Guide 4 min
1, 2 or 3-person tent: how many grams per person?
From 475 g to 1500 g per person: 23 tents from the catalogue divided by their number of places, and what a pair saves by sharing one tent.
In the WildKit catalogue, a tent weighs from 475 g to 1500 g per person. The lightest per person is not a 1-person tent: it's a 950 g 2-person tent, the Nemo Hornet OSMO. It weighs 50 g less than the lightest 1-person tent.
The weight on a product page is the weight of the whole tent. Divide it by the number of sleepers: that's what each of you really carries once the tent is shared.
How much does a tent weigh per person?
From 475 g to 1500 g depending on the model, across the 23 tents in the catalogue. The number of places matters less than the model: a 2-person tent can weigh less per person than a 3-person one, and more than three times as much as another 2-person tent.
| Tent | Places | Weight | Per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemo Hornet OSMO | 2 | 950 g | 475 g |
| MSR FreeLite 2 | 2 | 1000 g | 500 g |
| Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 | 3 | 1650 g | 550 g |
| MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2-person | 2 | 1180 g | 590 g |
| Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 | 2 | 1200 g | 600 g |
| Naturehike VIK 1 | 1 | 1000 g | 1000 g |
| MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1-person | 1 | 1070 g | 1070 g |
| Simond MT500 3-person dome | 3 | 3650 g | 1217 g |
| Quechua MH100 2-person Fresh & Black | 2 | 3000 g | 1500 g |
Between the lightest and the heaviest 2-person tent, the gap is 2050 g, or 1025 g per person. At the same size, the model weighs more than the number of places.
One tent for two: how many grams do you save?
On the same model, 480 g each. The MSR Hubba Hubba LT comes as a 1-person tent (1070 g) and a 2-person tent (1180 g). Two 1-person tents weigh 2140 g for the pair, one 2-person tent 1180 g: 960 g less to carry, 480 g each.
| For two people | Total weight | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Two MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1-person | 2140 g | 1070 g |
| One MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2-person | 1180 g | 590 g |
| Two Naturehike VIK 1 | 2000 g | 1000 g |
| One Nemo Hornet OSMO | 950 g | 475 g |
With the lightest model of each size, the gap grows: two Naturehike VIK 1 weigh 2000 g, one Nemo Hornet OSMO 950 g. The pair leaves 1050 g at home, 525 g each.
Does going from 2 to 3 places still save weight?
A little, and far less than going from 1 to 2. At Big Agnes, the Copper Spur HV UL2 weighs 1200 g, or 600 g per person; the UL3 weighs 1650 g, or 550 g. The third place adds 450 g to the tent and takes only 50 g off each person.
The saving shrinks because the fabric, poles and pegs are already shared by two. From 1 to 2 places, sharing saves 480 g each on the MSR Hubba Hubba LT; from 2 to 3 places, 50 g on the Big Agnes.
What the configurator picks
The tent item only takes a real closed shelter: tarps, bivvy bags, sheets and groundsheets are left out. The 5 shelters of that kind in the catalogue are not in this table. If no tent fits your whole group, the configurator takes the largest one in several copies, and an alert tells you so.
What to remember
- A tent weighs from 475 g to 1500 g per person across the 23 tents in the catalogue.
- Share one 2-person tent instead of two 1-person tents: 480 g less each on the MSR Hubba Hubba LT.
- From 2 to 3 places, the saving drops to 50 g per person on the Big Agnes Copper Spur.
Weight per person isn't the whole story. The tent also takes room in a single bag (see backpack volume when you go as a group), and its share of your total weight is in how much a lightweight tent should weigh. Give the configurator the number of people. We look for the tent that shelters the whole group and add it to your kit.
Written by Thanaël Fontaine. Published .