Over the decades of backpacking and bikepacking I have carried and slept in many tents. REI, Sierra Designs, North Face, Mountain Hardware, bivy sacks, generic tarps, high end tarps, and others. I don't think you can go wrong with the REI tent in the link. They are well built, sturdy, light enough, and a fair price. Your can find cheaper and not as well built or durable. You can find lighter and with more features but at *much* higher prices. And REI has an excellent return policy. (I've been a member since '71 and have returned a total of 2 items -- a pair of boots and a high-end tent (and the later after several *years*).)
As a newer camper DON'T go with tarps, bivys, or one person tents. They will be either too small or way too fiddly to set up. The two person should be just right. If you're worried about rain get a small nylon tarp from a hardware store, or simply put a plastic bag over your saddle (and, maybe, a garbage bag over your handlebars). You will also want to get some sort of sleeping pad for comfort. You could start with a simple air mattress. With experience you could graduate to either an inexpensive "closed cell" foam pad or a more expensive self-inflating insulated pad. My personal favorite is a silicone-coated tarp for very small size, ultralight weight, and flexibility. But I wouldn't recommend to anyone relatively new to camping as set-up and site selection are critical and take extensive experience. Best of luck, GAJett On Sun, Mar 1, 2026 at 6:48 AM Roberta <[email protected]> wrote: > Camping is not my thing and if I go on overnight bike trips, I’m more > likely to stay in a hotel. On Kayak trips, you camp where you pull the > kayak out of the water. So those bike days when I’m forced to sleep in a > tent as well as the Kayak camping, I’m looking at tents. For biking, I > know, shorter pole size and lighter tent is important. Neither of these > are important for Kayak camping. I cannot imagine I’d do this more than a > few times a year. > > I borrowed a tent for two trips last year. It stayed dry and I could sit > up in it. Opinions? Also, is it worth the additional weight to get two > person tent for one person? Other tent recommendations, but around this > price point? > > > https://www.rei.com/product/243702/rei-co-op-half-dome-2-tent-with-footprint > > Thanks, > Roberta > Philadelphia > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/eb8cef8b-6599-4f23-935a-d6b048e24a4en%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/eb8cef8b-6599-4f23-935a-d6b048e24a4en%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAMHQv6V9hQY0JUimjm8kxNH%2BFzniur9EHKZx67zeJqy7BDLJGw%40mail.gmail.com.
