A-Frame or Ridge Tents

Many people have fond childhood memories of spending the night in the backyard or perhaps out on a Boy Scout camping trip. Chances are that you've spent the night in an A-frame style tent. Improvements have definitely been made since your childhood. You no longer have to fight your way around a pole in the middle of the doorway!

One of the main limitations of this style is the lack of headroom towards the sides of the tent. In the past, poles could not bend; hence the straight poles on each side. With the advent of bend-able aluminum and alloy metal poles, the poles could bend and allow more space than the straight poles.

The first two tents shown below are award winning styles from Big Agnes. The first one, the Seedhouse 1 is meant for one person, so it makes little difference that the headroom is only in the center since you don't have to share it with anyone. At about 3 pounds, this tent is extremely lightweight for the solo hiker who wants to have their gear and dog inside with them.

The second one is also from Big Agnes but is for two people. It is the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 Super Light Tent, a two person, three-season tent that weighs only 3 lbs, 6 ounces!

The third one is a very inexpensive one from Coleman, at the time of this writing costing only about $50. But with the cheaper price comes heavier weight and a tent that will never be the quality that will last like a true backpacking tent. But if you don't plan on backpacking much, simply refuse to rent, and are willing to carry the extra weight, the Coleman could be a viable option for milder conditions.