• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Halfway Anywhere

Halfway Anywhere

  • About
  • Blog
  • PCT
  • CDT
  • Hikes
    • Arizona
      • Arizona Trail
      • Buckskin Gulch/Paria Canyon
      • Royal Arch Loop
    • Australia
      • Outback Bicycle Tour
      • New South Wales
        • The Coast Track
      • Tasmania
        • Federation Peak
        • Frenchmans Cap
        • Mount Anne Circuit
        • Overland Track
        • Western Arthurs Traverse
    • California
      • Cactus to Clouds
      • Kings Canyon High Basin Route
      • Southern Sierra High Route
      • Trans-Catalina Trail
    • Brazil
    • Japan
      • Alps Traverse
      • Fuji Area
      • Hokkaido
      • Hokuriku
      • Kansai
      • Kita Alps
      • Kyushu
    • Nepal
      • Everest Base Camp
      • Three Passes Trek
    • New Zealand
      • Ball Pass Route
    • Oregon
      • Timberline Trail
    • Washington
      • Wonderland Trail
  • Gear
    • Current Gear List
    • Gear Reviews
    • Gear Lists
    • PCT Gear
    • Best Backpacking Quilts
    • Best Satellite Messengers
    • Best Sun Hoodies
    • Best Thru-Hiking Shoes
    • Best Thru-Hiking Socks
    • Deals & Discounts
  • Surveys
    • PCT Survey
      • PCT Survey Results
      • PCT Gear Guide
      • PCT Resupply Guide
      • Women’s Gear Guide
      • Couples’ Gear Guide
      • Demographic Breakdown
      • PCT Horror Stories
      • PCT Hiker Advice
      • PCT Social Issues
      • All PCT Survey Articles
      • PCT Survey Sign-Up
    • CDT Survey
      • CDT Survey Results
      • CDT Gear Guide
      • CDT Resupply Guide
      • CDT Horror Stories
      • CDT Hiker Advice
      • All CDT Survey Articles
      • CDT Survey Sign-Up
    • JMT Survey
      • JMT Survey Results
      • JMT Gear Guide
      • All JMT Survey Articles
      • JMT Survey Sign-Up
  • Contact
    • Say Hello!
    • Support

The Best Thru-Hiking Shelters for Couples (2022 PCT Survey)

By Mac 6 Comments

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.

Table of Contents
1 Notes on the data
2 Couples’ Shelters
3 Highest-Rated Shelters
4 Most Common Shelters
5 Shelter Complaints
5.1 Zpacks Triplex
5.2 Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3
5.3 Zpacks Duplex
5.4 Gossamer Gear The Two
5.5 Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3
6 Wrap Up
Pinterest - 2022 PCT Hiker Survey - Couples Shelters

Notes on the data

  • This year’s survey has 143 completed surveys by hikers who reported hiking the PCT as a couple (I guess at least one member of one couple failed to fill the survey out).
  • More detailed posts focused on data from the PCT Survey are always in the works; to be notified of new surveys, click here.

Couples’ Shelters

#SHELTERRATINGPRICEWEIGHTFLOORFREESTANDINGCAPACITY
1Zpacks Triplex8.27$7991.37 lb | 622 g37.5 ft² / 3.5 m²No3
2Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL38.94$6003.63 lb | 1.65 kg41 ft² / 3.8 m²Yes3
3Zpacks Duplex7.88$6991.19 lb | 539 g28 ft² / 2.6 m²No2
4Gossamer Gear The Two8.00$3751.47 lb | 667 g26.2 ft² / 2.43 m²No2
5Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL28.57$5002.62 lb | 1.188 kg38 ft² / 3.53 m²Semi3
6Big Copper Spur HV UL2N/A$5502.69 lb | 1.22 kg29 ft² / 2.69 m²Yes2
7NEMO Hornet 2PN/A$4302.09 lb | 948 g27.5 ft² / 2.6 m²Semi2
8Dan Durston X-Mid 2PN/A$3002.4 lb | 1.085 kg33.2 ft² / 2.1 m²No2
9Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2N/A$4001.88 lbs | 853 g28 ft² / 2.6 m²Semi2
10MSR Hubba Hubba 2N/A$5503.25 lbs | 1.47 kg29 ft² / 2.69 m²Yes2

Highest-Rated Shelters

The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 was the highest-rated shelter among couples on the Pacific Crest Trail this year. It’s a three-person, side-entry, freestanding shelter that weighs 3.63 lb / 1.65 kg. It was also the second-most-common shelter among couples. It comes with stakes, guylines, tighteners, a pole-repair tube, a pole bag, and a stake bag.

