A Quick Guide To Backpacking Shelters

Keeping yourself relatively protected from rain, snow, wind, and sun while backpacking is essential. Sure, you can camp under the stars in certain weather, but weather is always uncertain. You can also hike in areas with dedicated trail shelters, but what if you get lost before reaching them? Thankfully, with only a thin sheet or two of nylon or other fabrics, you can protect yourself from most adverse weather conditions. As with all things backpacking, weight and size become determining factors. With ultralight materials and designs ever improving, the lines between tents and tarps are blurring as are their tradeoffs in weight consdierations. For the most part, backpacking shelters fall in three major categories: tents, tarps, and bivvy sacks. Let’s take a look at each, and their relative strengths and weaknesses.

Gear Review: Big Agnes Scout Plus UL2 Ultralight Backpacking Tent

The first thing you’ll notice about the Big Agnes Scout series is that these tents somehow manage to look both funkily retro and sleekly modern simultaneously. This is thanks to the 21st century update of the classic two-pole boy scout pup tent design. This single-wall shelter is extremely lightweight (under 2 lbs. trail weight), very roomy, has a large vestibule, and is well-designed to withstand high winds and heavy rains if need be. The Scout Plus UL2 is not without its compromises, but they are compromises I’m more than happy to make given the excellent weight-to-roominess ratio. Let’s get into the details, starting with the main specs: (Note: I have no affiliation with Big Agnes or any retailers mentioned here. This tent was purchased as regular consumer.)