We recently tested 3 lightweight, packable tents for some backwoods Ontario hunting. Our goal was to find a tent that can hold all our junk (for those rainy fall days), can be set up with ease at the end of a long day in fading daylight, and fit into a backpack. Here’s our assessment:
www.stoneglacier.com
MSRP: $645
OOD stars: 4/5 (Editor's Pick)
The skyscraper four-season tent weighs 4.4 lbs, thanks to thin 15D nylon ripstop material, and packs into an 18-inch long package. We set it up on rocky ground in gusty conditions on the shores of Georgian Bay. Set-up was easy and fast. Added buckles on pole sleeves keep the fabric perfectly taut so it feels stable in high winds.
Doors and vestibules on both sides, plus an added port in the roof, allow you to customize air flow.
The colour is a perk. Blue makes it easy to spot when returning to camp in low light. It’s also bright inside, cutting down on that claustrophobic feeling.
The components (metal stakes, clips, and poles) are all good quality and should last. The floor space is 32 square feet, 92-inches long, and 41.5 inches tall. A chunky price tag is one sticking point. Minus one star.
www.canadiantire.ca
MSRP: $199.99
OOD stars: 3.5/5
Canadian Tire had this three-season tent on sale for $159.99, so we thought we’d give it a go. It’s widely-available and inexpensive. Assembly was very easy. A solo hunter can pop it up in a few minutes. Instructions are stitched inside the bag so you’ll never lose them.
The poles and various plastic clips that hold the tent together are basic and won’t likely last as long as those on the Skyscraper, but the stakes are made of fairly sturdy aluminum.
The floor area is about 30 square feet. The material is a ripstop polyester, and accounts for much of the added weight. Zippers are large and robust.
There are doors on both sides. The kickstand vents in the rain fly are a bit small but leaving the fly open at the bottom helped airflow. We had it out through heavy rains in grass and had no leaks, despite not using an extra tent footprint.
Most of this tent is mesh, and it relies on the flysheet to stay dry and trap heat. It’s better suited for use in early fall. Overall, it’s a great little tent.
outdoorvitals.com
MSRP: $382
OOD stars: 1.5/5
This tent is ridiculously light. It’s a trekking pole tent. You need adjustable trekking poles to tension the two ends — not something many hunters add to their kit. We thought we’d try to set it up by making our own.
The tent has good online reviews so our hopes were high. But on rocky ground (as in much of our Shield rock-covered woods), set up was a nightmare. The fabric came with zero instructions and the QR code on the label just took us to the company homepage. YouTube was not much help. We tried using rocks, and all kinds of added guy lines to secure the tent , but without soil to hold the stakes, and with high, gusty winds, we gave up after a 40-minute struggle. The tension required at both ends for trekking poles is very finicky, so our DIY sticks didn’t work due to being off a few millimetres.
We set it up later on a backyard lawn in southern Ontario (using proper trekking poles). Set up was easy here, and it stayed upright and dry for a month and a half outside (there was no no fading or wear visible, and just a bit of initial material stretching). We can’t recommend this tent for Ontario hunters, but it’s good for lawn camping.
Originally published in the August 2024 issue of Ontario OUT of DOORS
Contact Information
PO Box 2800 / 4601 Guthrie Dr.
Peterborough, Ontario Canada K9J 8L5
Phone: 705-748-OFAH (6324)
Fax: 705-748-9577
Join Our Newsletter
Watch
Shop
Follow
