The Ultimate Ultralight 2 Person 3 Season Tent Review 2022

Up next in the Mindful Review series is a comparative analysis of 9, 2-person 3-season tents including the Big Agnes Copper Spur, Sea To Summit Telos, Hilleberg Niak, MSR Hubba Hubba, Nemo Dragonfly, Stone Glacier Skyscraper 2P, Kuiu Mountain Star, Hilleberg Helags, and the Slingfin Portal. I looked at 30 different elements including price, build quality, practical space, pole construction, and many more.
A spreadsheet detailing specs and scoring is available here
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I am also raffling off 4 of the tents and if you head to the link below you can buy tickets if they are still available.
**Raffle sold out incredibly fast**
Join my newsletter to get early access to raffles.
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Please let me know in the comments section below which category of hunting gear you would like to see reviewed next? Rain Gear? Electronics?
Raffle Tickets
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Jay Nichol
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Podcast
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0:00 - Intro
0:26 - List of Tents
2:18 - The Raffle
6:36 - Consumer Psychology
8:41 - Personal Opinion
11:15 - 30 categories tested and 20 scored
13:31 - Practical Space
13:52 - In-tent Height and Length Footage
29:33 - 2-pad Test
33:14 - Price
34:42 - Weight & Weight Honesty
37:24 - Tent Pegs
39:32 - Ease of Setup
44:09 - Build Quality
47:58 - Pole Quality
51:23 - Rain Test
58:10 - Practical Vestibule Space
1:00:00 - Breathability vs Warmth and the Effect on Condensation
1:02:18 - Zippers
1:02:37 - Practical Fabric Quality
1:03:24 - Fabric Specs
1:11:11 - Freestanding
1:11:21 - Number of Doors
1:11:38 - Ease of Getting In and Out
1:12:35 - Final Rankings

[@larsjrgensen6753]

I think this is the best tent comparison I have ever seen. Incredibly good. I hope some tent manufacturers see it too :) I ended up buying the MSR Hubba Hubba, the European version with DAC aluminum poles.

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks! That tent with those poles is a great option

[@leroybrace9236]

Always look forward to watching your reviews, as non-biased and fact based opinions is refreshing to see.

[@MindfulHunter]

👍

[@Em_Dee_Aitch]

This was unbelievable. Your analysis and detail is FAR beyond the rest of the KZbin hotshots. I hope you do one for big volume packs, as well as heavy duty rain gear (if you haven’t already).

[@MindfulHunter]

Did packs already. Rain gear on the way.

[@Mikannsen]

thanks man for comparing those tents. Should have more views

[@MindfulHunter]

💪

[@nathanmash4726]

These reviews are everything we need to make an educated purchase. I really appreciate it and look forward to getting into future raffles. A couple of topics I would be interested in seeing are trekking pole style tents, tripods and heads, sleeping bags and pads. Keep up the good work!

[@MindfulHunter]

Awesome, thank you!

[@testdriver4664]

Freakin rad in depth review. Thanks man. Look forward to watching more.

[@MindfulHunter]

👍

[@touge242]

Your channel is a goldmine for comparative information. Major thanks for publishing results into a downloadable spreadsheet.

[@MindfulHunter]

Thank You!

[@colinpeters6067]

Well done Jay I really appreciate the throughtful unbiased reviews!

[@MindfulHunter]

My pleasure man

[@iJwalk22]

Jay these reviews are next level. Thanks for putting so much time in these. I’m 6’3” and practical length and height is a big issue so this was super helpful to see.

[@MindfulHunter]

My pleasure man. Appreciate the feedback.

[@anthonyhudema2490]

Sick review thank you so much! just missed the draw by about 30 mins, but the review turned me in a totally different direction, i never even considered the Stone Glacier till your review but now is the top on my list to check out. Thanks for taking the time to do the review, keep up the Great work and Good luck on the upcoming sheep hunt!!!

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks man. Let me know how it works out for you.

