AdventuresNW
In the world of ultra-light backpacking, you rarely get to use the words superior durability, excellent price, luxurious living space, and lightweight all in one sentence to describe a tent. The Two from Gossamer Gear is all of those and highly recommended for two people.
Compared to many ultra-light materials, the nylon tent body with a SIL (silicone) nylon finish is durable and offers greater waterproofing. The material is also part of why this tent achieves such a relatively low price ($320). The Two uses trekking poles for structure and allows you to vary the tent’s height. The minimum trekking pole height is 120 cm, but if you have adjustable poles, you can go up to 150 cm, which gives you a very generous living space and two huge vestibules for gear storage and cooking in poor weather. However, this is not a free-standing tent, so you’ll need to use the guy lines and stakes or trees to pitch the tent.
While not the lightest tent out there, at 1.96 lbs., this tent is a favorite of thru-hikers who don’t mind a couple of extra ounces to greatly increase their living space without breaking the bank.
Chris Gerston owns Backcountry Essentials, an outdoor specialty shop located at 1417 N. State St. in Bellingham, WA
