What you need to know about picking a tent for car camping or backpacking


Happy Friday, ya'll!

I'm currently in Bellingham getting ready to summit Washington's third-highest peak and volcano, Mt. Baker, in the North Cascades. It's my first true mountaineering trek, and I'm ecstatic and somewhat nervous about how my body will hold up. I've been hiking a ton lately, but this will be the most strenuous thing I've done since cancer and transplant 16 months ago.

I'm going with a guide and team, so I'll have company and should return with lots of photos and memories!

How to choose a tent?

Today is the start of the REI 4th of July Sale. All of the tents listed below are either 30% or 40% off.

Car Camping:

When it comes to car camping, weight means little in the grand scheme of things. The most you'll have to do is carry your tent from the car to your campsite, which should be 10-20 feet away. Due to this, car camping tents are usually heavier and, thus, less expensive.

Now, what size should your car camping tent be? If you have a significant other or family, bigger is better. I find no reason to have a small, cramped car camping tent. For me personally, my fiancee and I have a four-person tent with a queen-sized air mattress. This allows us to sleep comfortably even outside.

If you have a larger family, you may want to upgrade to a six-person tent or get multiple tents, depending on how old everyone is.

Lastly, for those car camping solo, a two or three-person tent is still fine. I recommend a full-sized blow-up air mattress so you can sleep better, as a queen mattress will not fit.

Get the gear mentioned above:

Backpacking:

All Big Agnes (30%) and MSR (40%) tents are on sale. In my mind, these are the cream of the crop.

With backpacking, weight is almost everything. Depending on your distance, you want a lightweight tent that won't make you exceedingly tired as you tackle miles and miles.

A general rule of thumb is a 2-person tent is good for one person, and a three-person tent is good for two people - especially if you're taller/larger than the average person. That said, my dad and I spent a night in a two-person tent (yes, it was tight), but we made it work. The same goes for my brother and me when we backpacked across the West in 2020.

Since meeting Jaimie, we wanted a three-person tent and finally got one in 2023. Having a little extra space for her and me makes it SO MUCH better and comfier. If you have the money, upgrading to a 3P is worth it!

I've written a couple of articles on these: Copper Spur Review, Big Agnes Vs MSR, Best Week of the Year to Buy a Backpacking Tent

Get the Gear Mentioned:

Gear Corner

After my transplant, I have to be more cautious with the sun. So, I've been wearing sunshirts and sun hoodies to protect my skin from the sun when I'm out all day.

Here's the general page to browse and below are the ones I specifically have been wearing.

You can't go wrong with many of these!

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Hi! I'm Alec, an outdoor writer, photographer, and content creator.

Alec is a landscape photographer and outdoors storyteller with a zeal for pushing boundaries in the wild. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, and visiting remote places, allowing him to photograph locations the rest of the world shies away from. In addition, Alec loves to write about his travels and craft articles that help educate and inspire others to find their joy in nature.

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