[@williamsmiley5792]

Very impressed with your reviews. I have to say though you kept referring the stone glacier as a three season tent. On both The SG and Slingfin’s websites they list it as a four season. I wish you could have been able to utilize the more powerful wind machine. I would have liked to see the flex of the tents under heavy wind. I just recently found your content and am very impressed. As a western Washington hunter we hunt in very similar conditions so your reviews are relevant to my situations. Keep up the good work.

[@MindfulHunter]

You’re 100% right. I’m not sure how I screwed that up. It should not have been in this lineup. Appreciate the feedback and welcome the criticisms. Keeps me on my toes. Good luck this season.

[@bruceculberson610]

Great review! Very detailed and un-biased! Must watch for anyone considering buying a hunting tent (or if you are just a gear head lol).

[@MindfulHunter]

Appreciate that man!

[@Dirty_Cummins]

You are doing awesome work! This is exactly the GOLD that we want to watch. Us gear heads are very appreciative. Thank you.

[@MindfulHunter]

Really appreciate the support man. I love doing this shit. As long as you guys keep watching I’ll keep making it :-)

[@Dirty_Cummins]

As for future videos like this that would be awesome would be; sleeping bags, hunting boots or clothes, knives ammo and on a different note.. finding good land to scout and then hunt in unknown territory and how and what to prepare before going for a hunt. Keep up the great work. The professionalism you already show at this stage in your KZbin videos.. I’m shocked your not at 750k subs already.

[@charliemutschele3565]

Best reviews out there 👍🏼 was going to pickup the hubba hubba today but everywhere is sold out so found a good deal on the copper spur, did some last minute research watching this video, and glad I did. Thanks

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks brother. Glad it was helpful.

[@joshuablock508]

Excellent no BS review. Some very valid points about tribe following and the marketing that we get sucked into! Keep it up Jay! Rain gear would be a great one. When shopping for new shells this year I found some surprising drop outs from the market and some interesting new players.

[@MindfulHunter]

Appreciate the feedback and rain gear is definitely leading the race lol.

[@timg9134]

Great content...Subscribed! Definitely long videos, but I guess it takes that to get into the weeds on a review. Thank you!

[@MindfulHunter]

Appreciate the support!

[@coke0drinker]

Best comparison I’ve seen. I can’t understand why no manufacturers seem to how actual sleeping pads, full or tapered in their descriptions. Their diagrams are misleading lol

[@MindfulHunter]

Right?!? Seems so simple to do.

[@phishintrip007]

Absolutely love your reviews. I’ve been eyeing tents for a year and ultimately ordered the slingfin portal (now available in green/brown) before this review was posted. I like that you emphasize that people should pick a tent that meets their needs/style/preferences. I wasn’t interested in dropping over 1k on a tent or I would gone with a hilleberg. I primarily camp/backpack in warmer weather but needed something for out west that could handle the schizophrenic mountain weather when it dropped in the 20’s and dumped a few inches of snow. Definitely wanted something that would hold up to wind and staying dry is crucial. Also was focused on lightweight because I like to save my oz’s for hunting related gear and At 45 I don’t carry 80lbs for miles and miles like I used to in the marine corps. I’ll do it to pack out meat but otherwise a no go. I hunt solo or sometimes have one of my boys with me but never nut to butt with another grown man. So the portal seemed like it checked all the boxes for “me”. I love that your reviews are honest because I’m so tired of seeing the same AI/bot generated articles telling me the Msr and Nemo are the best tents for …….. fill in the blank based on your last google search. I’ve really enjoyed your videos on everything from nutrition to what gear you carry to the sheep hunt with those other guys. Just really informative no bs real life this is works for me content. Look forward to more and I don’t care what the topic is because I know it will be relevant to the kind of hunting I love as it always is. Thanks for doing this.

[@MindfulHunter]

Really appreciate the feedback man. Lots more to come!

[@Sevend3295]

Just found your reviews, great idea, sick of the lack of transparency from reviewers...not sure if your wind issue is solved, but you could set these up on the edge of a grass airstrip and have a pilot give you all the wind you would ever need!

