camppal 1 Person Tent for Camping Hiking Mountain Hunting Backpacking Tents 4 Season Resistance to Windproof Rainproof and Waterproof

Why it's worth it

The camppal one-person tent costs a small fraction of what the premium shelters here do, sets up in a few minutes, and keeps rain out. It's narrow and short on vestibule space, but it's the lowest-risk way to find out whether you actually like sleeping outside.

For a first tent, this is a genuinely defensible choice. It uses aluminum poles rather than the fiberglass ones common at this price, and owners consistently describe it as sturdy, well-stitched, and easy to pack back into its bag. That last part matters more than you'd guess — plenty of cheap tents never fit in their stuff sack again after the first trip.

The floor is 8.2 feet long, which is unusual for a solo tent. Owners around six feet report room to spare, and one mentions it would work for someone well over 6'5". That extra length also gives you a place to stash a pack inside at your feet, which helps because the vestibule doesn't offer much. If you're tall and shopping cheap, this is the rare tent that doesn't punish you.

From our review of 5 backpacking tents, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +For a first tent, this is a genuinely defensible choice
• +The floor is 8.2 feet long, which is unusual for a solo tent
• +camppal rates the outer at 3,500mm and seam-tapes the zipper, corners, and hem
• +Setup takes about three minutes, and owners who've never pitched a tent before say it went up without trouble

What to know

• –It's one person, full stop
• –The vestibule is small, so wet gear usually ends up inside with you
• –The four-season claim is optimistic