Guide
Trekking-pole shelters ranked by floor area per ounce
Leaving the pole set at home is the largest single weight saving available in a shelter, and the designs that do it compete on one axis: how much usable floor they give you per ounce. This ranks them on exactly that, which rewards the big rectangular floors and penalises the shelters that are light because they are small.
How this list is ordered
Floor area ÷ weight carried, in square feet per ounce, highest first. Trekking poles are not counted in the weight, because you were carrying them anyway.
9 tents qualify. Top of the list on that measure is the Zpacks Plex Solo — 20.6 sq ft per person at 12.3 oz, ~$599.
| # | Tent | Type | Sleeps | Sq ft each | Weight | Peak | Sq ft per oz | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zpacks Plex Solo | Ultralight | 1 | 20.6 roomy | 12.3 oz | 52 in | 1.67 | ~$599 |
| 2 | Durston X-Mid Pro | Ultralight | 2 | 14.4 standard | 17.9 oz | 46 in | 1.61 | ~$679 |
| 3 | Zpacks Duplex | Ultralight | 2 | 14.1 standard | 17.8 oz | 48 in | 1.58 | ~$749 |
| 4 | Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 2 | Ultralight | 2 | 14.0 standard | 22 oz | 48 in | 1.27 | ~$795 |
| 5 | Durston X-Mid | Ultralight | 2 | 16.6 standard | 31.3 oz | 48 in | 1.06 | ~$319 |
| 6 | Black Diamond Distance Tent | Ultralight | 2 | 13.0 tight | 25.6 oz | 41 in | 1.02 | ~$250 |
| 7 | Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo | Ultralight | 1 | 26.3 roomy | 26 oz | 49 in | 1.01 | ~$260 |
| 8 | Gossamer Gear The Two | Ultralight | 2 | 13.0 tight | 28.1 oz | 49 in | 0.92 | ~$375 |
| 9 | Tarptent StratoSpire 2 | Ultralight | 2 | 15.6 standard | 38.8 oz | 48 in | 0.80 | ~$339 |
Prices are approximate snapshots from the last catalog update. Floor area per person, weight per person and pad fit are our arithmetic on published figures — the formulas are on tent specs, explained.