[@MindfulHunter]

Appreciate the feedback!

[@timg7627]

Excellent review. Well done 👏

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks brother.

[@Rokslide]

Great reviews!

[@MindfulHunter]

Thank you!

[@Ridgerunner_802]

I like the fact that you have mentioned over and over again about being brandwashed. I have always tried to get gear based on performance alone and not the brand name. BTW, I use the Nemo DragonFly and never noticed a gap with the fly. I do usually use guy out lines, but will pay attention next time. Definitely haven’t had any bad weather issues with it.

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks man. I do think the fly alignment issue is rather minor in the big scheme of things and it’s good to hear that you’ve run it for a while and haven’t had any negative issues. Except for that I quite like the tent.

[@KUSH57AR]

Great review! Could have done a rain test with the hose pouring water over top of the rain fly: 1. getting in and out while wet to see the water circumstances and 2. have a vestibule door open with 'rain effect' going on to see if water drips inside or staying outside running down the fly. Would like to see reviews on Backcountry knives, light weight pants, water purification.

[@MindfulHunter]

Good feedback.

[@brianseals9511]

Awesome review!

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks bro!

[@testdriver4664]

P.S. find a local air strip and set tents up behind a Cessna or something like that for you wind tests.

[@MindfulHunter]

See what I can do!

[@stephens208]

Hi Jay, I’ve owned and used the MSR hubba hubba a for the last 5yrs. I did as much hard research as I could at the time and found it was the best bang for buck. At the time I bought the tent it came with aluminum poles not carbon. I would like to see a hot-tent review like Kifaru and Seek Outside with a stove. Also a boot review and rain gear. KEEP UP THE GOOD WOEK SIR!

[@MindfulHunter]

You got it man. Definitely gonna be doing a hot tent review I wanna wait till the snowfalls though so I can do some more realistic testing.

[@rav4hybrid]

Subscribed this content is gold.

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks for the support!

[@Wideangle2008]

Great review. BTW. Slingfin Portal at 25:30. Those are not "wires for hanging stuff." They are internal guy lines to add strength to the structure of the tent.

[@MindfulHunter]

Noted. Thanks.

[@reigenjensen9830]

One tent out there that fits well in this category but I think nobody realizes is even made is the King's Camo Summit. Comes in at a great price too!

[@MindfulHunter]

Never heard of that one. I’ll check it out. Thanks.

[@13hawks32claws]

Always setting the bar high. Great review as usual. Really bummed that I didn’t check on the raffle quicker. How about water filtration system review.

[@MindfulHunter]

That’s a good idea. I’ll make sure it’s on the list.

[@mathewvargas9616]

Great review! I would love to see a rain gear review at some point.

[@MindfulHunter]

Coming soon!

[@north61]

Jay, you continue to crush it! I agree that you need to look at the features that are important for your conditions. My Son and I are rocking a Sky-Scraper 2 this summer and we appreciate the extra safety margin of a near 4 season light weight in unpredictable August-Sept, Yukon weather. At 6'4" and 6'2" it isn't any too big though, he doesn't like how close we are..but I don't want the weight of something as solid that is bigger. If Sling Fin makes a Portal 3 I might get interested.

[@MindfulHunter]

There’s always a compromise when weight is a consideration. That thing is a beast you guys will be safe and secure for sure. Great tent overall. Thanks as always for the continued support.

[@bananarama3624]

Slingfin now makes a Slingfin Portal 3

[@north61]

@@bananarama3624 Can't afford it now but good to know.

[@N0_Murphy]

Great review! This will help out a lot when I go to purchase a tent. At least I have a good starting point. I would like to see a review on different headlamps. Which ones have rechargeable options and how well they light up your walking path as well as using them as a light to butcher an animal at night.

[@MindfulHunter]

Great idea! definitely a headlamp nerd lol. Appreciate the feedback

[@N0_Murphy]

@@MindfulHunter Thank you for taking the time to do these reviews and answer comments. I know it is a lot of work to go this deep when reviewing these items. Thank you for all you do! I wish I could have bought a ticket for that raffle. I’m glad it sold out. Just means we get more great videos.

