help keep weight down. The low profile of the tent, guy lines and low-cut fly make it an excellent tent for battling the wind and rain. Sadly, it wasn’t large enough for me and my teammate plus all our gear. On that occasion, we took a Hilleberg Keron 3 GT, a massive tunnel tent that was more than adequate for our needs.

All three setups have their pros and cons. The relative merits of each will depend on the demands of your ride and how inconspicuous you need to be. The importance you place on comfort, weight and ease of use will also be important factors. “If I’m doing a race I’ll take a bivvy, silk liner and inflatable mattress,” says Cunningham. “If I’m touring I’ll take a tent, sleeping bag and inflatable sleeping mat.” Target User: The outdoor enthusiast who is looking for a good balance of weight, durability and space. Terra Nova has been on my radar for some time now. I first came across them when preparing to ski to the North Pole and was looking for a solid expedition tent. I trialled the Laser 2. The Hubba Hubba NX 2’s solid design involves a long length-ways pole which forks at each end and a short pole across the top which creates some width to the inner. It is inner pitch first and freestanding, so you could sleep in this without pegging in, but then you’d have the porches on either side flapping about.

UK Expedition Range

Weight. Low priority on my list, but still important. Ask yourself what a reasonable weight for a tent is. Pay particular attention to the distance you’ll be hiking. You could say the porch is the main USP here. It’s two-sided, so when the wind’s blowing you can open up whichever side has leedward shelter, or you can roll up both sides and have a nice wide opening when there’s an epic sunset you want to admire from the comfort of your sleeping bag. The material the product is made from is often a sign of the quality for 2 man tents. Take a look at the product details over at Cotswold Outdoor to get a feel for this. As you can see in the picture, this doesn’t feature the internal or external pole sleeves you normally see on tents, but instead has a system that involves a bungee cord and little hooks. It’s actually very, very simple to master and makes for some very speedy pitching and an overall very stable structure. This series includes designs that have become the industry blueprint for lightweight tent design, winning numerous awards and being used worldwide. Lightweight series models offer a good balance of durability and low weight using a 20 denier nylon ripstop flysheet fabric.

It’s pitched flysheet first, or you can pitch the whole thing as one. It’s all simply done, you just slide the main hooped pole through an external sleeve and then the ends are propped up by short poles. The seams along the pole sleeve aren’t taped so it comes with a kind-of mini-tarp that can be tied over the top for extra protection and also a bit of added stability. Snugpak hasn’t been so generous with the amount of internal space. At 220cm x 120cm, it’s not as spacious as the Grampian 2. Two people can lie side by side, although there’s minimal room for any gear you want to bring inside. All is not lost: the vestibule provides a decent sized storage space.

For anyone looking for that ‘home from home’ feel, Big Agnes has what you yearn for. The Copper Spur HV UL2 is well proportioned (a phrase I usually reserve for my belly). Not only is there plenty of room for two occupants, the vestibule provides ample space for stowing your outdoor gear. And unlike some other two-person tents, there is plenty of room for you to sit up, or even stand (albeit hunched over). End of Line: This is a brand-new product that has either been discontinued or updated and is a predecessor to the new version. Another light and spacious tent at a moderate price. There are cheaper options, but with MSR you get that fluffy feeling that comes from the company’s name. Another factor that can be a great indication of product quality is the brand. Brands like Terra Nova are of course extremely well known, especially for 2 man tents. Like the Snugpak Lonospere, the Vango Helium UL1 can’t match the high-end, premium features of some of the tents in this list; nor is it as competitive as the likes of Snugpak on price. But this means it fits neatly on its own, in the middle, providing a mid-range option with an excellent balance between weight and price. In fact, it’s pretty good value considering how light this is, measuring just 1200g. It features a Protex 3000mm waterproof flysheet, 70 denier nylon fabric ground sheet and useful vents which allow air flow to combat condensation. Handily the hooped main pole has a high arch on it, meaning you can comfortably sit up inside.