As the Pacific Crest Trail continues to grow in popularity, the trail has become home to a more diverse crowd of hikers – including couples (the days of the trail being a forever alone pity party appear to be over). Hiking with a partner has many advantages (you can split the weight of your shelter between two packs) and disadvantages (you don't have your own shelter to rage hike ahead with and camp alone).
This year, I'm expanding on the Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey by breaking down the best shelters for couples on the PCT. As with the PCT Gear Guide, this is simply an exploration of what gear was most common amongst hikers and what gear received the highest overall rating from hikers.
This is not a demonstrative guide to what you should buy and use on the PCT or what will make you a successful thru-hikers (we all know the answer to this is lots of M&M's and
Notes on the data
- We had 150 responses total from hikers reporting to have hiked as a couple. I doubt that this means we're seeing data from exactly 75 couples, but there are probably many couples who both filled out the survey.
- All of the gear included in the survey was used by at least five couples (that's ten different people for those of you who are too focused on PCT prepping to math).
- I refer to survey respondents collectively as this year's “class“. Remember, this is a sample and not a comprehensive survey of every single PCT hiker on the trail this year.
- If you're wondering what this symbol – σ – is, it's the symbol for standard deviation. If you don't know what that is, I invite you to use the Google.
- If two pieces of gear have the same rating, the higher ranking is given to the piece of gear that had a higher number of users.
- For shelters, I've used each item's “packaged weight” which includes everything required to set up each shelter (i.e. stakes and guy lines). This does not include a footprint in any of the cases.
- I will be releasing more detailed survey posts focused on PCT Resupply, PCT Demographics, PCT Horror Stories, and PCT Advice in the coming weeks. If you would like to be notified of new surveys, click here.
Highest-rated Shelters
HIGHEST-RATED SHELTERS FOR COUPLES
The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 was the highest-rated shelter for couples hiking the Pacific Crest Trail among this year's class. It has two doors, two vestibules, and 41 ft² / 3.81 m² of floor space.
| SHELTER | PRICE | RATING | WEIGHT | PACKED SIZE | HEIGHT | FLOOR | DOORS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 | $500 | 4.73/5 | 62 oz / 1.758 kg | 21 x 6 in / 53 x 15 cm | 43 in / 109 cm | 41 ft² / 3.81 m² | 2 |
| NEMO Hornet 2 | $370 | 4.67/5 | 38 oz / 1.077 kg | 19.5 x 5.5 in / 50 x 14 cm | 39 in / 99 cm | 27.5 ft² / 2.55 m² | 2 |
| Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3 | $450 | 4.63/5 | 46 oz / 1.304 kg | 19.5 x 5.5 in / 50 x 14 cm | 42 in / 107 cm | 38 ft² / 3.53 m² | 2 |
| Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 | $450 | 4.53/5 | 50 oz / 1.417 kg | 19.5 x 6 in / 50 x 15 cm | 40 in / 101 cm | 29 ft² / 2.69 m² | 2 |
| MSR Hubba Hubba NX | $450 | 4.50/5 | 62 oz / 1.758 kg | 18 x 6 in / 46 x 15 cm | 39 in / 99 cm | 29 ft² / 2.69 m² | 2 |
Of the highest-rated shelters for couples, we have two, three-person shelters and three, two-person shelters. This follows my personal mantra of “best shelter capacity” = number of people using the shelter + 1. Very scientific and mathematic, I know.
That said, the second-most-common shelter, the NEMO Hornet 2, has the smallest floor space of any of the above shelters, so maybe having a three-person shelter isn't really that important after all.
Next up, the most common shelters used by couples on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Most Common Shelters
MOST COMMON SHELTERS FOR COUPLES
It turns out the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 was both the highest-rated and most-common shelter for couples hiking the Pacific Crest Trail among this year's class. In case you missed it above, the tent has two doors, two vestibules, and 41 ft² / 3.81 m² of floor space.
| SHELTER | PRICE | RATING | WEIGHT | PACKED SIZE | HEIGHT | FLOOR | DOORS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 | $500 | 4.73/5 | 62 oz / 1.758 kg | 21 x 6 in / 53 x 15 cm | 43 in / 109 cm | 41 ft² / 3.81 m² | 2 |
| Zpacks Duplex | $600 | 4.05/5 | 19.4 oz* / 550 g* | 13 x 7 in / 33 x 18 cm | 48 in / 122 cm | 28 ft² / 2.6 m² | 2 |
| Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 | $450 | 4.53/5 | 50 oz / 1.417 kg | 19.5 x 6 in / 50 x 15 cm | 40 in / 101 cm | 29 ft² / 2.69 m² | 2 |
| Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3 | $450 | 4.63/5 | 46 oz / 1.304 kg | 19.5 x 5.5 in / 50 x 14 cm | 42 in / 107 cm | 38 ft² / 3.53 m² | 2 |
| MSR Hubba Hubba NX | $450 | 4.50/5 | 62 oz / 1.758 kg | 18 x 6 in / 46 x 15 cm | 39 in / 99 cm | 29 ft² / 2.69 m² | 2 |
*The weight provided for the Zpacks Duplex does not include the two trekking poles or the eight stakes that are required to set it up. The rest of the shelters have their “packed weight” provided – this includes poles, stakes, and stuff sacks.
The Wrap Up
I was going to include other pieces of gear here, but as it turns out, as far as couples are concerned, everything else is essentially the same. The other pieces of gear I considered were sleeping bags, sleeping pads, stoves, and water filters, but most people (even those in couples) choose these pieces of gear as if they were hiking solo.
Nobody (or at least very few people) uses double sleeping bags or double sleeping pads. Honestly, it wouldn't be wise to do this in the case that you were somehow separated from your partner.
If you have any questions, suggestions, concerns, or awe-inspiring statements to make regarding the data here (or the data in the PCT Survey Gear Guide), then leave a comment below and let me know.
With couples, how many used zip together sleeping bags? I’ve found those to be great and very flexible from giant quilt to zipped together and huddle together for warmth.
I’ll take a deeper dive into this on future surveys, but the vast majority of hikers carried their own sleeping bags. I think, logistically, it makes a lot more sense to have your own bag (even when hiking as a couple).