We've traveled and camped all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Turkey, India, and Nepal. We have taken backpacking tents on the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Oregon Coast Trail, John Muir Trail, North Country Trail, and in Alaska's Brooks Range. We slept through torrential downpours, high winds, snow, sleet, hail, and sandstorms. We hiked fast and ultralight with some tents, and, with others, we camped from our cars and loaded our gear on horses and mules. For every single tent, we staked them, pitched them, weighed them, and tossed and turned in them.
Comfort
Our ratings consider door and vestibule design, wall shape and angles, the number and size of storage pockets, peak height and the uniformity of that height across the width of the tent, floor area (including whether or not it tapers from head to toe), and vestibule area. We also include other essential but less apparent factors in our assessment, including ventilation features that keep you warm and dry and the maximum height of a sleeper that the tent can accommodate. (You probably don't want your toes touching the bottom in a rainstorm or your head reaching the top every time you sit up).
Weather Resistance
We check the quality of the seals on the tent and fly in real-world conditions and real or, when necessary, simulated rain showers. We consider factors such as pole design, pole diameter, the number of pole intersections, the mechanism for attaching the body to the fly, the mechanism for attaching the fly to the poles, construction quality, number and quality of guy points, and overall tent and fly geometry.
Space to Weight Ratio
We take floor area measurements and divide them by the measured weight of each tent to understand how much space and comfort it offers per pound. We also look at how much headroom each tent provides.
Ease of Use
We time how long it takes and how intuitive it is to set up a tent. We time set up for each model fresh out of the bag, noting pole structure, overall symmetry, and any features that make it a faster, simpler process, like color-coded clips and poles or 'easy snap' hubs. We also note how long it takes to break down and pack and how easy it is to use day to day.
Construction Quality
Our ratings take into account any defect, parts that break, or areas that wear faster than the rest of the tent, as well as the manufacturer's fabric specifications.