[@jeremydrazdoff6372]

Excellent as always..sleeping bag review would be cool

[@MindfulHunter]

On it!

[@billhindorff8200]

Love the review...!

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks man!

[@billhindorff8200]

@@MindfulHunter I totally love and appreciate your no nonsense, no bullshit reviews on gear, the outdoor community and sponsored advice. Very refreshing to find someone who views the industry similarly to the way I do. Keep up the great work..

[@joshzabel79]

I haven’t watched the video yet, but I’m sad you missed out on doing the Durston X-Mid 2P. Best tracking pole tent out there. Still excited to watch this though. I started following you when you did the pack review. Great content!

[@MindfulHunter]

Trekking pole shelters are going to be their own category. Already been in touch with Dan and he’s stoked to participate.

[@joshzabel79]

@@MindfulHunter that’s great to hear. He’s a great guy and cares a lot about this topic.

[@bobh2089]

I’d like to see a trekking pole tent review as well. Please include the Lanshan2!

[@michaelwalters8074]

I have the Stone Glacier 2p tent, and I believe it was marketed as a 4 season tent. I wanted a multi-purpose tent for the money

[@MindfulHunter]

You’re 100% correct. That was an oversight on my part.

[@snakeriverscotto]

Rain gear; there is so much hype out there about “breathable” rain gear.

[@MindfulHunter]

On it!

[@coachbob6894]

Awesome content as always Jay ! ! My Slingfin did well happy I could help out. Love the reviews if you haven’t subscribed do some and be a better Hunter tmrw.

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks bro!

[@Ridgerunner_802]

Some ideas….Sleeping Pads, Bino harnesses, trekking poles, gaiters, rain gear, recovery drinks and mapping programs to name a few

[@MindfulHunter]

Got them. Thanks.

[@ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING]

Great job! New follower here. Nice channel. Crow✌️

[@MindfulHunter]

💪

[@cvhoway]

Great review. Curious what you would have to say for floorless shelters or cook systems.

[@MindfulHunter]

Flourless shelters are up soon. Cook systems is a great idea.

[@RangerDoc05]

Sticking with sleep systems, I would like to see either sleeping pads, sleeping bags, or pillows. Thanks for all of your work, really appreciate your in depth reviews.

[@MindfulHunter]

You got it!

[@rbljackson]

@@MindfulHunter yeah this would be a great topic. I went thru the comparisions on sleep pads after my last hunt in 2019 and was hell bent on getting a better pad that had a higher r value, and was more comfortable. I ended up with the Exped Down winterlite long wide whch weighed in at about 33 oz. Not light, but I sacrificed the lightest options for what SHOULD be a more comfortable/warmer pad. I havent had the opportunity to test that theory yet. Would love to see a comparison on pads at some point. I went with a Western Mountaineering Badger for the bag, and its been VERY good for me.

[@bananarama3624]

Pillows are completely personal though - even sleeping bags are to a degree (are you a hot or cold sleeper). Some people just use clothes as their pillow, others wrap their puffy in a buff. Others use inflatable pillows, others use a foam/air pillow (nemo fillo esque) or have a down pillow (goosefeet gear down pillow). I've bought 3 pillows in a year, all have different types of fill and size and I still don't think I've found the be-all-end-all tent for me.

[@bananarama3624]

Just would like to add a small thing with the zippers. Slingfin Portal 2 has 2 sets of zippers, so you still have one usuable set in case the first set fails.

[@MindfulHunter]

👍

[@TheZach020]

Thank you for the video Jay! Super informative and extremely helpful, and I have been watching and listening to all your content since I stumbled across your page. Your reviews are highly intentional and give me the sense of real world practicality for back country hunting. I Have been looking into tents myself for my upcoming sheep hunt. I was wondering, is there a reason why you don't look a actual 1 person tents, knowing that 90% on "2 person tents" are really only for 1 full grown adult? I am just thinking maybe by going to a 1 person you are able to save a bit more on weight or get more dedicated 3+ season tents for the same weight? I would love to hear your thoughts.

