Kelty TN 2 Person Tent Review

People often choose two person tents as backpacking tents because they plan to share their tent with another person or simply enjoy the amount of space that a two person tent can afford them. As an individual, I enjoy using a two person tent for myself on short backpacking trips when I know that it will rain during my trip.

After a long hike in the rain there is nothing like cozying up in a warm tent for the evening. Small, one person tents do not afford me enough space to really do much of anything on these rainy evenings, so I prefer a two person tent where I can stretch out to read or write in my travel journal.

I spent considerable time researching two and three person tents to find the one which I believe would be best for a backpacking trip. First and foremost, I considered how easy it would be to transport this tent in a backpack.

Secondly, I reviewed consumer reports and ratings to ensure that the tent I selected was one with which the majority of consumers were satisfied. Finally, I considered the size of the tent when assembled in comparison to its weight and tried to select one which was large enough to comfortably fit at least two people without being too heavy for backpacking purposes.

After extensively reviewing all of the two to three person tents which I believed were light enough to be carried in a backpack for long or short journeys I settled on the Kelty TN because it met all of my criteria.

Lightweight

Since I recommend that a single occupant backpacking tent not exceed three pounds, it only follows that a two person backpacking tent should not exceed six pounds. Anything heavier than six pounds will not allow two people to sufficiently divide their belongings to offset the weight of the tent in one pack without causing back pain for one of the hikers.

Weighing in at only four pounds nine ounces, this tent was well below my 6 pound threshold for a two person backing tent. This tent is actually light enough to be carried by most people for solitary use on a short hiking trip.

For longer hiking trips, I suggest that backpackers stick to a smaller, lighter tent if they will be using it for themselves. When used by two people, this tent’s light weight makes it easy to split up carrying responsibilities among two people for longer journeys.

Compact

This tent easily folds up into a somewhat flat, square shape that makes it very easy to slide into the back of your bag or strap around the front of your bag for transportation. Many other backpacking tents fold up into large rectangles which can be difficult to fit into the center of your pack or affix to the center of its front.

If you are unable to fit that other type of tent into one of those specific locations, it can add extra weight to one side of the bag, which will put more pressure on one half of your body as you hike. Trust me, although it may not seem like that big of a deal, an unevenly-weighted pack can cause a lot of pain at the end of a long hiking day.

Satisfied Consumers

Consumer satisfaction is extremely important when it comes to tents. You may be able to purchase other products on a trial basis and send them back if they do not work out well for your needs. Tents, on the other hand, cannot be properly tested until you actually go out camping.

Consumer reports are invaluable in helping to discern whether or not a tent will actually hold up in the elements of nature without you having to actually try it out yourself.

Hundreds of consumer reports cannot be wrong. After reviewing many of them, I found that this tent has managed to please most people looking for comfort, space, and basic function. They have also reported that the tent holds up well in rainstorms and that the full mesh walls offer the best ventilation and stargazing experience one could ask for on a clear night.

Plenty of Space

Despite taking up only a very small amount of space in your backpack and being very lightweight once packed, this tent is actually rather large once it has been assembled. Overall, this tent offers you over 27 square feet of living space.

If you utilize the two vestibules created by the rainfly for storage, you can easily fit two people inside this tent. If you choose to bring your gear inside the tent, however, you may want to limit it to personal use.

Two poles cross at the top of this tent to create its dome-like shape, while a third short pole pulls the front and back of the tent up into a somewhat barn-like shape to create extra headspace. This extra space will make it easy for two people to sit inside to eat a meal or play a game of cards on rainy or mosquito-filled evenings.