Choosing a tent is one of the biggest gear decisions you'll make, and with so many types, seasons ratings, and capacities on the market, it's easy to end up overwhelmed. This guide walks through everything worth understanding before you buy, then compares our full tent range so you can see exactly how each option stacks up. Whether you're after an ultralight hiking tent for solo backpacking or a genuine four-season shelter for alpine conditions, there's a lot to get right, so let's break it down properly. 

Understanding tent types

Not all tents are built the same way, and the structural design has a real impact on weight, stability, and how the tent handles weather.

Freestanding tents use a pole structure that holds its shape without needing to be staked down, making them easy to pitch on rock, sand, or tent platforms, and simple to reposition once set up. Most of the backpacking tents in our range, including the Sea to Summit Telos Evo, Exped Cassira, and MSR Hubba Hubba LT series, are freestanding.

Tunnel tents use a series of parallel hooped poles to create an elongated shape, generally offering excellent strength-to-weight in high wind when properly guyed out, which is why they're a common choice for genuine four-season and expedition use. Mont's Supercell and Supercell EX tunnel tents are built specifically around this design.

Pyramid and tipi shelters use a single central pole (often a trekking pole) to support a simple, steep-walled pyramid shape. They're typically the lightest option for the floor space they offer, though usually with fewer features and less internal structure than a dedicated hiking tent.

Season ratings explained

Tent season ratings tell you what conditions a tent is actually designed to handle, and getting this wrong is one of the most common tent-buying mistakes.

• 3-season tents are built for spring, summer, and autumn conditions, prioritising ventilation and weight over serious snow load or extreme wind resistance. Most ultralight hiking tents, including the Telos Evo, Cassira, and Hubba Hubba LT ranges, fall into this category.
• 4-season (alpine/expedition) tents are built with sturdier pole structures, heavier fabrics, and less mesh, so they can handle serious snow load and sustained high wind. Mont's Dragonfly, Epoch, and Supercell EX all fall here, built for genuinely harsh conditions rather than everyday camping.

Tent comparison by category

Here's how our full range compares, broken down by the kind of trip each tent actually suits.

Ultralight hiking tents: solo and 2-person

This is where most hikers will be shopping, and it's also where the differences between brands become most noticeable.

Tent	Capacity	Min. weight	Best for
Sea to Summit Telos Evo TR2	2-person	1577g	Maximum liveable space, Tension Ridge headroom
Sea to Summit Telos Evo Bikepack	2-person	1505g	Frame-bag-friendly packed size for bikepacking
Exped Cassira 1P	1-person	1000g	Solo trekking, large vestibule for gear
Exped Cassira 2P	2-person	1140g	Two doors, two vestibules, fast intuitive setup
MSR Hubba Hubba LT 1P	1-person	2lb 6oz (1070g)	Solo backpacking, rectangular no-taper floor
MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2P	2-person	3lb (1360g)	32 sq ft interior, genuine two-person comfort
MSR Hubba Hubba Bikepack 1	1-person	930g	Bikepacking-specific compact packed size
Mont Moondance 1	1-person	1325g	Lightweight sub-alpine solo hiking
Mont Moondance 1FN	1-person	1365g	Full nylon interior for extra warmth in cooler conditions
Mont Moondance 2	2-person	1835g	Spacious, dual entrances, weatherproof comfort
Mont Moondance 2FN	2-person	1920g	Full nylon warmth for cold-weather 2-person trips

The Telos Evo TR2 stands out for genuine liveable space, using Tension Ridge architecture to lift the tent's shape for real headroom rather than the cramped feel typical of ultralight tents. If bikepacking is more your thing, the Telos Evo Bikepack reworks the same design with shorter pole sections and twin stuff sacks that split neatly between frame bags.

The Exped Cassira 1P and Cassira 2P prioritise headroom and an exceptionally large vestibule, using Exped's Rapid Tension guyline system for genuinely fast, intuitive setup, ideal if you're regularly pitching camp after a long day and don't want to fuss over guy lines.

MSR's Hubba Hubba LT range has earned its reputation through a genuinely rectangular, non-tapered floor plan, meaning you get the same usable width at your feet as at your shoulders, a small detail that makes a real difference to comfort. It's a heavier option than some ultralight competitors, but the trade-off is durability and interior volume that punches above its weight class.

Mont's Moondance range takes a slightly different approach with its FN (Full Nylon) variants. The standard Moondance uses more mesh for warm-weather ventilation, while the FN versions swap in a full nylon interior for genuinely better warmth retention on cooler nights, worth considering if you're regularly camping in shoulder seasons rather than peak summer.

