Hiking tents are light enough to be used on excursions where you carry or move everything by your own power (hiking, paddling, bike touring, bikepacking). The most rugged hiking tents in our range have been used on both polar caps of the Earth, while the most affordable ones are a nice choice for relaxed summer excursions in fair weather. When choosing your tent, you’ll want to consider whether you value comfort at camp more than weight on the trail - one choice to make is whether a large vestibule is a must, or just extra weight in your use.
We sometimes hear beginning hikers wonder how easy or hard a tent is to pitch - thankfully, hiking tents are very simple compared to large camping tents.
Tents are made for many uses, terrains and climates: a stormproof tent for fjell and mountain areas is more rugged but also a bit heavier than one made for good performance in easier conditions. The owner of an ultralight tent gets to enjoy the low weight and small packing size when on the trail, and uses extra care in where to pitch their shelter.
Tunnel tents are a traditional Nordic choice. They offer good internal space compared to their weight, and are highly stormproof when pitched along the wind direction. On the other hand, they’re not freestanding, unlike dome tents. Dome and hybrid tents are not as sensitive to wind direction.
Three season tents are a bit more airy than four season ones: they have large bug mesh panels and often the fly’s hem doesn’t reach all the way to the ground, enabling ventilation. Four season tents enable zipping all bug mesh panels shut with fabric, thus blocking the way for spindrift to enter. They are also designed to stand against snow loads, and some extreme models can be used with double poles.
Hilleberg stands tall at the top of the market, and their developers do lots of hikes with new prototypes on Swedish and Norwegian fjells - every Hilleberg product has seen a long process of product development. Fjällräven, Helsport, Exped and Jack Wolfskin are also familiar quality manufacturers, and newcomers such as Robens gather new happy users each year.