Who solo?
Posted by: Waterbird on Feb-14-13 8:16 PM (EST)
A two-person tent fits perfectly in a kayak and is so much more comfortable. I would never take a solo tent kayak camping. In fact I might even take a compact 3-person tent for the ultimate luxury.
Desirable qualities: two side doors; brow pole (also called a spreader pole---stretches the top out); large vestibules for air flow; simple design with minimum of stakes.
I've owned these two-person tents that I can recommend:
Kelty Grand Mesa: light, but front entry and small vestibule.
Kelty Trail Ridge 2: spacious, tall. Defect: no side pullouts on fly. That can be remedied.
REI Camp Dome: cheap, rugged, just 2 stakes hot in summer (not enough mesh).
Alps Mountaineering Zephyr 2: My favorite of all. Good headroom; large vestibules for air flow; lots of mesh; rugged and waterproof; simple design (4 stakes); large doors with easy entry; rain doesn't enter when you open the doors. There are tons of positive reviews for this tent. You can usually find it for $99. It is well worth that price, equal in quality to tents costing much more.