Trekking pole tents versus freestanding tents

The shelter is the most expensive line in almost every kit, and the one where the price spread is widest. A decent freestanding two person tent runs $250 to $550 at full price. A trekking pole shelter from a small maker runs $200 to $700, and the expensive ones use Dyneema composite fabric, which costs several times more per yard than the nylon in a mainstream tent.

Freestanding

Freestanding tents stand up on their own poles. You can pitch one on a wooden platform or on granite, anywhere the ground refuses stakes. You can move it after it is up. They are heavier, usually 2.5 to 4.5 pounds for a two person model, and they are what most people should buy first. Big Agnes, NEMO, MSR and REI make the ones you will see in the shelter deals most often, and the closeouts on previous season colours are where the real discounts are. The tent does not know what colour it is.

Trekking pole shelters

These use the poles you are already carrying, so the shelter itself can weigh under a pound and a half. They need a good pitch and decent stakes, and they take practice. In a hard storm a well pitched one is fine and a badly pitched one is miserable. Durston, Tarptent, Zpacks, Six Moon Designs and Gossamer Gear are the names in our ultralight kit. They rarely go on sale in the way big brands do; when they do, it is usually a seconds or overstock listing, and those sell out in hours.

How to choose

If you hike mostly on established trails in three seasons and you have never pitched a tarp, buy the freestanding tent on sale and stop thinking about it. If you are counting ounces and you know how to stake a guyline, the trekking pole shelter is the single biggest weight saving in the whole kit, and the ultralight kit is built around it. The lightweight kit shows the freestanding option priced live; the ultralight kit shows the other path.