Lynx 2-Person Backpacking and Camping Tent

I bought this tent over 5 years ago and I thought I would come back to write a long term review. I have been backpacking for over 20 years and I've been through a lot of tents at all price ranges. I bought this one almost on a whim. I was looking for something at a lower price point, but that was functional for 2 people in most conditions and this tent fit the bill. It quickly became the tent of choice for me and my long time backpacking and camping partner. In the past 5 years we have taken it on dozens of backpacking and car camping trips and it has never failed us. It's exactly the right size for 2 adult men with a bit of space left over for clothes and the usual tent gear. The vestibules on both sides offer space for your backpack if the conditions are bad. Or just to protect your shoes overnight. It's extremely easy to setup. Just 2 poles that snap together easily. Coordinate with your partner to snap in the corners and lift while connecting the central point. Then hook the tent to the poles. All that's left is to throw over the rain cover and stake down. It truly couldn't get much easier. Is it the smallest and lightest tent in the world? No. Would I take it up Everest? No. But for the price point it more than gets the job done. We have used it in all sorts of conditions and it has only sustained the slightest signs of wear in 5 years. One big note for me is that often in tents at this price point protection for storms becomes a concern. I can happily say that this tent has protected me in some pretty gnarly storms and I never had to worry about a thing. Excellent rain protection and solid wind defense as well. Definitely would recommend. My only concern now is getting a backup before they inevitably stop producing this model.

Just got back from a backpacking trip with this tent, I really liked how easy it was to set up and the simplicity of the deign. It has two pockets on the inside for small items and a mesh "shelf" at the top for a small lantern and other items. Nice that it has two doors, though we didn't use this feature, I can imagine it'll come in handy in the future. I bought the matching footprint, and one great feature of this tent is the bag is roomy enough that there was space for the footprint to be packed with the tent in the same bag. Zippers all worked well, everything seems to be high quality and should last a long time. It came with nice heavy-duty tent posts. No rain or wind on this trip so I can't speak for the weatherproofing, but I liked that I was able to close the top vents in the rain cover without leaving the tent by unzipping at the top of the door and reaching a hand out. This tent fit me and my 12 year old son comfortably with our extra clothes. Packs and everything else stayed outside. We are both about 5 ft, so if you are taller, you would have less space for your stuff, but it is a true 2-person tent.

This is an initial review as I just received my tent today. I own the 1 person Lynx and I like it a lot. We set the tent up in our living room to check it out to make sure there were no defects or missing parts. Everything checked out good. Set up was easy as expected. My wife and I were pleased with the amount of room. It's not a big tent by any stretch of the imagination, but it will be plenty for our needs. It is definitely plenty long for us. We will be using this tent for tour cycling so we don't need a lot of extra space. The 2 inside pockets and overhead net will be great for personal items while sleeping. The zippers work very smooth. The center hook that holds up the tent in the middle easily hooks over both poles. The bottom of our tent is one piece with no seams. The headroom inside is also ample for us. The vestibules are plenty big for our gear. The best thing this tent has going for it right now is that my wife likes it! She is very critical about things I buy but to my pleasant surprise she was actually impressed. Now for the main reason I bought this tent I will have to try it out in the rain to see if it is waterproof. We have 2 otherwise nice 2 person tents but they leak. I will update once I've tried it in the rain. So far, though, I am very pleased, especially for this price. Update: We have now used this tent for about 6 weeks of camping in 2017. Took it out west on a cycling tour to California and back (drove back). Used in temps down to 30 in NM, and in hard rains with no water inside the tent. The tent still looks and works practically like new. We are very satisfied!