[@MindfulHunter]

I think it all depends on how big you are. I use true 1p on 4 season shelters because I have to take the lightest shelter possible. For 3 season shelters it’s worth the slight increase in weight for the significant increase in room for me because I’m 6’1” 260lbs. Smaller guys could get away with 1p for sure.

[@tomasfarr3446]

Hi Jay, Another outstanding review mate. Keep doing what you're doing. Love it. Now I am looking into buying a new tent. I live in the east coast of Australia where its hot and humid summers and mild winters lucky to go below 0°C. Im leaning towards the Niak or Telos TR2 Plus. Do you have any suggestions?

[@MindfulHunter]

If it’s that hot I’d go with the regular Telus not the plus. The plus has more fabric and less mesh on the inner tent and is meant for colder climates. The Niak is beefier for sure but will run hotter than the Telos.

[@503huntah5]

Dude what you doing is awesome no bullshit, are you going to do a raffle on your packs?

[@MindfulHunter]

I only have the kuiu left. I have it posted for sale. If I had the raffle idea sooner I would have used it for sure.

[@OneWeekGetAway]

Super interesting you see the Slingfin as a light 3 season tent, as they market it as a 3+ season tent

[@MindfulHunter]

Being in Canada I have a hard time consisting any tent with a full mesh interior appropriate for 4th season use. In fact I’d argue both Hilleberg tents in this lineup are more capable winter tents. I also screwed up and called the Stone Glacier a 3 season tent when in fact it’s a 4 season tent. Even made a comment about it being overbuilt for 3 seasons lol. And funny enough that tent is built by sling fin too so I guess technically slingfin does a 4 season tent in this review.

[@OneWeekGetAway]

@@MindfulHunter agree - they actually have a mesh inner you can buy separately to give the tent modular options. I’m looking for a 3+ season tent and an considering the skyscraper and the Hilleverg Rogen (amongst others). Your height test was concerning as I’m about an inch taller than you

[@MindfulHunter]

@@OneWeekGetAway check out the sea to summit telos TR2 “plus”. It has a full fabric liner and is the biggest tent I’ve tested.

[@OneWeekGetAway]

@@MindfulHunter Thanks - I am glad to hear this tent is serving you well. I don't hunt, but do expedition style trekking, so I am often carrying medium to heavy loads across varying environments, moving from hot weather to very cold. I hadn't read the TR Plus series really deals with harsh weather so well, but what has been your experience?

[@bananarama3624]

Well it depends on where you go. The slingfin isn't a designated 4 season tent, but has features that does well against wind and light snow loads compared to other 3 season tents (internal guylines - the ones that he thought was rope to dry clothes out, also if you use trekking poles you can add them as part of pole system because it has straps to connect trekking poles to the tent). They also have an option of beefier and larger DAC poles but it is an extra cost. I love these tents (as the bias as he mentioned at the start) but I wouldn't use these tents with the intention of going in proper winter+snow 4 season environments over a proper 4 season tent, or a Hilleberg tent. This is a good tent if it is winter but not snowing but still rough conditions and you want something that might handle that little bit of potential snow that happens overnight. That's how I view and understand what they mean by 3+ season tent

[@zackw9292]

Great review, video, and podcast!!! I was just wondering if you weighed out the carbon fiber poles on the MSR to see how much weight they were actually saving?

[@MindfulHunter]

I didn’t. Should have. Would have been interesting. Just going off feel it can’t be much. Those 9mm Dac poles weigh nothing in your hands. I feel it’s more marketing than anything. Just to be different.

[@zackw9292]

Yeah, it’s like you said, does 1 company know something that everyone else doesn’t? Probably not.

[@KUSH57AR]

Kuiu offers choice of carbon and aluminum poles for their tents. Can get an idea from that.