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3
Zpacks Triplex
Zpacks Triplex
Gossamer Gear The Two
Gossamer Gear The Two
Zpacks Duplex
Zpacks Duplex

Most Common Shelters

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 set up. The Triplex was the third-highest-rated shelter among couples. The third-most-common shelter this year was the two-person version, the Zpacks Duplex (this was also the most common shelter overall).

Zpacks Triplex
Zpacks Triplex
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3
Zpacks Duplex
Zpacks Duplex
Gossamer Gear The Two
Gossamer Gear The Two
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3

Shelter Complaints

When hikers report anything less than a perfect rating for their shelter, I ask them what they would have changed about the gear they were using or what they didn’t like about the gear.

Here are the top complaints hikers had with each of the five most popular and highest-rated shelters on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Zpacks Triplex

Zpacks Triplex
Zpacks Triplex
  • Zippers failed 42.3%
  • Poor performance in wind 23.1%
  • Poor performance in rain 15.4%
  • Not durable 11.5%
  • Condensation Issues 11.5%
  • Difficult to pitch 3.8%
  • Not enough interior space 3.8%
  • Not enough pockets 3.8%
  • Not long enough 3.8%

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3
  • Zippers failed 61.1%
  • Poor performance in wind 5.6%
  • Too bulky 5.6%
  • Too heavy 5.6%

Zpacks Duplex

Zpacks Duplex
Zpacks Duplex
  • Zippers failed 37.5%
  • Poor performance in rain 18.8%
  • Not enough interior space 12.5%
  • Poor performance in wind 12.5%
  • Condensation Issues 12.5%

Gossamer Gear The Two

Gossamer Gear The Two
Gossamer Gear The Two
  • Not durable 44.4%
  • Poor performance in rain 33.3%
  • Zippers failed 33.3%
  • Poor performance in wind 22.2%
  • Difficult to pitch 11.1%
  • Not enough pockets 11.1%
  • Not long enough 11.1%
  • Condensation Issues 11.1%

Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3

Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3
  • Zippers failed 57.1%
  • Not durable 14.3%
  • Poor performance in wind 14.3%

Wrap Up

Although there are other pieces of gear that are shared by couples on the Pacific Crest Trail, shelters are the only thing that differs materially from solo hikers. It turns out that double-wide sleeping pads and sleeping bags aren’t too popular among long-distance backpackers.

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!

You'll Like These Too:

Pinterest - 2022 PCT Hiker Survey - Couples Shelters

Share this post:

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on WhatsApp Share on Email

Gear,  Pacific Crest Trail Couples Backpacking,  PCT Gear

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
6 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent Posts

  • Women’s Gear Guide for the Pacific Crest Trail (2022 Survey)
  • The Best Thru-Hiking Shelters for Couples (2022 PCT Survey)
  • Hayduke Trail Gear List: Everything You Need to Hike Across Utah
  • Continental Divide Trail Hiking Advice for 2023 (& Beyond)
  • Continental Divide Trail Horror Stories (Class of 2022)
Backpacking Gear Pacific Crest Trail Continental Divide Trail Mac's Backpack

Footer

STAY IN TOUCH

You've made it this far, you're either into this site or you're still looking for something. Either way, best to sign up for my newsletter, yeah?

NAVIGATION

  • Recent Posts
  • Backpacking Gear
  • Continental Divide Trail
  • Pacific Crest Trail
  • Brazil Trekking
  • Japan Trekking
  • Nepal Trekking
  • New Zealand Trekking
  • Tasmania Trekking

LEGALESE

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2023 · Halfway Anywhere