After twenty nights in this tent, I feel like I can finally give it an honest review. To start, I am not a backpacker; I end up camping out of the back of my car (or, sometimes, in it!). However, the lightweight, quick setup, and compact nature of the backpacking tent made it a priority, since many times I would have no extra space in my car. The tent is pretty generous in size. It is listed as a 2-person tent. It's definitely not a three-person tent, but it can and has comfortably slept two people, so it's not like many high-performance ultralight tools that have zero margin for error. I'd call it a "2.5 person tent" rather than a two person sent. Second, the tent goes up and comes down pretty quickly. If I'm just setting up the tent itself (no fly), I can get the tent up in about three minutes. The fly adds about two minutes, and if it's going to be windy or rainy, I do a much better job of securing it. Lately, I have been sleeping in the desert in as low as 15 deg F, so I've been using the fly to trap as much heat as possible, even though it was dry. I think the thing that truly makes this tent shine is the thought that went into it. On the top of the sleeping area is a mesh spot that functions as a bedside table - my headlamp and glasses end up there. On both ends, there is a small pouch for car keys, phones, and the like. The original tent bundle comes with two small blue ribbons that you use to tie the tent once it's rolled and ready to go back in its bag. When you buy something worth owning, you notice that the design is very, very much functional, and that's the feeling I get from this tent. I do have a couple of complaints, though, both of which stem from the lightweight nature of the tent. I managed to put a small rip in the corner of the floor while trying to set up this tent in the wind. It probably caught on something, so it's probably my fault, but I don't remember the actual rip. It must've been relatively small. Since the tent is obviously optimized for weight, it is a little less tough than it could be. The other complaint is the same thing, but from the fly - sometimes, it's hard to unzip the fly as the fabric doesn't have much give to it. Seriously though - my biggest complaint is that a backpacking tent is too light. Worth your money, and I would definitely buy it again. I believe there is a "revised" version of this tent that I imagine is even-better thought through.

I purchased two of these tents for camping for survey work in the mountains on Oahu. I'm happy to report that after 2 years of very heavy use in incredibly wet weather, both tents have held up well with minimal maintenance. I love that they are super easy to set up, since I normally end up setting them up in the rain. The rainfly is super resilient and has been through some crazy wet nights and super strong winds. I did purchase footprints separately and use 2 footprints for one tent, since I typically camp in really wet areas. I've never had an issue with getting water inside the tent and my gear stays very dry. My only issue is that the tent is a bit bulky, but I can still manage to fit it in a small stuff sack without the poles and stakes. I use it for backpacking but it is by no means ultralight or made for this use. If you're looking for a quality tent for a cheap price this is the tent for you. I am 5'9 and 145lbs and the tent is roomy enough for me, a large pack, and gear.

I decided to get a tent this year, and was really trying to decide what would be best for my. I was vacillating between the REI 2 person Half Dome and this bad boy at more than half of it's price. Things I like more about the half dome: the shape of the top with all the mesh. I just really like the way it looks. However, I know a few things about myself. One, this is the first time I've gone camping in years, and Two: I didn't really need to spend $200 plus on a tent. After looking at SO MANY reviews, I chose this guy. Pros: Price: I think I paid less than $100 for this bad boy. Stood up in the wind: I've gone camping twice in crazy winds and when you've got it staked down and guy lined, it's steady. Size:I liked that I could change easily in the tent. It felt tall enough, and wide enough. Granted, it's just a tent for ME and my bags, mat, etc. I have yet to share this with another person. Windows: I like the windows for the early morning squinting at the campgrounds to see who was up so I could decide whether I wanted to get out of my cozy nest or not. It does create a glimpse inside, but honestly--who's looking? Quality: I feel like this will last me a good while, and stood up quality-wise to the other tents when comparing online. Also it packs down like a BOSS. Has little pockets for your stuff, and the fly provides a great vestibule space for shoes and such. Cons: It has less mesh/ventilation than the REI Half dome (could be a plus too depending on what you like) I like the half dome pole system better. I wish it came in other colors, and had a footprint made for it specifically. Overall, I highly recommend this tent. I'm loving it so far, and do not regret my purchase.

