Is a lighter tent always better or does durability matter more?

I keep seeing people online recommend ultralight tents under 2 pounds for backpacking, but after my last trip in the White Mountains where a gust tore a seam on a friend's fancy DCF shelter, I'm wondering if we've gone too far chasing weight. My old 4 pound REI tent has survived storms and rocky campsites for 5 years without a single tear. Are you trading real durability just to save a pound or two in your pack?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray_king1mo ago

That DCF seam tear in the Whites is exactly why I still carry a 3.5 pound Big Agnes tent from 2018. I've had it out in hailstorms in Montana where the ground was nothing but sharp rocks and roots, and the floor still doesn't have a single pinhole. A buddy brought a 1.5 pound Zpacks shelter on the same trip and had to patch it twice by day three. I get that shaving weight feels great on the trail, but not when you're sleeping under a taped up tarp in a surprise thunderstorm. For me, a couple extra pounds is worth knowing the tent won't quit when the weather does.

sam_anderson1mo ago

Man that's rough, I feel you @ray_king. I had a similar experience with a DCF shelter in the Smokies last spring - woke up with a half inch tear in the bathtub floor from a random twig I didn't even see. Meanwhile my buddy's old REI half dome has been through hell and back, no issues. It's like the lighter the gear gets, the more you gotta babysit it. I'd rather carry an extra pound and not have to stress about patching holes at 2am in the rain.