Do you struggle to fit into all the tents designed for backpacking?
Are you taller than the average Joe and want to go for a long camping trip in the wilderness?
You’d be surprised how many tall people out there get frustrated by the ultralight tents out there for backpacking and hiking.
To make their tents lighter, tent manufacturers often opt for lighter materials and smaller dimensions.
Too often, these leaves tall folks either curled up in a ball or with their legs sticking out.
We’re here to help with our picks for the top 5 best backpacking tents for a tall person.
The best backpacking person for tall people needs to balance a longer length while still being light. Our picks include the following tents (click links to check current pricing on Amazon):
- Nemo Hornet Ultralight Backpacking Tent
- Kelty Late Start 1 Person – 3 Season Backpacking Tent
- Big Agnes 2019 Copper Spur HV UL Backpacking Tent
- TETON Sports Mountain Ultra Tent
- MIER 1 and 2 Person Backpacking Tent With Footprint
Look ahead for our buyer’s guide and reviews of the individual products.
Table of Contents
What To Look For In A Backpacking Tent For A Tall Person
When it comes to tents, there are a few features you’ll want to look for. But for tall people who want to go backpacking, there’s only a few you need to focus on.
Space
The first is an obvious one: space.
If you’re tall, you want to be able to sleep comfortably in the tent, so you have plenty of energy for another day of hiking the next.
Always take a look at the floor dimensions of a backpacking tent. These tents tend to be shorter anyway to make themselves lighter, but this doesn’t mean you need to accept a length of tent shorter than you are tall!
As a rule, aim for at least 6 inches longer than you are tall. More would be good too, but this amount will get you comfortable sleeping space.
Weight
When backpacking, every ounce counts.
The lighter the tent, the better.
Of course, you have to balance this with the size, but larger tents don’t have to weigh a ton.
A huge piece of this is made up of what materials the tent is made of.
Nylon is the lightest, but it needs to be treated to add weather proofing and durability. This usually adds price.
Standard polyester is light and more affordable, but it may not be light enough for long distance backpacking.
You may find it helpful to check out the best tent stakes for backpacking.
Durability
This is one people often forget when it comes to backpacking.
Everyone is so focused on the weight and size, they ignore the durability and how well the tent handles rain and terrain.
This may not seem like as big of a deal with the smaller backpacking tents, but here’s how I think about it:
Do you really want to be days out away from civilization and your poorly constructed tent to get a hole ripped in it?
Look at the quality of the materials and what others had to say about the tent’s durability.
Or read our reviews below because we already did it for you!
Review Of The Best Backpacking Tent For A Tall Person
In this section, we’ll go over the individual products and how their features transfer into practical use. Look for the pros and cons to help you decide which is best for you.
We mention price levels in our review, but due to prices always changing, you’ll need to click the button or image to check current pricing.
Nemo Hornet Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Nemo’s Hornet backpacking tent is a premium tent for hiking and carrying a tent. At a premium price, the tent does cost more, but the quality is hard to beat.
For taller people, this tent may be just what you’re looking for when you want to go backpacking.
The floor dimensions are 85 inches x 51 inches. For length, this gives you a length of 7 ft 1 inch.
For tall people, they’ll be able to lay down comfortably.
For weight, this tent is made from an ultralight treated nylon gets the tent down to 1 pound 10 ounces.
The tent collapses and sets up easily in small spaces.
Nemo’s durable design helps keep the tent dry and long-lasting through tough weather and ground situations.
If the light weight is still too much, share the burden with an easy weight sharing clip between two people as you hike.
All in all, this is an awesome tent for any backpacker, but the size fits tall people well.
Pros For This Tent:
- Very light
- Durable and easy-to-use
- Just over 7 ft long
Cons For This Tent:
- Higher price
Kelty Late Start 1 Person – 3 Season Backpacking Tent
Kelty is a brand respected for making tents with a balance of quality and budget. For a medium-low price point, you get a sharp-looking backpacking tent which will make most backpackers happy.