I purchased this tent because I wanted a cheap, good, backpacking tent. I'm not ready to spend over 300.00 for a tent, even over 150.00. I mostly just car camp, but I have taken the tent on a short backpacking trip. I have had it for almost a year, and it gets a good amount of use. It is rare that I go on a trip and am not camping. A few things: - The floor is, indeed, not one whole piece of fabric. There is a seam that runs across width wise. It is taped. So far it hasn't been an issue at all. - The floor is thin. It is the same thickness as the walls. - The tent does NOT come with a ground cloth. That is easily enough remedied. Make sure to check the floor dimensions. I was camping for about 6 months without a ground cloth. I would honestly probably still not have one at this point if I hadn't been given one. The tent is dry as a freaking desert. I spent a week in Florida, four days of all day, constant rain, and never got a drop inside. Downpours in the Blue Ridge Mountains; bone dry. The floor is completely waterproof, even with the seam and no ground cloth. With the floor being so thin, I was more worried about small rocks punching holes in the floor, but it never happened. I would definitely get a ground cloth. The tent poles are aluminium, which makes them light. Their ends have a little lip so they fit in the grommets on the corners of the tent and don't slip out. If you unscrew the tips, you can replace the bungee inside. The corners of the rain fly have the male end of a buckle and clips into the corners of the tent. You can loosen or tighten the rain fly with them. The size is nice. I am comfortable by myself. There's plenty of room for one person and their gear inside. Two people fit perfectly well with their gear in the vestibules. I find the tent incredibly cozy. For someone over 6'3" it might be a little small length wise. I've camped in this tent in all four seasons (in the south east), from 90s to 30s. Without the fly it breaths well. With the fly on heat get trapped inside, which is super nice in the winter. There is a very noticeable difference in temperature between outside and inside the tent. Some of the features this tent has can be found on higher quality tents, like the corners having webbing straps with grommets and the buckles for the fly. The tent is a little bit of a higher dome compared to higher quality backpacking tents, which means it does catch the wind more. There are loops on the tent where you can attach more tie downs. It comes with some extra line for tie downs at each side, but I don't ever use them. Unless you are in some serious weather you won't need them. It does weigh more then an ultralight backpacking tent, but it's pretty obvious by the price that it does. I don't have the budget for an ultra light, but this tent would work perfectly fine for backpacking if you don't mind an extra few oz. I can fit the tent and fly into a small Sea to Summit compression bag. I haven't tried to fit the ground cloth in there, but I know it'll fit too. It's not an easy stuff, but it can be done. Overall, I am really pleased with this purchase. For under 100.00 its a great little tent. Until you want to get an ultralight or a high quality tent, I don't see the point in spending the money on a tent more expensive than this. Update 7/10/18: Well, the floor of the tent let some moisture in. We were in the Appalachian mountains and moisture soaked through. I sprayed the floor down with silicon waterproofing spray, so well see how it does. Haven't used it in wet conditions yet.

At the best of times, tents seem to be a struggle to get back into the bag. If I camp in the rain, I don't even bother trying. With this tent though, it's easy to tell that whomever was on the design committee knows the frustration of putting a wet tent away. I've used this tent since January 2020 and everytime it rains I'm still able to stuff the tent into its bag! This feature really cannot be stated enough, and it's one of the first questions I ask when it comes to researching tents. Home run right here! The oversized bag aside, I'm also a big fan of the aluminum poles since they can stand up to higher winds. I have the clay/rust color model and I love the favt that it blends in reasonably well with the trees and forest floor. It's no camo, but the brown really matches the natural colors and helps keep the site of a tent from being the main feature while out camping, helping to enjoy the natural scenery even more. Quick setup and teardown time, and spacious for a 2-person tent; I have room for me, gear, and some moving around without tripping over everything. The vestibules are a good size to stow wet boots and a small hiking stool. Oh and the roof vents on the faintly are a good size for ventilation, I've been down to 10F and have had no condensation problems at all. My only gripe is weight. This is more of a car camping tent than a backpacking tent, however it can serve that purpose if you really need it to since it stores small enough to carry strapped to a pack. 6lbs for just the tent, I wouldn't carry it more than a few miles (for reference, my backpacking sleep system with shelter weighs 6lbs). It's great as a car tent though, since it stores small saving space in a vehicle. Still, best tent I've ever had!