The Best Shelters for Couples on the Pacific Crest Trail (2021 Survey)
Reading Time: 4 minutes Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail as a couple can be a huge test of a relationship. Which tent or shelter to use as a couple can be an important consideration.
Will you sleep together? Separate? Who will carry what part of the tent? Will you use a two or three-person tent? Will you bring no shelter and cowboy camp every night until it rains and then have a huge, relationship-ending fight?
I may start asking, as part of the PCT Survey, which gear couples split between one another (e.g. if they only carried one stove). If you’re a prospective couple planning to hike the PCT and are looking for more data beyond the PCT Gear Guide, leave a comment below or get in touch and let me know what you think.
Notes on the data
- This year’s survey boasts 101 completed surveys by hikers who reported being part of a couple (I guess at least one member of one couple failed to fill the survey out).
- More detailed posts focused on PCT Gear, women-specific gear_, PCT Resupply, PCT Demographics, PCT Horror Stories, and PCT Advice are also available. If you would like to be notified of new surveys, click here.
Highest-Rated PCT Shelters for Couples
The REI Co-op Quarter Dome 2 was the highest-rated shelter among couples on the Pacific Crest Trail this year. It’s a two-person, side-entry, freestanding shelter that weighs 3.75 lbs / 1.7 kg. It was also the fifth most common shelter among couples. It comes with stakes, guylines, tighteners, a pole-repair tube, a pole bag, and a stake bag.
| # | SHELTER | RATING | PRICE | WEIGHT | FLOOR | FREESTANDING | CAPACITY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | REI Quarter Dome 2 | 9.00/10 | $349 | 3.75 lbs | 1.7 kg | 28.7 ft² / 2.67 m² | Yes | 2 |
| 2 | Zpacks Triplex | 8.72/10 | $799 | 1.37 lbs | 622 g | 37.5 ft² / 3.5 m² | No | 3 |
| 3 | Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 | 8.57/10 | $400 | 1.88 lbs | 853 g | 28 ft² / 2.6 m² | Semi | 2 |
| 4 | Zpacks Duplex | 8.35/10 | $699 | 1.19 lbs | 539 g | 28 ft² / 2.6 m² | No | 2 |
| 5 | MSR Hubba Hubba 2 | 8.33/10 | $480 | 3.25 lbs | 1.47 kg | 29 ft² / 2.69 m² | Yes | 2 |
| 6 | Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 | 7.88/10 | $550 | 3.63 lbs | 1.65 kg | 41 ft² / 3.8 m² | Yes | 3 |
| 7 | NEMO Hornet 2P | 7.80/10 | $400 | 2.38 lbs | 1.08 kg | 27.5 ft² / 2.6 m² | Semi | 2 |
Most Common PCT Shelters for Couples
The Zpacks Triplex was the most common shelter among couples on the Pacific Crest Trail this year. It’s a three-person, side-entry, shelter that requires two trekking poles to be set up. The second most common shelter this year was the two-person version, the Zpacks Duplex (this was also the most common shelter overall).
| # | SHELTER | RATING | PRICE | WEIGHT | FLOOR | FREESTANDING | CAPACITY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zpacks Triplex | 8.72/10 | $799 | 1.37 lbs | 622 g | 37.5 ft² / 3.5 m² | No | 3 |
| 2 | Zpacks Duplex | 8.35/10 | $699 | 1.19 lbs | 539 g | 28 ft² / 2.6 m² | No | 2 |
| 3 | Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 | 7.88/10 | $550 | 3.63 lbs | 1.65 kg | 41 ft² / 3.8 m² | Yes | 3 |
| 4 | REI Quarter Dome 2 | 9.00/10 | $349 | 3.75 lbs | 1.7 kg | 28.7 ft² / 2.67 m² | Yes | 2 |
| 5 | Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 | 8.57/10 | $400 | 1.88 lbs | 853 g | 28 ft² / 2.6 m² | Semi | 2 |
| 6 | MSR Hubba Hubba 2 | 8.33/10 | $480 | 3.25 lbs | 1.47 kg | 29 ft² / 2.69 m² | Yes | 2 |
| 7 | NEMO Hornet 2P | 7.80/10 | $400 | 2.38 lbs | 1.08 kg | 27.5 ft² / 2.6 m² | Semi | 2 |
Of the most common shelters for couples, we have two, three-person shelters and three, two-person shelters. This follows my personal strategy of selecting the “best shelter capacity”. The number of people using the shelter + 1. Quite scientific, I know.
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.