This tent comes in with dimensions of 85 inches long x 40 inches wide x 30 inches tall. This gives you up to 7 feet 1 inch to lay down and stretch out.
For most tall people, this will be enough.
The lower price needs to affect the tent somewhere, and unfortunately, this comes in material. The tent is made from quality polyester with good waterproofing treatments.
This tent will last, but between the treatment and poly material, the weight may be more than most serious backpackers will refer.
The Kelty tent weighs in at 3 pounds 5 ounces. This may not seem like a lot at first, but if you’re hiking long periods, this may weigh on you.
For casual hikers, this won’t be as big of a deal.
Pros For This Tent:
- Affordable
- Good waterproofing
- Enough space for tall people
Cons For This Tent:
- Heavier than other backpacking tents
Big Agnes 2019 Copper Spur HV UL Backpacking Tent
The Big Agnes tent is a premium backpacking tent for those serious about backpacking. At the higher price, you’ll still be amazed at all the features packed into this small tent.
For tall people, you don’t need to worry about space with this nylon tent. The dimensions are 88 inches long x 52 inches wide x 40 inches high.
This gives you 7 feet 4 inches to lay down in and over 3 feet for sitting up. This is one of the most spacious backpacking tents out there.
With all this space, you’d think the tent weighs a lot, but the nylon material and thin design come in at a trail weight of 2 pounds 1 ounce.
The Big Agnes tents comes with the following accessories:
- Rainfly
- Storm flaps
- Ceiling storage pocket
- 2 interior pockets
- 8 light aluminum stakes
- 2-toned mesh for privacy while still allowing stargazing
Pros For This Tent:
- Light and easy to pack
- Durable and waterproof
- Plenty of extras
- Lots of space for tall people
Cons For This Tent:
- Higher price
TETON Sports Mountain Ultra Tent
TETON creates tough tents on a budget. This backpacking dome tent is affordable and spacious, though heavier than what serious backpackers may want.
The floor dimensions are 82 inches x 32 inches which means there is 6 feet 10 inches to lay down in.
Some of the tallest people may not like the length, but those 6 feet 4 inches and under should feel fine.
The packed weight is much higher at 3.5 pounds. This is due to the heavier polyester material when compared to premium backpacking tent’s nylon tent fabric.
The TETON tent comes in different sizes from 1-4 people. It’s dome design is simple to set up and offers plenty of headroom and storage space.
Pros For This Tent:
- Affordable price
- Durable tent sides
- More storage and head room
- Good space for tall people
Cons For This Tent:
- Much heavier
- Those over 6’4” may not have enough length
MIER 1 and 2 Person Backpacking Tent With Footprint
The MIER tents are an affordable nylon backpacking tent for those who want the lighter material without paying the premium price
Space-wise, the floor dimensions are 9.5 feet long x 3 feet wide with 7 feet of clear laying room (the extra 2.5 feet is a storage vestibule. This will work for most tall people.
It’s trail weight is a light 2.6 pounds. This weight is shareable on the trail as well.
MIER provides a footprint and a rainfly to help protect the nylon interior.
This is good because the lower price has to come from somewhere, and MIER chooses to back off on the durability and weather treatment of the nylon material.
Still, unless the weather or ground is terrible, this tent will last through most rain and hard ground.
Pros For This Tent:
- Lightweight nylon
- A lot of space to lay down in
- Affordable Price
Cons For This Tent:
- Less durable and weather-proofed than other premium nylon tents
Conclusion
We hope you found our guide to the best backpacking tent for a tall person helpful. Each of these will work, so it’s up to you to find what’s best for your needs.
Overall, the Nemo and the Big Agnes are the best choices.
Both of these have the space to handle a taller person well without adding too much weight. At the end of the day, it’s up to you.
Go ahead and pick and enjoy camping!