Larger backpacking and family tents

If two people isn't enough room, or you're camping with kids, these options add real capacity without jumping to a full basecamp setup.

Tent	Capacity	Min. weight	Best for
Sea to Summit Telos Evo TR3	3-person	4lb 3.8oz (1922g)	~40 sq ft, 52in peak height, small groups
Sea to Summit Ikos Evo TR4	4-person	3754g	5.9m² floor space, backpacking with kids or vehicle camping
Exped Vega 3P	3-person	2040g	Steep sidewalls for genuine headroom, 3-season
MSR Hubba Hubba LT 3P	3-person (fits up to 4 pads)	4lb 6oz (1980g)	42in peak height, true rectangular floorplan
Mont Moondance EX Sahara	2-3 person	2090g	Extra capacity with Mont's proven build quality

The Ikos Evo TR4 deserves a special mention here. Built on the same Tension Ridge design as the Telos Evo, it scales the concept up to a genuinely spacious 5.9m² of floor space with tall, near-vertical sidewalls, making it a strong choice for families or anyone who wants proper standing-height comfort without needing a vehicle-supported basecamp tent.

Four-season and expedition tents

If you're heading into genuine alpine conditions, snow load, or sustained high wind, this is where you need to be shopping, not the ultralight category.

Tent	Capacity	Type	Best for
Mont Dragonfly	2-3 person	Freestanding, 4-season	Alpine winter with genuinely versatile ventilation
Mont Epoch	2-person	5-pole expedition	High-altitude, above-snow-line expeditions
Mont Supercell	2-person	Integral-pitch tunnel	High wind, heavy snow load
Mont Supercell EX	2-person	Integral-pitch tunnel	Extended, more demanding expeditions

The Mont Dragonfly is a genuine standout in this category, using a 70 denier nylon tub floor with a market-leading 25,000mm+ WaterBloc PU lamination and the ability to open both fly doors from fully closed through to completely open, meaning it handles both blizzard conditions and mild shoulder-season camping without compromise. The Mont Epoch steps up further again, wind tunnel tested to speeds in excess of 109km/h with a full nylon interior and 5-pole structure built specifically for high-altitude expedition use.

For genuinely extreme wind and snow load, Mont's Supercell and Supercell EX tunnel tents pitch the fly and inner simultaneously, a real advantage when you're setting up in wet or blizzarding weather and can't afford to have your inner tent exposed to the elements while you fumble with a separate fly.

Pyramid shelters and basecamp tents

Outside the standard hiking tent categories, we also stock two very different specialist shelters worth knowing about.

The Mont Hypermid 2 is an ultralight pyramid shelter, using a single central pole (often your existing trekking pole) to pitch a simple, steep-walled tent that shaves serious weight compared to a fully-structured hiking tent, at the cost of some internal features and structure.

At the other end of the spectrum, our own PAST Outdoors Originals UL6T Ultralight Tipi is built for genuinely large groups, standing 2400mm tall with a 4500mm diameter, yet packing down to just 20x20x30cm and weighing only 2000g for the tipi itself. Made from 6.6 double-coated silicone-impregnated 30D ripstop nylon with a hydrostatic head rating over 3000mm, it comfortably sleeps 6 adults without a stove, or 3-4 with a stove and liner fitted, and pairs with an optional flatpack woodfire stove for genuine four-season basecamp comfort.

Still deciding? Read our head-to-head comparisons

If you've narrowed things down to a couple of specific options, we've done detailed side-by-side comparisons that go further than this general guide. Our Mont Moondance vs MSR Hubba Hubba comparison pits two of our most popular 2-person tents directly against each other, and our dedicated review of the MSR Hubba Hubba lightweight 2-person tent covers it in more depth on its own. If Sea to Summit's Evo range has caught your eye, our full Telos Evo tent comparison guide breaks down every model and footprint option in detail.

Why shop with us at PAST Outdoors

We're a family-owned Australian outdoor retailer with a genuine passion for helping people get outdoors properly equipped. Our team tests and uses the gear we sell, so when we help you compare tents, it's based on real trail and expedition experience, not just spec sheets pulled from a supplier. We're proud to stock trusted brands like Sea to Summit, Exped, MSR, and Mont, and back every purchase with honest advice from people who actually spend time outdoors.

Thousands of hikers and campers across Australia have trusted us to kit them out for everything from weekend trips to serious alpine expeditions, and our customers keep coming back because we get the details right. Browse our full tent range online today, or reach out to our team for personalised recommendations before you buy.

Frequently asked questions