From ultralight backpacking tents to budget family tents, our favorites are on sale now. Gear up, save big, and get ready to sleep outside.
If you’ve been dreaming of a new tent, now’s the time to shop. With Fourth of July sales in full swing, you can save up to 30 percent on some seriously great tents.
We recently spent a week in Colorado testing more than 20 tents in a head-to-head sleep-off. Below, you’ll find a few of our favorites that are on sale now. But there are oodles of other tent savings to be found at REI and Backcountry.
See the entire REI tent sale See the entire Backcountry tent saleNEMO Hornet Elite 2: $375 (25% Off)
Our team has dozens of nights backpacking with the NEMO Hornet under our collective belts, and the consensus is clear: We love this tent! Mostly, we love how much this tent saves both weight and pack space. It’s a marvel of engineering, really. Here’s how it breaks down.
The NEMO Hornet Elite weighs a scant 2 pounds 1 ounce. Ditch some stakes and the stuff sack for a minimum trail weight of 1 pound 11 ounces. For gram-counters, that makes it a contender on weight alone.
But this tent is more than light. It’s also a very legit abode in bad weather. In rainy, stormy nights on the trail, the NEMO Hornet Elite kept our testing team dry and comfortable. Unlike many ultralight options, this is a freestanding tent. It uses a clever three-pole design, mesh interior, and integrated rainfly for a tent that keeps out bugs, rain, and wind.
See the NEMO Hornet Elite 2Kelty Late Start 4: $180 (25% Off)
The two-person version of this tent was crowned Best Budget Tent. And this four-person family tent brings the same great value and sturdy design in a larger package.
It sets up super fast with a simple two-pole design. Once up, the bathtub floor has a slight overlap, and the mesh walls offer plenty of ventilation for hot summer nights. Corner pockets offer space to stash a couple of important items, and the small vestibule works for storing gear.
With a trail weight of 6 pounds 4 ounces, it’s not super light but could reasonably be carried a few miles into backcountry. Overall, this is a solid tent at a great price.
See the Kelty Late Start 4
REI Quarter Dome SL 2: $223 (30% Off)
The REI Quarter Dome SL 2 is a very popular, affordable tent. It’s well-rounded for car camping and backpacking. With a minimum trail weight of 2 pounds 8 ounces, this tent hits a sweet spot that should appeal to a broad cross-section of hikers and campers.
The freestanding Quarter Dome SL 2 sets up quickly and easily. The main tent body has tons of mesh and a small bathtub floor that extends slightly above the overlapping rainfly. Two large doors give each camper easy access to the interior and the vestibules on each side. It’s a snug layout for two, but it should suffice as long as you and your partner don’t mind being cozy.
See the REI Quarter Dome SL 2