[@indeepship____3944]

You should try the Tarptent Double rainbow. They make a double wall also.

[@MindfulHunter]

Appreciate the suggestion

[@Bouncing22]

Elk caliber. Jk don’t do that. Another great video. I’m interested in the SG. I’m also curious about how a Seek Outside Tipi (Cimmaron) would stack up.

[@MindfulHunter]

I’ll be doing floorless shelters soon

[@BryanTheHunter513]

so much information here! Love that you did the raffle on it, guess next time I'll have to try and be more on the ball! Have you ever ran a floorless shelter? I'm doing my Sept archery through Nov elk in one this year. Not sure how it's going to run but I should have a seek outside in hand early next week. Thanks for the great review!

[@MindfulHunter]

I have done most of my elk hunting in a kifaru mega tarp. Love it. I’ll do a whole series on floorless shelters soon

[@colebones]

In these amazing reviews have you thought of adding in say a Walmart tent and a mid range one? To help give us dummy’s a perspective on where your money gets you and differences in quality of those.

[@MindfulHunter]

That’s a good idea actually. Or could be a series in itself. I’ve done that with binos and I’m about to do a vortex razor spotter versus a Zeiss victory.

[@matthewpeschke]

In hindsight, what tent would you have brought for the sheep hunt? I'm struggling between a skyscraper 2, anjan 2 or something else at a lower price point. I have a seek cim that should get the job done but I keep hearing a floored tent with a smaller footprint is a good idea... thanks for the reviews

[@MindfulHunter]

The bombproof option is the Hilleberg Niak I think a cheaper option would be the Copper Spur.

[@matthewpeschke]

@@MindfulHunter thanks Jay. I had the copper spur 2p briefly but it felt a little too light duty so sold it quickly after receiving it. Will have a peak at the niak.

[@killickfabrication6810]

Rain Gear, for proper west coast rainy winter.

[@MindfulHunter]

Yessir!

[@Harveyw1000]

Went to go buy a raffle ticket and they are already sold out! This video is 7 hours old! Dang!

[@MindfulHunter]

Sold out in 14 minutes man. Blew my mind. Guess I better get cracking on another review :-)

[@damienm3597]

Bino Harnesses

[@MindfulHunter]

You got it!

[@mkvfx2]

Was thinking of getting the kuiu but didn’t make the cut eh?

[@MindfulHunter]

Great tent, just too small for me.

[@Outdawrzman]

Kryptec vs Sika Schoeller technology vs GORE Focus on the Altitude series where Kryptec uses the highest technology fabric for their products

[@MindfulHunter]

Noted

[@chrisreed9888]

Dang, raffle is already sold out.

[@MindfulHunter]

Went fast man

[@tomnoyb8301]

Big Sky tent (e.g. Chinook?)?

[@MindfulHunter]

👍

[@rourke4325]

Post the spreadsheet?

[@MindfulHunter]

Thanks for the reminder. I put a link in the description.

[@jestonjump5647]

Rain gear for sure

[@MindfulHunter]

On it!

[@jestonjump5647]

For future reviews I would like to see a made in North America scoring category. Made in the USA is a big influence for me when deciding on a purchase. Love the long reviews keep them coming how ever you want.

[@MindfulHunter]

@@jestonjump5647 fair point. For me Canadian distribution is important as well. Could add more local factors.

[@rbljackson]

Holy crap....sold out already? LOL....wow.

[@MindfulHunter]

Surprised me too

[@maxhunter953]

Sold out lol. Too late. Next time

[@MindfulHunter]

Next time bro!

[@jobswarey4292]

Bummer sold out already!

[@MindfulHunter]

If you join my newsletter you'll get early access next time. Link is in description.

[@jjjohnston54]

Damn.

[@MindfulHunter]

💪

[@jjjohnston54]

@@MindfulHunter I really appreciate your insights

[@jambipickel482]

Homie had to de-center the backwall logo cause it gave him Lucifer's horns. S'far to the left.

[@MindfulHunter]

🤣🤣🤣